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Dog is afraid of air conditioner noise

928 Views 37 Replies 18 Participants Last post by Andrew6305, 7 d ago

Trent.Tidmore

Discussion Starter · 14 d ago

2

HELP! Our dog is terrified of our air conditioner and I hope someone has a solution that has worked for them.

We moved aboard full time March 12th so we have been here about 2 months now. About 3-4 weeks ago our little dog “Paws” started shaking whenever the “click” of the air conditioner started. We are in Texas, so turning off the A/C in the middle of the day is not an option, as we work on board as well.
I am wondering if there is an ultrasonic noise that is coming from the A/C that only he can hear.

We have him in a Thunder Shirt when he starts this. We have tried CBD chews and even took him to the vet who prescribed Trazadone. This knocks him out and he is basically stoned all day. It helps but doesn’t solve the issue. Even with all of these remedies he still shakes throughout the day.
What really breaks my heart is when I take him out for a potty break and he doesn’t want to come back on the boat. I sometimes have to pick him up and carry him back on board. Often he will go into the main cabin and lay down in the head. It is quiet and a smaller space so we just put his bed in there.

The A/C works great and is not unusually loud. When it is off for an extended time he is back to his relaxed and playful self. He is not afraid of anything else and enjoys being in the boat and chasing the cat or rough-housing with us…as long as the air conditioner is not running.

Sky Dog Cloud Water Carnivore

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redgar

· #2 · 14 d ago

Trent.Tidmore said:
HELP! Our dog is terrified of our air conditioner and I hope someone has a solution that has worked for them.
[ ... ] About 3-4 weeks ago our little dog “Paws” started shaking whenever the “click” of the air conditioner started.
[ ... ] We have him in a Thunder Shirt when he starts this.
[ ... ] He is not afraid of anything else and enjoys being in the boat and chasing the cat or rough-housing with us…as long as the air conditioner is not running.

Sorry about your dilemma. It occurred to me that it might be fear of that unknown thing that is getting to him. Can you open things up enough for him to see that there are no bogey dogs under the settee when the A/C kicks in? Maybe if he sees that the clicking is just coming from yet another mysterious machine and when you demonstrate that it is nothing to worry about (by petting the A/C when it clicks? jajaja) maybe it will sink in that there is nothing really for him to worry about. Something to try at least...

BTW, I had never heard of "anxiety vests" before I saw your mention of the Thunder Shirt. I have had dogs that were absolutely terrified of thunder while another sleeping right next to them doesn't even raise an eyelid to see what the fuss is about. Now I know what to get one of my daughters for Christmas! Thanks!

~~ Red

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colemj

· #3 · 14 d ago

redgar said:
Now I know what to get one of my daughters for Christmas! Thanks!

They make them for humans?

Mark

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colemj

· #4 · 14 d ago

Where are the outlets located? Is he getting blasted by air when it turns on and this is frightening? How does he react if you just run the fan without the compressor on?

His reaction to the solenoid clicking is just Pavlovian because he knows something he is afraid of is coming next.

If it is a noise, I'd suspect a low frequency below human hearing over a high frequency. Is he also afraid of thunder? Perhaps there is a low frequency rumble to the compressor or A/C mounting that reminds him of it.

Mark

Reactions: 1

Trent.Tidmore

Discussion Starter · #5 · 14 d ago

He is not afraid of thunder at all. I definitely think there is a Pavlovian response because the moment he hears that click his ears go back and he starts cowering and shaking. He is not directly in front of the outlets and the fans don’t bother him at all.

Trent.Tidmore

Discussion Starter · #6 · 14 d ago

I will have to try opening things up for him.

capta

· #7 · 14 d ago

How about playing some loud music (different every time) to cover or minimize the sound of the clicks. Slowly lower the music (over days or weeks) and see if that's better?
Each time it clicks, give him a bit of his favorite treat. Make the click something that gives him a reward, not what he fears.

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Trent.Tidmore

Discussion Starter · #8 · 14 d ago

capta said:
How about playing some loud music (different every time) to cover or minimize the sound of the clicks. Slowly lower the music (over days or weeks) and see if that's better?
Each time it clicks, give him a bit of his favorite treat. Make the click something that gives him a reward, not what he fears.

Good suggestions, but…
I have tried giving treats and distracting him but nothing like that has worked. We can’t play loud music since my wife is on zoom calls for work throughout the entire day.

Skipper Jer

· #9 · 14 d ago

It might be the air rushing over the registers producing a whistling noise he hears. An experiment would be to remove all the registers so the air comes directly out of the vent hoses. The other thing to try is soundproof the relay making the clicking noise. Sucks to be so scare one shakes.

Trent.Tidmore

Discussion Starter · #10 · 14 d ago

Hmm. I will try that. The registers are pretty big so I doubt that would create any real noise but I will try that. I will work on soundproofing the dreaded click.

Don L

· #11 · 14 d ago (Edited)

I think you need a dog trainer, or you do it, to train your dog to have different reaction to the "click".

The one thing know is if this was me that dog would have to learn to sleep in the cockpit because I sure as heck am going to run the AC.

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Trent.Tidmore

Discussion Starter · #12 · 14 d ago

Don L said:
I thing you need a dog trainer, or you do it, to train your dog to have different reaction to the "click".

The one thing know is if this was me that dog would have to learn to sleep in the cockpit because I sure as heck am going to run the AC.

Weather permitting he is generally quite happy up in the cockpit. I am in total agreement. That A/C is going to be running. We are in Clear Lake Shores, Texas so summer can be just a bit warm…

As far as training, it only clicks once, but then he shakes for the entire duration of the A/C run time. I have a hunch that there must be a noise that freaks him out.

Don L

· #13 · 14 d ago

Wonder if you got a "clicker" and clicked it if he does the same thing. It seems like a trained response

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AndyL

· #14 · 14 d ago

My daughter's dog was and is afraid of many things and completely unfazed by other things. No way to predict or understand it. She has had some success with desensitization but it doesn't always work. I've also seen her help the dog explore the scary thing as part of that approach - like perhaps letting it see and sniff the AC unit when it's off. Not my area of expertise I'm afraid.

Trent.Tidmore

Discussion Starter · #15 · 14 d ago

Don L said:
Wonder if you got a "clicker" and clicked it if he does the same thing. It seems like a trained response

Maybe, but it isn’t so much the click as much as it is the shaking for the whole day while the A/C runs. The click let’s him know the A/C is starting up, but he shakes even if it doesn’t click.

shoffman57

· #16 · 14 d ago

Try not to make a big deal of it with him. If you make a big deal he knows something is up, if you ignore it he might eventually realize it's not a threat. (He might be feeling the vibration of the compressor thru the hull)

Reactions: 1

Trent.Tidmore

Discussion Starter · #17 · 14 d ago

shoffman57 said:
Try not to make a big deal of it with him. If you make a big deal he knows something is up, if you ignore it he might eventually realize it's not a threat. (He might be feeling the vibration of the compressor thru the hull)

We have tried ignoring it but it is impossible when my wife is on a zoom call and he is LITERALLY climbing on top of her head. He can’t get close enough to us for reassurance. The little guy is just terrified and our only option is to drug him into near unconsciousness (which we are not wanting to do).

shoffman57

· #18 · 14 d ago

Trent.Tidmore said:
We have tried ignoring it but it is impossible when my wife is on a zoom call and he is LITERALLY climbing on top of her head. He can’t get close enough to us for reassurance. The little guy is just terrified and our only option is to drug him into near unconsciousness (which we are not wanting to do).

I know what you mean about drugging him up. I had a dog with separation anxiety and tried drugs but it was no way to live. Can you place him alongside you and just pet or scratch him and go about your business? Make sure to stay calm.

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Skipper Jer

· #19 · 14 d ago

I wonder if this is some sort of response to an earthquake. Maybe he associates the A/C's vibration via the hull to an earthquake? Might try putting some rubber mats under the A/C unit to dampen the vibration. Also is there a way to have the relay click without the A/C turning on? I know the earthquake idea is pretty far fetched but animals do react to earthquakes.

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Trent.Tidmore

Discussion Starter · #20 · 14 d ago

shoffman57 said:
I know what you mean about drugging him up. I had a dog with separation anxiety and tried drugs but it was no way to live. Can you place him alongside you and just pet or scratch him and go about your business? Make sure to stay calm.

Oh we are very reassuring and hold him and hug him. Poor little guy just shakes so much. I take him to run errands with me and lots of walks so he has plenty of breaks. He doesn’t just lay next to us when this happens…he crawls all over us, even climbing on too of our heads.

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