Last week I told you about Gus coming upstairs when there was thunder about (and struggling to get down again…)
Noise sensitivity and reactivity is unfortunately common, affecting around 45% of dogs in the UK. A recent Finnish study found some interesting facts:
- Big dogs are less likely to be fearful of thunder than small dogs, but there was no significant difference between small and medium dogs, or between medium and large dogs
- The breeds most fearful of thunder were the Lagotto Romagnolo, Cairn Terrier, and Rough Collie
- The breeds least likely to be bothered were Miniature Poodle, Chinese Crested Dog, and Labrador Retriever
- Age increases the chance that dogs will be scared of fireworks and thunder, up until 10 years old
- Although there was no difference between male and female, neutered animals were more likely to be fearful of loud noises
Genetics play a big part in whether your dog hates thunder and other loud noises, but one important finding from this study was that dogs that had good socialisation and/or some training as puppies were less likely to be scared of noises such as thunder.
If you’ve recently acquired a puppy and want to give them the very best start in life, why not join our new two week Puppy Socialisation Practice course? It’s for puppies up to 18 weeks old. You can find all the details and sign up here. You’ll also find an option to sign up for our full Perfect Pet Package.
Socialisation is about your puppy meeting lots of new people and dogs, but they also need to experience other animals, different surfaces, different noises and different places so they’ll become comfortable and confident in our complex, crazy, noisy world.
Keep training and keep safe
Carol