Dogs afraid of thunderstorms
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Does anyone out there have a dog that is afraid of thunderstorms? Our Dexter will hide under a desk and stays very close to us when a storm is coming. We feel sorry for him. Any suggestions on how to help him?
Tags: dogs, fear, thunderstorm
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Josepha Waeltz on -
My dog Tasha has always been afraid of thunderstorms. She can tell when they're coming before we even hear them. She mostly shakes and wants to be held the whole time. I have heard of some people who give their freightened dogs prozac for this. I have never looked into it.
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Permalink Reply by Traci on -
None of the dogs I have now are afraid of storms, but my Shih Tzu Mandy, that we had years ago was terribly afraid of storms - and fireworks. We did ultimately have to give her something we got from the vet, as she would become frantic during storms & when neighbors would shoot off fireworks.
Now, with the wonderful invention of the internet, we can find natural remedies like Bach's Rescue Remedy and similar products. I'd try the over-the-counter natural route, before the prescription, if I had a dog fearful of storms today.
One thing I know you should not do - is comfort, mother & 'baby' them. To a dog, this is comfirming their fears. To us, it seems to be comfort - but it's actually the opposite to a dog, it merely confirms that their fear is legit.
Couldn't find a page at Cesar's on storms specifically, but did find one on fireworks, which is similar:
http://www.cesarmillaninc.com/tips/quick_fireworks.php
Hope this helps!
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Permalink Reply by Sheila Stokes on -
Thanks Traci. I didn't realize that "comforting" the dog would actually be feeding his fears. I usually let him just follow me but I am guilty of comforting him. I will have to change that. Thanks for the link on how to get the dog used to the noise. What I did last night was put the TV on before I left to hopefully distract him a bit by having some other noise going on during the storm.
Traci said:None of the dogs I have now are afraid of storms, but my Shih Tzu Mandy, that we had years ago was terribly afraid of storms - and fireworks. We did ultimately have to give her something we got from the vet, as she would become frantic during storms & when neighbors would shoot off fireworks.
Now, with the wonderful invention of the internet, we can find natural remedies like Bach's Rescue Remedy and similar products. I'd try the over-the-counter natural route, before the prescription, if I had a dog fearful of storms today.
One thing I know you should not do - is comfort, mother & 'baby' them. To a dog, this is comfirming their fears. To us, it seems to be comfort - but it's actually the opposite to a dog, it merely confirms that their fear is legit.
Couldn't find a page at Cesar's on storms specifically, but did find one on fireworks, which is similar:
http://www.cesarmillaninc.com/tips/quick_fireworks.php
Hope this helps!
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Permalink Reply by Sheila Stokes on
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Dexter can tell when they are coming also. He will pace and cry a bit and sometimes will hide before it starts. If we are home he just stays very close or will hide under the desk that you are sitting at. The storm doesn't bother our little dogs. They just ignore it.
From Traci's link I see that Lavender would be a good soothing scent so I should get some lavender candles and burn those when a storm is coming and going on. That way I could see if it helps at all. It would be an interesting experiment.
You just feel so bad for the dog when they are going through it.
Josepha Waeltz said:My dog Tasha has always been afraid of thunderstorms. She can tell when they're coming before we even hear them. She mostly shakes and wants to be held the whole time. I have heard of some people who give their freightened dogs prozac for this. I have never looked into it.
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Permalink Reply by Sheila Stokes on
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Here is a picture of Dexter.
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Permalink Reply by Petra on -
We used to have a Chow Chow who was afraid of Thunder, so whenever there was a storm he would literally try to hide under anything he wouldn't fit under! He would whine, pace, spin circles and basically act like a big baby. A couple of times he even had "accidents" in the house because he was so scared! Usually, he preferred to lay right at my feet if I were sitting down, with my feet on him. I guess it gave him some security knowing I was right there. I didn't baby him, but I guess he felt comforted by being so close to me.
I don't think I'd drug my dog just because of a storm, unless I had to due to the health of the animal if they were too full of anxiety.
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Permalink Reply by Traci on
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We sedated our Mandy because she would claw at things to the point that she would be bleeding - usually she would only do this when storms or fireworks would occur and we were not home. I'd come home to find her a bloody mess & the house a wreck. Even crating her - she would claw the crate until she bled, so while it protected our belongings, did not protect her. So yep, we drugged her for her benefit. ;)
Petra said:I don't think I'd drug my dog just because of a storm, unless I had to due to the health of the animal if they were too full of anxiety.
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Permalink Reply by Sheila Stokes on
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Thanks for all your stories about your pets that are afraid of storms. It's good to know that I'm not the only one with a big baby in the house. Funny thing is the last big storm we had took down 3 of our 35 foot pine trees in the front yard and Dexter didn't seem to upset by that storm. So I think it's just the thunder that scares him, but a regular storm is okay.
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Permalink Reply by Andi Winterfield on -
Our little rat/jack Phoebe is afraid of storms and fireworks. She usually hides in her kennel or under our bed. If it's really bad she'll hop up on the couch with us. I don't consider is babying or confirming her fears. She just needs some reassurance that everything is okay. I certainly wouldn't ignore my children if they were afraid of a thunderstorm. I haven't tried any natural remedies with Phoebe, but I would think you might have some luck with them. Lavender is great for relaxation, and the oil is safe for use around or on dogs. Take care!
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Permalink Reply by TheHappyDogSpot on -
Have you tried Rescue Remedy? It's made by the well-known company Bach. It is used "for an immediate calming effect in any stressful situation, or when your pet needs help overcoming a variety of emotional or behavioral problems." You can check it out at http://www.rescueremedy.com/pets/.
I hope this helps!
Diana
The Happy Dog Spot
providing information, advice and tips -- from dog care to dog adoption, dog illnesses, dog first aid, canine vaccines, traveling with a dog and more -- to help dog lovers choose and raise healthy, happy canine companions.
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Permalink Reply by Beth on -
Hi Shelia, I just joined this group & I know this is an older posting but I wanted to give you a little insight if you still need help for your pooch. Someone commented that their dog can tell the storms are coming & this is true for many animals. There's an actual change in the electrical currents in the air that the dogs feel that we can't (our dog who isn't afraid of T-storms, once jumped up from a sound sleep & ran into my room; 30 seconds later a tornado siren went off so I'm pretty certain that he was coming to warn me). Anyway another lady commented on not soothing the dog & this is also very helpful to know. If you were able to look up any of Cesar's info, he teaches that in order to help the dog get past the fear, you have to simply ignore the behavior. Coddling & soothing only enforce the dog to feel his behavior is "correct" & he will continue. It may be best to let the dog lie in his crate (covered by a blanket or towel on 3 sides), under a table or in a corner which will help create more security. Dogs are den animals so they actually prefer enclosures when they are stressed. I haven't used the Rescue Remedy but have heard some people have had some success w/it. Another idea I've seen is a collar called Calming Collar (calmingcollars.com - I've order the cooling collars from here & LOVE it). There are some herbs in the collar that suposedly help to calm the dog w/out the use of meds. I've also seen something called the anxiety wrap that you use to help enclose your dog or give him the feeling of security. Have you tried any of the other recommendations since your posting? I'm just curious if anything worked. It's a tough anxiety to break but w/some time & effort it can at least be lessened a little. Best of luck! :)
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Permalink Reply by Sheila Stokes on
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He likes to hide in the bathroom or under my desk when the storm is coming. We had bad storms yesterday but he did much better.
Thanks for the suggestions about the collar.
Beth said:Hi Shelia, I just joined this group & I know this is an older posting but I wanted to give you a little insight if you still need help for your pooch. Someone commented that their dog can tell the storms are coming & this is true for many animals. There's an actual change in the electrical currents in the air that the dogs feel that we can't (our dog who isn't afraid of T-storms, once jumped up from a sound sleep & ran into my room; 30 seconds later a tornado siren went off so I'm pretty certain that he was coming to warn me). Anyway another lady commented on not soothing the dog & this is also very helpful to know. If you were able to look up any of Cesar's info, he teaches that in order to help the dog get past the fear, you have to simply ignore the behavior. Coddling & soothing only enforce the dog to feel his behavior is "correct" & he will continue. It may be best to let the dog lie in his crate (covered by a blanket or towel on 3 sides), under a table or in a corner which will help create more security. Dogs are den animals so they actually prefer enclosures when they are stressed. I haven't used the Rescue Remedy but have heard some people have had some success w/it. Another idea I've seen is a collar called Calming Collar (calmingcollars.com - I've order the cooling collars from here & LOVE it). There are some herbs in the collar that suposedly help to calm the dog w/out the use of meds. I've also seen something called the anxiety wrap that you use to help enclose your dog or give him the feeling of security. Have you tried any of the other recommendations since your posting? I'm just curious if anything worked. It's a tough anxiety to break but w/some time & effort it can at least be lessened a little. Best of luck! :)
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