Reactivity to noise

How would you handle this?

Mia reacts (and Summer reacts to her) to the noise of ANYTHING closing. It started out as just a reaction to my computer closing (which she realized meant something fun might happen).

She runs and barks and screams and grabs toys and throws them at me if I close anything- computer, makeup compact, dvd case, gameboy, etc. It's gotten a lot worse very recently but she has a tendency to get into behaviors like this and they just build and build on themselves. Summer runs and barks because Mia is excited.

So... what do you do to desensitize her to the 'snap shut' kind of noise? DO I actually sit her in a training session and open and close things and reward for calm. I've opened and closed things to try to lessen the reaction and even after 8 or so times she still reacts to any closing object sound. I've also tried opening and closing things then having nothing exciting happen but it doesn't seem to help.

I think your idea of using rewards for training may be a good idea. Maybe start with just the object there, opening it a little, and then going a little more each time.

I don't have anything helpful to say, but Onyx totally knows the sound of the laptop closing as well. She'll be sleeping on the couch and the second I close the lid she launches off, ready to go do something fun. I never really considered the fact that other dogs might react the same way. Thankfully Onyx's reaction doesn't involve barking.

I hope this may help

The key to treating these types of phobic reactions is to address them early in their development. Left untreated, these problems—without exception—become worse. We now know there are inherited forms of noise reactivity and phobias, although the mechanisms by which the complex molecular change occurs is not understood.1-3 It appears that an alteration in how information is processed is a component. So if you know that at least one parent reacted to storms and other noises, expect the puppy will react similarly or look for signs that may put the pup at risk. The same tools we use to treat noise reactivity and phobia can help prevent it from developing further if caught early in a dog with a known familial risk.

Data indicate that if a dog has storm or noise phobia, it may be more at risk for developing separation anxiety and possibly other anxiety-related conditions.4 The signs of noise phobia and separation anxiety can be the same: trembling, salivation, defecation, urination, destruction, escape, panting and vocalization. Not all dogs exhibit all signs or with equal intensity. Some signs cluster together more frequently than others, although the neurochemical significance of this is currently unknown. Interestingly, in the population of dogs we've studied, the behaviors dogs exhibit when distressed differ by breed, with the most obvious difference being that German shepherds pace more than border collies or Australian cattle dogs.1,2