How Many Of Us Thunder Scared Dogs

[Loraine]

I am so danged tired. We had a thunder and lightening show in the middle of the night, so I had Zedley behaving like a fool. He tried to get out of the solid glass window - I am sure one day he will break it . He dashes around the bedroom, shivering, panting and generally disturbing my beauty sleep (OK I'm past beauty, but I do need my sleep) .

At first I did not notice the weather as I can slepp through anything, and just thought he had a case of the 'runs' so let him out of the bedroom to go outside. Then I realised he was running in and out of his dog door, and that makes a bang. I had to get out of bed and drug the little pest. He spent the rest of the night (what was left of it) huddled into me, until the drug kicked in and he nodded off.

When day light broke I got out of bed and decied I would get right back in. Didn't raise again until 8.45, and I am still half dead

[Kavik]

Zoe is scared of thunder and fireworks. Luckily once she is allowed to get under something (coffee table or bed preferably) she calms down and is quiet. You just have to remember she is under there so you don't step on her or move the table

[pie]

No thank goodness, my two are oblivious and didn't even wake (although I did - I thought we were having an earth quake :rolleyes: it was loud)

Our old family dog was very storm phobic though, we got her as an adult, she used to hide in the darkest place she could find or if she managed to get out (only 2 or 3 times) she would take off up the street (very small town thankfully)

[Trisven13]

Yep, Mac my 11 year old JRT who has corneal dystrophy is getting worse. The last storm we had I put him in his crate (he normally has run of the house), covered it with about 20 blankets and that seemed to work. He is no better if he is in bed with us - he pants and paces and shakes and drives me completely insane. He also barks intermittently - one bark every 2-3 minutes, guaranteed to jerk you out of sleep just as you're drifting off again....

I think his vision loss makes it harder for him sadly and he is aging he is losing more vision. I'm a little concerned how he is going to cope with the potential move to our new place as he navigates his way around the yard by memory - add a storm to a new environment :rolleyes:

[Scarlet]

One of my dogs madly runs around and barks well before the arrival of a storm and this continues until it has passed.

However if I put him on lead and tie him to furniture (usually under a coffee table or under my bed depending on which room I'm in) he is heaps better. He seems relieved that he cannot run.

I do worry when no one is home and we have a storm.

[mantis]

Kenny who is nearly 12 is a shocker. He also pants, shakes & whines like a little bitch. :rolleyes:

He tries to put his head under my armpit, as if he is trying to muffle the noise. One time when I lived in Perth, we had a storm while I was at work & the fence blew down between the neighbours, he was home, so Kenny went next door & scratched & whined for him to let him inside, he needed a human to stop the bad noise. Luckily the neighbour knew Kenny, so just took him to my house & shot him inside.

[Sheridan]

Grumpy is now scared of thunderstorms, though it's really heavy rain he freaks out at. He associates the noise with the rain. I make sure he's crated at night if there's a thunderstorm; he tends to sleep through and if he doesn't, he won't come to any harm. Otherwise he tries to sit on my head.

[2SBT's]

my friend had a 70kg great dane come bounding in and jumped on her chest, knocking the wind out of her :rolleyes: would have been funny to see

[kiesha09]

My two just bark AND bark AND bark!!! I wish there was some way of shutting them up! It would be a godsend if they would just get into bed with me and be silent.

[cannibalgoldfish]

What does it mean when a dog that previously couldn't care less about storms has now suddenly become terrified of them and goes into a mad panic? :rolleyes:

[corvus]

I don't find it very funny when dogs are that stressed out. I had a thunder and firework phobic dog and I stayed home every NYE so I could look after her. I always tried to be understanding of her and not brush her fear off. It's the least I could do considering I have a feeling I was the one that taught her to be afraid. I tried a lot of things to desensitise or counter-condition and nothing worked. If staying up with her all night helped her I would have gladly done it. I have for other things, including a sudden mite infestation that resulted in me getting massive mite welts.

[mantis]

I don't find it very funny when dogs are that stressed out. I had a thunder and firework phobic dog and I stayed home every NYE so I could look after her. I always tried to be understanding of her and not brush her fear off. It's the least I could do considering I have a feeling I was the one that taught her to be afraid. I tried a lot of things to desensitise or counter-condition and nothing worked. If staying up with her all night helped her I would have gladly done it. I have for other things, including a sudden mite infestation that resulted in me getting massive mite welts.

If you mollycoddle them, that is just re-inforcing their fear, I think you are better off not giving into them, I make Kenny go & lie on the couch/his bed/my bed & stay there. Cuddling him & letting him stick his head under my armpit didn't stop him whining & panting, but eventually when he is lying down he goes to sleep, because he knows he's not allowed to get off said piece of furniture

[Loraine]

I am so glad I am not alone. :rolleyes:

I cannot let Zedley have the run of the house during a night storm, as he dashes in and out, scratches at closed doors, digs the carpet up. This is now why the vet has given me drugs for the lad. I hate using them, but boy he can go very weird without them.

[Pawprints]

I agree with Mantis, you shouldn't mollycoddle them as you are teaching them that it is OK to behave like that. Its very hard though.

My rottie was great in a storm. When he was a pup we took him outside one day when a storm with no rain was occuring. I swept the path and behaved normal and threw his ball for him etc. He was great with storms. Same with fireworks. We dragged him out into the backyard one NYE when idiots were letting off down the road. We played ball and gave him a schmako when he showed no fear. Nothing phases him.

My mums staffy however can hear a storm before we do and starts panting. In the storm, she shakes like you've never seen, you can't talk to her or get her to come to you. She goes on the bed, under the bed, under the coffee table, beside your chair. She pants and drools. Its horrible to watch but there is nothing you can do for her. She is the same with fireworks. Mum and dad now lightly sedate her on NYE.

My two beagles were fine until we had a storm once when mum and dad were visiting with their staffy. My two picked up on her extreme fear and now they carry on like pork chops too. Although I can snap them out of it. If Mitch starts to run around gettig under beds, I grab a toy and talk to him normally, and he forgets there is a storm. Fireworks still scare the crap out of them though.

Edited May 13, 2010 by Pawprints

[dee lee]

Honey will start whining, barking and generally behaving like a bouncy loon long before I can hear the thunder.

She will try to be a lap dog and is over the top excitable.

I tried the playing games/training tactic but it just made her excitement level more intense so I stopped that. Instead I opted for the tough love approach, not soothing her or paying any extra attention. Neither do I let her get away with bad behaviour (ie the lap jumping!!).

It seems to have worked- I have found though that in the 6 months we have had her, her anxiety has toned down quite a bit. :rolleyes:.

Mind you we haven't had a storm for a while.

[W Sibs]

Charlie is oblivious thunder, fireworks etc. Nothing phases him.

Whereas Emmy is still learning. Any loud noise, she use to run into the bathroom and hide or behind the couch but she is getting braver now. She either goes hide behind her big brother (Charlie) or cuddles really really close to him. He just ignores her and continue to do what he was doing.

[mish13]

My 7 year old male Standard poodle, Oscar is petrified of thunder storms and is getting worse as he gets older. He starts shaking and panting long before we know the storm is coming. I have drugged him a couple of times but don't really like doing that to him. He has always had problems with his ears so I thought that may be part of the reason why.

He likes to be in my walk in wardrobe hiding under all the cloths.

I have been told to buy a DVD that plays storm sounds and play it so he gets used to the sounds, I haven't tried this yet but will when I can find the DVD.

My friends give me a hard time because I wont cuddle him, I keep telling them that will make him worse. Glad to see others think the same.

[SparkyTansy]

My setters couldn't give a rats... nothing phases those two...

Ari learned from them... she didn't care at all about storms... that is until earlier this year when we had quite a loud and sudden clap of thunder right over us. We were outside at the time and well... it was close. I actually don't blame her to be honest it scared the crap out of me too. Thing is, she was panting and upset all afternoon, we didn't pay much attention to her, and the other dogs were fine... but ever since then she shakes and carries on during a storm. I still try to ignore her, but it's hard when all she does is try to hide under you and shake and carry on.

[nickyp]

Our dogs are afraid of thunder and fireworks. Em is particularly bad. We had her on Clomicalm for a while and used that CD to work on desensitising her to the noises. We also crated trained both dogs at the same time. They are both still scared of the noises but are fine as long as I bring them in and crate them ASAP. On NYE we stay home and have the dogs in their crates as soon as it gets dark.

[peigirl]

Yawn..... another Perth person who didn't get much sleep this morning after thunderstorms started rolling through at 4am. My boy dog hates storms, gets very stressed, pants alot and turns into a lap dog - just can't get close enough to me. Normally he sleeps in the back of the house or outside but during storms I am woken by him clambering on me, poor love. His little sister on the other hand couldn't care less.