Training techniques for a sound phobic or sound reactive border collie

border collie scared of noises

Do you have a sound reactive border collie? If so, you are not alone – as a breed, border collies are susceptible to fear of noises, as well as struggling to cope with specific everyday household noises. This tendency is thought to be due to selective breeding and genetics, the breeding environment, learned associations and potentially other factors such as pain. You can read more about this in my blog post “Why is my border collie sound sensitive?”.

The terminology used to describe sound sensitivity is confusing, but to put it simply:

Sound sensitivity is when your dog can hear the sound, perceives it to be dangerous, and displays fear behaviours.
Sound/noise phobia is a sudden excessive and profound fear, disproportionate to the actual threat. Collies with sound phobias may hide, shake and tremble when they hear the sound, and be so anxious that the sound will be occur, that they may refuse to go on walks.
Noise/sound anxiety is when sounds are not present, but the collie is always anxious that they will appear. They are hypervigilant and find it difficult to relax.

It’s important to get help for any sound fears your collie may have because sound sensitivity can easily intensify to sound phobia.

Management: how to manage the dog’s environment to prevent the sound fears from worsening, and to help the dog to cope
Pain: many sound reactive border collies are in pain
Handling – how to behave around your dog when they are experiencing sound fears
Equipment – the equipment available and how effective it is
“Natural” remedies – over the counter supplements or alternative therapies
Prescribed medications – event medication and long term meds
Training techniques

The behaviour plan should include management, consideration of how to handle your dog around noise events, reducing exposure to the sounds whenever possible, training techniques, and, depending on the severity of the sound sensitivity, medication.
Below are a list of options.

Management:

Managing the dog’s environment is always the first step in any training plan.

Avoid exposure

It’s VERY important that dogs are not subjected to the trigger sounds in daily life while using counter conditioning and desensitisation (see below). For example, these techniques will not be very successful for fear of aircraft if you live on a flight path of a military air base. In these sorts of cases, ad hoc counter conditioning may be the best way forward, alternatively the use of prescription anxiety medication can help.

The whole point of the above training is that the dog ONLY experiences the sounds at low levels. This is why it’s easier to use these techniques for fireworks from mid-January onwards when there is less chance of dogs hearing fireworks at certain times of the year.

Excuse for a holiday

If your dog is fearful of fireworks, consider going away somewhere quiet during peak firework periods.

Safe haven

If dogs have somewhere that they know they can go to get away from things that they find fearful or frustrating, they are better able to cope with their fears and frustrations. So having a safe place to which a dog can retire, to escape from sounds will not only give them much-needed relief from the stress of having to cope with the sounds, it will also give them more confidence and enable them to cope with sounds for longer, knowing that they can always get away if they need.

Evidence has shown that it’s impossible to sound proof a crate adequately, but covering it with layers of bedding such as blankets or duvets, can muffle the sounds. Ensure that the material covers all sides of the crate and overhangs the front, and leave the crate open so that the dog can always get in and out. Ensure that it is in a room that is always accessible for the dog. If your collie is afraid of external noises, such as thunder, gunshots or fireworks, ideally locate the crate so that it backs onto internal walls or is in an internal room.

If you don’t have a crate, any cubby holes that the dog is happy to go in can be used instead. Start to familiarise the area with the dog when there are no loud noises – hide treats in the area when the dog is not looking for them to find later, sit and fuss the dog in the area if the dog enjoys fuss. Locating an Adaptil diffuser near the crate can also help with making the area feel safe.

Predictability and routine

Don’t go outside during sound events
Ideally, avoid taking your dog outside during major sound events. For instance, I would not take a dog out at all on bonfire night, until after midnight. It’s not worth the risk. If a firework happened to go off in the garden next door, it could terrify your dog and cause a noise phobia.
Place for toileting
To make things easier during times when there is a high likelihood of loud noise, such as on bonfire night, have a specific place where your dog will to the toilet so that you can take your dog there quickly and get back in the house straight away if needed.
Maximise the chances of sleep
On days when fireworks are expected, take your dog out for a longer walk than usual in the late afternoon, ensuring that you get home well before dark. Give your dog his dinner so that he is well fed, walked, had all his needs met and is more able to settle.
Disguise the noise/lights
Once it starts to get dark, have the windows, blinds and curtains closed, and play the TV on loud, or, better still, play music with bass tones. Taiko drums are thought to help, but ensure that the dog is familiar with these before bonfire night by playing at a quiet volume and building up.

Stay with your dog

Your presence at peak sound events is essential – never leave your dog alone. We need to be present to provide comfort and reassurance. Separation anxiety often co-exists with sound sensitivity, so being present can help ensure that your dog does not link your departure to fireworks.

Pain

It’s very important to understand that many cases of sound reactive border collies or sound phobia in collies can be caused or exacerbated by pain. As a rough estimate, 90% of the collies I have seen with sound fears have had some sort of pain or discomfort, most often arthritis or hip/spinal pain. A study by Lopes Fagundes et. al., in 2018, found that dogs with pain were more likely to be sound sensitive or sound phobic. They also found that dogs in pain were more likely to generalise from being fearful of one specific sound to other similar sounds.

So always ask your vet to check over your sounds sensitive collie. And if they can’t find anything obvious, which is often difficult in the 10 minute consultation with collies that can either be very fearful of vets, very excited to see them, or want to please everyone by being stoic and not reacting to anything the vet does, ask your vet if they think your dog could do a pain trial. The Zero Pain Philosophy website includes a lot of information, including this article: Pain Trials As A Tool. A pain trial may not completely resolve the issue so they may still react, because it would be very lucky to find the exact pain relief that a dog might need without knowing what that pain might be. However, any improvement in any aspect of the dog’s behaviour should be reported back to the vet. Things to look out for as well as a less intense reaction to sound are:

Your collie suddenly wanting to play more
Suddenly doing zoomies after months of never doing them
Being able to more easily jump on to or off things with less hesitation
Being more confident on stairs
Being happier to go in the car
Eating more
Settling better overnight and/or during the day
Happier to go for walks

Alternatively, if you are lucky enough to be close to the Nupsala Musculoskeletal Clinic in Melton Mowbray or the Renew Centre in Gloucester, they will be able to check your dog for pain and provide a comprehensive report to your vet.

Sometimes finding the right pain relief for your collie is all that is needed to resolve their sound sensitivity so it’s VERY important not to discount this as a possibility.

Handling your dog around sounds

No punishment

No punishment during the sound event: It goes without saying that punishment should never be used for any dogs, but especially not a sound reactive border collie. So even if your dog’s reaction to loud noises is to become destructive or toilet in the home, use the following techniques to help your dog, rather than resorting to punishment. This just adds to the dog’s anxiety and fear and will make the problem worse.

No punishment at any time: With sound sensitive collies, it’s also important that we don’t use punishment at any other times for any other behaviours. In order to cope with loud sounds, our dogs need to be able to come to us for safety, especially if it occurs when we are outside the home. If we have a history of punishing our dogs, they will not feel safe around us and are more likely to bolt on walks instead of coming to us to feel safe.

Stay calm but positive

Acknowledge that your dog is afraid – go over, talk to them and look towards the noise, but then behave as though you are not afraid. Show positive emotions – act as though the bangs make you happy. Pair the bangs with something positive such as food or play.
See these videos to see how I did this with Ozzy when he was a puppy to ensure that he didn’t develop a fear of environmental loud sounds.

Stroking and talking

Several studies have found that an owner stroking and/or talking to their dog can reduce behavioural and physiological signs of stress in dogs. However, some collies can be hand shy, so don’t force them to endure stroking if they prefer to move away.

Reducing all types of stress

If a noise sensitive dog is already stressed in their everyday lives, their ability to endure any additional stressors, such as loud, unexpected, or novel sounds, is massively reduced. So it’s important to ensure that all the collie’s needs are met, because a lack of any basic needs causes stress. These needs include:

Anything that affects our microbiome
Being tired, mentally or physically
Pain or disease
Boredom or frustration
Extremes of temperature
Hunger or thirst
Threats – real or perceived
Major environmental changes
Lack of predictability or choice
Lack of a safe haven (somewhere the animal can go to feel safe)

Equipment

There are a range of products that claim to help with sound sensitivity, especially in relation to expected events, such as fireworks.

Pressure vests

These work on the theory that pressure and weight can be calming. Riemer in 2020 found that pressure vests may have “small but beneficial effects on canine anxiety” and Mathis et. al., 2024 found “weak and limited evidence” that pressure vests can in reduce physiological or behavioural signs of anxiety. but that only if the dog is fully habituated to the vest prior to use in times of anxiety.

Sound blocking devices

Happy hoodies are simply stretchy material tubes that fit over the dog’s head and ears, with the aim of muffling the sound. These could in theory help a little, so long as the dog is habituated to them before use.

Headphones such as the Rex Specs Ear Pro

Rex Specs have carried out tests showing that their ear pro product reduces noise exposure for the dog, but we don’t know how well these tests were conducted. Once again, if the dog is habituated to the products, then they may be worth a try. With a price tag of £85 they are not cheap, but there are other less expensive brands available. The reviews of the Rex Specs Ear Pro suggest that dogs will still react to sounds but their reactions are less.

Habituation: Always get a dog used to these new items well before bonfire night – work through a program of gradually getting the dog used to them, and pairing them with something good. So the item comes out, the dog gets a treat, building up to the item is rested on the dog’s back, he gets a treat, and so on. Once the dog is able to wear the item, pair it with something fun such as treats or play.

Training Techniques

The following chart shows which of the following training techniques may be best to use in the contexts on the diagram. On top of the chart, choose the noise that the collie reacts to is. With household sounds, we then need to decipher whether the dog is avoidant (trying to hide, trembling, panting) or non-avoidant (barking, lunging, nipping). Whether or not the trigger noise can be avoided is key in which training techniqes are likely to work. Counter conditioning anfd desensitisation are unlikely to be helpful if we are unable to avoid the trigger sound (eg. aircraft or gunshots). All the training techniques are numbered below.

Border collie scared of sounds

Fig 1: Training techniques selector

Full list of all numbered training techniques on the diagram above – full descriptions below.

Desensitisation
Counter conditioning
Habituation to alternative noises
Relaxation training
Ad hoc counter conditioning
Prepulse inhibition
Stationing
Mat training
Pattern games
Free work
Rucksack time
Scentwork

1. Desensitisation

Desensitisation is the gradual exposure to sounds at a level at which the dog feels safe.

Start with a good quality sound recording (see below) or have the dog a good distance away from the sound, so that it is barely audible. Alternatively, record the sound and replay starting at very low volumes.
Have the dog engaged in a relaxing activity, such as settled and relaxed in his bed, or licking a lickimat or kong.
Carry out the training when you are not expecting any deliveries, or any other noises of which the dog might be fearful. Have music, the tv or white noise playing in the background to mask other sounds.
Start the recording at the lowest possible volume (you may not be able to hear it) or create the noise in a distant location and watch the dog carefully.
Positive Sign: your dog’s ears twitch towards the sound but he then carries on with what he was doing, this indicates he is aware of the noise but not stressed by it. Continue at this volume.
Warning Sign: If your dog keeps his ears flat back while the sound is playing, this is a sign of anxiety, and the volume is too high. Turn it off and start again at a lower volume or further away.
Keep the session short – 5-10 minutes – no more than twice a day.
Keep the volume at the same level for three days before attempting to increase it, ensuring your dog is constantly relaxed at that level.
Over time (usually weeks or months) the volume is gradually increased to lifelike levels, always ensuring that the dog appears to be relaxed and not fearful.

Desensitisation to sounds is most successful when used alongside counter conditioning (Riemer, 2020).

2. Counterconditioning

Counter conditioning is when we try to change the dog’s association with a trigger (in this case a sound) from a negative association to a positive association. Instead of feeling scared, frustrated or anxious when they hear the trigger, we want the dog to feel anticipation for something good.

Start training when the dog is already relaxed, and as with desensitisation, start with the volume at a level at which the dog is aware but not fearful. Play the sound for short periods (3 to 10 seconds) and pair the sound to something fun, most often food, as this helps to keep the dog calm, but play can be used as well. The noise should be a predictor of the food, so play the noise first, then give the dog high value food. Take a break between playing the noise, and vary the duration of the sound, presenting the sound in an irregular pattern. 2 to 3 presentations of the sound per day is enough.

With collies that are sensitive to sounds such as Sellotape, chopping vegetables or sneezing, creating the sounds in real life but at a lower volume, with slower movements, can help, or having the dog in a distant room while a helper makes the noises is a good idea. If the dog is fearful of multiple noises, such as the whiz, bang, pop of fireworks, start with the noise that the dog is least fearful of. Once you start to see a positive response from the dog when he hears the sound, we can increase the volume very slightly.

To ensure that the dog doesn’t just start to think that they are safe when they hear the noise in one location only, vary where you do the training – use different rooms, different locations of the speakers, different times of day, and different types of reward.

Using recordings a for desensitisation or counter conditioning

Sound recordings can work really well for some dogs, but others don’t respond to recorded sounds the same as they do in real life. Ideally use a good speaker rather than a phone or laptop speaker. Start the noise without attracting attention.

Locate the speakers in different areas of the room – particularly near windows to mimic where the scary sounds come from. Don’t try to use older YouTube videos (mp3) – these will have important frequencies missing.

Most importantly, test the set up when the dog is not present. Make sure that it sounds realistic and that the volume is very low – you may not be able to hear it. Starting at the lowest volume is best.

There are some great recordings available:

Dogs Trust for fireworks, gunshots and thunder: https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/dog-advice/understanding-your-dog/sound-therapy-for-pets
BBC sound effects: https://sound-effects.bbcrewind.co.uk/search
Pixabay: https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/search/aircraft/

The Dogs Trust has some fantastic reasources and detailed guides to helping sound phobic dogs.

3. Habituating to alternative noises

Habituating dogs to alternative loud or sudden sound can be very helpful in decreasing your dog’s tolerance to unfamiliar noises. This tends to work really well if the dog causes the sounds themselves.
The principles are the same – start with the noises at a lower level, then gradually increase.

Noisy activities
Hiding treats in boxes of rustling paper, or in a ball pool.
The knock it over game – a type of free work set up with plastic bottles, pan lids, other “noisy” items. Set the items out, scatter treats over everything, and allow your dog to browse the items, eating the treats. Start the dog interacting with these on a soft carpet or on grass, then gradually move to surfaces that will be louder such as laminate flooring and then finally concrete or stone tiles. Dogs can be rewarded for knocking the items over.
This video shows me carrying out this training with puppy Ozzy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERiUfDaB3XY

Electronic devices
Dog doorbells with volume options, or dog communication buttons that allow you to record sounds (you can record at a low volume/distance to start with, then replace with a louder sound etc).
Mixing the two
Electronic devices can be used as part of noisy activities to create a “sound free work” set up, where food is scattered on and around household objects with the loud items added in. In the back ground we can also create some novel loud items as well, while the dog is engaged in sniffing the items.
Use these items in different locations, at different times of the day and week, and on different surfaces, to teach your dog that sounds can always equal fun, whatever the time of day or whatever the location.

Obviously, stick to the desensitisation and counterconditioning principles noted above- start at a level at which the dog feels safe and build up slowly. If the dog is startled or fearful, this training will not work and could make them worse.

4. Relaxation training

This training involves pairing true relaxation with a cue, sometimes a word cue, specific music or scent cues are often used.

Relaxation 30: Pair all natural relaxation with treat – take 30 pieces of your dog’s kibble each day, or 30 small treats, and aim to use them all. Every time you see your dog relaxing, place a piece of kibble between his or her paws. Don’t say anything, just place the kibble and walk away. If they are asleep they will find it when they wake up.
Introduce a cue: When the dog naturally starts to drift off to sleep, introduce the smell, cue or music, (Or all three). Oils such as lavender, valerian or ylang ylang are naturally calming so are a good choice.
Massaging: If you collie enjoys long slow strokes or massages and they start to drift off to sleep while you are doing this, then you can do this and apply a tiny amount of lavender oil to the back of your hand so that the dog starts to drift off smelling lavender. Don’t do this with collies that dislike handling (and many don’t find it pleasant).
Once your dog is reliably relaxing on cue, you can start to use this during noise events to help them to be less anxious and more relaxed.

5. Ad hoc counterconditioning

Sometimes exposure at full volume can’t be avoided. This can happen when dogs are fearful of aircraft or gunshots and live in areas where farmers use bird scarers. In these situations, ad hoc counterconditioning can be very effective.

Sound = Something Fun
The sound becomes the predictor of something fun

A study by Riemer 2020 found that ad hoc counterconditioning was the most successful way to help sound sensitive dogs.

Noise fears in border collies - most effective training techniques

Fig 2: Taken from: Riemer, S. (2020). Effectiveness of treatments for firework fears in dogs. Journal of Veterinary Behavior. doi:10.1016/j.jveb.2020.04.005

We are aiming to change the dog’s association to the sound from a fearful response to a positive response. We want the dog to learn that the sound is the predictor of something REALLY wonderful. Whenever a scary noise appears in the environment, immediately pair it with something good, such as play or food.

These videos show this in action:

• Pairing gunshots with treats
• Pairing thunder with something fun

Evidence suggests that using REALLY amazing food in the first few instances of this training, it will have a better effect in the long run (2024 webinar by Zazie Todd). So a good chunk of steak, chicken, any human food that is safe for dogs to eat, is a good choice. Surprise them with something amazing.

Dogs may be too fearful to eat straight away, but still present the food, as it will help to condition them that sounds mean good things in the long run. However, if your dog is too fearful to eat food, then anxiolytic medication may be required to enable them to be relaxed enough to be able to eat.

For longer term fears such as loud firework bouts on bonfire night, the following can be helpful:

Keep dogs busy with lickimats, snuffle mats
Ask for easy tricks that the dog enjoys doing
Keep feeding/playing
Games to obtain treats, such as treat dispensing toys, free work or forage boxes.
Anything the dog enjoys that makes noise is an excellent way of drowning out the firework sound outside.

It can also be helpful to condition words that mean different types of treat delivery and make a game out of it – for example:

Get it – treat is rolled across the floor
Catch – treat is thrown for dog to catch
Take it – treat is delivered to dog’s mouth
Scatter – lots of treats are scattered on the floor
Party – lots of VERY high value treats are scattered on the floor

Having a bag that contains lots of different items that the dog REALLY likes is another way of pairing loud sounds with good things. For example, using a rucksack on walks – the noise appears, we give the cue for rucksack, open the rucksack and get out some great things – such as tubes of liver paste for the dog to lick, novel treats for them to taste, the little tins of tasty substances that dogs can lick, chews etc. Make a big deal about getting the rucksack out, saying “ooh what have we got here – wow look at this” etc. Sound REALLY interested in it and it will help your dog to feel interested.

It’s important during ad hoc counterconditioning that we remain calm but upbeat to display to the dog that we are not remotely fearful and that they have nothing to worry about.

6. Prepulse inhibition

It has been suggested (Lindsay, 2013: Barber et. al., 2020) that prepulse inhibition, a neurological phenomenon that occurs when a weak stimulus reduces the response to a strong stimulus that follows, could potentially be used to reduce a dog’s startle reflex, and help dogs with noise phobias. Given that startle reflexes, that horrible feeling we get when something makes us jump, can often cause or contribute to noise fears, then this could be a useful training approach, particularly with dogs that are sensitive to predictable household noises. Valsamis & Schmid, 2011, demonstrated that startle responses in mice were reduced when loud sounds were preceded by quieter sounds, particularly when the time intervals between the loud sounds were varied.

The process has not yet been demonstrated in dogs, but it would ideally need to be as follows:

Low intensity sound – trigger sound – food.
This would need to be repeated in a varied schedule for a certain amount of times on a daily basis.
As always, the dog must be monitored to ensure that they are not experiencing stress and they should be able to move away if they choose to.

Over time, the dog’s startle response could be measured by video recording the response before the training and comparing it to videos of the dog after training.

7. Stationing

Stationing works well with collies if it is trained in a fun, lively way because collies love movement, especially fast movement. So when the trigger sound is heard, we train the collie to run to a station at which they get either treats or a game. This replaces their undirected urge to bark, lunge, pace or spin – it’s telling the dog what we DO want them to do rather than what NOT to do.

The best way for this to work is:

Decide on where we want the dog to station – ideally not the dog’s bed because we want the dog to relax in their bed. The station should have clear boundaries – a mat or platform is ideal.
Keep a pot of the dog’s favourite treats near the station or, if your dog prefers toys, a fun toy, such as a tug toy
Play the sound or make the sound, or if the sound occurs out of your control
Give the dog the cue for station, and immediately run with the dog to its station
As soon as you get there, feed him several treats or play with the tug toy
Give the dog a release cue to let them know that they can leave the station

8. Mat training

This could be used as a calmer alternative to stationing, and is best used in the following conditions:

You can control the noise intensity
You are working with a collie that spins, barks and lunges at household noises

Work carefully through a mat training guide – such as Teach settle on a mat
Before attempting to use mat training for sound sensitive collies, ensure that your collie is used to settling on a mat, and can remain on the mat for longer durations, with varying distractions.

Settle your collie on their mat
Follow the guidance for desensitisation above.
The mat helps by being an anchor for you collie, keeping them in one place that is conditioned to be positive and rewarding.

9. Pattern games

Collies are masters of pattern games – they love predictability and routine. Being able to focus on a pattern that they have learnt and practised in a safe, positive environment can help collies to feel safe in a stimulating environment.

Look at That

Look At That is a great pattern game for dealing with collies that react to sounds where the source of the sound can be located by the dog, so it usually works best with household sounds.

To play, your dog needs to understand what a marker word is. A marker is a word that tells the dog that exactly what they were doing when you said the word was the right thing to do. You can read more about marker words here.

Ideally start with the noise at a reduced intensity, by either:
Recording the sound and replaying at a low volume
Moving into a distant room from the noise, and shutting doors
Creating the trigger noise with reduced vigour, speed or volume, eg. opening the cutlery drawer slowly and very lightly touching the cutlery with a dog that reacts to cutlery moving.

How to teach Look At That:

Stage 1

Start by using a novel object for your dog to look towards
Have your treats ready to hand
Bring the object out from behind your back
As soon as your dog glances at it, say your marker word and put the item behind your back again
Then immediately give them a treat
Repeat ten times in a session, then stop.

Stage 2
When they are regularly looking at the item and expecting a treat, place the item next to you and, as before, whenever the dog looks at the item, say your marker word and then reward. Repeat ten times in a session.

Stage 3

Have the treats ready to hand.
As the noise starts, every time your dog looks towards the trigger sound, immediately say your marker word.
The dog should turn back towards you when they hear your marker word.
Give your dog a treat straight away.
If they don’t look back towards you, try decreasing the sound intensity, increasing the treat value or ensuring that your dog knows what a marker word is.
Practise without your dog to start with so that it becomes natural.

This video shows Ozzy playing the Look At That game because of barking dogs behind him:

The pattern is:

Dog looks at trigger – marker word – treat
Dog looks at trigger – marker word – treat

Keep going until the sound has finished.

Up Down and Ping pong

These are both great games for keeping a collie that is worried or overwhelmed by sounds focused on you and engaged in a game rather than barking, lunging or nipping. Have a helper who can play or create the sound at a lower intensity than unusual, either by recording it, using distance or by creating the trigger noise with reduced vigour, speed or volume. Just before the sound starts, start playing the game, continue through the sound, and stop shortly after it ends.

These videos show me practising these games. In both games, the collie looking up at me is rewarded with a treat.

Up Down

Ping Pong

10. Free work

Free Work is a low-pressure, enrichment-based training approach that allows dogs to engage in different enrichment options at their own pace.

Dog that are sound phobic may struggle when introducing trigger sounds , but it could work well with collies that are sensitive to household sounds introduced at a low intensity while they are engaged in free work. This can merge in with the knock it over game mentioned above.

Setting up free work:

Choose a quiet, safe space with which the dog is familiar, the lounge or garden are good options.

Provide a Variety of Surfaces & Objects

Use different textures: mats, towels, cardboard, rubber, wooden planks.
Lickimats and snuffle mats are great additions if you have them.
Include novel but safe objects: boxes, tunnels, wobble cushions, cones.
Scatter treats of different sizes, shapes, and textures (soft, crunchy, chewy).
Always include a water bowl.

Let the Dog Explore at Their Own Pace

Avoid giving cues or directing behaviour – let them choose where to go.
Observe how they interact – do they avoid certain surfaces or struggle with balance?
Some dogs may hesitate at first – allow them time to adjust.
5-15 minutes is ideal, depending on the dog’s comfort level.
End on a positive note, allowing the dog to leave when ready.

11. Rucksack time

This is based around Steve Mann’s “rucksack walk” time. It involves the dog exploring wonderful and amazing treats, scents and textures from a “rucksack” (or bag) , and can either be carried out in the home, or on walks where sounds might be heard.

It can be helpful with dogs that are fearful of loud environmental sounds, and could tempt a dog to enjoy looking through the rucksack with the caregiver despite the sounds outside. Alternatively, it could be useful for dogs that react in any way to household sounds.

Fill a bag with

Interesting items – e.g., leaves, grass, sticks, feathers, fabrics, and objects from safe outdoor areas
Different types of treats that the dog rarely has. Include soft treats, crunchy treat, fish treats, insect treats etc.
Different sorts of chews that don’t take long to eat, such as rabbit ears, fish skins etc.
Include tubes of liver paste, or Primula cheese, or the little tins that dogs can lick.

How to use a rucksack

As the sounds start, or after they have started, begin to take things out of the bag one item at a time, letting the dog sniff, lick or eat everything at their own pace, sniffing and exploring without pressure.
Make a big deal about it with words such “oh look – what’s this? Wow – look at this!” If we communicate that they are really interesting, by looking at the item first, showing it to the dog, and generally sharing interest in each item.
Observe the dog’s reactions – note what they enjoy or avoid.

Benefits of Rucksack Time:

Mental stimulation and sniffing enrichment
Reduces stress and frustration in reactive or anxious dogs
Strengthens bonding between dog and owner

12. Scentwork

Scentwork can be extremely helpful for dogs that are sound sensitive – but how to carry out scent training as a rehabilitation tool for sound sensitive dogs is a skill that scent trainers will be better placed to determine the exact set up of the training and how it would be used.

The same underlying principles apply in that the dog must feel safe while experiencing sounds, and with some collies, scent works could enable them to do this. But the scent work would need to be trained in a safe environment first, be very highly motivated to engage in the activity, and be very well practised. This will keep the dog in an optimistic frame of mind as they search, enabling them to cope with the introduction of sounds. The College of Scent Dogs is a great place to start, and have written a fantastic book about scent training: .

Conclusion

Border collies are susceptible to sound sensitivity and noise phobia for many reasons, so it’s important that we understand how all the available management, handling, equipment and training techniques that are available to help them. This guide has gone through some of these techniques in detail, and looked through the literature to find out which are most likely to be helpful for border collies. For any more detail or information, or for help with your collie, please get in touch.

References

Barber, A.L., Wilkinson, A., Ratcliffe, V.F., Guo, K. and Mills, D.S., 2020. A Comparison of Hearing and Auditory Functioning Between Dogs and Humans. Comparative Cognition & Behavior Reviews, 15.

Lindsay, S.R. ed., 2013. Handbook of applied dog behavior and training, procedures and protocols (Vol. 3). John Wiley & Sons.

Lopes Fagundes, A.L., Hewison, L., McPeake, K.J., Zulch, H. and Mills, D.S. (2018) Noise Sensitivities in Dogs: An Exploration of Signs in Dogs with and without Musculoskeletal Pain Using Qualitative Content Analysis. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 5.

Mathis, S., Schoolfield, S., Gross, P., Gruen, M. and Dorman, D.C. (2024) A Systematic Review of the Efficacy of Compression Wraps as an Anxiolytic in Domesticated Dogs.

Riemer, S. (2020). Effectiveness of treatments for firework fears in dogs. Journal of veterinary behavior, 37, 61-70.

Valsamis B, Schmid S. Habituation and prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle in rodents. J Vis Exp. 2011 Sep 1;(55):e3446. doi: 10.3791/3446. PMID: 21912367; PMCID: PMC3217252.

Training techniques for a sound phobic or sound reactive border collie

Contents: