Saturday night we slept in the tent, the Border Collies on their sheepskin rugs, and Tootsie in bed with us as usual. It was a lovely night, until it wasn’t. Somewhere around dark-thirty the wind came up, lightening lit up the sky and the thunder began to roll. When Tootsie first came to us years ago she was terrified of thunder, and expressed her fear by attempting to crawl into my mouth. At least, that’s what it felt like. She seemed driven to crawl around and on top of my face. Nowhere else would do, and no amount of tucking her into my shoulder, or beside my torso, or petting or soothing helped.
I pulled out the easiest noise phobia treatment in the toolbox, and began giving her a tasty treat every time it thundered. This doesn’t work for all dogs, but it works well for many and because it’s so easy, it’s always worth a try. Tootsie responded well; apparently her noise phobia was not so intense that it squelched her appetite, as it does in some cases. Toots did not become a dog who snored through loud thunderstorms, (as my thunder phobic BC, Pippy Tay eventually did) but she became calm enough that I discontinued the treats last summer. It helped that we discovered, mutually it seems, that she could completely relax if allowed to drape herself over the top of my head during storms. I’d push my pillows up as if I was going to read, lay Tootsie over top of my head like a lumpy, furry scarf, and we’d both sleep soundly unless the thunder was so loud it was impossible for anyone to ignore. Thus, with apologies to the memory of Oliver Sacks (The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat), I became, The Woman Who Mistook Her Dog for a Hat.
Things were different Saturday night in the tent. It’s one thing to be in a house with the drapes drawn in a storm, another altogether to be in a tent with the flaps open and the noise and lightening seemingly right on top of us. (We were also on the highest point of our land, and next time that happens I think we’d be wise to dash down the hill into the house.) All the dogs were nervous. Willie kept putting his front legs up on the bed to solicit comfort. Maggie withdrew into herself and curled up into a hedgehogian ball. Tootsie resurrected her need to begin archeological excavations into my mouth. But, lucky us, I had a bag of dog treats with me, and sure enough, within minutes Tootsie morphed into a tail-wagging, drooling, treat-crazed fool for food. Gradually I decreased the frequency of the treats, and she settled against me while we rode out the storm.
I’ve written before about how to handle noise/thunder phobia (Thunder Phobia in Dogs) but that was awhile ago, and I’m curious what your experience is now. Do you have a dog who is afraid of thunder? Or fireworks? If so, what method have you used to treat it? We have such a large range of options now, including classical counter conditioning (as I was using), wraps, western medicine, “adjunctive/alternative” medicine, TTouch™, pheromone therapy, acupuncture, sound ‘therapy,’ safe houses (as I wrote about in For the Love of a Dog), and… what else? Given the timely nature of this topic, at least here in the northern hemisphere, I’d love to hear about your experiences with this issue. If you want to read more about the threatment methods I listed, see Thunder Phobia in Dogs.
MEANWHILE, back on the farm: Forgive me my flower obsession, but it’s peak season for my garden flowers and they give me more pleasure than I can say. This area of the garden was hard won–Jim, farm helper Stephanie and I spent many hot, sweaty hours digging out box elder and raspberries and heaven knows what else to create this garden over the new retaining wall. This is year three, and the daylilies, cornflowers and daisies are truly coming into their own
The dogs got lots of cuddle time because Jim and I watched the British Open. (Amazing! Anyone else see the final day?) Maggie loved all the couch time, and has become a pro at sitting beside me to maximize her belly rubs.
I needed a photo of Toots for today’s post, sat her down on the couch and pulled out my little Sony. I thought I was holding a camera, while Tootsie apparently thought I was holding a blood-soaked zombie. Doggie ghost busters anyone?
Alice R. says
Thanks for my laugh of the day: the image of you with Tootsie draped over your head is priceless!
My guy is a poodle mix, and a big chicken until he gets used to things. He really didn’t think much of thunder or fireworks, but I rained exceptional treats for each boom and he did well last year. I had to start over with the summer season this year as he seemed to have forgotten it’s okay. Clearly, he didn’t though, because when the treats reappeared he quickly became comfortable enough to play and even walk during firework times. He can handle a storm inside, but the combination of thunder with extremely heavy rain is still problamatic if he needs to go out.
And there you have it for another book – the whale eye look of fear. Poor baby. Most of the pictures I take of Arlo have his expression as “why are you pointing that thing at me, I didn’t do anything wrong”. Mmm, treats and camera…
Lisa says
Einstein is my eight-year old rescue husky with thunder-phobia (he’s from Hong Kong originally and I wonder if the long flight from HK to Canada when he was 1 or 2 might have something to do with it?).
I discovered his fear of storms when my local dog trainer phoned me at work and said they had Einstein. When I got home I discovered he’d carved divots in my table, knocked over a lamp, ripped the screen out of my front window, knocked the window box askew, and been found running along a major road. Thankfully they drove by and recognized him – opened the van door and called his name, and he jumped right in. And it was only a mild spring rain – no thunder at all.
I’ve since discovered that he’s fine if a storm hits while we’re out walking in the park; but if he’s at home or in the garden he paces and pants and tries to escape. Closing him into smaller rooms/spaces just makes it worse – he digs until his paws are bloody and salivates until he dissolves my hardwood floor.
– Summer one: counter-conditioning and thundershirt. No luck.
– Summer two: clomicalm with alprazolam (Xanax) top up prior to storms. Mild improvement – but Xanax is fast acting/short term and I can’t give it to him when a storm rolls through while I’m at work.
– Summer three: fluoxetine (Prozac). BINGO! He finally relaxed enough to sleep through the storms.
– Fall three: uh-oh – trying to wean him off Prozac spiked his separation anxiety. Kept him on it to spare my furniture/floors from destruction.
– Summer four (now): upped the Prozac but it’s like summer two – not really effective any more. Tried supplemental Xanax (nope) then supplemental trazodone (nope).
Has anyone tried the new dexmedetomidine (Sileo)?
For now, Einstein’s still on the Prozac and he heads to the basement to pace it out during storms (and all windows and doors are securely locked before I leave the house!) But I am determined to wean him off this fall in the hopes he’ll disacclimate (is that a word?) and next summer will be better for both of us.
Thanks for the post, the tips and a forum to share our experiences/learn from one another.
Nancy says
I love your books and I love reading your posts! I can’t get enough of it!! Thank you for sharing your wisdom. I am working with my 3 year old toy poodle on thunder phobia, (she is also scared of fireworks). It is hard to get her to take the treats during storms, thunder shirts didn’t work either, but the natural supplement, Anxitane, helps a little. She likes to be under a blanket and behind me in a big comfy chair during storms. We are also working on socializing. She is cautious around adults at first and wants to hide under me.
On another note, your flowers are beautiful!
LisaW says
At the risk of getting banned from this blog, I have a recent fireworks confession. We rented a sweet cottage on a saltwater bay in Maine a few weeks ago. Now, I would not normally travel over the fourth of July week (we have a complicated 7/4 practice that involves all of us piling in the car each night at dusk for three nights and driving around with the a/c on until the fireworks are over), but as it worked out, we had the week off and our usual August week is full of visitors this year.
Not knowing what the fourth is like in Maine, we got ready to hunker down for the night before and the fourth. We made it through the town fireworks okay, but the back yard firecrackers were another matter. The high-pitched whistle as the firecracker shot up became our undoing. And every time you thought it was over because there were several minutes of silence, they’d start again. Phoebe was almost in panic mode. Food, massage, the bed, nothing worked. Olive actually was okay, but she was worried about Phoebe.
On the third night of random backyard crackers, I lost it. I am not a loud talker never mind a yeller, but vacation anonymity overcame my better self. Next thing I knew, I was yelling out the window, “That’s enough, it’s over, stop it, stop it, stop it.” I then realized I better add context in case someone got the wrong impression and shouted, “No more fireworks, it’s over, stop it.” Sound travels really well over water, and my echo was impressive!
My partner had gone to get food and so he missed my unfortunate incident. Phoebe’s response was to pace around panting, “Where’d he go, where’d he go, oh my, oh my.” Olive’s was to jump up on me and paw at me, “It’s ok, it’s ok, it’s ok.”
I don’t think I made their fireworks anxiety permanently worse, but I didn’t help the immediate situation at all. But, we got through that night, and the rest of the week was quite and wonderful. Olive and I swam every day, Phoebe and the man got lots of rest, and hopefully, we aren’t banned from an isle in Maine.
Andy says
Cecil is very sound-sensitive to everything perceived as being “outside”, so as with his big sister Duchess I desensitized him to indoors loud music and white noise early on to help mask whatever’s happening in the neighborhood. It’s not a perfect solution, but it’s worked well and spared me an awful lot of alarm barking at 3am.
During serious, protracted thunderstorms if Cecil needs to go to the bathroom I do everything I can to turn it into an exciting game, and I’m usually successful. I always provide a massive payout once we’re back indoors, both with food and praise. Which makes me wonder – do dogs ever think it’s *fun* to be a little scared? Kind of like how some humans enjoy scary movies and haunted houses? While I don’t advocate flooding, I sometimes wonder if maybe trying to match the intensity of a stimulus – even thunder – in a fun way can’t be a good strategy for some dogs. “Let’s run around like idiots together because it’s fun even when it’s scary!”
I’ve been doing more traditional counter-conditioning at a great rural shelter I visit sometimes that has some truly lovely dogs. Being in the rural U.S., some days there’s a lot of recreational shooting going on and some dogs need help coping with that. Rotisserie chicken usually does the trick. All that noise is probably good for the young puppies, though, along with all the clanging and barking they’re sleeping through.
Kat says
Thunder and fireworks aren’t big issues at my house. Finna has a you’re OK then I’m OK attitude about it. As long as I’m sitting quietly in my chair she’s fine. I shouldn’t get up and try to do anything though I should just sit quietly. Frustratingly for me July 4 that means sitting in one place from 5:00 p.m. until 3:00 a.m. On the upside all those computer tasks I put off (cleaning out the inbox for example) get done, not to mention all the reading I can do. Ranger doesn’t care about thunder but he’s not a fan of fireworks. He perceives them as something he needs to deal with not as something scary. It drives him crazy that he can’t see what’s making all the noise and calm the noise makers down. Some years when there have been huge backyard fireworks on our street we’ve actually taken him out on leash to watch until he decides it’s enough and he can go in. This year there wasn’t a big display on our street and we didn’t want to risk whatever madness there might be elsewhere in the neighborhood so we turned the volume up on things and had him walk on the treadmill whenever he got too amped up.
It’s funny, Ranger got startled when, early on in teaching him to use it, my, then young, son turned on the treadmill when Ranger was on it. Since then he’ll only walk on the treadmill standing with his back paws firmly on the ground perpendicular to the treadmill. In other words only with his front feet crossing one over the other. The concentration it takes to do that wears him out fairly quickly so I’ve never tried to retrain him to use it properly. Finna uses the treadmill for exercise and usually trots along with all four paws although if you ask she’ll do just front, just back, or Ranger’s crossed paws method. Treadmill time is one of her favorite activities.
Bruce says
Trisha, wow, your garden looks fantastic!
The Sammy is our most sound-sensitive dog, and she reacts most strongly to thunderstorms and fireworks. Snuggling with us on the couch seems to reduce her stress. Still, her reaction is mild to moderate – no crashing through screen doors.
Sammy did react strongly to firecrackers the other night. We heard one firecracker as we were leaving the dog park, and then a second firecracker when we stopped at a traffic light with the windows open. The Sammy leaped into my lap and would not budge, so I drove home with her in my lap (fortunately not far).
Several of our past dogs sought safe places, often hunkering down under the bed, in the basement, or under the stairs. Thunder Shirts worked well for two of our dogs, but Red Dog found the Thunder Shirt more stressful than the thunderstorm.
Once we were watching a friend’s 14-year old black lab. When a thunderstorm hit we could not find the dog. How could we lose an 80-pound dog in a small house? Finally we noticed a black nose peeking out from behind the shower curtains. The creaky old dog had somehow hauled its arthritic limbs into the bathtub to ride out the storm.
Dena Norton says
Our older Springer, Ford, climbs into my lap and plasters himself against me at the sound of thunder or fireworks. I decided to try one of my t-shirts as an approximation of a thunder shirt. I just slip it on him, then tie the hem snugly around his ribcage. It has worked so effectively that I never bothered to buy an actual thundershirt. If he starts seeming bothered, I ask if he wants to put on his shirt. I hold it out, and he comes to put his head in it, making it simple to put on him. It has worked so well that he has lain on the front porch with my husband, watching a rainstorm.
Bri says
I count myself lucky compared to other dog owners I know, but both my dogs have a solid fear of thunder and fireworks. (I keep wondering if the fireworks in my neighborhood will even end before next 4th of July).
Gerry, my dobe mix, normally very chill and independent becomes my shadow and stares at me with a desperate and accusing look of “Mom, turn off the loud noises. Mom turn off the loud noises! MOM! Turn off he loud noises!!” He seems to want to be petted constantly, but does not seem to get any relief from it, so I don’t bother to do so for long anymore. He also wants to go to the basement, but I have to come too, and even when we’re down there he doesn’t look any less miserable – at least not when the booms moderate to severe. Noticed recently that Gerry seems to recognize now that lightning is connected to thunder and will react just to lightning too, and so I pull the drapes closed to keep him from seeing it.
Onslow, my little terrier mix (who I haven’t had as long – almost a year), may or may not have decided to fear these noises only because Gerry does. Onslow is usually the easier one in that if I pet him a little and he can lay next to me or in my lap, he’ll relax and even sleep, but there were some exceptions. Not long ago he shook harder than it seemed possible for a 20 lbs dog to shake. I think that was during a fireworks show kind of nearby, rather than a thunderstorm, but we were having a lot of both around the same time. Onslow also prefers the basement, but also insists I join them down there, and can become a ping pong ball going up and down the stairs over and over if I resist. The sound of the dehumidifier also seems to help Onslow in covering up the booms, since he chose to lay next to it if he wasn’t laying on/next to me. Silver lining: Onslow used to be afraid of the stairs leading to the basement. Didn’t want to go down them or be carried down them either. Thunderstorms and fireworks taught him to go downstairs all on his own like a champion. Shame on me, but I’m glad now I didn’t bother to spend time a lot of time working on the stairs with him before this breakthrough.
Oh, and Onslow really made me smile one time during the madness. Occasionally, during a long stretch of fireworks, he let out a sort of abrupt growl after some of the louder ones. Which I took to mean, “@#$% off already!”, as that was what I was thinking at the time regarding my dear, patriotic neighbors. Attaboy!
I should probably give real counter-conditioning more of a go (boom-treat, boom-treat). Lately, I’ve been trying treats that will keep them busy instead, so that maybe I can get something done during the storm or even get some shut-eye. Not super results.
Rawhides – unless the thunder/fireworks are distant, at best they carry them around, but will not chew on them. Gerry in particular will hold it in his mouth and drool will pour from his mouth, but he’ll still be giving me that look, heh heh.
Kongs – more likely to consume. Though recently there was one time when Gerry was less afraid and ate his kong, but Onslow wouldn’t, and then another when the opposite was true. I did not think to note for later how these events might have been different (like if one was fireworks and the other thunder).
Doggy ice cream – worked the one time, but only as long as it lasted, which wasn’t long. Also, not sure the thunder was quite loud enough for a fair comparison to kongs and rawhides.
Does anyone else’s dog actually seem less bothered by thunder when he/she is out on a walk? Gerry does looooove his walks, that’s for sure. Unfortunately, I’m not a fan of taking walks during thunderstorms, so not going to try that as a solution.
cj says
Is is possible for a dog to develop thunder (fireworks) phobia? Bess just celebrated her 3rd year with us- my first foster (& failure) I’m proud to say. She’s 6 or 7 we think and just this year she exhibited stress upon hearing the fireworks. I did the counter-conditioning and threw in a few impromptu ‘nose work’ find-it! sessions that seemed to really help. Still, I was surprised. The noise didn’t seem any louder or go on any longer than usual. Thoughts, anyone?
Joy Waddingto says
I live with my second Irish Water Spaniel Banshee. My first IWS was very noise sensitive so I swore with Ban that I would do some gundog training with her as a pup to try to prevent traumatic responses at least to guns and sudden loud noise. We got hooked by the training and have competed in tests but the most positive outcome from it is that she stays very calm through storms, even if we are caught outside in one, sleeps through fireworks and gunfire just gets her looking for a dummy! Well worth all the effort during puppy years even if you don’t want to go into gundog work.
Thanks for some lovely blogs.
Joanne says
Very interesting read.
My question is: why are dogs so afraid of thunderstorms and fireworks?
Have they always been this way?
Are wolves, coyotes, in the wild as sensitive?
Is this something we humans have perhaps caused our dogs with breeding, inoculations, etc?
I have had many dogs over the years, and the previous Golden was noise sensitive. The Golden before her was not. My newer Golden is just over a year, and so far hasn’t had much exposure to sudden, unpredictable, loud sounds.
But I don’t remember dogs in general , say 20 years ago, experiencing such extreme reactions. It seems to me to be very prevalent now.
I’m a faithful reader in Ontario, Canada.
Jackied says
Thundershirts definitely help both of mine – Lucy will still hide in her crate but doesn’t shake and is able to eat, Twix is pretty chilled out.
I tried the cd method with Lucy but she could not tolerate the noise in the house even at the lowest volume that it would go to; she started fleeing even when I approached the CD player. So I just let her hide (with Thundershirt if I can get it on before she hides) and try and put it on in a timely manner in Fireworks season.
Lucy is scared of thunder and fireworks (and gunshot and bird scarers) on walks as well as indoors; I sometimes put her on the lead for fear she’ll bolt.
Adrienne Karoly says
Loved this latest post. And your garden is fabulous. I know the joys of having a beautiful garden and the hard work to make it happen. Our one and a half year old moyen poodle is not afraid of thunder or fireworks so far. But what a great idea to use treats to comfort and distract if that should happen. I use treats to calm her when she gets too lively and out of control on her walks. Sometimes, however, when I walk her towards a main road from our private road she is frightened by the sound of cars or trucks and she avoids walking that way. I think I will try using treats to tell her it is ok and we should keep walking. Zasu is always on a leash but I am not entirely unhappy that she has respect for the busy road. Right now Zasu has no problem walking outside in thunder or rain.
Trisha says
Joanne asks an excellent question: Why are dogs so afraid of thunderstorms anyway? I once had the opportunity to ask that of world renown canine behavior expert John Paul Scott, and he said “Because the sky is growling at them.” The perfect answer, at least, theoretically. Low, “noisy” sounds are threats in dog language and it must seem to dogs like the entire world is threatening them. However… why then, aren’t dogs afraid of thunder as young pups?
cj mentioned that her dog went many years without being afraid of thunder, and now is becoming so. That is actually more common than not: Noise phobia often doesn’t begin until after age 3, and most commonly starts between age 3 and 7. My best guess about how to put those facts together (thunder sounds like growling, but young dogs not afraid of it) is that is a classic example of an interaction between a biological predisposition and the phenomenon of “sensitization.” We often try to “desensitize” a dog to something she’s afraid of by presenting low intensity versions of it, but the opposite can occur, in which smaller and smaller intensities of a stimulus get a larger and larger response. (Think of it like a neurological allergy.) Make sense?
Julie says
Any thoughts on why so many border collies are noise phobic (not just thunder)? And seems the stronger their herding instinct, the worse their noise issues. My BC’s noise issues have also been to very specific sounds/tones too. Current one: yes, mildly afraid of thunder, which seems a normal fear. But terrified of metal clanking noises. Loudness is not a factor. She’s OK with power tools, roaring engines, many loud noises. But scared of metal filing cabinet drawers, the metal mailbox, pop top pet food cans being opened, and especially the metal oven drawer where I keep the metal pot lids. She seems to fit the definition of phobic. And it quickly generalizes. (I can’t even reach toward the oven drawer and she runs!) For this dog the phobia started right after she was spayed at 11 months. Any thoughts on possible effect of spaying on phobias?
Monika & Sam says
Absolutely love the photos of both the dogs! Thank you for sharing the beauty of your garden. With all that’s happened that’s been ugly and sad recently, a little nature underscoring floral beauty is so very welcomed!
Nancy says
My rescued lab also needs to be on my face and head and at 70 pounds I have the bruises to prove it. Dancing through the house throwing treats every time it thunders has helped a little mostly because he can not lie on me. To make it worse several times now big trees have fallen near the house scaring us all. Crating him during a storm was a disaster even though he loves his crate. He broke out getting caught in the tangle and panicked. I had to start over with crate training. The thunder coat may have been a little help but once he made the association he just got anxious sooner The best is to wrap him up, cover his eyes…he knows lightning precedes thunder…and hold him tight. I just worry that I am re-enforcing his fear “Mama thinks she needs me close so there is something really bad here.” I have some desperate moments when I have been up all night for two or three nights in a row. Any ideas short of praying for winter?
Gayla says
“Noise phobia often doesn’t begin until after age 3, and most commonly starts between age 3 and 7.” Wow… I didn’t know that.
So, I’m been desensitizing during the early years and then slow (or stop) the CC’ing right when they start to need it the most? Sigh. Thank you, Trisha!!
Christine Zeltner says
My Pry/Anatolian mix girl hates thunder. A friend came across Herbal Asprin from Glacier Peak Holistics. This is the only thing that really helps her. I have pretty much tried it all. It does not take care of the time when the storm is right overhead but she is good for the rest of the storm which is a huge improvement. They are a bit of a sedative but do not make her loopy.
Dieta Decker says
Mine are all fine with thunder and fireworks are rare here in Northern Ireland. But I remember a friend used to swear by getting really excited when there was a thunderstorm, going ‘Whee, great, that was a big one’ and other indications that he thought there was no better fun to be had. None of his were nervous for more than the first few thunderstorms
Elizabeth says
Daisy, our standard poodle mix, has been very noise-phobic since the age of 2 1/2 (she’s now 7). We’ve tried her on all the drugs/natural remedies available (not just for thunder, she’s afraid of any loud sudden noise) but she seems to be bothered by the effect of the drugs on her brain and they didn’t help at all with noises. She will absolutely not take treats when she’s afraid. The Thundershirt helps a bit, her noise-cancelling headphones work for fireworks only. She wants to be in the basement, preferably with both me and my husband, or squished between us on the bed, but she pants so hard she shakes the bed. We really just have to wait it out, which can take up to an hour after the thunder stops. ?
Terrie says
My dobie does okay with most thunderstorms, unless they are right on top of us. In which case, I use her as a footstool. No, seriously. I get up on the bed, have her lay down and rest my legs on her. Seems to be the perfect weight and closeness to settle her down.
HFR says
Have you heard about a study that looked at the effects of early neutering of dogs and, other than the usual stuff, found that male dogs who were neutered before 6 months tended to develop thunder phobia later in life, like at 6 or 7 years of age. My puppy’s trainer told me this. I think she said the study was in England. They could not figure out the connection, but there ya go. Interesting stuff.
The breeder did Volhard testing on my new pup and his litter. One of his results was that he was sound sensitive. And that he surely is. He will startle easily at a strange noise, barks at the drop of a pin and doesn’t like my singing either (altho that may just be good judgement on his part). But curiously he is fine during thunderstorms. I remember I used to hear that it was the electrical field that bothered dogs during thunderstorms and that’s why a lot of them run to the bathtub or behind the toilet because it keeps them from feeling the electrical current thru their paws. Is there any credence to this theory anymore? It always made sense to me because I knew a dog who had terrible thunderphobia, but when she was put in the car she calmed down immediately. Rubber tires, right?
Nothing more lovely than the random beauty of a wildflower garden. I try to accomplish this every year and never quite get there. As usual, I’m jealous. 🙂
Barbara says
Mindy and Miley, my eight and five year old GSDs, had no problems with thunder, fireworks or gunshots until we had a very close encounter with lightning several years ago. I saw the intense bright light while standing in front of the kitchen window. The entire house shook and our land line phone was fried. Trisha, I get your image of Tootise trying to climb into your mouth. Miley tried to climb inside of my body. An eighty pound dog doesn’t fit there. I bought Thundershirts which help. The dogs decided that one room in our house is the “safe room.” All four walls are insulated and it has just one window which is covered by a wooden Venetian blind. They come to me for help before I even know the storm is coming, clinging and climbing on me. I put on their shirts and we all wait out the storm in the safe room. They insist I be there with them. I have spent more than one night in that room sleeping on the little sofa with one dog on the floor beside me and the other tucked behind the recliner. Casey, the 16 month old GSD, was not here when the lightning hit the house. He doesn’t “get” what the big deal is and doesn’t seem to even notice fireworks or thunder. It will be interesting to see if he “grows into” the phobia. We are in a very rural area and are fortunate that our neighbors don’t do fireworks but we can hear the loud booms from the big show at the lake two miles away. A few days ago I took the dogs for our usual walk down the hill from the house in the forest to our field. It was sunny but there were dark clouds just to the east. Mindy circled me so tightly I could barely walk. I first heard what I thought was a jet because the sound roared and rumbled such a long way from north to the south. The next one was even longer and louder with rumbles interspersed by huge booms. This went on for nearly an hour. Down at the edge of the field Miley crawled into some brush and made herself a cave. So much for it being okay if we are outside. Back at the house the girls wanted their Thundershirts and we had to stay in the safe room for half an hour after the storm had passed. Casey chose not to join us.
Diane Head says
Thanks for this post. Our two and a half year old Golden Retriever rescue dog is terribly fearful of fireworks and thunderstorms. Last year, first year we had him, tried food, no use, every other distraction we could think of , no use. This year a mild sedative from the vet, madly better. Next year something stronger and Thundershirt and fingers crossed AND being sure never to move to an area with lots of summer storms…..one huge benefit of living in LA!
kecks says
we had a golden retriever who was terrified of anything thunderlike, guns, thunder far away, firework, you name it. no reason, just the way she was. she drooled and kept running around nervously and could not settle. at all. small spaces and pacing in front of her human’s bed seemed to help but not really. eventually i settled into putting her in down stay and feeding her every second she did not whine or try to get up. no praise, no touching (she disliked touching and petting anyway), no nothing, just treat for every second of non-panic keeping of down-stay and me sitting beside her, reading calmly. it worked like magic: she went to sleep during this thunderstorm in her down-stay. we kept this routine up and eventually ended up with a dog who would wake me up, put herself in down-stay near the bed and waited to eat something tasty (which was everything eatable and some thinngs eatable in her opinion all day every day) before going to sleep. note: the behavior outside during loud noises did not change at all during all this training. she kept beeing panicky there during gun shots and the like till her last day.
Suzanne says
Melatonin was a miracle for my thunder-phobic golden retriever. Without it she was a panting, pacing, trembling mess. With it, she was able to lay quietly on the floor – alert but without fear. I highly recommend it. You can search dogs and melatonin to find dosing information.
Pat says
Trish, love this blog and I ahve been folloing it for a while, although this is my first post.
I have my first solo dog, a toy poodle called Kona. As a pup whenever a storm came upon us we would play fun games or cuddle at the window oooohhhing and ahhhing over the pretty lights and noises. Luckily fireworks in Australia are banned for individual use (one too many out of control bush fires) so local councils put on fabulous and well scheduled fireworks events. That means Kona and I know when it’s coming and we can situate ourselves in view and hearing distance but not too close for discomfort. That said, one year I took him right into the centre of the event where we sat next to our amazed vet, when the show started Kona hopped onto my lap and watched the spectacle, turning his little head to see all the pretty sparkles! I feel very lucky to have a dog that is calm around storms and fireworks, he is three years old now and I hope that he will not develop an aversion in later life.
Hot-air balloons are another matter….. Those must all be barked at and chased until they float away and we are all saved from certain death!
LisaH says
This is the 1st summer my 2 BCS have demonstrated a fear of thunder. They are ages 9.5 and 6 years. We’ve had 3 intense storms now in Central WI where they woke me by whimpering, standing over me, lying on me, etc. I’ve held & quietly reassured them but basically we are all awake till its over. I’m now considering treats in the nightstand and Thundershirts since it seems to be a pattern now.
Frances says
I would have said mine are not worried by thunder or fireworks (we rarely get really bad thunderstorms in the UK, but my neighbours love fireworks and put on a near professional show several times a year). This morning, though, there was a particularly loud clap and Sophy decided she would prefer to be on my lap, even though Poppy was already there. Usually they are very decided about taking turns – today they are happily sharing, relaxed, sprawled and snoozing, just occasionally glancing up when the rain is particularly noisy.
There are other problem sounds though. For Poppy it is smoke alarms – we have fortunately never been in a building when a fire alarm has gone off, but she now trembles when my sister grills bacon, and wants to go and hide under the car if there is a hint of smoke in the air at home, just in case. Sophy hates rattling trolleys in garden centres, but that is more dislike than fear.
I have often wondered whether the increased sensitivity as they get older is similar to the way certain sounds can become increasingly uncomfortable for human ears as we age. Has there been any research into hyperacusis in dogs?
Holly says
Thank you for the laugh! Really for Ella, just a nice snuggle next to her mama, with reassurance seems to help during a thunderstorm. Typically If she is very nervous, she won’t really eat treats. Eventually she will settle down.
Beth Pauley says
Of my two American Eskimos, 1.5-yr-old Teva thinks nothing of going outside in a thunderstorm or fireworks display. On the other end of it, 3-yr-old Kyah is terrified, especially of fireworks. I tried Thundershirts and heavy duty drugs (she’s not treat-motivated either) without any success. This year I read an article that suggested a mild dose of Melatonin. I was able to dose Kyah both July 3rd and 4th and I was amazed. (3mg 2x/day; no ill effects or drugged out reactions) Instead of hiding in a dark room and shaking uncontrollably she was able to join us and quietly lay down (the cannons still got her attention) as well as eat her meals. She still didn’t want to go outside but the change was night and day from last year. Maybe the fireworks didn’t affect her the same this year but I’ll continue to use Melatonin to take the edge off.
Chris from Boise says
Obi came to us at 4 years old, unfazed by loud noises. Two years later…a wind came up the other night and banged the bathroom door shut. He levitated into bed with us. And when the neighborhood started gearing up for fireworks, he was just as miserable as Habi.
We used to use alprazolam (Xanax) for Habi. Because it was so hard getting the timing right for thunderstorms (had to give it before she started quaking, but she now generalizes from thunder (Bad!) to rain (Bad is coming!) to clouds (Bad will undoubtedly come!) – or senses barometric pressure changes…she’s REALLY good at predicting bad things…so was quaking long before we suspected a storm was coming), we gave up this year and started using green tripe. The spectacular scent breaks through any fears she has, and lets us start playing distracting games like catch-a-treat. (With two dogs playing, they concentrate really hard on their turn). I think it’s working as a combination of counter-conditioning and plain old distraction. We did have to get out of town for the fireworks, but are now more confident when storms are predicted that we can manage. Haven’t tried thundershirts, as we suspect she’d use that to predict a storm too…
A friend tried Sileo this 4th of July on her noise-sensitive husky. It worked well once she figured out the timing (gave it too early, needed to re-dose when the fireworks started). Expensive! Out here it cost $34 for one evening’s worth of meds.
I’m going to experiment with some of the other solutions other readers have found. Great post, appreciate all the info!
Pam says
Beautiful garden! We have a 10 month old flat coat retriever puppy rescue so he is a “you’re okay, I’m okay ” attitude, we walked out to watch the neighborhood show and got lots of treats for sitting with me. But my 3 1/2 year old lab/pitmix who has not been afraid ever before, started rubbing on me and tried to get in my lap while inside. We walked out to see the show and after a few treats was wandering around the yard as if no big deal. We have huge loud storms here in Alabama almost daily so that’s not been a problem. Still don’t know why he was spooked this year by fireworks.
Beej says
Iggy is a rescue dog who had been, at the least, beaten and generally abused before he adopted me. It took several years for him to relax about sticks, water bottles and towels but eventually he did. However thunder and fireworks have been an ongoing issue. We suspect some of the scars on his rear legs are burn marks. I remember being under a kitchen sink trying to replace the faucet when a storm rolled in and Iggy trying to crawl into my skin – there was barely enough room under there for me, let alone both of us.
What we found works best for him during storms or fireworks is a laser pointer. The world could come to an end around him and he would still want to catch the “red bug.”
Arnette Small says
Has anyone ever tried Happy Hoodies , we groomers use them when drying dogs that are noise sensitive ,google them ,soft stretchy head bands 2 sizes . Sometimes cotton in the ears first before putting them on . Also works great for some dogs who don’t like,the noise of,the nail clipper .
Nic1 says
https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/help-advice/dog-behaviour-health/sound-therapy-for-pets
Some free resources for helping de-sensitise your dogs above. Including thunder (distant and loud) and various firework noises.
My girl has always been very resilient to loud noises and is still pretty unfazed by thunder and fireworks. Although her reaction to a couple of RAF tornado jets breaking the sound barrier directly overhead recently was interesting. She seemed to become angry at the two sonic booms and raced out in to the garden to bark at the sky with her tail curved over her back!
Do deaf dogs experience fear when there are storms? Do they sense the vibrations as their hearing?
Sound sensitivity does seem to be more prevalent in the herding breeds than in other types of dogs. I wonder if these dogs have been selectively bred to be extremely aware of noises that might indicate threats or danger? And that because they are blessed with an ability to learn and adapt very quickly, this might lead them to develop sound-related fear responses far faster than other dogs?
I do know a behaviourist who is owned be several BCs who had a male who developed fear responses to planes flying overhead as he had previously learned that planes flying overhead predicted hard and fast falling rain storms which he really didn’t like at all. It seems some of these types of dogs can learn unwanted responses just as quickly, often faster, than they learn the things we are trying to teach them.
Karn says
When my DDR shep was 3 months old, we got hit by a mad thunder storm. Pup went crazy, whined, whimpered, tried to get on my bed (was still a bit small to do it easily). I tried treats, he ignored them. So i did the worst possible thing – ran out into the rain and left the door open. My already fearful, but inseparable pup ran out, discovered rain, and made a beeline for his “safe space”, my car.
Let him into the car just so he wouldn’t scratch it. Coaxed him to come back out. He did, but was still scared.
I guess the saw there was nothing to fear from rain and thunder, because the next time it did, a few days later, he was totally ok.
That strategy, though, was a major failure with the garden hose : the one thing he is scared of!