I have a shihzu 18 months old who recently has become very fearful of any loud noise - airplanes, dishwasher, loud doors slamming, etc. It has gotten so bad that she won't willingly go outside or go for a walk. Lately she has started hiding under beds, behind desks etc. What can I do to help her? This probably started on July 4th when the fireworks scared her - although before that she would get scared whenever an airplane flew over.

For one, you must not act afraid.

The dishwasher might be easily trainable. Sit with her during the entire cycle. Grab her by the fur on her neck if she starts to run away.

I have to disagree there KISS, forcing the dog to stay near the noise will only serve to make her more fearful of it.

The dishwasher is the easiest place to start though...
Turn the dishwasher on and grab some of her favourite treats..
Start at the opposite end of your house from the dishwasher and give her a treat...
Gradually take steps towards the dishwasher, stopping and giver her a treat each time.

This may take a few sessions and you will always need to stop moving forwards before she gets to the point of being frightened and running away. (you will be able to tell by her body language)

You can use this same method with other loud noises, but hopefully once she has overcome the dishwasher she will be better with other loud things.

An addition to Shaz's great advice:

Don't react to her fear. When she cowers, don't try to tell her it will be okay or pet her, that only tells her that being afraid is the correct response. When she ignores the fear give her lots of praise and attention.

You might also try distracting her from the noise by putting her through some obedience moves (sit, lay, etc.). Getting her to focus on you instead of her fears.

Had to spread the rep, Shaz.

Shaz and Cat said it! Lots of praise when your dog doesn't react to the noises and the treats given around the noises that scare her will help tremendously.

We took our puppy to puppy classes when we got her and the things we did for the puppies there were great. The best idea I thought was touching their paws, giving a treat, touching their collar, giving a treat, flipping their lips (preparing them for vet visits), giving a treat. It's all about associating these things with good things happening. It takes patience, but it pays off. Good luck!

When training our dogs not to be gun shy we use toys. Engaging them in play helps to distract them from paying attention to the noise

Melantonin is an over-the-counter drug that can be used to treat some anxiety issues in dogs. The dose you would give would be up to 3 mg given orally whenever necessary up to every 8 hours. More information can be found here: Melatonin (Melatonex®) , which includes risks, warning signs to watch out for and other bits of useful information.

Try a DAP collar. These are collars that are impregnated with a man-made version of the dog appeasing pheromone, which is a pheromone that nursing es give off to their pups to help them feel calm and secure. It's something that humans can't smell, but it has an amazing effect on dogs with anxiety and other issues. Although you can find them at your vet's office.. you can also find them online at places like Amazon.com and Ebay for much cheaper. Just make sure they're DAP brand, as they seem to work better than some other versions.

KISS, have to disagree - holding the dog and forcing her to be near the source of her fear will accomplish nothing but make her fearful of both the noise AND the owner.

I find that if I sit calmly, reassuring my dog (she is afraid of loud noises since my idiot neighbor shot a squirrel out of a tree in my yard from her yard - long story!) she gets through the episode fairly calmly and each time she is better. The only time it's a problem is when I'm not home and there is loud noise.

To add to Judy's post above, reassuring wporks for some people but with my own dog I found that the opposite was more effective...

She is still fearful of people, but a few months back she used to be terrible, she would cower away and growl at any new people in the house the entire time they were there (whther it was 10 minutes or 10 hours)

We had a house warming party where all the guests were petting her, and she was pretty much bombarded with noises and people, all I did was give her some treats and let her sit next to me outside at near the barbecue..
She has been 1000 times better since that day... she will always be a timid dog, it is just in her nature but it is more manageble now.
It's amazing how much one experience can have a such a huge effect on them, in both positive and negative ways.

Ashen Venus - I have never heard of the pheremone collars... I will have to look into them. As far as a I know they are not available in Australia.

As for drugs well... you should always consult your vet so they can advise you what would be safe to give your dog.