Dog terrified of bangs

[Florabella]

My 7yr old dog has always been a bit scared of loud noises - hates fireworks, guns etc. But it has got so bad she is terrified of almost all her dog walks. There are always bird scarers or guns going off on all our local walks and she just shakes and if off lead will try and run home. If on lead she just won't go any further. I am at a loss on what to try with her to get her over this. Any suggestions?

Firstly I would get a vet check to rule out pain.

Can you drive her somewhere quiet for a walk?

Mine can get like this, bird scarer season was a nightmare last year with the freezing or turning home. We stuck to parks and riversides when things were at their worst. We've since been trying to use techniques we had to use when he was getting way too interested in other dogs, basically filling him full of sausage if he is calm, & looks at us. If you can get in there with a faint, distant bang first before they get stressed it works best, but they needed the break from those type of walks first to decompress before beginning the training.

Recordings of bangs never worked for us but might be helpful too, start at a super faint level while you feed them and increase over time. That could be a good first step before braving outdoors.