Afraid Of Thunder - Help Please

[blackborder]

hi.

My 3 year old border collie is very very very frightened of thunder, and fire works noise. When she hears it she runs fantically around the yard and house, nothing seems to calm her. When it happens and we are at work, she gets out and runs away, as she is so so so scared.

Has anyone else delt with this before?? I am really interesed in hearing what you all recommend

cheers amy

[luvsdogs]

Hi Amy.

We have the same problem with my son's dog Sooty. She starts whining at the back door ages b4 we even know there's going to be a storm. I think it all started when we 1st got her as a tiny puppy when there were storms quite often. They take their queues from us.

We haven't done anything to help her except to try & be home if we know storms are forcast. Once inside she wants to be with someone but will pace around the house or hide under the furniture.

There is a plug in pheramone infuser that emits a calming odour that is said to calm dogs. I once gave Sooty some rescue remedy but it had very little effect.

There's also cd's that have thunder or fireworks on them. You start out with it at a very low volume & gradually over a period of weeks increase the volume to its fullest level. I'm not sure if this works because it's said that dogs sence the atmospheric pressure or something that storms emit that we can't see or feel & that's why they know in advance that they are coming.

Another thing to try is to stay very calm yourself & don't comfort her during a storm. This will only make the situation worse.

[Erny]

Try stimulating her with play (tug; ball chase; etc) - just something she absolutely loves to do. Work on building up her drive to these things before the next storm. Teach word association with the beginning of drive play. Eg. Use words such as "Ready!!" or "Work!!" or whatever. If you're lucky, the next storm won't be a big or a long one - that would be ideal, as much as I realise you can't just 'dial up a storm' to suit. But the moment you hear thunder, or the split second moment she shows a flicker of uncertainty to a storm on its way (as dogs pick up on these things far earlier than we do), call your 'ready to work' cue words and launch straight into tug and/or chase ball etc. You must act as though you are completely oblivious to the thunder itself and the key to this is to keep her busy/active the whole way through. This helps to keep her mind on other things rather than just sitting and thinking about what scares her, with anxiety building up all the while.

Not every dog can do this - much depends on how intense their internal fear emotions are. And expect it to be hard work (you'll get puffed out) - but know that you need to keep it going as best as you can. You've got to work harder than the dog to keep the momentum going because don't forget that you are working against the sound and smell of the storm.

During the New Year fireworks I worked my boy in drive throughout. When his interest in the tug wained because of the fireworks noise, without skipping a beat I grabbed the nearest ball and began throwing it. We engaged in a bit of that for half a minute or so and then I was able to re-focus him to the tug. All this activity went for 3/4 hour, peaking and troughing, but still continuous. I was all but done in but kept it going (praying for the fireworks to cease). Similar has helped me make storms a "good thing" for my boy, who initially tucked his tail in parallel with his stomach and shot inside. It also meant that we both got very wet.

Also remember that it is the work you put into building her drive BETWEEN storms that really counts.

Edited May 5, 2009 by Erny

[Tonymc]

Exactly as Erny said!!!!Well explained Erny.

Too many make the problen worse by mollycoddling dogs when experiencing fear. Tony

[tlc]

When my lot were pups all but one, I took them to fireworks displays and while the fireworks were going off, I fed treats and acted completely normal and none of them are afraid of thunder or fireworks, they all sleep through. the one that has a tiny issue is the only one that I didint desensitise (sp) as a pup. Definalty good advice from Erny and also ignoring and going about your daily/nightly chores as if nothing is going on is the best thing you can do!!

Good luck!!

[Tonymc]

Exactly TLC. Tony

[Erny]

When my lot were pups all but one, I took them to fireworks displays and while the fireworks were going off, I fed treats and acted completely normal ...

That's great that you went out and did something about socialising your pups to the noise of things such as fireworks and I'm really pleased you achieved good results. But just a word of caution to anyone who is thinking they'll pop on out with their young pooch to the next fireworks display, it is best if you can do this from quite some distance. Even to the point of noise before the sight. Not all dogs are the same and some will be more reactive to these stimuli than others. If you over-face your pup or dog to it you do run the risk of sensitising rather than habituation or desensitisation.

In my case, I had little choice as the fire works display was very close to the point of the fireworks being almost directly above us. Which is all the more reason why I was desperate to work hard all the way through. But if you go looking for it, then be happy with sounds in the distance and over time, as your dog continues to be relaxed about it, venture closer to incrementally increase the intensity.

Also, to readers, be careful about your timing of delivery of food treats to ensure that you are not inadvertently rewarding fear behaviour in your endeavours to make the experience a positive one.

Exactly as Erny said!!!!Well explained Erny.

Thanks Tony .

Edited May 5, 2009 by Erny

[SkySoaringMagpie]

That's great that you went out and did something about socialising your pups to the noise of things such as fireworks and I'm really pleased you achieved good results. But just a word of caution to anyone who is thinking they'll pop on out with their young pooch to the next fireworks display, it is best if you can do this from quite some distance. Even to the point of noise before the sight. Not all dogs are the same and some will be more reactive to these stimuli than others. If you over-face your pup or dog to it you do run the risk of sensitising rather than habituation or desensitisation.

I think a lot of this is context specific too. The breeder of my Salukis lives near an airforce base. None of my dogs has problems with fireworks and only one is mildly bothered by thunderstorms (bothered, insofar as he actively seeks our company and doesn't want to be separated from me - he doesn't race about or cry or salivate or any of the usual signs). I am pretty sure the airforce base noise at an early age has had some positive impact on their confidence with loud noises from the sky.

At the breeder's house the dogs' experience of jets screaming overhead is something they experience at home tho', not something they are taken out to experience - I wonder if that makes a difference. Also, all the older dogs and the humans demonstrate no concern at all at low flying fighter jets. I'm pretty sure the young pups take their cue from the older dogs.

[Erny]

Yes Anita - and the fact that it would be a regular occurrence. Unlike for people who live outside that area where such loud noises would be few and far between.