Preventing Thunder Phobia with Thunder Treats, or, Skip Becomes a Rug
Ah, the irony. I had planned to repost a piece about helping to prevent or treat thunder phobia, and then ended up in the cellar last Tuesday night after the TV weather dude said, not quite in these words, “There’s a tornado moving toward your house, it just hasn’t touched down yet.”
We are not quite in Tornado Alley, but they happen here on a regular basis. I was here in 1984 when the F5 Barneveld tornado went through one hill over, and believe me, standing at our closest neighbors in kindling, metal scraps, and trees sliced down like celery sticks is nothing like seeing it on TV or in photos. Which is hard enough. It is heart breaking, and deeply, deeply disorienting.
I’ve talked to numerous neighbors after this Tuesday night’s storm (which heartbreakingly devastated Greenfield, Iowa), and to a person they agreed with me: We’ve watched many a tornado warning without going to our respective basements/cellars/caves, but this time every one of us said some version of “Holy $@#^” and went downstairs.
But, here’s the thing. Skip, a dog of many talents, arrived here never having seen a staircase in his life, and decided they were a direct route to hell. This is the dog who throws his body fearlessly into gulches, fences, and impenetrable briar patches while working sheep or playing. But walk up or down stairs? Nope. (I promise I’ll get to one way to prevent/treat thunder phobia eventually. This is sort of an Alice’s Restaurant kind of piece–we’ll get to the point, it just requires patience.
Years ago, I started teaching Skip to go upstairs from the living room to the bedroom–easy enough, the stairs are steep but carpeted–and then decided not to. I thought it’d be nice at first to let Maggie have one place that was still her own, and eventually decided to let sleeping dogs lie. Skip has a movie star-handsome coat that sheds relentlessly, and my allergist says No Dogs in the Bedroom. Maggie understands that sleeping upstairs is our little secret (don’t tell), and Skip sleeps, seemingly happily enough, on the living room couch after cuddling with me on it much of the evening, and all is well.
I have often thought, “I really need to teach the dogs to go down the stairs to the cellar in case of a serious tornado warning.” This has been as effective as thinking “I really need to stop eating sugar and will never eat a strawberry-rhubarb pie again.” And then, Tuesday happened, and Skip became a rug. Which I will explain in a minute.
Here are the stairs, which Maggie had never been down herself.
Although she runs up and down the stairs to the bedroom, and in motels, she looks at these stairs as if they are a direct route to her worst nightmare. They are steep, have no risers (the vertical parts between the horizontal parts), and just look subjectively scary to any sentient non-burrowing creature. I take them very, very seriously, because falling down them could easily kill a person.
Last Tuesday, when the meterologists said “We mean it y’all, get your asses downstairs,” Jim and I listened. We had already filled the bathtubs with water, gotten out flashlights, disconnected some electronics (in case of power outages, which indeed happened), put towels and chairs downstairs for us all to settle on to, and gotten out leashes because I was sure luring the dogs downstairs with treats would be a fail. (This is when you shame me for not dealing with this sooner. I pretty much have that job description filled myself, so you might want to shame me for one of my many other faults.)
Once we decided we had no choice, we put the dogs on leash, I got out treats, and went down with Maggie. She did not want to go, and I admit to simply pulling her down the first few steps, time being of the essence. But lots of treats ensued once she got down two stairs, and she trotted down the rest relatively easily on her own, where she discovered that dried liver treats could also rain from the sky in the cellar.
Skip took one look at the stairs, realized that we wanted him to go down them, and ran to the farthest corner of the house. I was 110% sure we would never get him to go down himself before doom fell, so Jim went to pick him up. Imagine a 47-pound dog so flattened on the floor that he looked to be about 3 inches thick. A black and white throw rug, AARP approved because it was stuck to the floor so you couldn’t trip on it. Poor Skip, he was well and truly terrified, but my amazing husband peeled him off the floor, and got him down the stairs while I watched, by now almost as scared Skip, afraid they’d both fall.
They did not fall. No tornado touched down in our area; a fact about which I am still full of gratitude. Our power did go out, but not for days as happened to some in our area. Both dogs ended up exploring the cellar (mouse poop!), snacking on treats, and eventually settling down while we hung out, although Skip spent an inordinate amount of time licking his privates.
However, 70-80 mph winds have consequences. Every chain saw in southern Wisconsin was busy on Wednesday and Thursday. Some places got hit hard–huge trees on roofs and cars, hundreds of roads blocked. We came out well, we lost two big trees but nothing in our yard and our fence even survived a massive tree fall . . . (There’s a fence under there.)
Mostly we are grateful that things weren’t worse, and feel full of compassion for those who have suffered terribly from the storm. (And yes, of course, lessons on Going Down the Haunted Stairway have begun. I might even try to convert the stairway into a ramp; I’ll keep you posted.)
But wait, wasn’t I going to talk about preventing thunder phobia? I almost forgot, if you didn’t. But Skip will be happy to remind me, because I knew that Skip was a prime candidate for thunder phobia after being so frightened during the drama of Tuesday’s storm, replete with freight-train wind noise and house-shaking thunder. I was actually happy to hear that another big storm was due Friday, because the sooner I could start counter conditioning, the better. I was ready, and started giving out “Thunder Treats” during every boom. You can see from this photo who is more concerned, from a dog whose never been much concerned about thunder before.
But I kept it up. Every lap of thunder resulted in a piece of chicken. Over and over again. Thunder = Treat. Thunder = Treat. Thunder = Treat (The treats were pieces of cooked chicken, which I always keep in the freezer for emergencies. Don’t be wasting your time with some kibbly stuff, make the treats marvelous.) I replicated this probably 30 times in 3o minutes, all the while announcing “Thunder Treats” as if we had all discovered the meaning of life and would live in joyous harmony ever after. Both dogs would play Pleading Eye Dogs, but if there was no thunder I’d shrug my shoulders and say, sorry, no thunder, no treats. They’d have to wait for thunder to get more chicken. By the time I got to the end of the treat bowl, both dogs choose to lie down and go to sleep, even when the thunder was still booming. Countering conditioning dogs to thunder works like a charm, IF the dog isn’t too fearful of it yet.
IF your dog is either not afraid of thunder (thunder phobia often doesn’t start until three years of age), or, is only moderately concerned, like Skip seemed to be, counter conditioning with treats or ball play works beautifully, and it’s easy (except at three in the morning) . You don’t have to be there for every storm, but do it when you can, use the best treats imaginable, sympathize how sorry you are when there’s no thunder, and be genuinely happy when it thunders, and you get to give the dogs a treat.
However, once dogs have full blown thunder phobia, you might want to refer to my earlier post about treating serious thunder phobias. In this case, you need to up the ante. Talk to your vet about Sileo and other meds, consider body wraps and herbs, create a “safe house,” and do counter conditioning as the storm begins. But it’s far, far better to work on prevention now, which is why I’d advise playing Thunder Treats with any dog a few times, just to avoid trouble in the future.
MEANWHILE, back on the farm: Our gardens are both exhausting me and giving me immeasurably joy. Here’s one little garden at the edge of our driveway.
Columbine, the flower in front of the purple Iris below, is a native plant that self seeds every year. It seems to love it here, and I love having it.
I went all Georgia O’Keefe on this Iris, one of those flowers that you aren’t sure suitable for all ages.
And, best of all, Maggie is showing off the copies of The Other End of the Leash in Japanese! Regrettably, neither of us read the language, but I am thrilled to have this beautifully-produced book released in Japan. I received a few extra copies–if you or someone you love lives in the US (no foreign shipping please) and you read the language, the first message sent to support@patriciamcconnell.com will get a free autographed copy!
That’s one of my many delights this week. Yours? And tell us your thunder stories; I read over and over again how useful the comment section is to readers.
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About the Author
Patricia B. McConnell, PhD, CAAB Emeritus is an applied animal behaviorist who has been working with, studying, and writing about dogs for over twenty-five years. She encourages your participation, believing that your voice adds greatly to its value. She enjoys reading every comment, and adds her own responses when she can.
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Patricia is known the world over for her clear and engaging books and DVDs on dog training and canine behavior problems. You can also “meet” Patricia in person on her seminar DVDs, from The Art & Science of Canine Behavior to Treating Dog-Dog Reactivity.
I was discussing this very topic with friends at a Memorial Day cookout yesterday. I used the “Thunder Treats” approach for my dog with “thunder anxiety.” We had 2 other dogs at the time, one a young puppy and the other a more senior boy. Luckily, my scaredy guy was only bothered by the thunder and not by the associated winds or pressure changes, so it was easy to time the treats. When a storm started, we ran to the bedroom and all 3 dogs jumped on the bed. With every BOOM of thunder, all 3 got treats while I happily squealed “thunder treats!” BOOM! Treat…treat…treat. The process eventually lessened my guy’s thunder anxiety to a huge extent. There’s no way to prove it, but I think that counter conditioning is why the youngster never developed any storm-related fears. The older guy had never displayed any weather-related anxiety; he just saw storms as a great way to get free treats 🙂
Hi Patricia, I’ve been reading your stuff for several years and now I finally have adopted a dog to put it to use with! It’s been intimidating at times but having all your resources has been a big encouragement. 🙂 I’ve noticed that he only has the mildest, barely noticeable reaction to thunder, so it hadn’t occurred to me to counter condition, but now I will!
Oh shame I live in Australia as I speak Japanese. My reading isn’t great any more, but if you want to know, the title says 犬と会話する方法 which translates to the method of conversation with dogs. Congratulations on selling this amazing book in Japan!
So glad that you came through it relatively unscathed.
I do think it’s important to talk about our own errors to counter the “magic wand” theory that clients can have.
I’ve just had to euthanise my 17 month old dog having waited 5 years to get him. I couldn’t cope with his increasingly dangerous behavioural problems in spite of doing a ton of specific CPD and consulting colleagues across the world.
Routine bloods that accompanied the (ineffective) anxiolytics showed serious underlying problems. It wasn’t something that could be solved with behavioural modification and the decision made itself.
I know that there are people in my community, including some former clients, who think that I failed my dog and I sure can beat myself up without help.
Could I have handled it better? Of course. Were there things that I should have done and didn’t because other things ended up taking propriety or I allowed them to? You bet.
We mostly come through, manage and learn.
I’d be scared of those stairs too!
Oh Charlotte, I am so so sorry. The fantasy that we can solve all problems, no matter how severe, causes so much suffering. But, fantasy it is. Sending compassion and care.
What do you do with the dog who is ‘storm’ reactive? The thunder hasn’t started but the wind is whipping around and rain is starting. It would be another 10-15 minutes until the first clap of thunder and flicker of lights…
I adopted a 6 month old dog from Puerto Rico five years ago. I don’t know her very early history, but she was fostered with 3 of her 9 siblings by a vet in PR from about 8 – 10 wks old to when they were flown to the States to the Humane Society where I volunteered. She was briefly adopted out, but was taken back (not sure why, but evidence of mistreatment is obvious in her reaction to loud voices and any quick movements towards her.) She has some of the worst thunder phobia, along with other phobias, of any dog I’ve known. Shaking, panting and drooling, while pretty much frozen in place. I tried Thunder Shirts, but they just made her worse. She is on Shen Calmer, a Chinese herbal supplement for anxiety given daily, and along with Rescue Remedy before the thunderstorm hits; and she goes into her “safe space” – a bed in my closet that’s nice and dark. I wish I had had the opportunity to prevent the misery she goes through. Thank you for your wonderful article.
After London was born I gave his breeder a cd of various sounds, including thunder, vacuums, applause and engines. She played it dutifully as the litter grew up. When London came home he cheerfully accepted noise-I remember taking him on an eagle survey and parking right beside the tracks, and him slumbering peacefully as a train thundered by a few metres away. He never reacted to thunder other than an occasional quizzical look at a particularly loud boom.
Then a large tree crashed through the roof of our home and tore out the sprinkler line, breaking the roof trusses and sending water flooding in. We had to move out for 18 months. Ever since that episode both of us have been nervous during windy days. Wind is a less distinct stimulus than thunder and it goes on for longer so not sure if handing out chicken would be useful. He still is fine with thunder but wind is a different story. Mind you, I’m willing to try eating chocolate on windy days to see if it works for me!
Luckily my current and previous dog are not bothered by thunder or more importantly FIREWORKS. I am beyond grateful for this. I watched my mom’s springer spaniel years ago shake with fear with both storms and fireworks. She could only fit her head under the bed so all you saw was this shaking/quaking body sticking out from the dust ruffle. Poor baby! I live near a Huge metro park with many firework displays and not a ruffle of fur from my baby! Again, so grateful we missed this fear! We also have had a few tornados touch down this spring, not too close to me though…so grateful!
My Westie is terrified of the basement steps. They aren’t carpeted, although they do have risers and are not steep. But when she was a puppy, I found her clinging half on, half off, to the second or third step, trying to get back up. I don’t know what happened but I think the door must have been open when she looked down – ‘what’s there?’ – and the door slowly closed behind her and pushed her down a few steps. Fortunately, at 17 pounds, she is easy to carry down when necessary. I’ve tried to entice her to come up the stairs without success.
She has no fear of the stairs to the upstairs rooms which are carpeted.
We started thunder conditioning on our puppies a couple weeks ago. Two of our four other dogs already have significant thunder phobia so I wanted to be sure we make some progress before monsoon season hits. So far, everyone, including the thunder-phobic dogs, are doing great with the recordings. Walking into my room you will see the floor littered with massive dogs while the sounds of a raging thunderstorm fills the air, punctuated with the occasional loud snore from the nappers. 🙂
I am looking at those stairs and trying to superimpose a ramp over them. It keeps coming up looking like a slide in my imagination. Which might fit the bill for all of you!
I have a 6 year old Aussie that aggressively barks and runs towards the thunder. Any thoughts on why this is his response? I recently retired and have been working with him one on one during the storms and he’s not as bad if the thunder is just grumbling through the sky, but when it hits close to home he still goes ape!
Wonderful, descriptive writing! Thank you.
I am so happy that all of you are okay. I have a request. I rescued my dog almost 6 months ago. He had never left his previous home and the family did not have people over because their teenage son has neurological symptoms and could be violent. There were 7 dogs, the labs were all kept out of doors. He needed a lot of rehab and I hired a trainer. Muki is great off-leash, at the dog park and has come to love humans. He is great at the dog parks with lovely play bows. When he is on a leash and he sees another dog he wants to play. When I steer him away and not let him greet a dog on the street he goes crazy barking and lunging and will also do this when I allow for a minute of greeting. When it is time to continue on the walk has barks and lunges. Any advice to make our walks more enjoyable?
Our older (8 yo) dog has a lot of fears. I have used “** cookies” to help him through many of them. The first was for trains. The place we took our first Rally class is close to the RR tracks. The place we practice agility locally is very near AND ABOVE (sound carries UP remarkably) the tracks. He got so scared one day he climbed ME, breaking off my treat bag at my waist by putting a foot in it as he climbed. So, I started giving him “train cookies” whenever a train was going by. He now ignores the trains. They have so many kinds of cookies now … toenail cookies, shoe cookies (for when we practice putting on his tennies, or booties) house cookies when we send them to their crates, and so on. When I can reach (SUV and the boys are all the way in the back and I can’t toss worth **) there are cookies for “no foo-foo” (barking at dogs not in our car). He’s just started reacting strongly to thunder in the last year or two, but he’s out of the room and under our bed before I can get out the cookies right beside my chair. Named cookies are such a great tool.
Perfectly timed ! I’ve had my dogs just about a year and Willow is 3. I don’t remember her being concerned about thunder last summer when we got her but there was a storm last night and she was clearly very very concerned. My other dog was snoring- no worries. But, I will now bring thunder treats to bed with us on days when there could be boomers. Thanks for the timely piece!!!
My Lewis (10YO Basenji) has no issues with thunder, fireworks, or power tools, but he does NOT like the target shooting that takes place on weekends and holidays in the rural area where we live. I always take a treat pouch with chicken when we go for a walk on days I think will be problematic. Every gunshot gets him a bite of chicken (even if he stops, lifts a paw, and looks at me) and a sing-song monolog from me: “it’s okay, that was a big noise, they’re not shooting at us, what do you think they’re shooting at, what kinda gun do you think that is, woweee, what a good boy you are.” It’s always his choice whether we keep walking or turn & calmly walk back home. It helps that the gunfire is predictable (comes from the same locations, is from a distance, and is generally the same sound pattern). Glad the tornado missed you and hope you all stay safe the rest of the season.
We’ve been having a lot of thunderstorms lately, and while Tilligator Barksalot isn’t showing anything that looks like a fear reaction, she is starting to notice the booms, and I think it’s time to start the thunder treats. I realized after I lost her big sister in April 2023 that she was more than a bit reactive to other dogs and humans when she was out without another dog. The protocol our trainer started us on was completely successful, but initially we needed a lot of distance before she could take food. Building on that, I would like to condition loud noises = great stuff before it’s a problem.
In my basement I have a Tornado Chair equipped with leashes and a cat carrier. Tilly has never been down the Stairs of Death, since we haven’t needed the Chair since I got her. Unfortunately, my laundry hookups are in the basement, so I have to go down often, and have preferred, for safety reasons, to keep her from following me down. Since she’s 26 pounds, I know I can carry her down if the sirens are blasting.
Both my Flat-Coats were severely thunder-phobic. Thundershirts helped (they both would try to ram their heads in before I had the shirt unfolded), and I also had Sileo for Nina.
I’ll be happy if Tilly never knows that fear.
Great article! Regarding the stairs: could Jim put those rubber stair treads on the steps and stretch a canvas tarp under the stairs to hide the non- existent risers do that it’d look solid there behind steps?
First of all, I’m glad to hear you got through the storms with no significant damage to your home and outbuildings. That was a doozy of a night! My nearby neighbors and I were without power for just shy of two days. I’m grateful – so many people have it so much worse!
I can pinpoint exactly when my dog, Colby, became thunder phobic and afraid of her crate all at once. Yes, it was probably my fault and no, I am no longer beating myself up about it. Thunder treats are not helpful for her – she can detect a storm 50 miles away and frequently shuts down before I even know a storm is coming. Sometimes, she’ll wake me up at night to let me know it’s storming two counties away!
All that being said, after 8 years of hard work and lots of experimentation, she has finally decided the bathtub is her safe spot during storms. On a recent family visit, she even found her way to the bathtub at my sister’s place, and to a little corner shower stall at my niece’s! (I should say, it’s not just the tub – we have an entire ritual that includes a thunder shirt, calming music, essential oil, and a comfy bed placed in the tub.)
On that Tuesday night, Colby settled in the tub while I watched storm coverage. Three things happened almost at once: I decided it was time to head to the basement, the tornado siren went off, and the power went out. Colby willingly came to the basement with me. She was anxious and panting, but held her own until the storm got really noisy. At that point, I realized I was using all my strength to hold her leash to prevent her from escaping up the stairs. She was frantic and terrified. So, I back up the stairs we went where I helped her settle in the tub. I then headed back down with the door propped open, feeling like a bad dog mom. Thankfully, the storms ended without incident (for my house, at least), and we were both safe. I’ve decided that the bathtub is the second best place to shelter, and that will just have to do for Colby. I’m relieved that the trauma of being held captive in the basement, even for a short time, hasn’t resulted in a setback. She’s resting in the tub right now, as I write this.
We use the “thunder conditioning” method for fireworks with great success! Now that we are living in a state with lots of monsoon thunderstorms it has really come in handy. I can honestly say, our dogs look forward to the raining treats loud noises create.
Glad you made it through the storms with minimal damage!
I am fortunate that my Kaylie (a Xoloitzcuintle) does not seem to have any fear of thunder or fireworks. We had a very bad storm two days ago and she looked up at one particularly loud boom but then went back to sleep. She just turned three so maybe I will do some treats for thunder anyway. My last dog (also a Xolo) was absolutely terrified of thunder and fireworks. I tried treats, thunder shirts, etc and nothing worked. She finally settled on creeping into my closet and using the bed I placed there but when I’d check on her she’d be drooling and trembling. Heartbreaking.
Charlotte…you did the best you could at the time, with what you knew at the time. Hanging out online with expert dog gurus, it’s so easy to think we ought to be able to fix things we just can’t.
I had a dog, a rescue, who was a walking anxiety attack and adamantly refused to go into a crate. We bought him an enormous one; in fact I even crawled inside it myself to coax him to join me. Nope. Great quantities and multiple types of treats…nope. Drugs were tried. Nope.
So when he blew his first CCL we, and he, just had to deal with it. We couldn’t get surgery for a dog who couldn’t be confined at the vet or at home. When he blew out the other one unfortunately his fate was sealed.
We got to a situation where, when he was comfortable he slept, and when awake he moaned in pain. That was no quality of life and so we let him go.
Meanwhile the other dog is everybody’s new best friend, earning her CGC and getting petted by 4 little girls at once at the park. She was a wanted puppy obtained from a breeder.
I hadn’t believed what I read about inherited temperament until I was juggling those two. I couldn’t fix Andy; I could only stop his suffering. FWIW, he was also scared of storms but that was the least of his problems.
What a story! Glad you came through relatively unscathed, and our sympathies too for those who were hit hard. I can’t imagine how Jim was able to peel Skip The Bathmat off the floor and get him down those stairs.
Sympathies also to Charlotte K. Behavioral euthanasia, even with underlying medical conditions, is an extremely hard decision.
Obi (14 years) loves Thunder Parties; Rowan (6 years) is highly noise-sensitive at the best of times, and is like what several other commenters describe – she knows a storm is coming waaaay before we hear thunder, and we haven’t found a good counter-conditioning solution. If it’s predictable, we give her Trazadone well in advance. If it’s unpredicted, she heads to the bedroom, lies down with her head under a chair and shakes (we’re so glad she doesn’t fling herself out windows or chew through walls in panic). We just leave town for the Fourth of July.
Me again! We got a storm in the early hours of this morning. My reactive dog Upton is fine with thunder, but we lost power. Due to my physical disability, I have some assistive technology that doesn’t like power cuts, and will beep or alarm until a) someone silences them, b) the alarm battery runs out, or c) the power comes back on. Upton hates these alarms, and when I’m in bed alone in the house, I can’t do a, b takes 45 minutes, and c was 2 hours. In the meantime my treat dispenser won’t work as the power is off, and nobody I know would want a call at 4am to do a for me. Upton was barking and pacing for about 45 minutes, and getting very stressed. It took him until around 7.30am to finally rest on his bed. I know I could countercondition him to the sounds, but the possibility of doing something in an actual real life scenario like this morning is low. I took the day off work to be with him today and he’s settled well. Any suggestions for what I could do? One is for me to not have the worst one on if a storm is forecast, but the chances of a power outage each time is low and I just don’t remember (plus I thought the worst of the storm had already passed as I went to bed). Plus Upton is allergic to chicken, unfortunately!
Sopy, my older papillon, became sound sensitive at around 5 years old. We were out walking and she suddenly announced that it was time to go home – very unusual for her. Only afterwards did I realise that there had been someone shooting, almost too far away for me to be aware of them. From there it built up rapidly and she communicated her fears to Poppy – counter conditioning with treats helped a bit, but for some years thunder or fireworks meant me spending hours perched on the loo seat in the cloakroom with the fan and the tumble dryer on to provide white noise, while Sophy snoozed relatively peacefully in a comfy bed on the floor. By the time Freddy joined us two and a half years ago both older dogs were deaf enough to be able to ignore even the neighbours’ fireworks and at first all was well. Then we were woken by fireworks in the early hours of New Year – Freddy snuggled under the duvet and I hoped we had got through it. A month or two back, at nearly three, he got extremely upset by a thunderstorm, again in the early hours… It is obviously time to start breaking out the chicken in good time (like you I keep a box of cooked pieces in the freezer) – either that or find a decent cushion for the loo seat!
Looking at your cellar steps I am very grateful we do not get the sort of storms that require a storm cellar, and that my dogs are small enough to tuck under one arm and have the other hand free to hang onto a banister rail! I second the suggestion to put in false raisers and non slip tread mats. The dogs will still probably refuse to go down, but everyone would feel much safer.
Our whippet mix, Gracie, is very reactive to EVERYTHING but especially weather and confinement. She begins to attach herself to us as the barometric pressure begins to drop. As the storm approaches, she begins to pace and by the time the thunder starts, she is quick trotting around the perimeter of the room wide eyed and panting. At that point she is oblivious to treats and doesn’t appear to hear us if we try to get her attention. She is extremely claustrophobic and will struggle to get away if we try to restrain her. If any door opens she will try to go through it, even exterior doors. We have tried calming supplements, tranquilizers aromatherapy and a Thundershirt (literally tore it off within one minute) to no avail . Levi, our 16 month old Dane reacts to her reactions, following her and nipping at her heels until she snaps at him. We in Southeast Missouri just experienced the Memorial Day severe weather, too. We were blessed to have escaped with no damage. During the worst of the storm Sunday, we allowed Gracie to go into the bedroom in order to avoid a dog fight. She spent the remainder of the storm trying to claw her way out. Levi hasn’t shown fear of the storms yet but I am concerned he will learn from Gracie. I will begin counter conditioning with him immediately. More storms are expected this weekend. I don’t know what to do for Gracie, though. Any suggestions would be gratefully appreciated!!!
All 3 of my BCs began life thunder-phobic free but developed later. As puppies, I would sit outside on a covered porch during storms, I would play, give treats and I enjoyed storms so I wasn’t anxious either. But, during one June 2016 thunderstorm, it was like a switch flipped. They were 6 and 9 and we were asleep in the bedroom when they suddenly & intensely panicked. Over time I figured out using an essential oil (lavender) and thundershirts was largely helpful, and sometimes going to the basement was needed. My 9 yr old male calmed back down considerably over the next few years while my 6 year old female remained thunder & firework & gunshot phobic her remaining years. My current dog is 3 and he began getting scared of thunder last summer and is also fearful of gunshots & fireworks, cars backfiring. He runs to me for comfort and I get the thundershirt on him, treats, play, put a fan or music on, but its hard, and we basically always sleep in the basement now if there is any thunder. We are in Wisconsin, in the country.
Hi all,
Sorry I’ve been so quiet lately, but I loved this post. My second guide, Torpedo, developed thunder fear after about four or five, and I didn’t know how to treat it then. I’d always let him go to a place that felt safe for him, and he was too over-stimulated to take treats, but now I know what to do, and I’ll do it with my new dog.
That’s right… I got a new guide dog! We just got home on Sunday from Guide Dogs for the Blind. I went to their Oregon campus this time around, and it was beautiful. I loved all of the trees and greenery there. Ok, now that I’m done torturing all of you, here’s the information.
He’s a male, yellow lab named Kyle! Normally, I’m not that into human names for dogs, but this just fits him. He’s 24 inches at the shoulder, and is a beautiful honey colored boy. His ears are really soft, and look like cinnimon. His work is great, and the moment I met him, I was thoroughly charmed. He’s such a sweetie of a dog. If I give him a kiss on the ear, he has to give me a kiss right back. I forgot that labs have springs on their feet, and this guy is very boingy in the morning. If any of you have any other questions, I’ll answer if I can, but I just had to tell you all. It’s been a looong time coming, and I’m so relieved to have a harness handle in my hand again.
Laura! And Kyle! This is such exciting and wonderful news! Kyle sounds like a dream; we all know he’s not a robot and stuff will happen, but how absolutely fabulous that you have him and he has you. Can’t wait for updates!
Laura: so excited for you – and Kyle! Looking forward to hearing how your partnership develops!
Tricia, thank you! It has been way too long since I have picked up a harness handle. He is a wonderful boy, and we have been having a great first week home. I’ll definitely update all of you as our time together keeps going.
Trisha, We survived the 4th of July fireworks and guns 🙂 last night. I tried the treat idea using chicken almost each time it bothered Skye. Ollie doesn’t care and just slept through everything – raising her head of course for the treats. Both pups are 9 and 10 year old Border Collies.
As I began running low, I told Skye that the far away pops weren’t treat worthy because she’s a brave dog – rewarding with scratches and cuddles. When the booms were much closer to home – definitely treat worthy. Since this went on for quite a while, there were a few times that she gave me a look after the boom before barking – I had the treat ready.
Thank you for the great idea. I live in the county with my dogs and horses surrounded by vineyards and orchards. Being outside the city limits, people tend to fire off their guns and have target practice now and then. I’ll try to keep treats on hand so that when I hear guns going off, I can be prepared to reenforce what we are learning. That way, for New Years, we’ll be better prepared and less anxious.
Thanks again, Becky, Skye and Ollie