Sound sensitive

[Remy]

My BC is 18 months and is very sound sensitive especially with gun shots off in the distance, she even stops wanting to chase her sheep, any suggestions would be grateful.

 

thank you

Darwin

[RMSBORDERCOLLIES]

My BC is 18 months and is very sound sensitive especially with gun shots off in the distance, she even stops wanting to chase her sheep, any suggestions would be grateful.

 

thank you

Darwin

 

Sorry I am so late answering this question but I had lots to do upon returning from the finals. Sound sensitivity is a very complicated, usually genetic, disorder and quite difficult to deal with at times. Before I go any further though I would like to offer a suggestion that your dog not chase her sheep but herd them. Now that that's out of the way, we'll deal with sound sensitivity. The best way that I have found to deal with it is to find a way or action that the dog will do that will calm her during the noise that is bothering her. With my old dog who was quite sensitive to thunder, I used to work him during every thunderstorm we had and, over the years, he became very accepting of it but it did take quite a long time but was worth it. You need to be calm yourself around the dog and offer support in the way of soothing her and calming her during the noise. Once you get her working well and with condfidence you can take her out during the gun shots and work her calmly on sheep that she enjoys. It will take time and I know of no way that you can do it quickly so just find something she enjoys doing and do it while the gunshots are happending. WARNING!! Noise sensitive dogs can freak out during thunder storms and the like and just start running with no goal or direction in mind and, quite often, get into disastrous situations like being hit on the highway etc. So when the noises occur, if you can't take them out and work them, I would suggest confining them where they cannot escape for the duration of the noise, whatever it may be...........Bob