What you can do if your Dog is afraid of storms
Help...My Dog Is Afraid of Storms
Does your pooch bury his head into your side every time it
thunders out?
Does he dive under the bed whenever rain starts to fall.
From your point of view, this may seem like cute and endearing behavior,
but it's a sign that your dog is terrified of storms. Some owners are willing
to simply put up with symptoms of storm phobias like hiding, trembling,
whining, drooling, and pacing. In more severe cases, however, panicking dogs
have been known to chew furniture, tear drapes, break windows, and more during
thunderstorms. In either case, the behavior is a sign of a terrified, unhappy
dog.
Causes
Storm phobias are one of the most common behavioral problems dog owners
face, but their cause is not entirely clear. Behaviorists are not yet sure
what part of the storm frightens dogs most, whether they're reacting to
lightning flashes, the sound of thunder, wind blowing around the house, or the
sound of rain on the roof.
Some dogs even start to pace and whine half an hour or more before a storm.
They may be reacting to a sudden drop in air pressure or the electrical charge
of the air.
Nature or Nurture?
An article in the July/August 2001 issue of the Journal of the American
Animal Hospital Association describes an Internet survey of the owners of
storm-phobic dogs. The authors discovered that some breeds may be predisposed
to a fear of storms.
Herding dogs, such as collies and German shepherds, and hounds, such as
beagles and basset hounds, seem to be more likely to develop a storm phobia
than other dogs. The phobia is also common in sporting and working breeds.
The study suggests that this tendency may be explained in terms of the
dogs' genetics. For example, herding dogs have been bred to react quickly to
stimuli, such as a calf wandering away from the herd, but not to be
aggressive. It could be that herding dogs have a strong reaction to the
startling noises and flashes of a storm, but they repress any aggressive
response to it, causing anxiety.
The JAAHA study also showed that rescued dogs--dogs adopted from shelters
or rescue organizations--may also be more likely to develop storm phobias. The
article suggested that these dogs are more likely to have had unpleasant,
scary experiences prior to being adopted. They may have been abused or
abandoned by a former owner, or they may not have been well socialized or
exposed to a wide variety of sights and sounds. These kinds of early-life
experiences can make dogs more anxious and prone to all kinds of phobias.
What To Do
Your best bet for helping your pup overcome his thunderstorm fears is to
talk to your veterinarian. He can help you develop a program to gradually
retrain your scaredy dog by gradually, gently helping him adjust to storms
through behavior modification.
Technically called "systematic desensitization," this involves
exposing the storm-phobic dog to some gentle reminders of a thunderstorm, such
as a very soft tape recording of thunder or a flashing light, and rewarding
the dog with lots of treats, attention, and other positive reinforcement only
if there's no evidence of anxiety.
Over time, the intensity of the stimulus is increased, and only calm
behavior rewarded. You should get profession guidance, either from a
veterinarian or a veterinary behavior specialist, before you begin this
process, however. If you introduce frightening stimuli too quickly or don't
see signs of fear your dog may be showing, you could possibly end up making
the phobia worse.
If gentle, patient retraining doesn't help your pooch, there are some
prescriptions that can. Your veterinarian can prescribe one of several
anti-anxiety or antidepressant medications to help your dog remain calm during
storms.
You can also make sure your dog has a warm, safe "den" to retreat
to when the weather gets to scary. You can try padding a crate with blankets
or clearing a space underneath your bed. Just make sure that it's somewhere
your pup can get out of whenever he wants. A panicked dog can do a lot of
damage to his crate and himself if he's confined.
Most important, though, is that your treat your dog gently and kindly when
he is afraid. Don't cuddle and reassure him, because that will reward his
scaredy-dog behavior, but definitely don't punish him for it either. Instead,
just be calm and provide him with a safe, familiar place where he can feel
secure and ride out the storm.

If your Dog Gets Stressed out from Thunder Storms
We Can Help!
Anxiety in dogs can include symptoms such as: pacing, tremors,
excessive biting at a particular area (especially the feet), excessive
barking, hiding, poor appetite, and even aggression toward
another animal or you.
Some dogs become anxious when left alone in the house, when
being boarded, just before and during thunderstorms, and July 4th,
when other dogs are around the house, when a new animal or
person is brought into the family, changes in routines, and car
rides (especially when going to the veterinarian or groomer).
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