Noise aversion affects an estimated one third of dogs and causes significant psychological suffering. Evidence-based treatment options dramatically improve welfare for affected dogs.
Noise aversion causes intense fear and physiological stress that constitutes genuine suffering. During phobic episodes dogs experience terror comparable to extreme threatening situations. The annual predictability of fireworks events means millions of dogs undergo repeated severe distress without intervention. Progressive worsening means untreated dogs suffer increasingly each year. The availability of effective treatments makes continued untreated noise aversion an avoidable welfare failure. Even dogs with mild responses benefit from intervention before the condition progresses.