How to Help Your Dog Overcome His Thunderstorm Phobia
Does your dog show signs of nervousness and anxiety during thunderstorms? If your dog is hitting the hills or shaking like a leaf when the storm rolls in, this article will help you put him at ease.
Thunderstorm phobias are more common than you think. However, just because your dog has a thunderstorm phobia that doesn’t mean he’s fearful or submissive. Lightning and rain usually accompany thunderstorms, which causes more static electricity to run through things like carpet and couches, so it’s not only the noise that bothers your dog. Imagine having all that fur and it being full of static plus loud crashing noises–doesn’t sound very calm and tranquil, does it?
Signs of Stress and Anxiety
There are some tell-tale signs your dog might be experiencing stress or anxiety during thunderstorms. These signs include: hiding under furniture, shaking, whining, howling and even running around the house. However, there are some other, sometimes subtle, signs that can be easily overlooked, including heavy panting, excessive yawning, licking, pulling ears back, tucking tail in, eyes darting back and forth, and widening of eyes (whale eye or moon eye). Whether your dog is showing some of the more prominent signs of stress or more of the subtle signs, helping him cope with the situation will create a happier, calmer dog during stormy weather.
Positive Reinforcement of Alternate Behavior
There are several ways to help your dog overcome his phobia of thunderstorms. The best thing to do is create a treatment plan to modify his behavior. This sounds much more intimidating than it really is. I suggest writing it out, so that it’s easy to follow.
First, choose an alternate, desired behavior you would like to see your dog perform during this time of stress, such as a calm down-stay. You want to begin working on this behavior (if your dog does not already know it) prior to a thunderstorm. I suggest getting a rubber mat for this dog training session, as it helps minimize the static caused during lightning, and putting it in a comfortable spot away from the window where your dog can relax.
Once you have this all picked out, you can begin rewarding your dog when he’s lying quietly on his mat. At first, you may need to place food or a special toy on the mat to get him oriented. I like to call this the “safe zone” where there are nothing but good things. Always, always, always reward calm desired behavior on the mat.
Management and Setting Your Dog Up to Succeed
This is really the biggest, meatiest part of the treatment plan where you do most of your prevention work. Managing the situation and setting your dog up for success is so important. Who doesn’t want to succeed and be praised for a correct behavior? I know I do!
Okay, so how do we do this? Well, there is a lot of desensitizing that goes into the process, which you can do in small increments to fit into your daily life. Now that you have your mat, give your dog something really special to chew on and put a recording of thunder on very low.
If your dog shows no sign of stress, allow this process to go on for about 10 to 15 minutes. Do this on and off for the next couple of weeks, slowly increasing the volume. Don’t hesitate to give additional verbal praise and petting to let your dog know he’s doing a great job.
RELATED: Calming Music for Dogs
A tool available to pet owners and dog trainers for this specific instance is the Thundershirt. The Thundershirt is a shirt with a Velcro opening that wraps around the dog in multiple places. You put the shirt over your dog’s back and attach the Velcro strap under his stomach. To keep the shirt on, there’s another Velcro strap that goes across your dog’s chest.
The material is cotton and has no chemicals or vibrations. The Thundershirt acts like a hug for your dog in a scary situation. Most dogs will become very calm and relaxed when wearing this shirt. You always want to remember to reward your dog when he’s wearing the Thundershirt and showing calm behaviors in stressful situations.
Consequences for Inappropriate Behavior
Consequences are very minimal when it comes to dealing with something your dog is scared of. Using any surprise or corrective technique could cause more harm than good. However, if your dog becomes so frightened that there is no learning taking place, you may want to remove him from the situation. Put him in a dark place with calming music to help drown out the thunderstorm. You can bring him back once he has calmed down enough to re-enter the common area.
Consistency
This is the most important part of the treatment plan and usually the most overlooked. It is very important to follow through with all the exercises mentioned above until your dog is exhibiting calm, relaxed behaviors during thunderstorms. Dogs need to think it is an ordinary day with just another thing happening where good things happen to him!
Anytime you have to watch one of your family members deal with a stressful situation, it probably stresses you out as well. Hopefully, these dog training tips will help your dog with his thunderstorm phobia. If, after you try these dog training techniques and are still having difficulties, I suggest looking for a local dog trainer who can assist you and your companion.