With counter conditioning we want to gradually teach the dog to relax in the presence of the fearful stimulus.  We want to start this training prior to the noisy event. Ideally this should be done in the winter months, well before storm season. 

We want to teach the dog to relax in a calm setting first.  Select a mat or rug for the dog to settle on. To cue the relaxing behavior, choose an easy to remember word or phrase such "go to your mat", "settle", "relax", "chill" or "easy".  Always use the same word or phrase for this exercise.  Teach the dog some simple tasks such as sit, down, or stay, and use them once the dog goes to the mat or rug.  If the dog settles on the mat with a relaxed body posture or expression, immediately give a tasty food reward.

How to Teach Your Dog to Lie Down Click to view a YouTube Video on how to easily and quickly train your dog to lie down!  Teaching your dog to lie down is the first step in teaching a dog to relax!  This is a valuable first step to teaching your dog how to relax on a mat.

5 Steps to Train Your Dog to "Go to Place"   This information comes from Karen Pryor's Clickertraining.com website and teaches the technique to get your dog to lie down and be relaxed on an area such as a mat.  Remember teaching this skill must be done when the noise phobia is NOT happening.  Once your dog learns the mat is a safe place, you can use it to relax when the phobia is happening.

 

Once you have reliably trained your dog to lie down, teach your dog to stay relaxed on the mat and resting peacefully. Offer him a very special long lasting treat such as a stuffed food toy or Kong. Special rewards make the mat a very happy and rewarding place for your dog to visit. 

Click on this link to learn The Magic of Chew Toys & Food Toys.  This webpage will teach you how to stuff a delicious Kong toy to keep your pet relaxed and happy during stressful events.

Remember when you start training a dog to settle or relax, you are must do this without the fearful stimulus being present. 

Teach this on quiet days, and have your dog perform it over and over, rewarding generously each time until the dog goes willingly to his mat every time after a simple word cue. 

Over time your dog will look forward to going to the mat and will willing settle down there in anticipation of the special food treat or toy.  You can also offer other rewards on the mat such as praise, a tummy rub or an ear scratch.

Once your dog has mastered these exercises, you are ready to try them during a noise event.  If the dog follows your cue to settle on the mat in the presence of the noise, generously offer the food reward.  Look for a happy, or at least a relaxed, facial expression or posture from the dog before rewarding with the treat or affection.

Along with teaching the dog relaxation techniques, TRY TEACHING YOUR DOG TO FOCUS ON YOU on command. When the focus is on you, your dog will tend to forget about the noise. Again this is taught away from the stressful stimulus at the beginning.  Use a delectable food treat.  Get you dog's attention, ask him to "look at me", "watch me" or "focus" and hold the food treat up to YOUR nose.  Encourage the dog to look at you and the treat.  When your dog focuses on the treat and your face, immediately reward him.  Once you have your dog's focus, you can gradually ask him to hold focus longer, or to do a trick, or play a game. 

Once your dog has mastered this, you can start having your dog focus on you in the presence of the noise stimulus.  When the dog ignores his environment and the noise, and focuses on you, reward with a tasty food treat, praise, or play a favorite game. 

Throw your dog a party during storm times!  If you have mastered getting your dog to  be relaxed and focused during a noise event, the next step is to do something fun and entertaining, throw your dog a party!  Use relaxed but happy voice tones, play games, and offer lots of really special party treats. 

Teach your dog to anticipate that storm time is party time, not scary time!  Dr. Marty Becker suggests that "With every crack of thunder, respond, “Whoopee! That was a fun one! Here’s your storm cookie!” Couple this with happy requests for simple obedience commands your dog knows well, such as sit."  Reward with super tasty treats and celebrate!

To desensitize to loud or scary noises, we can use audio recordings at very low volumes and slowly increase the noise over time. 

Once you have the "settle on the mat" exercise down, you can play a CD with storm or fireworks noise at an extremely low volume.  Start so low the dog shows no response.  As long as the dog is not showing any signs of anxiety, reward with play, tummy massages, and treats. Very gradually turn the volume up, if the dog remains relaxed continue the rewards.  It is important to understand that this method may take many days to weeks of practice to succeed. Desensitization should take place and be completed BEFORE the season starts, not during storm season!

If the dog is becoming anxious, it tells you that you are increasing the volume too quickly. Go back to a lower volume that does not antagonize the dog and start over again and increase the volume more slowly.  In the ideal situation, desensitization should be started in the off season, when sudden loud storms or fireworks will not come up quickly, before desensitization has a chance to be successful.

Thunderstorm and noise CDs for desensitization training can be purchased at the internet sites listed below.  

• A Programme for Treating Firework Phobias This is a link to a CD desensitization protocol from a British Veterinarian, Claire Shorthose BVMS MRCVS, from theBritish website, www.fearoffireworks.com.
•  Legacy Canine Behavior CDs  This website sells a collection of CDs to desensitize dogs to a variety of sounds like storms and fireworks, vacuums, guns, and babies.
  Soundtherapy4pets This is United Kingdom website, but you can credit card order the "Sounds Scary"   Desensitization CD training program on the website for US Shipping.
• Helping Fido.com--Fearful Behavior  Helping Fido has a variety CDs specially created for use with noise sensitive dogs. These include recorded noises of Thunderstorms, but they also have CDs for fireworks, guns, car trips, children, cars and trucks, kitchens and vacuums, and flight.  They also have detailed lesson plans on how to properly do desensitization and counter conditioning.
• Dogs and Fireworks.com This British website is full of free helpful advice on fireworks phobia including a downloadable MP3 Video with sounds and  instructions on how to desensitize your dog to firework noises.
• Victoria Stillwell's Noise PhobiaTraining CD Set In conjunction with the founders of the acclaimed Through A Dog’s Ear canine music series, Victoria has developed a groundbreaking new treatment for several commonly-found triggers of canine anxiety, including Thunderstorms, Fireworks and City Sounds. A 4^th CD, Calming, is a powerful tool which can be used to reduce the stresses suffered by anxious and noise-sensitive dogs. 
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Before using one of these training devices for noise phobia, be sure your dog is well acclimated to it, and completely relaxed using it. Proper use of a head halter takes time, patience, and proper training. We recommend working with a Veterinary Behavior Specialist, or your veterinarian, before using a head halter or Gentle Leader to get proper instruction on use and fit. There are also several websites that can demonstrate the use of the head halter.  If the dog is not acclimated properly to this training device, anxiety may worsen so proper technique is crucial with the head halter.YouTube Video on How to Fit a Gentle Leader Head Collar

Conditioning an Emotional Response Video  If using a Gentle Leader head collar, this video explains how to teach your dog to enjoy wearing the Gentle Leader.

For Other Methods of Treating Noise Phobias, Click the Links Below

Environmental changes and modification

DAP Pheromone Therapy

Body Wraps and Capes 

Medications