Thunder storms

[Nell]

Does anyone have any good tips for a dog that is petrified of thunder storms?

My 2 1/2 yr old dachshund cross hates thunderstorms. If he hears a loud clap of thunder he associates it with where he is at the time. He was once on a chair in my office and there was a loud bang and he wouldn't come back in the office for three weeks after that. It once happened while he was in the sitting room and he spent the next two weeks upstairs.

I hate to see him so distressed, I have tried tranquilizers from the vet but also hate to keep giving him drugs. By the way no amount of trying to distract or comfort him will help he tries to bury himself in the corner of the room, apart from thunder he is a well socialised happy chap, not nervous at all, any ideas welcome?

 

[DeafDogs]

Comforting him is the worst thing you can do, honestly. There are cds you can buy of thunderstorms so you can slowly desensitize him to the noise. Start with the sound barely on give him a stuffed kong or a chewie to eat while its playing. Slowly build him up louder and loudwr until it's blaring. If he starts to get nervous then turn it down to where he was more comfortable then work slower back up again. Thundershirts also work for some dogs.

 

[Dachloves201]

I was going to suggest trying a Thundershirt. I personally don't have one but they do work for some people. My doxie Stormi, go figure...lol, does not like the loud booming of Thunder and it sometimes causes him to shake and want to be held for comfort for a while but it's usually not so bad as to cause him to hide or not want to come into an area. It's possible a thundershirt could work apparently it's supposed to be akin to being hugged or something. Otherwise it's the other method of desensitization and redirection when all this happens which can take lots of time and patience

Either way good luck and hope you find a way to make your pup comfy during the storms.

 

[Nell]

Thanks for the ideas, I agree comforting doesn't work and I have tried to ignore it and act calm etc but it is so hard when he is so distressed. I hadn't heard of the the thundershirt so will google that and see if I can find any here

 

[HilyBee]

Thundershirts work really well. Definitely give those a try - or just get a doggie tshirt and pop it into the dryer for a minute to warm it up. That worked for us when we couldn't get a Thundershirt in store in the past. We also give our boy a stuffed Kong or a "high value" chewie - something he rarely gets but loves. This really helped to show him that big storms means treats!