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I feel like a panicking dog isn't going to learn anything, but maybe if it was done gradually you would see results. Basically, try exposure therapy or create a mask sound.
1. Determine if the recording, when played through your audio equipment, does alarm your dog but do this once only.
2. If so, expose your dog to a level of the recording that causes NO fear and repeat that daily for a few days
3. Then incrementally increase the volume of the noise daily while ensuring your dog remains calm and content.
4. Once successful, the same noise tracks can be used mask the noise of thunder
What a great idea.
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Maybe what we need are good noise-cancelling headphones for dogs. No, I am not trying to laugh at others' expense. I wonder if it might be a possible aid. Sure, it would do nothing about the air pressure or the static charge triggers.
Now I have a mutt who hides between the toilet and the wall during storms. It's not the sound of thunder; it's the feeling they get when barometric pressure drops. My dog alerts me to an oncoming storm at least an hour before it hits. She feels it. I always suspected it was the feeling rather than the noise. Now that she's old and completely deaf, she still shivers, quakes, and hides, so I'm positive is something they feel.
I've never tried a thunder shirt or anything with my girl. She's gonna hide and shake, so I let her. Once the pressure is back to normal, it's like nothing happened.
Maybe what we need are good noise-cancelling headphones for dogs. No, I am not trying to laugh at others' expense. I wonder if it might be a possible aid. Sure, it would do nothing about the air pressure or the static charge triggers.
They do make noise-cancelling headphones for dogs. The reviews are mixed on whether they work or not. I do not know anyone who has used them. In theory they should help if not to totally drown out the storm/fireworks, hopefully at least to deaden the noise a little. As with any new piece of equipment, they would need to be slowly and randomly introduced to the dog with an abundance of fun and positive reinforcement.
We have a dog with storm phobia and we manage it with doggie xanax, a thunder shirt, and a crate.
We give her the meds as directed by our vet. She wears her thunder shirt and then we do one of two things. If we are home and not busy, we will relax with her on the couch, keeping her physically close. If we are busy or won't be home, we put her crate in a quiet spot and play soothing music for her.
She never completely relaxes but this does seem to help calm her quite a bit. We tried several solutions before resorting to the drugs, but she was too miserable and nothing gave relief like the meds.
Thanks for the advice, everyone. It is thundering away here and she's in her closet with some light sedation from the vet on board. Not perfect, but better than she has been previously. I now have lots of suggestions now to try. Thanks so much everybody.
This has been something that concerns me with my new pup (14 weeks).
My last Great pyrenees was afraid of storms, and paced. He also hated fireworks.
A storm finally rolled through last evening. It was fast moving, and only about 4 claps of thunder.
It made the electric go down for about 1 minute. Thankfully, Wolfie was just fine, didn't
bat an eye at the thunder. LOL, but what did puzzle him was the electric going off. He was heading
for the kitchen when it happened. He turned around and looked at me quizzically, as to say
''Dad, what's going on? I don't hear the tiny hums made by machinery anymore.''
I'll have to wait for 4th of July to see how he reacts to the fireworks.
*In anticipation of these kinds of noise problems, I am doing my best to condition him to all kinds of
stimuli. He goes for car rides, hears horns honking, tires, traffic. He hears the ocassional kids that race
nearby on their ATV's, he hears my noisy neighbor yelling at her children and husband.
A few doors down are three boxers. He hears them too.
The only sound that he freaks out over? My computer speakers!
Last edited by TerraDown; 04-11-2018 at 02:06 PM..
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