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When our pets show fearful behaviors triggered by stimuli, we can begin to work on this by slowly and positively introducing or re-introducing those sounds or sights in a slow, calm, controlled environment.
Thunder and fireworks, ahhhhhh!
Let's start having her listen to VERY low YouTube clips of these scary things, one per day only and for a short period of time (1-2 minutes total). Get her into a calm, quiet room and lots of VERY yummy treats. Reward her for simple cues before the sound comes on, to build up her confidence and focus on you. Low level for 30 seconds, keep asking for focus/touch/down, etc. - lots of calm positive praise. Turn up volume 1 notch, and repeat praise. Turn up a notch, repeat. Once unable to keep her focus, back off 1 notch, praise her and end on a good note. Always start back at "zero" each time when working on any stimuli.
Pick 5 of the sounds that your pup gets worried about the most.
Work on 1 sound per day, 1-2 sessions lasting up to 5 minutes each
Start with them in a sit or down/stay, calm, being pet, or enjoying a yummy treat or toy.
Use a YouTube video loop of the sound on very low, and turn it on for a few seconds.
Praise your pup, ask for a puppy push-up (sit/down/sit/down), a focus/touch, a down/stay/release, or a game of fetch - then give a treat and let them go back to relaxing.
Very slowly turn up the sound every minute, asking for a puppy push-up after each increase, until at a comfortable/normal ambient volume, then turn it off and resume normal daily activities.
If pup becomes upset enough that they won't take a treat, they get up to leave the area or they show any other signs of fear/worry, turn it off right away and end the session for the day. Start at a lower volume the next session.
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