My dog is afaird of thunderstorms, to the point of pucking, he freaks out. How can I stop this?

Question

He wakes everyone in the house up in the middle of the night if it storms, jumps in the bathtub, and pucks. Hes a great dog untill it storms, Help. O we did get pills from the vet and it does not faze him?

Ok, have you ever watched Dog Whisper, if you console the dog during the storm it tells the dog that the bad reaction to the storm is the right thing to do so those answers dont help me at all

Answer 1

Dogs are kind of funny. They are more attuned to nature then we are. That is why a lot of dogs can "sense" storms coming. Your dog is probably most afraid of the loud noise from thunder and the flashes of light. My dog is terrified of fireworks--which isnt good because we live near a place that has regular fireworks shows. I find its best to sit with him or play with him when he's scared because it comforts him and makes him feel secure to have people around. If you regularly comfort him when he is scared, he will eventually learn that he doesnt need to be afraid.

Answer 2

I used to have a dog with the same problem... he was a wonderful guy but storms freaked him.

The only remedy that made things better for him was a tranquilizer from the vet which contained Dimenhydrinate (which is the active ingredient in Gravol travel sickness medication). Felt bad drugging the poor guy up but it made his life a little easier during storms.

There are "natural" remedies available too, so shop around and find something for your pet... also, try to comfort him as much as you can and I found playing music helped too... good luck

Answer 3

Unfortunately, probably not much, some dogs just have that fear, and even the pills (which have to be given before the storm hits) don't help much. Sometime taking them for a ride in the car will calm them. Sometimes just holding them in your lap (which works best for small dogs) helps. Don't punish, they really can't help it. I had one that was afraid of storms and the noise the television makes when the channel goes off the air.

Answer 4

Hopefully he is still young but if not that may not matter. A bit extreme and no guarantee but you may want to try something similar to what hunters do with their dogs. Essentially the dog needs to be desensitized. When a hunter is training it's dog to not be wary of gunshots it he simply does so while the dog eats. The hunter will fire his guns while the dog eats because he is more concerned with eating than a loud noise. Getting a CD with thunder noises playing while your dog eats may very well start to desensitize him to the noise. You will have to try varying degrees of noise levels and experiment. It will take some dedication on your part. Perhaps you might also want to try having it on at other times as well to help desensitize him. Just be sure that it is not overly stressing him.
The reason it does scare him so is because it sounds like a dog growl, but magnified 1000 times, so therefore his fear maybe that a 50000 lb dog is growling at him.

Answer 5

First of all Cesar Milan is great for saving the lives of dogs with very severe behavioural problems who can not otherwise be rehabilitated. However, fear of thunder is NOT something any dog can control - they are affected by the changes in atmospheric pressure and not comforting them (if they even let you try) is nothing short of cruel!!

If tranquilizers given in the correct dosage did not help him, try letting him stay in the basement, in a small space he can feel a little more secure in. My dogs who are afraid of thunder have always felt a bit better downstairs and they like to be able to get into a corner or behind a chair or something like that. You could also try Bach's Flower Essences, Rescue Remedy, although I doubt that would help a dog who's not controlled by tranquilizers.

Answer 6

You need to desensitize him to the sounds of storms. Try playing one of those Cd's with the sounds of thunder. Start at a very low setting. As he gets used to it, play it a little louder & a little louder until it's all the way up & he acts like nothing is going on. Play the Cd even when no one is home. Play it when everyone is. He needs see that you aren't afraid of the thunder when you're there, so he doesn't need to be either.
Also, don't pet him & tell him it's alright. He sees that as reward for being afraid. Instead, keep him in the room with you, but don't pay attention to him until he is relaxed & calm. Then reward him with love & praise. Treats don't hurt either.

Answer 7

We started our dog with playing thuderstorm CD sounds quietly. We also found how people around him react affects his reaction.

First try watching your local weather more closely and adminstering the medication in advance of bad weather. I know it is hard but it will help since acclaimation takes longer.

We played the storm CD quietly increasing the sounds until its pretty loud. Playing a radio as suggested previously during a storm often can help distract an animal as well.

Good luck.

Answer 8

My dog has the same problem, he is afraid of thunderstorms...
i went to the vet he told that there isn't nothing to do, the best way is bring him to your room or stay with him try to calm him down, there are some pills as tranquilizers but is not the best way
try to show him that nothing will happened, little by little he will stars to lose the fear, as the humans being

Answer 9

Let him get to the noise, like play the radio most of the time. Hopefully this will work after a while. Good Luck

Answer 10

Well you may not be able to. The sound of thunder is much louder to a dog than it is to a human and probably does not understand what it is. My sister's Pit Bull does the same thing for thunder and fire works.