Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I don't know about "training" a dog to loose fear of thunder, but they can be desensitized to a certain point. I think coddling just reinforces the fear; let's them know that they are right about it because you are also concerned. I think you get further if what you respond with is "don't be silly. Look, I'm your leader and I'm not afraid."
A lot of confidence helps the dog more than a lot of cooing.
Track greyhounds are well known to have a bad reaction to thunder when they are low thyroid. Maybe that's it, maybe it isnt, but thyroid test is relatively inexpensive and if needed, thyroid meds are cheap.
One of my Catahoulas is afraid of severe storms. I try to be home so he can bury his head in my armpit, while the other Catahoula and the cats sleep thru it all.
We are in severe storm watch mode as I write this but we are in the calm before the storm. This will be the first big thunder-boomer of the season so it will be interesting to see if this dog remembers to be afraid -- I hope not --
Hah. My deceased Catahoula used to get mad at the storm. The thunder would start and he would bark at it like he was gonna fight it. OMG, I loved that dog.
I don't know about "training" a dog to loose fear of thunder, but they can be desensitized to a certain point. I think coddling just reinforces the fear; let's them know that they are right about it because you are also concerned. I think you get further if what you respond with is "don't be silly. Look, I'm your leader and I'm not afraid."
A lot of confidence helps the dog more than a lot of cooing.
Track greyhounds are well known to have a bad reaction to thunder when they are low thyroid. Maybe that's it, maybe it isnt, but thyroid test is relatively inexpensive and if needed, thyroid meds are cheap.
We have to use a thundershirt and crate our pup. She's seven, and has been terrified by thunder and fireworks for her entire life. We also have puppy Xanax which we give her if there is to be a very large and prolonged storm. However, we have to give it to her about 20 or 30 minutes before the first clap of thunder or it is not effective. Good luck!
Track greyhounds are well known to have a bad reaction to thunder when they are low thyroid. Maybe that's it, maybe it isnt, but thyroid test is relatively inexpensive and if needed, thyroid meds are cheap.
If you have the thyroid levels checked make sure the vet has experience with greyhounds/sight hounds as their lab values are a bit different then normal dogs and often they are diagnosed as hypothyroidism when they are not because the vet does not know their values are a little different. Liver values can be a bit different on them too.
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
The summer thunder season is approaching here on the Gulf Cost of Fl; does anyone have any ideas or suggestions how to stop my greyhound losing her damn mind when the thunder starts? Hugs and kisses do not help nor does the Thundershirt! We rescued Nula from a dog track in Ireland. There was no way we were going to leave her behind, so we put her on the plane from England when we moved to Bradenton 8 years ago. Every time we have a thunderstorm she runs to the closet and shakes like a leaf. Nothing we have tried so far works, and I am feeling guilty!
Try conditioning. Get a CD with thunder noises and practice giving treats when you play it. Play it loud enough that it sounds real and leash her while doing it so she can't run away and hide. It also may not be the noise so much (you may find this when you play the CD) but that it is the static that thunderstorms produce. Try wiping down the dog with dryer sheets (not on any areas they can lick like feet) and see if that helps. You might also try a cage and place a blanket over the top and put her in it when you have thunderstorms. The closet is also ok so long as she is not tearing up anything. The thing is to make sure she can't escape your home and get hurt so making a safe spot is essential. Don't overreact either. I think cuddling and kisses may just reinforce the fear.
we had a golden that was the absolute worst in storms that I've ever heard of. On two separate occasions she tore through a second floor screen window, climbed out onto the roof, took a crap, jumped off the roof (about 9-10 ft) and tore through two (separate incidents) neighbors' screen doors in opposite directions, one about a quarter mile away and the other was more than a mile away, we are in a rural area. She had her collar on so they called us.
We eventually put her on doggy downers whenever there was a chance of storm activity while we were both working. If we were at home, she became somewhat manageable if I held her during the duration of the thunder.
We tried the thunder shirt and that helped a little but not much. This went on for years and years, she would sense the thunder coming long before we would be aware and would start fretting.
One day, I'm not even sure of why I tried this or even the circumstances, but I brought Sadie into the car with me during a particularly bad storm and it was like a light switch went off and she immediately became calm and laid down in the back seat and fell into a quiet slumber. The only thing I can think of was that she was picking up on some type of electrostatic charge in the air and somehow she was insulated from ground inside the car. Her hearing became progressively worse in her later years and as it did, her reactions to the thunder decreased proportionally.
we had a golden that was the absolute worst in storms that I've ever heard of. On two separate occasions she tore through a second floor screen window, climbed out onto the roof, took a crap, jumped off the roof (about 9-10 ft) and tore through two (separate incidents) neighbors screen doors in opposite directions, one about a quarter mile away and the other was more than a mile away, we are in a rural area. She had her collar on so they called us.
We eventually put her on doggy downers whenever there was a chance of storm activity while we were both working. If we were at home, she became somewhat manageable if I held her during the duration of the thunder.
We tried the thunder shirt and that helped a little but not much. This went on for years and years, she would sense the thunder coming long before we would be aware and would start fretting.
One day, I'm not even sure of why I tried this or even the circumstances, but I brought Sadie into the car with me during a particularly bad storm and it was like a light switch went off and she immediately became calm and laid down in the back seat and fell into a quiet slumber. The only thing I can think of was that she was picking up on some type of electrostatic charge in the air and somehow she was insulated from ground inside the car. Her hearing became progressively worse in her later years and as it did, her reactions to the thunder decreased proportionally.
I have heard some dogs will climb in bathtubs and for some reason that calms them too during a storm and the thoughts were that it did reduce the electrostatic charge.
One of our dogs (85 lb. lab) is also terrified of thunder, fireworks and gunshots. Unfortunately we have a neighbor who has a gun range. She was a rescue (owner surrender) who lived her entire first 5 years of her life either on a leash or in a crate. That leash was her safety net. I soon realized that putting a leash on her and letting her sit right next to me helped her calm down. Now anytime it is storming or the neighbors are shooting I put a leash on her and she lays down. I don't even have to hold it, she just feels safe. So I guess you would have to find your dogs "safe place" which might even be that closet that she runs to.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
She was a rescue (owner surrender) who lived her entire first 5 years of her life either on a leash or in a crate. That leash was her safety net. I soon realized that putting a leash on her and letting her sit right next to me helped her calm down. Now anytime it is storming or the neighbors are shooting I put a leash on her and she lays down. I don't even have to hold it, she just feels safe. So I guess you would have to find your dogs "safe place" which might even be that closet that she runs to.
