Why is my dog so scared of regular household appliances?

My dog acts so strange whenver the steamer oven or dishwasher is running. You can't even hear it! He starts shaking really bad and whimpering and tries to hide and always has to be around someone. And in the night he tries to dig holes in the carpet or floor or door anywhere. He is about 11 years old hes a labrador/mutt. What should we do? We give him Pet Ease but that doesn't help at all.

It sounds like cognitive dysfunction syndrome to me. Almost half of dogs over the age of 10 get it to some degree. It can manifest itself in a lot of different ways and what your dog's doing is one of the many.You can take him to the vet and tell the vet exactly what's going on. There are meds the vet can prescribe that will help him.

I use to have a chihuahua that would be scared of broom and vaccum cleaner...I think the last people who had him would beat him with the broom I would play with my dog wih broom he just barks at the broom and the vaccum cleaner........I think depends on the dog.....and what happend in his life before ....just depends

Has this behavior been happening since he was a puppy? It seems to me that if this behavior has been happening for the last 11 years than your dog was never socialized to these appliances. Dogs need to be socialize to everything so that in the future they aren't afraid. There is a technique that you can do to help comfort your canine friend. Put a t-shirt on him, this technique is used for dogs who are afraid of thunderstorms. I think it can help you out. Also, do not pay any attention to him when he does this behavior. Humans want to comfort, but what you really are doing is making the situation worse. You are praising the behavior. Oh, and try these calming signals to relax your dog, licking your lips and yawning. Dogs focus more on body language. When in a stressful situation, dogs give these signals to each other to relieve the stressful environment. Good luck.