Golden goes nuts air compressor/certain noises

Hey guys. My parents golden goes nuts when she can faintly hear an air compressor or similar noises (Fringe S01E12 beginning just set her OFF). She starts shaking, panting, and generally freaking out. She will follow whoever is around the house. If she gets out the front she will try and jump the fence.

My parents took her to the vet, they said to give her relaxants for $500 per month. Quite pricey, also not so sure they'll work.

Anyone had any other luck, like training them to not be scared of the noise? I'm thinking that would be better, but at the moment to force her to listen to it would just seem like torture - and she'd destroy whatever room she would be in.

Also interested in those who the relaxants or similar is the only thing that worked.

 

This ep of Cesar 911 might interest you.

http://www.cesar911.com/episode/305

edit: there's nothing in that clip, but that dog is shit scared of compressors/bansaws etc. and jumps the fence to run away.

 

Where do they live? These people are really good, but they're in Sydney. Maybe there's similar people near where they live who can come out and assess before just prescribing. I assume there's no way to eliminate the noises.

 

Thanks! I guess I didn't help when I was going nuts because she wouldn't stay in the house.

Perth and nope, old house, no way to insulate against the noises.

 

Our girl used to be scared of the lawnmower (not when on, just when rolling). Also the vaccuum cleaner.

Managed to get her out of it, by having treats on us, being near the object and calling her over, and giving her a treat for being well behaved next to it (Those Dog Carob drops from Coles/Woolies as well as IODogs Chillouts work wonders).

Now when the lawnmower / vac comes out she'll just sit there with her toy quietly.

...

• How old is she, and has she always exhibited the issue?
• Is she a rescue or from a breeder?
• Is she a skittish dog in general or do only those things spook her?
• Is it possible she's had an altercation with a snake in the past, and the hissing reminds her of it?

Might give you some clues as to an event that has scared her so everytime she hears those sounds she gets spooked.

Isle of Dogs have a range of chillout treats that might be worth looking into.
https://www.iodogs.com/p-367-chillout.aspx
https://www.iodogs.com/p-417-chillout-soft-chew.aspx
https://www.iodogs.com/p-448-chillout-with-duck.aspx

Then there's also the Thundershirt that might be worth looking into. It's a vest the dog wears (about $80 ish for a dog her size), and it straps on tightly so they feel comforted.

I'm not a big fan of dogs being medicated for such issues unless absolutely necessary. Adaptil calming collars might be worth looking into as an alternative as well.

 

Chillout looks like an interesting product. Hopefully Millhouse can weigh in with his opinion on these. I don't read anything on the product pages to indicate there is a sedative involved :S

I'd like to give my boy one 15 minutes before I leave in the morning so he doesn't get so upset.

 

I accept some things as part of their personality, dogs have different personalities, like we do. My dog hated being in cars (nervous, salivating etc etc) and now he hangs his head out the window and can't wait to go. He would not go near a metal grate in the road.....or any type of surface like that....but now he's much better with them. He even loves the mower.....doesn't bother him at all. It's interesting how it works for different dogs.

 

Look to be a nice biscuit.
If these products are associated with calmness then I think that is an awesome coincidence. Not real reason they would do anything - except reduce the stress levels of the owners and thereby calming the dogs a little.
However they have a lot of grains. I thought "they" say that grains are no good for dogs??

Reminds dog of an altercation with a snake... no.

Inference that being a Rescue dog is an issue is a huge bugbear of mine. If every dog that clients brought in claiming they had issues due to being a rescue, and being "in a bad situation" were true, we live in a land of complete psychos. Some dogs are just not able to be kept and are put up for rehoming. Most dogs are behavioural cases that are "too hard" to deal with and so are rehomed. I think only a very small minority have issues due to having some kind of bad upbringing.

 

Afternoon,

I have two Goldens at home and one (Mia) really hates thunderstorms to the point where she won't even come out from under our kitchen table and shakes like a crazy person until it has passed.

Took her to the vet about 6 months ago and he too tried to prescribe her relaxants however we weren't very keen on the idea so we looked for other possible treatments.

My wife has been trying the Rufus & Coco Anxiety Aid supplement and it has actually made a difference (I believe anyway) to her during these storms. I've been buying it from here for the past two months.

I have to say that i was very skeptical on this product before trying it (as I am with all the herbal medicine out there) but so far the results seem OK. She spends less time under the table and she actually moves about the house during a thunderstorm which is an improvement.

Anyway, just thought that I'd add my two cents in. It is by no means a cure but for approx $28.95 a month it seems worth a shot.