If I was a dog in a noisy kennel I’d be the one flip spinning in circles, or chewing my mouth bloody on the cage door. I know that sounds a bit dramatic, but I’m afraid it is probably true. I am just one of the individuals who is especially sensitive to noise, and a loud and noisy environment is like hell on earth to me. It is also true that, although some individual mammals are more sound sensitive than others, all people and all dogs are profoundly affected by the acoustic environment around them. Sound is a critically important part of any animal’s environment, and that is especially true of animals who have no choice about the environment in which they live, even if just temporarily. That is why I recently did a webinar for the ASPCA on Canine Behavior and Acoustics, in which my primary motivation was to focus attention on how environmental sounds can affect the health and well being of dogs in shelters, as well as potential adopters and the people who work there. Here’s a summary:
THE IMPORTANCE OF SOUND: There is a great deal of research on how sound affects human health and behavior. (An excellent resource for some of the research on human responses to sound is a TED talk by Julian Treasure.) The “soundscape” is known to have a profound effect on us, affecting our physiology, psychology, cognition and behavior. It can change our respiration and heart rates, alert our sympathetic (fight or flight) nervous system or calm us down, soothe us or scare us, and in extremity, even cause serious health and behavior problems related to stress like hypertension, tinnitus, difficulty concentrating and mistakes leading to serious accidents. That is why the Occupational Safety and Healthy Administration, OSHA, has standards that dictate how long, per day, an employee can be subjected to high levels of sound. (Small business with under 10 employees, and some other businesses are exempt, see here for a discussion about who is covered under OSHA.) It is not just factories and industrial parks that can create noisy working environments. Two studies have measured sound levels in shelters and found them to be extremely noisy, often exceeding OSHA standards by a significant amount. For example, Coppola et al (2010) recorded sound levels in a new shelter and found them to regularly exceed the measuring capability of the equipment, or 118.9 dBA. Ouch. (Keep in mind that a jack hammer is about 110 dB.) Sales et al (1997) also recorded extremely high levels of sound in a kennel, in which levels were often up to 125dB and regularly over 100dB. (In other words, REALLY, REALLY, LOUD, and yes, I was shouting so that you could hear me over all that noise!)
There is every reason to believe that sounds, especially loud, aversive ones, have a negative effect on dogs housed in kennel situations. This is not news to people in the shelter world, but I do wonder sometimes if folks who work in kennels environments habituate to the noise, to the extent that, although it affects them and the dogs, they don’t notice it as much. However, dogs are in a different situation: They come in new and haven’t had time to adjust before being assaulted by noise, they can’t leave the area like the people can, and I suspect that some of them sensitize, or get more and more reactive to noise as time goes on, rather than less so. Not only that, but potential adopters are much more likely to spend time in a shelter if the noise levels don’t drive them out. (Take note: In his TED talk, Treasure mentioned a study that found retailers lose 28% of their business because of aversive sounds.) Given the potential of deleterious effects of sound on both people and dogs, what can we do? Following are some ideas about creating as healthy a soundscape as possible for dogs in kennels, as well as the people who work in shelters or visit them.
MANAGING THE SOUNDSCAPE: My goal here is to stimulate a conversation about the importance of sound management in kennel situations, and how facilities can improve the acoustic environment for both people and dogs. I would greatly appreciate those of you with experience joining in, in hopes that kennels all over the world can either improve in some way, or impart their wisdom and experience for the benefit of others.
1. Get the Facts. How noisy is it in the shelter, and when is it quiet and when is it noisiest? Obviously there are predictable triggers that set off barking, but be as meticulous and detailed as you can about the soundscape of your facility. If you wish the kennels were quieter, gather the facts together about the noise levels in the shelter and the negative effects of noise, and present them to the powers that be. Don’t accept that it has to be noisy in there: I’ve seen shelters go from freight-train-in-your-face levels to library-like levels by deciding to make noise abatement a priority. So, get the facts: If it is noisy,when? How noisy is it? Rent or borrow equipment and get noise level readings that will give you objective information about how noisy it really is.
2. Manage Your Voice. It is true that in a tsunami of barking, you might ask how one small human voice can make a difference. But, hey, this is the one thing you have immediate control over, and it’s a great place to begin. Perhaps the first thing to keep in mind is that dogs are no better than you are at hearing well in a noisy environment. Nor are they able to concentrate or learn something new when they are assaulted by sound. In addition, keep in mind that voice is one of the sounds that degrades the fastest with background noise, so if you need to get a dog’s attention when it’s noisy, try using clicks or smooches rather than your voice. Some of the webinar listeners also mentioned that they tend to get quieter as it gets noisier, which is a great piece of advise. Whispering can be a great way to get everyone’s attention, even a dog’s.
Most importantly, remember that “it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.” And how you say it can make a big difference in how a dog responds. Research on a variety of mammals and birds (including my own dissertation) has shown that short, rapidly repeated notes tend to increase activity levels, while long, slow continuous ones decrease them. That means you need to avoid perky, choppy phrases to dogs in the kennels, but rather talk as if someone recorded you and played it back too slowly. “Gooooooooooood dog…” “Hiiiiii there, whaaaat a goooood booooy you arrrrrrrre.” You get the idea. Here’s a summary slide of my own research that fits with research from several different perspectives: The figures are “sonograms,” which show frequency or pitch on the vertical axis, and time on the horizontal one, and illustrate the types of sounds that correlated with the expected response from working domestic animals. Short, rapidly repeated notes to speed up, and long, continuous ones to soothe or slow. (FYI, the short, repeated, broad band sounds in the top figure are actually the mobbing calls of different species of birds, which act to increase activity of the birds around the one vocalizing. They look very similar to repeated clicks, claps and any short word said quickly and repeated, like “pup, pup, pup.”)
3. Modify Environmental Sounds. Obviously barking is the primary problem in most shelters, but what other noises might be stressful, overly stimulating or aversive to the dogs and people working in the area? Are the kennel doors noisy when being opened and closed? Is the cleaning equipment squeaky? The overhead fan loud? Obviously there is just so much one can do about these kinds of environmental sounds, but it doesn’t hurt to do an appraisal of what makes noise in the kennels and if aversive sounds could be dampened. Remember that dogs hear better than us at higher frequencies, so a high pitched fan that you can barely hear might be very loud to them.
Adding in Pleasant Sounds? What about the addition of certain kinds of music in hopes that it soothes or calms the dogs? Anecdotally, clients and shelter staff have told me that they’ve played certain types of music and found that it decreased barking and appeared to increase relaxed and settled behavior. We’ve been selling Through a Dog’s Ear CDs for several years, and have had many buyers testify to good results. However, the research is mixed: While Wells (2002) found that “classical” music increased resting postures and decreased barking, Kogan et al (2012) found that some classical music increased sleeping time, but the music in a Dog’s Ear did not have the same effect. It is hard to know what to make of that, given all the factors that could be at play. I’d advise to experiment in your own shelter to see what works. In general, it makes sense that slow pieces like Midnight Sonata could be calming (with long, continuous notes as shown above), while pop music or heavy metal could have the opposite effect. (And even if music works indirectly by calming the people, who cares what the mechanism is?)
4. Decreasing Barking. Ah, yes, the elephant in the room. (You note I’ve saved it for last?) Without question, the most important contributor to the acoustic environment is barking; finding ways to decrease it is critical to managing the soundscape. Here are some ideas, but I’d love to hear your input on what you’ve tried what seemed to have worked for you.
A. Decrease visual and acoustic stimulation: This might be the one most important thing that a kennel can do. Dogs are not designed to live in single units surrounded by other dogs that they can’t access. If you think about it, kennels actually couldn’t be designed better to create a lot of barking by over stimulated, frustrated dogs. Many shelters are moving toward some kind of “Dutch door” kennel system, in which the bottom half of the kennel door is covered, so that dogs can’t see other dogs as they walk by.
This was especially effective at the Dane County Humane Society, according to Behavior Director, Bridget Pieper, which installed inexpensive barriers on the ‘working’ side of the kennels where dogs are taken in and out to potty. This significantly decreased the amount of barking, as does just about any barrier that prevents dogs from seeing others and being surrounded by barking, aroused dogs.
RIGHT: Here is a photo of the ‘backside’ of the kennels at DCHS, note the expensive sheet (not!) that covers the top of the door for an especially reactive dog.
B. Increase Interaction, Physical and Mental Exercise both Inside and Outside the Kennel: Of course, taking dogs on a long, long walk or letting them frolic off leash in a fenced area is a wonderful thing to be able to do, and I say “Here, Here” to any shelter than can do it. However, although brief periods outside to potty may be important, they can also serve to hype dogs up and make them more likely to bark. A somewhat non-intuitive way to keep dogs calm is to have volunteers and shelter staff go into the kennels and spend time with the dogs there. If you think of it, what better way for a dog to feel comfortable and “at home” than have a person come and settle in with them for awhile, just as you would in your living room? Dane County has been doing this for quite awhile now, and I can tell you that is is MUCH quieter now than it was a year ago.
C. Group Housing: I know this is tricky, and simply can’t always be done, but there is no question that keeping dogs in single kennels is a recipe for lots of barking. Board Certified Veterinary Behaviorist Petra Mertens did a study in Germany (1966), comparing a shelter with single kennels with another shelter with group housing. Of course, many other factors may have played a role, but the group housed dogs barked rarely, while the single kenneled dogs vocalized often. Again, I know that this can be tricky, but it would be lovely if someday we could get away from single kennel housing in shelters and give dogs the space and social interactions they need.
D. Other Ideas: There are many other things that can help, from using materials that dampen sound, to making the kennels more comfortable and interesting with bedding and interactive toys, to training quiet by having all staff carry treats and treat each dog as they walk by. You can learn a lot more about these ideas, and the experiences of the many participants in the ASPCA webinar, by registering for the recording and reading the comments in the chat room. Lots of GREAT advice and experience to be had there! Most importantly, do all you can to acknowledge the importance of environmental noise of the dogs in kennels, and do what you can to make things better. The dogs will thank you for it. (And I thank Bridget Pieper of DCHS and Khris Erikson of the Humane Animal Welfare Society for their helpful conversations.)
MEANWHILE, back on the farm: Rain, rain, glorious rain! We had rain all Sunday morning, after almost 2 months of dryness, what a wonderful thing rain is when you need it. (Unless, of course, like Colorado, you get 12 inches or so in less than 24 hours. Argh, so sorry. My heart goes out to all of you affected by the floods, they are so difficult, physically and psychologically and this one seems especially horrendous.) We spent much of a cool, crisp Saturday with friends, picking apples and then pressing them into cider with an ancient, wooden grape press from a mutual friend’s grandfather. We went home with over 30 pounds of apples ourselves. Half got turned into Apple Butter that afternoon, the other half go to our sheep, who would like to thank Jeff and Denise for their generosity. Baaaaaa (in a good way).
Saturday afternoon was spent oven roasting tomatoes and getting them into the freezer, so we are beginning to fill up the freezer again for winter. We still have some meat from last year, and with all the fresh vegetables surrounding us I barely go to the market anymore, except to buy milk, butter, sugar and flour.
Tootsie is sorry that the plum trees are just about done dropping plums, but I’ve got lots of jars of plum jam in the freezer and am grateful that I don’t have to always have a treat in my pocket to reinforce Tootsie for coming away from the plums on the ground. She would fill her belly with plums and their pits, which could easily cause no small amount of trouble for her digestive track. Willie is doing really well, happy and gaining conditioning, especially now that the weather is cooler and we can work sheep a little longer. He’s right here with me now, asking to play with one of his favorite toys. Guess I’d better stop writing now, who could turn down that face?
Vicki in Michigan says
My local shelter has little buckets of kibble on the doors to the kennels. There are signs with the buckets saying “Want to give me a treat?” So I could walk through and give a treat to almost every dog (some had had their allotment for the day already). What a great idea! Instead of the dogs snarking down their food in 2.6 seconds, it was spread out over the day. *And* their day is much more interesting. *And* they learn that random strangers are likely to talk to them and give them treats. And if the people have half a brain, and refrain from giving treats when a dog is barking or trying to climb the fence……………… A few dogs would give me a “Sit!” and I stood and rewarded those sits for several kibbles for each of them…..
I hadn’t been to the shelter in years and years, and was stunned by how much quieter it was. I don’t know what else may have changed (it is a new building, now), but instead of incessant barking, barking was the exception rather than the rule.
Hooray.
Barbara says
Oh Willie…..who could resist that face? There’s just something about a dog’s eyes that melts my heart.
Debra in GA says
Thanks so much for addressing this topic. It’s definitely something to keep in mind when searching for a kennel on the rare occasions when I have to board my dog. I’m sure noise is a factor also when dogs freak out in the waiting room at the vet’s office. I usually have to walk mine outside until they can put us in an exam room.
Heidi says
I volunteer at a Denver animal shelter and sometimes the noise level is driven by one or two really loud, bark-y dogs. The dogs that are in a lot of distress or want your attention tend to rile up the rest of the dogs, who might otherwise be quiet.
I do find that the dogs are noisier in the morning when they are expecting their breakfast (they get fed once a day) and when they need to go outside first thing in the morning. By the end of my dog walking shift, the kennels are much quieter. When they are annoying me too much :), I use a soft “shushing” noise to get their attention that quiets the kennels for oh, about 1 minute. It seems having a radio on or playing Through a Dog’s Ear helps a little. Not always, but sometimes. It really depends on the makeup of the population of dogs in the kennels.
Nic1 says
Trisha, please plant a kiss from me on top of Willie’s beautiful head. That picture is a gem!
http://www.animalsforadoption.org/rvaa/shelter_mission
This link has an ethogram for shelters. ‘RVAA’s shelter provides an innovative, low stress environment for sheltered animals. Dogs are kept in their own tiny rooms complete with furniture, toys, and bedding. They listen to music (what sort??) and are handled and played with every day. They have things to play with and things to chew.’
As well as the emotional distress caused by the sound levels, is there also the potential for permanent hearing damage for both dogs and humans?
Taryn says
I agree with you! There’s not much worse than being trapped in a noisy environment! Those poor dogs! Is it any wonder they are too stressed to put forth a good first impression?
Jane says
Our shelter has about a 12″ length of plastic tubing stuck through the door of the kennel and a container of treats/kibble hung next to it. Then there’s a sign that says “please put a treat through the tube only if I’m sitting quietly.” Seemed like a good idea that was working quite well for them.
Pamela Fisher DVM says
Free DONATED 30hrs of Calming Music for your shelter – The Rescue Animal Mp3 Project
Rescue Animal Mp3 Project, non-profit, donates Calming Music FREE-OF-CHARGE to animal shelters. Mp3 players are filled with 30 hours pre-recorded music that is specifically designed to provide a calmer environment. Animals are better able to cope with the stress of shelter environments, and in turn, this improves their quality of life and increases their chance of acquiring forever homes. The music is playing in more than 677+ shelters in 50 states, calming over 74,000 shelter animals, with very positive feedback. Evaluation comments from dog wardens and humane society directors proclaim less anxious/boredom behaviors, separation anxiety, storm phobias, aggression and squabbles, along with improved consistent appetites, and quicker recovery from illness. The follow ups show an average of 58% improvement with the shelter animals being calmer, quieter and less stressed!
Jennifer Hamilton says
We own a pet resort that can have 60+ boarding dogs at any given time. Following are the things we do to reduce barking to nearly nothing (with one exception I will explain at the end):
1. Break up spaces so dogs are grouped in pods
2. Put all social dogs in play groups so they are active all day and tired when they go back to their room
3. Make all employees wear the same uniform so they “look familiar”
4. Limit client tours to hours when most dogs are out playing…make tours as short as possible
5. Play calming music in background
6. Design all rooms with full glass front doors and solid sides so that all dogs regardless of size can see in front of them but not on the sides or back wall. For highly reactive dogs, we have curtains that can be pulled across some rooms.
The only exception is first thing in the morning when all the dogs want to go out to potty and then eat breakfast at 7:00am. All the dogs bark like crazy until they get their potty break. Most of the barking is excitement barking to get the day started. To reduce this as much as possible, we take all the social dogs out in like groups. The whole process with multiple staff takes under 30 minutes.
This first 30 minutes in the morning, the barking is so loud, new employees don’t know how they will deal with it long term. As you suggested, it takes roughly 30 days to acclimate and you don’t really “hear” it anymore. Of course you do hear it, but your brain tunes it out and it doesn’t bother you anymore. As for the dogs, I don’t know how they feel about it. I will say that 30 minutes out of 24 hours seems to be the most minimal we can achieve given the reality of housing many dogs together.
Other than first thing in the morning, most people would be shocked at how little barking is heard indoors. But I also realize, we are not a shelter and are not bound by some of their constraints.
Shana R says
If you ever get the chance, visit the Oregon Humane Society. They have a simply fabulous kennel layout, it’s so good it’s often silent in the kennels, with just the quiet sounds of dogs sleeping, playing quietly with a toy or drinking water. The have four “pods” which house around 20 dogs each (I’m estimating from my memory so that’s not exact.) Instead of a long hall with kennels on either side of an aisle, there are two rows of kennels, with a staff only area between them. The “front” of the kennels face outward towards the outer walls of the room, visitors can view the dogs through traditional kennel doors there. The dogs are given no ability to see one another, which helps keep everyone calm. They will occasionally house two dogs together that are not from the same family, but only if it benefits those dogs. They have an extensive volunteer program, which includes trainers that teach basic skills, dog walkers so every single dog gets a 15-20 minute walk in the little park like walking area OR some off leash play in one of the play yards, plus a running program, where people come and pick up a dog and take it for a jog several times a week.
I’ve been in one of the “pods” before when there were several families looking at the dogs, and most were talking quietly with no problem. It’s just wonderful how they have managed to set up the shelter. They have no time limits on how long a dog can stay, and they have an excellent adoption rate, a few years ago it was 98% for dogs. It is not a publicly run shelter, but is a non-profit. They work closely with nearby county shelters to help the harder to place dogs, and run the humane investigation services for the state, in conjunction with county and city authorities. It’s really a fabulous place, well worth a visit if you ever find yourself in Portland.
Kathy R says
Great topic.
Glad to hear you “southerners” finally got some rain.
The picture of Willie just melted my heart. There is something about those beautiful Border Collie eyes…
Ben says
Awesome post
Art Lipski says
Our shelter in Phoenix, Oregon, also uses the MP3 player/recordings provided by Dr. Pam Fisher’s “The Rescue Animal MP3 Project”. The player is about half the size of a business card. We’ve seen a recognizable reduction in noise in the dog area. You can learn more by googling “The Rescue Animal MP3 Project”.
em says
Fascinating post, and good for Willie, working his way back to wellness.
When we adopted Otis, I visited several shelters, scouting out dogs. The thing that impressed me most about the one where we found Otis was how quiet and happy the dogs seemed there compared to the others we’d seen. We visited every day for several days while waiting for Otis’ neuter appointment and release, and each time, it was much the same.
The shelter is smallish, housing perhaps 30 dogs, and rural, without much in the way of fancy facilities, but what they do have is outdoor pens for the dogs to use in good weather. Some are smaller and used for single dogs, but several are larger play areas where puppies and social dogs are allowed to play together during the day. Just being outside lowers the volume quite a bit, and the social interaction, exercise and mental stimulation of being outdoors likely reduces overall stress for the social dogs, while having almost all the dogs outside gave the one or two reactive cases a break in the quiet, mostly empty indoor kennel. As a potential adopter, it was lovely to be able to see the dogs relaxed and playing together, too, as it gave such a good idea about their personalities, energy levels, etc.
The kennel staff was so kind and lovely to the dogs, as were the volunteers who came to walk and train, and the fact that the shelter is small meant that the dogs got a lot of individual attention. Even in the short time that he was there, Otis became quite attached to the shelter workers (a selling point, both for the shelter and the dog, in my view).
Maria says
Omg, who can resist that Willie face? 🙂 I’m very interested in the non-shelter environment conversation related to using certain words and vocal tones with our dogs in general. Specifically, I’m curious about the words and tones used to get dogs’ attention, such as “Woah”, “Hey”, “Ah”, etc. First, please pardon the question if its seems incredibly basic, but I would really love others thoughts on this – can’t any word be used as an aversive? So, for example, everyone hates that “certain dog trainer’s” use of “pppsssshhhhttt”. I’m curious as to how this is different than any other word we might choose to use – specifically if we’re using it with the same intent. For example, how is “pppssshhht” any different from “No!” or from “Uh uh!” or “Ah ah!”, etc. It seems they all could be used as verbal aversives, especially if used with a harsh tone? I guess I’m just wondering why the “word” matters since they’re dogs anyway – what would seem to matter to them is the tone/intent?
In addition, I’ve been dying to have someone address this – Trisha, if you wrote a blog or even responded to this, it would make my day! 🙂 I’m very curious about the use of “Leave it”, specifically with a reactive dog. Our Aussie is reactive, and yes, I do use “Leave it” in the context of asking him to leave something untouched, such as food on the street. However, I personally don’t use “leave it” with him in the context of asking him not to react to something. This all goes back to my curiosity (or confusion? :)) about the use of specific words, tones and their intent. For me, using “leave it” as a tool for reactivity seems to go against what positive trainers advocate – which is either desensitizing the dog to its triggers over time or achieving more acceptable, alternate behaviors (such as turning away, looking at you, etc.) Yet, I’ve heard many positive trainers in my area use “leave it” in working with reactive dogs – in asking them not to run to the window and bark when they hear a noise, or to not bark at a dog across the street. The use of “leave it” in this context also doesn’t seem to leave any room for the dog to make a good choice or allow you to help the dog to make better choices eventually. While I’m not completely opposed to the idea of asking a dog to “leave it” in a reactive context, it does seem to against the underlying principles of positive training – again, specifically in the context of reactive dogs??
I realize this went a bit off-topic with regards to Trisha’s original post on noise sensitivity – apologies!
liz says
In addition to having control over one’s voice, volunteers often have a good amount of control over their actions (unless otherwise specified). Which dogs are walked, as well as the walking order, are usually decisions made on the fly. But I think a little preparation can go a long way towards the barking- perhaps not necessarily decreasing the noise level, but probably preventing it from getting any worse. I used to walk mornings, peak barking time, and wandering about the kennels deciding who to walk did no one any good. By taking the dog closest to the door first, I could be in and out in seconds without walking past others and riling them up. By coordinating with other volunteers, we could enter and exit together minimizing our impact. It was still loud, no doubt, but better than the alternative.
A change I’d like to work towards: depending on the policy and circumstances, I like to see more dogs with ear infections get into foster homes immediately- regardless if treatment has begun- so that they don’t have to deal with the noise levels at all. Mandatory holds don’t take into account the brutality(?) of living with an ear sensitivity/infection/injury in such an environment, and I would hope that exceptions could be made for medical reasons to release dogs into foster care…if they aren’t already in some fortunate places.
Trisha says
I love hearing about some of these wonderful shelters that are doing such a great job. Interesting to learn about the Rescue Animal MP3 project, thanks for including that. liz, your comments about a thoughtful order of dog walking is excellent, and underscores how making sound reduction a priority can result in some easy yet significant changes. Interesting point too about dogs with ear infections. I hadn’t thought of that. Question: do ear infections make loud sounds more aversive? (Do you speak from experience?)
To Maria, lots of good question about cues. First off, I’d say that yes, any sound can become aversive if paired with something inherently aversive. It is true however, that “ssssss” sounds might (emphasize ‘might’) be inherently aversive because they sound like warnings given by many animals (snakes for example). Just as we are apparently predisposed to quickly learn to associate red and black, “nature’s warning colors,” with danger, perhaps dogs more easily learn to associate “sssst” sounds with some aversive? Just speculating.
Regarding the context of the use of “Leave It”: I think your questions are very good ones, might even beg for a blog about it sometime, at least in relation to “what do are cues actually mean to dogs?” I am leaning more and more toward making cues as specific as possible. Here’s an example that has starting me examining this topic in a new light: Exceptionally successful sheepdog trainer & competitor Alisdair McRae uses a different correction for different mistakes. If I remember correctly, he even has a different “get back” cue (not necessarily a correction) for increasing distance between the sheep if going clockwise or counterclockwise. Patrick Shanahan, another great trainer, suggested that I use a different signal if Willie is going too fast at different stages of herding. Given that we don’t ever really know what a dog understands of the link between our cue and the context, that makes a lot of sense. That is part of why I myself would not use “Leave It” if I didn’t like my dog’s reaction to other dogs. I too use it primarily to mean “Don’t touch that object” (whether a disgusting thing on the ground or the sandwich I just dropped). I also have a “Get back” cue that sometimes I use to prevent Willie from getting too close to something he might snarf up, but they both mean different things. Long answer, but yes, I think using a different cue would be a better idea than “Leave It” in dog-dog encounters.
liz says
Trisha, thanks for the acknowledgement and for asking about the experience. I’ve indeed seen a handful of dogs whose medical ear issues seem to make them overreact to even soft sound. (Wincing, whining, or generally displaying fearful body language). Since I don’t have a baseline for these dogs as I only met them when they were ill, it could be that they are normally sensitive too. Although at home I do have a dog with somewhat recurring ear infections, and when inflicted I have to silently wash dishes, or be sure not to let the spoon ding the side of the ceramic cup unless I want the dog to tuck tail and run from the room… Without an ear infection these activities get no response. Formal studies on dogs with infections would be so valuable, but in their absence, it’d be no surprise if a number of dogs with ear issues otherwise would have an “average” response to sound. (Side note: sharp and abrupt sounds, like metal on metal, get the most pronounced, pained reactions. Maybe continuous sounds of certain pitches have less of an effect? I personally react to the pitch of some barks more than others so that might also be true for the dogs.)
It seems that often the consensus on ear infections is that they are common and highly treatable. As a result, they are labeled minor illness. Given the potential for sound to affect behavior in healthy dogs, as addressed so beautifully in this post, I think it’s worth considering the possibility of a minor illness having a major impact on dogs who’ve spent days in lingering pain or malaise in this setting.
Margaret McLaughlin says
Trosha, regarding the “ssss” being inherently aversive: a behavior that’s been repeated several times with different cats & dogs might be relevant. I rarely drink soda, so my animals are not accustomed to the sound of a 2-liter bottle being opened. When I have had some (post-surgery or flu) I’ve got some pretty dramatic reactions to the bottle hissing–my more reactive dogs would bark their heads off, & my cats would hiss right back.
Margaret McLaughlin says
Trisha, not Trosha. Sorry.
Donna in VA says
“ssss” aversive – made me realize that 2 sounds my dog reacted to strongly are the soda bottle hissing and also sound made by food hitting hot oil in frying pan – also “ssss” noise. Interesting.
re ear problems – last summer he had one ear blocked by wax for several weeks (not infected), and every night he awoke me during the night w/ paws up on the side of the bed – checking if I was there? Once the blockage was finally cleared, this behavior stopped. Now at 12 he is fairly deaf and will sleep through anything. I wake him by tickling his feet.
National herding trial coming to VA in October and I hope to see Alisdair McRae trialing. Very excited!
Kelly says
Thank you for this post! I’m actually a grad student at the University of Guelph, I spent the summer researching the outdoor spaces of animal shelters in Ontario. I visited 22 shelters, one actually required ear protection for anyone entering kennel areas. All kennel areas were noisy.
I think I’ve read the studies by Coppola and Mertens, both have influenced my study. I think there is untapped potential for enrichment in outdoor areas (I’m a landscape architecture student); there are certainly huge differences between shelters, some of it seems to be related to resources – financial and volunteers seemed to be the most sought after – but not always. But I’m just beginning to go back and look at my data, so I shouldn’t say too much!
I will definitely see if I can access your webinar though, it will probably be useful to me 🙂
Kelly says
Just wanted to add another comment, while watching your webinar, all of my dogs jumped up when they heard the barking the first time, but not subsequent times. They all lifted their heads at the whistling as well.
Last summer I had a rescue foster who was a barker. I live in an apartment and anytime the people above me moved, he barked (the neighbours were great – they knew he was temporary and never complained). Both dogs were crated in my bedroom, and after about two months my lab started to refuse to sleep with me at night. The two dogs got along fine, always appropriate and playing every day. I thought maybe it was the barking, and after moving my lab’s crate to the living room, no longer had any trouble – he had no problem resuming his spot on the bed!
Sam says
I’m a total late-come to this discussion, I know, but when I was volunteering in a local rescue kennels I followed the protocol that Karen Pryor wrote about in ‘Reaching the Animal Mind’. It was simple, I’d go in, and start treating the dogs in their kennels, which would usually quiet them for a moment or two while they chew, from that I soon had dogs who were quiet when I moved near their kennel, and within a couple of visits all the dogs would become quiet as soon as I entered. Granted, it was a a smallish rescue with a maximum of about 15 dogs, but it’d be interesting to see if similar could be achieved in a larger set-up.
angelique milan says
I have adopted two shelter dogs and both are hard of hearing. One was in shelter 6 to 7 months and is hard of hearing. The 2nd was in the shelter for 4 years and has no hearing. Is there a correlation?