How do I manage noise from renovations for a noise sensitive dog?

Unlike a single loud event such as a firework, construction noise is often sustained over hours and unpredictable in its exact timing and volume, drilling starting and stopping without warning, which can be more wearing for a noise sensitive dog than a shorter, more predictable loud event, even if individual sounds are not louder.

Position your dog's safe space as far from the active work area as your home layout allows, ideally with a closed door and, if possible, a room on the opposite side of the house from the main noise source. A fan or white noise machine running steadily throughout the working day helps mask the more sudden, jarring individual tool sounds that tend to provoke the strongest reaction.

Renovation projects typically have identifiable louder phases, demolition, structural work, heavy drilling, that are more intense than general finishing work like painting or fitting. Identifying these phases in advance with your contractor lets you plan specific days for boarding or time away rather than trying to manage the entire project's full noise level at home throughout.

Sound desensitization recordings of drilling and hammering, introduced gradually before the renovation begins if you have advance notice, can help build some tolerance, though this works best as preparation rather than a solution once work is already fully underway. Combine this with the physical management strategies above rather than relying on it alone.