[HarringtonZoo]

My husband and I have 5 pets and all of them are rescues. We had a German Shepherd that had jumping problems and was very sensitive to loud sounds too. It took us a few months to get him to stop. We would invite him with us, whether inside or outside, and intentionally make loud noises. We would go into a confined area like a fenced yard or bedroom and act like we were working on a project and ignore him. We'd mow the lawn, drop pots and pan, use a skill saw, etc. for a minute then stop. He would whine and pace within the area but we ignored him. After he started to calm down a little, one of us would direct him to sit and stay and then we'd turn and do it again. After about 10 minutes, and he was calm, we'd praise him and leave the area. I think it was an anxiety issue and it has to be corrected by commands and showing him that nothing was going to happen to him. Eventually, he stopped showing signs of anxiety when he was with us but continued when we were away (ie - 4th of July). After a while, he just stopped. Good luck!