House clamours might result in anxiety, frightening for dogs

Key takeaways: 

• While it’s generally understood that loud, dramatic noises like thunderstorms and firecrackers can scare dogs, discoveries at UC Davis have found that even usual household clamours can spark anxiety among canines. 
• Noises coming from vacuum cleaners or smoke detectors might be distressing your dog. 
• Current research finds out. 

Dogs might be scared by usual household sounds: 

While it’s generally understood that loud, dramatic noises like thunderstorms and firecrackers can scare dogs, discoveries at UC Davis have found that even usual household clamours can spark anxiety among canines. 

“We know that there are a lot of dogs that have noise sensitivities, but we underestimate their fearfulness to noise we consider normal because many dog owners can’t read body language,” said lead author Emma Grigg in a press release. Source – ctv.ca

Grigg and teammates outlined their discoveries in a paper released in the Journal Frontiers Veterinary Science on Monday. They observed 386 dogs owners about their reactions to noises and also noticed 62 online videos picturing dogs reacting to usual household noises. 

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In both the observations and the online videos, There were “numerous signs of canine fear and anxiety” in reactions to these sounds. 

For lower-frequency continuous noises, such as ovens and vacuum cleaners, bearing associated with anxiety, such as barking and lunging, were usual. Indications of fear, such as lip-licking and tucked-back ears were also connected with these kinds of noises. 

Loud and rare high-pitched sounds, such as the beeping of the smoke detector, were discovered to be more likely to result in anxiety among dogs. Panting, hiding, covering, trembling and barking were usual behavioural reactions to these sounds. 

“Dogs use body language much more than vocalizing and we need to be aware of that,” explained Grigg. “We feed them, house them, love them and we have a caretaker obligation to respond better to their anxiety.” Source – ctv.ca