We are having a thunderstorm. My yellow lab is terrified she normaly hates them but this one is shaking our house, its pouring rain, and theres lightning. Right now shes under the computer desk by my legs. How can I cheer her up?
2007-10-13 09:21:50 · 16 answers · asked by Joey Crawford is love 6 in Pets ➔ Dogs
Lol. It was so cute. Shes usually all tough and attacks pepole/dogs that pose a threat.(ive met many) She knows sickhim and I just told her that and pointed outiside she stood up growled then whined, sat down and looked up at me. haha whimp. : )
2007-10-13 09:35:08 · update #1
whats wierd is shes a bird dog and loves the sound of a gun(she gets to retrieve) but she hates fireworks/thunder. Ooooh. Should I teach her something positive comes after just like a gunshot?
2007-10-13 09:37:32 · update #2
Your dog found the safest spot to weather out the thunderstorm. The last dog I had was terrified of thunder too. We tried to get her used to loud noises by making loud noises every once in a while but all that did was make her scared. If your dog has a place to go where he feels safe, that's all you can do.
Because dogs have exceptional hearing, they can hear the thunder before you do. What you need to do is have a safe place for her to go until it is over. She seems to feel the safest near you. As long as she knows where her safe place is, she will be fine. It's not easy on us dog owners to see our pets like this, but there isn't really much we can do.
Hope the storm is subsiding and your dog is doing better.
2007-10-13 09:34:23 · answer #1 · answered by dwtg5425 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You dog can sense the pressure change well before you know a storm is coming. If you know a storm is approaching, take a cup of milk and warm it in the microwave. Let the dog drink it. It causes a chemical reaction in the brain and helps calm the dog. I use it on my Border Collie. He was found by a rescue group under a bush in a storm. Also if your dog is crate trained, put her in the crate, cover it so she can't see the lightning flashes and play some music to mask the sound.
2007-10-13 15:52:02 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well you know how sensetive dogs hearing is so a thunderstorm is way louder to them that it is to humans. It can actually hurt their ears, that's why they freak like they do. Keep her by you, sooth her, and whilst the storm is on you cover her ears everytime there is a thunderclap to lessen the impact on her hearing. It's just one of those things that need dealing with whilst it is going on. Another thing you can do is put her under the bed with the lights on, because the darkness will just magnify the terror. If the storm is right over your house that is when you are going to have the most reaction, so you just need to ride it out. She'll be OK.
2007-10-13 09:35:51 · answer #3 · answered by Margastar 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My yellow lab is the same, fireworks are the worst, don't comfort her this just reinforces her fear, leave her where she is this is her comfort zone, it's the best thing to do for her. My lab takes sedatives when bonfire night is approaching and when we think she is going to be bad and takes Selgian tablets every day which are supposed to make her forget her fear of noises, which are helping. You may be better talking to your vet and getting some advise to help her. Good luck.
2007-10-13 09:53:30 · answer #4 · answered by millypeed my choccie Lab 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My dog is literally scared of her own shadow! She shakes like a leaf when theres a thunderstorm or fireworks. She normally hides in the wardrobe upstairs and i go and sit with her, Talk to her softly and stroke her. I guess you could give your dog somewhere to hide like a big box or something? Good luck! xx
2007-10-13 09:33:26 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have a dog that is very afraid of the thunder also.. she would pace and bark until she was in a total frenzy Out vet gave us some tranquilizers and they help her so much .. They don't make her less afraid but it helps her not get so worked up and allows her to sit with us instead of us being trampled... that way we can comfort her
2007-10-13 16:49:01 · answer #6 · answered by outdoorgirl_72 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have the same with my dog and my vet said it is best to leave them to do as they want until the storm subsides. If you try to comfort them they start to think they are doing something you approve of and the condition can worsen. Not to say you get angry just don't react. She is near you for comfort and she will settle down as the storm subsides. Same goes for fireworks, gun shots, and other weather related episodes.
2007-10-13 09:35:04 · answer #7 · answered by Lizbiz 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Awwww! Poor thing! My golden retriever shakes like a leaf whenever there is thunder or lightnening too. What seems to calm her down is putting on some soothing music. If you put it on quite loud so it drowns out some of the storms noise then that might help. I hope that helps!
2007-10-13 09:27:45 · answer #8 · answered by gothic chika 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
No, when the dogs are terrified, there`s nothing else you can do but confort them, pet the and talk to them nicely. Don`t be surprised if she`s scared of the fireworks too.
2007-10-13 09:32:13 · answer #9 · answered by Tomomi 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Same thing you would do for a baby take your dogs mind off of the problem and sooth her. Feed her a treat and play catch if she likes to play catch. If not then lay down next to her and pet her.
2007-10-13 09:31:22 · answer #10 · answered by jjballin88 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋