[yorkietalkjilly]

Mostly dogs that are fearful of loud or sudden, unfamiliar sounds are usually not comforted from fears and anxiety like humans are. Soothing words and words of love, comforting touches when they are afraid, perhaps even shaking or trembling, usually links that current reaction of anxiety to your positive reinforcement of it. It is likely teaching her you think her fear is good and the thing to do. As canines aren't the same species as we, sometimes we have to adapt our training and correction of certain behavior to those things a canine can better use to reshape its behavior.

Instead of soothing her, comforting her during fear reaction, redirect her "nerves" by each time there is a noise she reacts to by getting up and getting her busy focusing on something else. Go to the frig and get her some boiled chicken or other high-value treat and hold it in your closed hand, allow her to smell it. Try to get her to follow your hand as you move it around her head and walk her into the back yard or into another room, keeping her focused on the food for as long as she will focus, then let her have it. Don't talk to her when she is afraid except to say positive things that make you feel upbeat, courageous, such as "Hero!" "Atta, Girl!" "Way To Go!", when she takes the chicken. Alternatively, keep a bag of high-value treats nearby when sitting on the couch with her and be prepared to distract her from sudden noises with food or activity, rather than soothing her in a human way. Believe me, she will react to activity and action a lot more positively than she will to coddling of the anxiety in an attempt to soothe her in the way humans prefer. You can use a nearby pile of squeaky toys or tennis balls stacked in a basket - any number of things to toss or try to distract and redirect those nerves to the act of playing and getting her mind off the fear of the noise she doesn't like.

Desensitize her slowly to the doorbell ringing by having a family member or yourself ring the doorbell and immediately stick a piece of boiled chicken out for her to eat. Ring, ring! Chicken within 3 seconds. Ring, ring! Chicken within 3 seconds. Repeat 3 times and that is all. Take her outside or get her very physically active after these desensitization sessions as her nerves will be twanging so she will need to go for a good fast walk or run or play session to work the nerves out. Later in the day, repeat the doorbell ringing or door-knocking session with the chicken treats and then the outing to work her neves out. By evening, do another session. If you will repeat these sessions in a very, very short episode and then it is over and she can have a good outing or exercise session, she will begin to see the doorbell or door-knocking as something far less scary and threatening and in time, begin to link it with pleasure instead. That is a better way to deal with her anxiety than trying to humanly soothe her. Instead, when she is focusing on activity or playing and you give her an "Atta, Girl!", she will get that upbeat, happy message and it will help her become less unsure. You are positively reinforcing good, happy and active behavior that way. In time, she will learn to be far less fearful and become more secure in her new environment.