I saw on the news that we have some severe storms in the forecast here in the Nashville area. I thought an article about dogs that are afraid of storms might be good for this week’s article.
Picture yourself as a dog. Now think of a storm approaching and what it sounds like. There may be crashing thunder and jagged lightning bolts across the sky. What on earth does it sound and look like to a dog? No wonder so many dogs are scared by storms!
Dogs have no idea what causes storms. They are one of the scariest things in nature. It’s no surprise that lots of dogs may give a little cry or feel like hiding under the bed when a storm approaches. A big crash of thunder that shakes the house can make a lot of people feel like hiding, too! The real issue is what you can do to help your dog when storms come. Can you offer some real comfort? If your dog is trying to climb in your lap or hide under the bed, is there anything you can really do to help your dog feel better?
Is It Really the Storm?
It is important to make sure that your dog is scared of the storm before you start offering comfort. If your dog isn’t anxious about the storm, the last thing you want to do is start trying to comfort your dog when he’s not scared about the lightning or the thunder. If your dog is actually whining about his ball being under the sofa and you start trying to comfort him, then you’ll only be making things worse.
Try to find out what is upsetting your dog when he whines or whimpers. Make sure that the storm is actually in full force when your dog reacts. Your dog may try to climb in your lap or in your bed. He may ignore commands that he normally follows. You should be able to tell if your dog is reacting to the storm.
If your dog is having a reaction to the storm he will be following his feelings. He may bark or whine. He may bite at the furniture or chew on it. He could even forget his house training temporarily. He may shake uncontrollably.
How to Deal with Storm Phobias
Some people allow their dog to go on having a negative reaction to the storm each time a storm occurs. They may ignore the dog, figuring they can’t do anything for him. Other people may try to comfort the dog, believing that it will help.
Actually, neither of those methods is very useful.
In order to help your dog handle storms you will need to try to comfort your dog without encouraging your dog to be scared. If you comfort your dog too much it will encourage your dog to be scared. Your dog will believe there is actually something to be afraid of. Too much comfort creates a problem atmosphere.
When a storm is approaching you should talk to your dog in a calm, relaxed voice. But you don’t want to sound like a pushover. Don’t give your dog the impression that you will allow him to do what he wants or get away with destructive behaviors. Use a happy voice to reassure your dog and combine it with pleasant distractions such as playing games and giving treats.
Try to get your dog to focus on you instead of what’s happening with the weather. You will often achieve positive results this way. Do not leave a dog outside during a storm.
It often helps if your dog has a special place of his own where he feels safe and comfortable. However don’t put your dog in a crate if you think that it may hurt itself trying to escape. You can also reduce the noise of the storm by playing music or keeping the television on during the storm.
Your dog will still feel the storm going on outside. Their senses are much keener than ours. But if you provide some good distractions it can help keep your dog’s mind off the things that frighten him.
Extreme Cases of Fear
This advice does work for mild to moderate cases of storm phobia. A calm voice and a supportive family can work wonders for most dogs. But there are cases where some dogs have much more difficult storm phobias that are harder to control.
You might want to do a Google search for “thundershirts” or “thunderstorm CD for dogs”. These items can help a more severe case of storm phobia.
If your dog has a case of storm phobia that is so severe that he tries to hurt himself or he can’t be controlled, you should contact your veterinarian. There are some good medications that can be used to help dogs during thunderstorms. Some of the drugs are used as sedatives and some reduce anxiety.
More than anything else, keep in mind that the health and happiness of your dog are most important. If you remember those things, then you will be able to help your dog through any storm.
Do you have a trick that works for your dog during a storms? If so please tell us about it in the comment section below.
Until next time………….
About the Author: Wayne Booth is owner of Canine Behavior Specialists in Nashville, TN. Wayne has been teaching people how to become Professional Dog Trainers since 1990 and he is the Training Director of Canine Behavior Specialists Network, www.K9-University.com .
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One of my dogs had an issue with storms. He would run around with his tail down in the defense flight mode. I put him on leash so he couldn’t escape and started doing obedience and scent work with him. By redirecting his focus from the storm and on to another task he was able to reduce his panic a little at first and more with practice. I use a sound effects tape and flashing strobe light to simulate a storm . Now after a couple years of redirecting him you will see he doesn’t love storms but he isn’t the same panic struck dog.
Thanks for the excellent suggestions, Wayne. Those are the things I do now for my dogs before they ever learn to be afraid and they have no problem with storms now. Where I live the thunderstorms sound and feel like bombs and the wind whines through the windows.
My mother adopted a Border Collie 25 years ago who could not be cured of storm phobia (I’m sure you could have come up with a way). Everything was tried with that dog. Meg tore apart door frames and ripped up everything in sight including mattresses. If you tried to distract her by being happy and playful she got worse and aggressive because she couldn’t handle the excitement. If you tried to play ball she viciously attacked the other dogs.
We adopted Meg when she was a year and a half old. We were told that when she was a puppy she had been subjected to kids throwing firecrackers over the fence at her. Thinking of that poor puppy makes me want to cry. If anyone in our house got excited or clapped, Meg came running to break it up and she looked very distressed.
One time when my mother was out of town Meg was in her pen while I was at work and a thunderstorm broke out. I had to leave work and rush home but Meg had escaped out of a six foot high chain link pen by pulling the fencing off a pole-she weighed less than 40 lbs but her fear made her strong. I put out the BOLO for her but after a couple of days it seemed she was gone forever. Three days after her escape she was found in someone’s pool shed about a mile away. She had apparently been in the shed the whole three days and was hungry and still scared. The shed door was shut and the people had no idea how Meg managed to get in.
Meg was truly destructive and difficult-still the worst I’ve seen- but we kept her for her entire life and dealt with it as well as we could. She made life difficult for our household and the other dogs. She was a very sad case and it always breaks my heart to think of the misery that dog went through. I’m sure if I had known you then you would have been able to help. Meg’s story is a testament to how bad it can get.
Jim, thanks for the comment. It sounds like using the dogs training can help.
Shana, it sounds like Meg was lucky to have a family that loved her and was willing to live thru her fear.
We had sever storms in Nashville last night. I bet there were a bunch of scared dogs.
Wayne Booth
Dog Training Blogger
Thanks for the article, but I just can’t seem to figure out anything to help my dog, Beaker. It doesn’t even have to be storming, as soon as there is a change in the pressue system, she starts to become extremely destructive and harmful to our house and herself.
We have tried to crate her with a towel, she runs into the crate to the point where I think she will hurt herself. She tries to hide anywhere she can. I have come home to find a broken down gate, cupboards torn apart, glassware broken, bookselves knowcked over, even my bathroom vanity ransacked etc etc.
We give her sedatives and anti-anxiety meds, but while those eventually calm her down, later, she will try to get into our pantry, the fridge, or our cabinets, because it is almost like she is exceedingly hungry due to the drugs. If she cant get in, she will chew. She does not chew anything at any other time. Basically, we get destruction either way.
I have tried treating her, leashing her, ignoring her, commanding her, speaking positively, thundershirts, and thunder cds….everything under the sun.
I think it must have something to do with her chronic ear issues, because other than that I am stumped. I really want my dog to not have to go through this. It breaks my heart.
The first thing I do if a storm threatens is rub my Lab down (all over) with a dryer-sheet. This enables him to weather all but the loudest storms. If the storm gets worse I have to put him in his quilt covered crate with a number of his stuffed “babies”, window curtains closed, lamp on, white noise machine on. Dryer-sheet - no weird strong smells. After I told this to a friend, she rubbed down her dog before she went to work any day a storm was forecast.
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