Dogs and Thunderstorms
by PR Mace on Aug 13, 2009 with 22 Comments
Reasons why and ways to help dogs with thunderstorm phobia.
Image via Wikipedia
Over the course of my life I have loved and lived with many wonderful dogs. Currently, my husband and I share our life with two, Kole, a black lab hybrid and Katie our sweet yellow mutt.
Our dogs are wonderful except for one problem. Since we survived Hurricane Ivan on September 16, 2004, Katie has been terrified of thunderstorms.
As soon as she hears the far off sound of thunder, she begins to pace and pant. She will hide in the bathroom if she can or crawl under my feet. She is a pitiful sight as you can tell she does not understand what is going on or what to do. As long as she can be near someone or in a bathroom she is okay and we are lucky she does not tear up the house if we are not home. But this situation has caused me to wonder why dogs are afraid of thunderstorms and what can be done to help them.
WHAT CAUSES FEAR OF THUNDERSTORMS?
Sadly, it is unknown why some dogs develop a fear of loud noises, most commonly thunder. Once the fear has been learned it can lead to a phobia.
A phobia is defined as: A persistent, excessive, and / or irrational fear response. As in the case of a thunderstorm phobia, some pets may also become fearful of events related to storms. Some of the events are: changes in barometric pressure, lightning, electrostatic disturbances or even the smells associated with an oncoming storm. This can also lead to a noise phobia which can include fear of firecrackers, gunshots and in some cases even the sounds of birds.
While some noise phobias may be traced back to a particularly bad event or experience in a dog’s life, many such triggering causes can not be ascertained. In some cases it is thought the fear may be learned from another fearful dog or an owner who is nervous during storms.
SIGNS OF A NOISE PHOBIA
Different dogs may display a wide range of signs of noise phobia. These are the most common signs:
1. Hiding
2. Urinating or defecating
3. Chewing
4. Panting and pacing.
5. Trying to escape the noise by digging, jumping through windows or doors and running
away.
6. Drooling
7. Seeking comfort from their owner
8. Expressing anal glands
9. Not eating or drinking
10. Not obeying commands
11. Shaking or trembling
12. Dilated pupils
13. Vocalizing with loud barking or howls.
Outside dogs have been known to run; breaking chains and fences while trying to flee the noise. Many of these dogs are hit by cars or taken to local animal shelters. Shelters are usually full after a storm or following a fireworks display.
WAYS TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM
1. Talk with your veterinarian about a referral for a behaviorist.
2. Desensitize your dog to loud noises. Make loud noises fun. Make a recording of a thunderstorm or any other noise your dog fears. Play the recording while doing something your dog enjoys. Start by playing it softly and slowly increase the volume until your dog is accustom to the noise. Remember, loud noises equal fun.
3. Put your dog in a safe place during a thunderstorm. An interior bathroom without windows makes a safe haven. Run the bathroom exhaust fan or play soft music to help drown out the noise of the storm.
4. Play any type of white noise to mask the fearful sounds.
5. Place a tight fitting T-shirt on your dog. Many people swear by this method. There is even a web site: thundershirts.com
6. Never pet or hug your dog while they are afraid. This will reinforce their fear. Stay close by for comfort but ignore the dogs fear.
7. If none of the above methods work ask your veterinarian for sedatives. These need to be given thirty minutes before the full sounds of the storms occur or before a fireworks show
8. If you don’t want to go the medication route, try herbal remedies. There are many types on the market with a combination of flower essences or pheromones meant to calm a stressed dog. These are plugged into an outlet like an air freshener, people and other animal can not detect the scent, only dogs.
9. For senior dogs that have developed a noise phobia secondary to cognitive dysfunction, try a diet rich in antioxidants as they help with memory disorders. Ask your veterinarian for brands.
Noise and /or thunderstorm phobia is a very real problem. It can be heartbreaking for the owner who feels they are unable to help their pet. But with a little knowledge and understanding you and your dog can battle the problem together.
While Katie is still afraid of thunderstorms she is much better. We allow her to sit in the hall bathroom while we calmly ignore the sounds. After a while she will come out and sit beside my chair or rest under my feet. If a storm occurs at night, I allow her to sleep next to me. She no longer trembles or whines and her fear is short lived.
The key to understanding thunderstorm phobia is patience, understanding, love and having the right tools to help your dog. Together with these you can learn to manage your dogs fear or maybe even in time help them to overcome it. But please never give up on your frightened dog; remember they would never give up on you.
Katie: Hiding in the hall bathroom during a thunderstorm. Photo by PR Mace
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Published in: Pets
PR Mace | Aug 13, 2009 | Reply
This was written with love for my dogs and for everyone who shares their lives with these wonderful creatures.
Have a great day, Pam
CHAN LEE PENG | Aug 13, 2009 | Reply
Dogs are our good friends and it’s our responsibility to protect them. You’ve shown your good heart and benovelence to protect the animals against the danger. Well done, my friend, have my liked it.
B Nelson | Aug 13, 2009 | Reply
poor doggies, especially after going through the Hurricane.. have you ever written about what it was like?
anyhow glad you mentioned NOT to give dogs extra attention when they are scared I think this is the one mistake most people make.
papaleng | Aug 13, 2009 | Reply
a very interesting article Pam, and I have learned lots from it. guess i can apply some to my dogs who are afraid to hear firecrackers during New Years Eve celebration.
Christine Ramsay | Aug 13, 2009 | Reply
A very useful article for animal lovers everywhere. It is so important we are aware of the fears they have at times and have ways to help them. Good work.
Christine
Bailey Thompson | Aug 13, 2009 | Reply
Very helpful article and well written. It’s interesting, especially reading your point that some dogs are afraid due to fear of their owner. I was recently babysitting a friends dog who told me that if there was a thunderstorm, the dog should be kept by me because he was extremely afraid. During his stay, there was actually TWO thunderstorms and the dog showed absolutely no sign of fear what so ever. I, personally, love thunderstorms, so I have a feeling the dogs fear at his home is due to his owner.
Similarily, the dog has been known for odd behaviour at home, but while he was at my house he was extremely peaceful and happy – again, I believe it is because his owner has a high level of anxiety. Dogs are pretty interesting. I also agree with your point to not give attention to dogs during a thunderstorm – I think this probably fuels the fire… and causes more fear because the owner is comforting them. Sorry for my long comment! This was a great article!
Ruby Hawk | Aug 13, 2009 | Reply
I have seen dogs who were afraid of thunder but we once had a dog who liked to stand with his feet up on the window sill during storms to watch the lightning.
R.B. Parsley | Aug 14, 2009 | Reply
Pam,
This is a very good article. Looks like you did quite a lot of research on this. Our youngest dog, Binx, is also afraid of thunder storms. If he hears a loud clap of thunder, he will run to the front door barking. When I open the door he will look out the screen door for a few minutes, then he’s okay. He’ll follow me back into the T.V. room, and wait for me sit down on the love seat with Mary, then he’ll once again resume his place on my lap or Mary’s. But we do nothing to calm him, but you can tell he is still a little frightened. But after a while he’s just fine. Excellent Article Pam.
Randy
raman13 | Aug 14, 2009 | Reply
Amazing article. I like your work
I hope you will continue to write amazing articles.
Thanks
Best Regards
Melody Arcamo Lagrimas | Aug 14, 2009 | Reply
Very interesting with lots of wonderful tips.
giftarist | Aug 14, 2009 | Reply
Very interesting topic! Great tips
nobert soloria bermosa | Aug 15, 2009 | Reply
very helpful tips,thanks a lot my friend
Moses Ingram | Aug 15, 2009 | Reply
This is a great article as well as very informative. I enjoyed it. I didn’t realize that dogs were so scared of thunderstorms.
ken bultman | Aug 17, 2009 | Reply
Wonderful post. I’m fortunate to have two dogs who show concern but not fear. They treat the first clap of thunder as they would a knock on the door. My cats–that’s a different story.
Barbara Amaya | Aug 18, 2009 | Reply
Thank you for your wonderful article. My dog Scooby hates thunderstorms, and now any kind of loud noise, I didnt know what to do to help him and I would pet him and comfort him, thanks for other ideas, Barbara
Kate Smedley | Aug 19, 2009 | Reply
My brother’s dog used to just the same, it was really upsetting to see him upset … excellent article Pam with some great tips.
Karen Gross | Aug 19, 2009 | Reply
Thanks for researching and sharing this message. I would have instinctively tried to hold and comfort the dog if this happened.
Daisy Peasblossom | Aug 23, 2009 | Reply
My mother’s chihuahua/beagle mix was terrified of thunder because before she was rescued, some boys put her under a bucket with fire crackers. She would climb into the a chair behind my mother and tremble as only little chihuahua’s can tremble. My Matilda doesn’t like storms, but her reaction is to go hide in her cupboard. My experience is that the calmer you are, the more calm the animals will be. They pick up very quickly on your stress.
Bo Jack Russo | Aug 28, 2009 | Reply
I haven’t had a dog in a long long time,I hadn’t really thought about it. My cats don’t like it either but they love the rain.
Alice Johnson | Sep 8, 2009 | Reply
I have a dog with severe thunder phobia. Maggie was 6 months old when Hurricane Katrina struck & she was with a family in a hard hit area.She runs toward the sound & is not responsive to anything because she is so focused on “getting” the noise. We have tried 7 different medications for anxiety with no luck. I have tried the t-shirt method, calm radio station & crating her. The only thing that we can do is crate her alone with the radio on til the storm passes.This doesn’t stop her barking & anxiety but it does contain her safely. I have talked with several animal behaviorists with no luck.
For anyone with a dog that is just fearful & hiding you might try melatonin. It didn’t work for Maggie but several of my friends & neighbors used it with great response. it just sort of relaxes the dog but doesn’t dope them up. Melatonin helps regulate the sleep pattern & does to the brain what nature would in preparing animals to hibernate. It’s cheap enough in the vitamin section of most places.
razumtina | Oct 23, 2009 | Reply
Interesting article!!! Thanks for sharing!!!
Rory ORourke | Nov 7, 2009 | Reply
I enjoyed reading your article. My dog exhibits many of the signs of thunderstorm phobia. We always suspected that because she was outside all the time with her former owners, that she was outside during nasty thunderstorms.
After reading your article I understand now that it may just be a phobia, with no prior experience with storms.
Katie looks like my dog a little, as well! Thanks for the information.