Positive Dog Training & Behaviour Blog | Walkabout Canine Consulting
Unleashing your dogs potential, one concept at a time
Noise Sensitivity in Dogs
Sylvia Koczerzuk Koczerzuk 
Noise impacts dog stress, learning, and behaviour. Discover strategies to reduce canine noise anxiety and build calmness in urban and rural homes.
Noise, Health, and Dogs: How Sound Impacts Stress and Training
We know that noise can affect human health, but did you know it impacts dogs just as much—if not more? Research shows that constant or sudden noises raise stress levels, disrupt learning, and can contribute to anxiety and behaviour issues.
Understanding how noise shapes your dog’s wellbeing helps you protect their stress bucket, build calmness, and create the right conditions for training success.
Noise and Stress: What the Science Says
🔹 For People:
Studies by Stansfeld & Clark (2015) and Basner et al. (2014) show that noise raises risks of hypertension, cardiovascular disease, poor sleep, and reduced learning outcomes.
🔹 For Dogs:
Dogs hear higher frequencies and at greater sensitivity than we do.
Studies confirm that noise sensitivity is common, affecting up to one-third of dogs, especially with fireworks, thunder, or alarms.
Cognition suffers: noise-reactive dogs show poorer problem-solving in learning tasks.
Pain links: Dogs with musculoskeletal pain often develop new noise sensitivities.
The Stress Bucket and Noise
Think of your dog’s stress as a bucket: every stressful event—like a loud bang or ongoing construction—fills it a little more. Positive stress (excitement, fast play) can add to the bucket too.
When the bucket overflows, behaviours like reactivity, anxiety, or guarding appear. Noise is a powerful “filler.” Helping your dog drain that bucket through calmness is essential.
The Calmness Triad: Building Resilience
To counteract noise stress, layer in the Calmness Triad:
Passive calming activities – lick mats, chew toys, snuffle mats.
Calmness protocol – rewarding your dog for choosing to relax.
Active rest – ensuring your dog has quiet, safe spaces for down time.
These strategies let the stress bucket drain, building resilience over time.
Noise Mitigation Strategies for Guardians
✅ Safe Zones – Provide a den, crate, or quiet room with comforting items.
✅ Sound Masking – Use fans, brown/pink noise, or soft music to reduce startling sounds.
✅ Gradual Desensitization – Pair recordings of noises with treats, starting very soft, and build up slowly. Your dog should not have any reaction to the noises.
✅ Incorporate games/puzzle – Incorporate enjoyable puzzles that make slight noises while your dog is foraging for high value food.
✅ Routine Matters – Predictability lowers stress. Pair noisy times (like traffic or fireworks) with calming routines.
✅ Check Pain – If noise stress suddenly worsens, speak with your vet. Pain can make dogs more sensitive to pain.
Urban vs Rural Noise Considerations
Environ- ment | Common Noise Stressors | Tips for Guardians |
Urban | Traffic, sirens, alarms, construction | Play masking sounds, use predictable routines, and build gradual exposure to urban sounds. |
Rural | Farm machinery, wildlife, gunshots, sudden quiet interrupted by bursts | Use safe zones, gradual exposure to machinery, and mask sudden bursts with background noise. |
Noise Stress Checklist for Guardians
Use this to spot if noise is filling your dog’s stress bucket:
My dog startles or hides when hearing sudden noises.
Barking or whining increases during noisy times.
My dog avoids certain rooms, windows, or outdoor areas.
Sleep is disrupted after loud events (fireworks, storms).
My dog becomes clingy or restless when background noise is high.
Older dog developed new noise fears recently.
Relaxing routines don’t seem to help as much after noise exposure.
If you tick more than two boxes, noise may be a significant stressor for your dog.
Takeaway
Noise is more than a nuisance—it’s a health and behaviour factor. For humans, it impacts the heart, sleep, and learning. For dogs, it can fill the stress bucket, disrupt learning, and fuel anxiety.
By applying the Calmness Triad and smart noise mitigation strategies, you’ll help your dog feel safer, calmer, and more resilient—no matter where you live.
