What causes border collie sound sensitivity?

Sound sensitivity is a significant behavioural concern in dogs, with studies indicating that up to 50% of dogs could be affected (Blackwell et al., 2013). Unfortunately, border collies as a breed seem to be particularly susceptible. Research has demonstrated that Border Collies exhibit increased sensitivity to loud environmental sounds, particularly fireworks and gunshots, but owners often report that their collies can also react to everyday sounds, such as tapping, owners sneezing, the use of Velcro and smoke alarms.  You can read more about what border collie sound sensitivty looks like here. This article summarises the likely causes, focusing on genetic predisposition, selective breeding, early environmental influences, neurological factors, and pain-related conditions. The findings reveal that sound sensitivity is a significant welfare concern for border collies, and emphasises the need for understanding and management to help affected dogs and owners.

Although there are different definitions of sounds sensitivity, such as noise phobia, noise/sound fears, noise anxiety etc, for the purposes of this article, I will not go into the differences and will refer only to sound/noise sensitivity or sound/noise fears.

Causes of border collie sound sensitivity

1. Genetic and Evolutionary Factors

Selective Breeding and Auditory Acuity

Collies have been bred for many generations to be able to work on a hillside with a single shepherd and the sheep. They are usually far from busy roads, and have not had to cope with any loud, unexpected noises, unlike, for example, gundogs or terriers. Additionally, sound sensitivity can make them good at their role – being able to pick up shepherds’ whistles or locate sheep from far away. Shepherds would breed from their best dogs, regardless of their ability to tolerate loud noises, because that isn’t a factor that would affect working sheep dogs.

Genetics and Epigenetics

Sound sensitivity in dogs can be hereditary and a study by Overall et. al. in 2016 suggested that, in selecting dogs for specific temperaments, such as biddability, intelligence and being drawn to movement, we may have accidentally also selected for dogs that are more sensitive to noises.
There is ongoing work to identify genetic factors that may cause dogs to be excessively anxious. Bellamy et. al., 2018, found that changes in the DRD2 gene are significantly associated with noise sensitivity in the collie. The authors concluded that the causes of these changes are most likely due to epigenetic effects and/or mutations.

2. Environmental and Developmental Influences

Limited Early Exposure to Noises

Many collies bred to work on farms don’t live in houses – they are mostly kennelled outside, and many collie pups are born in kennels or stables. Puppies go through a critical socialisation period (between 3 and 14 weeks) when positive exposure to a variety of sounds can help them become resilient to noise later in life. These pups won’t have been exposed to everyday household sounds such as vacuum cleaners, food blenders, dropped pans, TVs or outside traffic noises. If the pup becomes overwhelmed by a sound when they are already feeling anxious in the early days in a new home, they can become sensitised to the sound. Sensitisation means that each time they hear the sound, their sensitivity to it increases and it can become a severe noise phobia.

Negative Associations, Trauma and Sensitisation

If a loud noise scares a dog when they are feeling particularly anxious or vulnerable then they may form a lasting association between that sound and feeling unsafe. Traumatic events, such as a firework being let off in case proximity to the dog, can have a lasting impact on collies, with affected dogs refusing to go outside after dark if the event occurred in the dark, or refusing to walk in locations in which they previously experienced the sound.

3. Neurological and Physiological Factors

Heightened Nervous System Reactivity

Border collies have a highly tuned nervous system, bred to react quickly and instinctively to sheep movements. I see this all the time when my dogs are helping to move my sheep. If one breaks away, my collies will react quickly to prevent it from leaving and keep the flock together, without me having to ask. They are amazing! Unfortunately, this means that they don’t just notice sounds, but they react to them with heightened sensitivity.

Physical Ear Structure

The ear morphology of Border Collies, typically pricked or semi-pricked, may also contribute to increased noise sensitivity. Breeds with floppy ears, such as spaniels, will benefit from natural sound buffering, Border Collies lack such protection, potentially making them more vulnerable to loud noises (Raghy et al., 2023).

4. Pain-Related Sound Sensitivity

Pain has been identified as a significant factor contributing to noise sensitivity in dogs. Fagundes et al. (2018) found that chronic pain in dogs is frequently associated with noise sensitivities. Unfortunately collies are prone to conditions such as hip dysplasia and due to their energy and excitement, it can be difficult to identify when they are experiencing pain. They may run, jump and play relatively normally. Also, because they are often dogs acquired by owners who enjoy long walks, hiking, and running, as well as dog activities such as agility and dog parkour, they can more easily become injured than dogs with a more sedate lifestyle. Many of the border collie sound sensitivity cases that I have seen have involved some sort of pain or discomfort. In these cases pain medication can really help and, along with a behaviour management plan, can significantly reduce or eradicate the dog’s sound fears.

5. Age, Neutering, and Social Influences

Age-Related Onset

Overall et al (2016) and Riemer (2019) found that most dogs start to display sound fear behaviours by 20 – 24 months of age, and anecdotally I have found that owners do not notice an issue with their dog’s fear of fireworks until the second bonfire night with their pup. This may coincide with adolescence, a period of increased emotional reactivity. Older dogs with cognitive dysfunction can also become sound sensitive. Therefore, any dog developing noise fears later than 6 years of age should be thoroughly checked by a veterinarian for medical or cognitive issues.  The likelihood of dogs becoming sound sensitive increases with age (Storengen and Lingaas, 2015; Blackwell et. al., 2013), potentially because as dogs increase in age, they may be more likely to feel pain, or their opportunity of encountering a fear-provoking noise inevitably increases with time.

Neutering and Hormonal Influence

Storengen and Lingaas (2015) found that neutered dogs were more likely to exhibit noise sensitivity than intact dogs. This is not surprising because we know that castrated dogs are more likely to be fearful in general.

Social Transmission

McCobb et al. (2001) reported that dogs could develop noise sensitivities through social learning, particularly in multi-dog households where one dog can observe another exhibiting a strong fear response.

Conclusion

Border collie sound sensitivity is caused by a complex mix of interacting mechanisms, from selectively bred genetic background to inherited and environmentally induced epigenetic modifications of factors and pain-related conditions. Effective management strategies, early habituation for puppies, desensitisation, counterconditioning and veterinary support for pain-related conditions is essential to improve the welfare of affected border collies and their owners.

References

Bellamy, K. K. L., Storengen, L. M., Handegård, K. W., Arnet, E. F., Prestrud, K. W., Overall, K. L., & Lingaas, F. (2018). DRD2 is associated with fear in some dog breeds. Journal of Veterinary Behavior. doi:10.1016/j.jveb.2018.07.008

Blackwell, E.J., Bradshaw, J.W.S. and Casey, R.A. (2013) Fear responses to noises in domestic dogs: Prevalence, risk factors and co-occurrence with other fear related behaviour. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 145(1), 15-25.

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.

McCobb, E.C., Brown, E.A., Damiani, K., Dodman, N.H., 2001. Thunderstorm phobia in dogs: an Internet survey of 69 cases. J. Am. Anim. Hosp. Assoc. 37, 319–324.

Overall, K. L., Dunham, A. E., & Juarbe-Diaz, S. V. (2016). Phenotypic determination of noise reactivity in 3 breeds of working dogs: A cautionary tale of age, breed, behavioral assessment, and genetics. Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 16, 113–125.

Raghy, R., Jacob, N. and Tamizhkumaran, J., 2023. A review on the influence of noise on the welfare of dogs. International Journal of Bio-resource and Stress Management, 14(May, 5), pp.789-795.

Riemer, S. (2019). Not a one-way road—Severity, progression and prevention of firework fears in dogs. PloS One, 14(9)

Storengen, L., Boge, S., Strøm, S., Løberg, G. and Lingaas, F. (2014) A descriptive study of 215 dogs diagnosed with separation anxiety. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 159.