Puppies and Loud Noises

Dogs in general are very sensitive to any changes in their environment, including loud noises. Their sense of hearing and smell is far more heightened then a human's. Because of this it is easy to understand that it is more difficult for them to process a change in their environment.

It is common for a dog to become scared when a person suddenly enters the room unbeknownst to the dog. Sudden loud noises or bangs can also cause a dog to be frightened and jump at it. Sometimes the thing you would least think of causes a puppy to get scared such as the wind blowing on a street sign etc.

Keep in mind that dogs before used to use these senses in the wild to protect themselves from predators, therefore it is something entirely natural for a puppy to do this. Nowadays obviously the dogs that humans have bred do not have as sharp sense of protectiveness as they used to and are a lot more confident and sociable then in the past, but there are still some breeds such as the guarding breeds and herding breeds that are still very sensitive to these things especially if they have not been appropriately socialized and habituated to their environment and whom are very likely to show fear at hearing a noise.

There are ways in which you as an owner can make your puppy become used to living around sounds and noises (which are all around us in the world), by making noise yourself and then offering the puppy a treat. The types of noises you can make can be banging pots together, singing loudly etc, while feeding him a special treat at the same time. This will help the puppy to associate these loud noises with something to not be afraid of and something normal.

A responsible dog owner will help their puppy by allowing him to experience different types of environments, sounds, and places, obviously without causing the dog to become overwhelmed by exaggerating. If you do not have the time or know exactly how to train your puppy to learn about new sounds and his surroundings, put him in a puppy training school. The trainers in these places are highly qualified and know how to gently expose the puppies to their new surroundings. The instructors will also give you the owner advice on how to manage the puppies' behavior and how to resolve any possible problems that could arise.

When looking for a place to train your puppy go after the places that:

• Have lots of experience, use friendly methods, and have trainers that are helpful and supportive.
• Do not use force to train the puppies.
• Have fun classes that involve both the pet and the owner.
• Smaller size classrooms with a few pets.
• Train in order to prevent behavioral problems and that have temperament training courses, as well as response to command training.
• Train with real life situations.