Desensitizing Your Dog: 13 Tips Proposed by Pawrents to Emotionally Prepaw Your Pupper to Deal with Loud Noises

Author image for Laurent Shinar
Laurent Shinar • Writer and Editor
Jul 25, 2026 7:30 AM EDT

The world is full of loud and scary noises, and whether your dog is reactive or not, there will almost always be one or two noises that send them for a loop. So before having to handle such a situation live, we wanted to give you stop tips to desensitize your pupper beforehand, thereby hopefully removing the reactivity to noise.

With this being such a serious subject we wanted to make sure we got the best pawssible resources to inform you on what and how to prepaw your pupper for the loud noises you know they cannot stand. So we turned to not only Reddit's r/reactivedogs subreddit but also r/OpenDogTraining and r/Dogtraining. This way we have managed to get pupper pawrent opinions on what has actually worked for them, as well as pawfessional opinions from vets and dog trainers who have all the techniques and tricks the books have to offer.

We won't give you too many spoilers here as there are some seriously special ideas amongst this list but we will say that it is high time that us pawrents start taking a little more responsibility for our doggos. The hooman world we live in is full of loud noises that are out of our control. Whether they happen but once a year or every day. So it is upon our shoulders to do what we can to prepaw our pups and make sure that these sounds no longer hurt them. And with gentle emotional training a lot can be done to turn a pupper who hides from the smallest of ambulance sirens to the dog who sits at a 4th of July display loving his life. 
 

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to start your Caturday with the funniest felines on the internet!

Add as a preferred
source on Google
Advertisement
  • 01
    "Do box feeding with a speaker with the bass turned all the way up."
    via todaysraven

    Black and white dog hiding in a box on its side

    Dog depicted by model

  • 02
    pannedemonium There's a dog desensitization playlist on Spotify I've been using that has construction noises, as well as various other common dog phobia sounds
    via Forsaken_Tune_7259
  • 03
    themaster969 I would suggest a free play with different materials and textures including metal. Just put her in a room or outside with no leash in an area with different items made of different materials at different heights, sprinkled with treats. Let the dog explore
    via Forsaken_Tune_7259
  • 04
    Cheezburger Image 10648396544
    via a_naked_molerat
  • 05
    BlocksAreGreat Do box feeding with a speaker with the base turned all the way up. She's likely reacting to those lower notes, so it's better if you are using a system with a subwoofer and crank that bass.
    via Forsaken_Tune_7259

  • Ok, these are some great ideas and all point to the fact that exposure to these loud noises is one of the most effective ways to ensure that your doggo is not frightened by them when they happen for real. In the home you have control over the environment and can adjust volume and stop and start whenever. Meaning you can be reactive to your doggo’s reaction and adapt as you go. The goal is not to frighten them, but to show them that these noises are just that noise, and they cannot hurt them. 
     

  • 06
    jocularamity standard poodle (dog-frustr... I like the idea of looking for a raceway or car meetup, so you can arrange to be a good distance away, maybe in a nearby park. Look up your local rallyx or autocross clubs for a start, because all of the cars going crazy fast will be confined
    via Forsaken_Tune_7259
  • 07
    Cheezburger Image 10648395264
    via a_naked_molerat
  • 08
    poosekant ⚫ 6mo ago I've seen people train noise sensitive dogs in a way where the dog itself is in control of making some noise and it is paired with whatever motivates them (praise, food, play). Like scatter feed in a box with some clanking utensils etc. Then build it up so you pair the noise with a word
    via Interr0gate
  • 09
    sergtheduck29 Speakers are not the only way to replicate loud noises. Maybe you can do something similar to introducing g fire sounds to h. ting dogs. You'll need a friend and a starter pt (those little ones they use to signal the beginning of a running race usually painted bright orange)
    via Interr0gate
  • 10
    Cheezburger Image 10648396032
    via a_naked_molerat
  • 11
    Monzzzyy One major thing that helped. my dog with loud noises, is not trying to comfort him, or reassure him. Doing those things reinforces that "something is wrong", and makes the anxi by worse. I don't give him hiding spots, and I let him calmly lie next to me for comfort.
    via Interr0gate

  • Ooooohhh ok this is really interesting. Much like with hooman children, the way that a pawrent reacts to a certain situation very much stipulates how the child or canine will perceive it. After all, the kid or canine's experience is new, they do not know how bad it is and how drastic their reaction should be. Therefore they take cues from their pawrents. If you show them that the situation is stressful, scary or painful that is exactly what they will feel. So a combination of this attitude alongside exposure therapy can make for quite the calm canine. 
     

  • 12
    Cheezburger Image 10648395520
    via a_naked_molerat
  • 13
    Old-Description-2328 Dopamine box feeding helps. There's a fantastic tutorial by Pat Stuart on the canine paradigm podcast patreon, it might be available for free on his website: serious dog business.
    via Interr0gate
  • 14
    DivineMediocrity I took my puppy on walks and would have puppy sit/stay when I saw a bus coming. Take a treat out and treat as the bus drove by. He got better pretty quickly and now he's very chill.
    via todaysraven
  • 15
    Cheezburger Image 10648395776
    via a_naked_molerat
  • 16
    karmama28 Continue on your walks. When there is a truck going by, have her sit when shes scared and calmly speak to her. Ours finally overcame her fear, and noises no longer bother her, even the large garbage trucks.
    via todaysraven
  • 17
    Old-Description-2328 Box feeding. There is a podcast on fenzi FDSA discussing the benefits and set up. Once the box feeding is ok, apply pressure in various manners including the trigger sounds.
    via todaysraven
  • 18
    Cheezburger Image 10648396288
    via a_naked_molerat
  • 19
    [deleted] Pair with high value treats at a distance your dog is comfortable. If she wont eat then you're too close. Don't do for long at first. Very gradual. She shouldn't look worried. I like lick mats or snuffle mats for this. It works. My puppy was afraid of everything and now is not afraid of anything. Just be aware of natural fear periods and don't do this work during those times.
    via todaysraven
  • 20
    Full Adhesiveness_62 Be careful with desensitizing a puppy that small, because you may end up sensitizing her to the sound instead. If it's possible to avoid those sounds for a couple of months, she might just grow out of it and you won't have a problem. I would just keep working on engagement and puppy obedience, confidence
    via todaysraven
  • 21
    Cheezburger Image 10648395008
    via a_naked_molerat

Check out our Instagram for more hilarious animal content!

Love our stuff? Shop for some of our pawsome merch here.

Tags

deal dogs tips sensitive pupper prepare emotional dog photos proposal advice noise pawrents reddit thread loud
Scroll Down For The Next Article