Desensitising Animals to Sound By association with unpleasant events, dogs can become phobic of any sound. In the treatment of noise phobias, desensitisation and counter conditioning are the preferred approaches. When sampling sounds and playing them back to the animal with increasing volume, remember to observe the animal for overt signs of distress. If these appear, you have probably made your increments in volume too large. So take a step back in the conditioning programme and check that the animal remains calm during exposure to sounds of the last volume level used.
Some dogs come to ignore all sounds played on a particular audio system.
Perhaps they learn the frequency limits and idiosyncrasies of the playback system. To break down context specificity, try desensitisation in a variety of venues including your car and other people's homes. Use sub-woofer speakers that can approach 15 Hz or thereabouts. Dr Paul McGreevy. University of Sydney, Faculty of Veterinary Science.