Our human world is full of weird & wonderful noises. Just think of all of them… We are used to these noises; we are accustomed to them. We are that used to some of the noises around us that we don’t even bother to think about them nor notice them anymore.
Now, imagine never having heard any of these noises before!
Puppies are not wolves; they are our cherished domesticated baby dogs. So, they need to be able to live with us & that includes being accustomed to our human noises in exactly the same way that we are. They need and deserve to be happy with their environment and the noises in the wide world.
Here at Elemental Cavaliers, we are passionate about giving our puppies a positive experience of life and are always looking and researching new methods of helping them for their later life. A breeder’s impact on the puppy’s adult dog life is immense. Sound training is just one of the ways we can make a positive impact and help them later to be a well-adjusted, well-behaved mature dog. (Some other ways include: socialisation, early neurological stimulation, early scent introduction, toilet training, basic command training…)
The How
Many people are familiar with the word socialisation. They know that when a puppy breeder or dog trainer starts talking about this or showing them things – it’s worth listening. But habituation is another word that should be talked about just as much. Some professionals in the dog world seem to get the two intermingled, by referring to everything as ‘socialisation’.
Socialisation is about interacting with someone or something – so a baby, greeting a new friendly dog, meeting grandparents, and so on. Habituation on the other hand focuses on ignoring things; learning how to be aware maybe of them being there but not interacting. An example would be the difference between let’s say puppy meeting your next-door neighbour’s dog (interaction – presumably a positive one because you would already be aware of the dog’s temperament & have only chosen them to meet because the older dog was friendly). This is socialisation. The example of habituation is puppy walking next to a field full of sheep (ignoring).
This way puppy can get used to something without needing to interact. So, in terms of sound training this then becomes incredibly important. It is ideal to not react at all.
What we do
Before the puppies’ ears open up, we still talk to them, knowing that whilst they cannot hear – providing we hold them to our cheeks or on our chest – they can feel the vibrations of us talking to them & smell us.
Once their little ears open, which is usually around 2-3 weeks old, (about the same time as their eyes open) we start introducing them to many noises. We cover potentially ‘scary’ noises like weather: thunderstorms, heavy rain, gusts of wind; traffic noises, strange alarms, indoor home noises including vacuuming and so forth. We listen to babies crying, new born babies screaming, children playing, crowds of people, dogs barking, and other animal noises to name a few.
We also allow our puppies to experience noisy toys that they can interact with, and introduce them to a whole assortment of films and music genres. We have relaxing, calming music for nap times. Specific noises chosen each day & timings of when puppies are exposed to the noises is part of our professionalism since this must be achieved in a way that it has only a positive impact. We continue with the sound training until the puppies leave for their forever homes.
Our Why (we do it) = Benefits of Sound Training
Sound Training with puppies benefits them in so many ways. When very young puppies are given exposure to strange noises, they are less likely to become fearful of them as they mature. Puppies that are raised in places where they aren’t exposed to many noises because it’s quiet will be more likely to develop noise phobias than puppies raised in a home environment which is noisy and happy, and those introduced to these weird and wonderful ‘potentially scary’ noises.
– Noise Phobia
Noise phobia is sometimes called canine noise anxiety or canine noise aversion. It is said to affect over 2/3 (67%) of the dogs in the USA1. So, there’s every chance the numbers of dogs suffering from noise aversion are similar here in the UK. This condition seriously affects a dog’s quality of life causing much upset, and requiring potentially a combination of environmental modification, behaviour modification and drug intervention as treatment(s) to improve the quality of life.
This is why it is key to try to lower the chances of it developing in the first place through early sound training.
– Noise Aversion & Separation Anxiety
Research shows that noise sensitivity in dogs often accompanies dogs with separation anxiety2. In a study of 215 dogs with separation anxiety, 43% also unfortunately displayed fear of noises3.
Since companion breeds can suffer from both noise phobia and separation anxiety, if through us working with the puppies with their sound training means that it limits the chances of sound phobia (and potentially separation anxiety since the link isn’t conclusive why there is one between the two conditions) later on in life – then that’s a win as far as we are concerned.
Music for Nap Times
Music can have relaxing and beneficial effects for humans, and the same can be said for dogs based on research. We use music for nap times and also to evoke happiness for our puppies and our adult dogs (as well as ourselves seeing their contentment). Research has shown that classical music has a calming effect, and can promote sleeping, whereas heavy metal can promote signs of nervousness4. Music is said to be a form of auditory enrichment for dogs, helping their behaviour and health, proven by research5.
The Wrap-Up
Simply put, we expose our puppies to sound training in order to limit their chances of developing (at least) sound phobia later on in life. Music is used in a different way. We use music as a form of enrichment to benefit our puppies; to promote their sleep, relaxation, optimism and happiness.
References
1. Harris Poll: Custom Motion Sickness and Noise Aversion Omnibus Pet Owner Quantitative Research Report. This was an online survey with 784 owners polled on behalf of Zoetis in November 2013.
2. Sherman B.L., and Mills, D.S. (2008) ‘Canine anxieties and phobias: an update on separation anxiety and noise aversions’, The Veterinary Clinics of North America. Small Animal Practice, 38(5), pp.1081–1106, vii. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cvsm.2008.04.012
3. Storengen, L. M. et al. (2014) ‘A descriptive study of 215 dogs diagnosed with separation anxiety’, Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 159, pp. 82-89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2014.07.006
4. Kogan, L. R., Schoenfeld-Tacher, R. and Simon, A. (2012) ‘Behavioural effects of auditory stimulation on kenneled dogs’, Journal of Veterinary Behaviour, 7(5), pp. 268-275. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jveb.2011.11.002
5. Lindig, A.M., McGreevy, P. D., and Crean, A. J. (2020) ‘Musical Dogs: A Review of the Influence of Auditory Enrichment on Canine Health and Behavior’, Animals: an open access journal from MDPI, 10(1) p127. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10010127
