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At this time of year it is easy to forget that many dogs are scared of noises, such
as fireworks etc., but if you own one such animal, then you know how sad it can be
to see your faithful companion suffer. Indeed it has been estimated that perhaps 20% or more dogs may suffer from this problem in one form or another. They tremble and pant and may harm either themselves and/or their owners in their panic to escape. Methods have been developed to help these animals and are available from vets or behaviour clinics across the country, but still some animals don't respond to these treatments and surprising as it may seem, we know very little about how these problems come about. Whilst some clearly follow a bad experience many do not. Therefore, researchers in the Dept. of Biological Sciences at the University of Lincoln have instigated a global study of the problem of noise fears in dogs. This research aims to look more closely at the possible causes of these fears and how they respond to treatment by comparing the backgrounds of dogs that are afraid of noises and those that are not. A number of scenarios are being explored on the basis of what we know about how these problems develop in people and indeed this study may even help us understand the human problem better too. The team need to hear from all types of dog owner, whether their dogs are afraid of noises (e.g., thunderstorms or fireworks etc or not.) An online questionnaire hasbeen set up at http://hemswell.lincoln.ac.uk/~slawson/dogs_and_noise/ It should only take 5-15 minutes of your time to complete, but will help researchers tomake real progress in understanding this problem.
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