Dogs and thunder any ideas how to stop the fear.

[Duncanpup]

Our chocolate lab boog thunder doesn’t bother him never has then our thirteen year old golden before he went deaf thunder used to bother mr big paws and we cuddled for safety.

And the golden pup is losing it at 15 months over thunder buried into me and my wife on couch it just breaks my heart. Poor guy is terrified as I rub him I do not know how to help him with his fear. The pup barks the shivering I’m like mr were fine as I rub him. Any help or ideas thank you in advance du pet lovers.

[Phoenix61]

1. Thunder shirt? I don't have a dog but something to check out? nt

[Runningdawg]

2. Thunder shirts - the same concept as swaddling a cranky baby.

You can buy them in pet stores and Amazon, depending on the size they cost between 14 and 50$. Our dogs are fine but my MIL's dog is off his anxiety meds during storms because of this product.

[Dustlawyer]

7. My dog will let me put it on her and likes it but still shakes and cowers.

She expects to wear it as part of the whole storm process we go through each time. The tranquilizers just make her woozy and upset. Her adrenaline overcomes the meds so they don’t work.

She is wearing it now as I type and the thunder rolls.

[hlthe2b]

8. Yes, compressive thundershirt and letting them find a dark, quiet INTERIOR room to hide in..

For my last dog, it was a small interior bathroom and she would hide behind the shower curtain in the bathtub. I'd hug on her, but she was so inconsolable that become the best solution. She'd tremble so much otherwise, she'd overheat.

Obviously, there are veterinary drug solutions if necessary. This is one of the newer, safer, and non-sedating options:

Sileo® (medetomidine) (ask your veterinarian about it)

[Quakerfriend]

3. Have you considered a thunder shirt

https://thundershirt.com/products/thundershirt-for-dogs?variant=31577458802743&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIp8nbgKG78gIV3cmUCR0Hiw6lEAQYASABEgIHDPD_BwE

I’ve heard they work well!

[Random Boomer]

19. This worked on my hound

I have a middle-aged rescue, a bluetick coonhound, who is terrified of thunderstorms and fireworks. The thunder shirt worked with her, at least to take the edge of her panic. It's easier to calm her down (petting, talking, hugging) after her shirt is one. Without it, she barely reacts to us, she's so caught up in her anxiety.

[Kota]

4. I start playing a little fetch down the hallway, distract him. Play music.

[FalloutShelter]

5. Thunder shirts are great.

They definitely helped calm down my two storm-phobic pitties. They are also helpful if your pet gets freaked out by car travel.

[Biophilic]

6. My friends moved from MI to Florida with a dog that hated thunder storms.

They tried everything including tranquilizers and thunder blankets. They found that driving her around some times helped -they thought it was the noise in the car during a rain storm distracted her. They also found that sometimes just putting leash on her and staying close to helped, but it had to be where she wanted to be - that was awkward sometimes. They also found that if they knew the storm was coming in BEFORE she heard it they could bring her inside and turn the TV way up. That helped a lot, but they had to get to her before she heard the thunder. I think towards the last couple of years they went to stronger and stronger anti-depressants/tranqs because her fear was taking such a toll on her. They were lucky to be working with vet that understood dogs and Florida thunder storms. BUT, the only thing that really helped was as she started to go deaf as she got old. I know this info isn't particularly helpful but know that some dogs are just built that way. That said, they found the vet had a lot of information and things to try. She was as disappointed as they were when very little helped every time. It's a big deal for some dogs.

[janterry]

9. have you watched this?

[Bayard]

10. Rescue Remedy

It is an herbal calmative. I've recommended it before on DU. It does work.

[SheltieLover]

16. Also 5-Flower Essence (by FES)

Any holistic vet, health food store, or rescue org should have some. 👍

[irisblue]

11. Second vote for Rescue Remedy and maybe low dose melatonin

My dearly loved Duke cane to me at 11ish. He was likely used as a breeder dog in a backyard situation and was abandoned, found chained to a fence at a local high kill shelter.
It was very obvious Duke spent most of his life outside based on how he responded to thunderstorm, I came home from work one afternoon and found him, asleep, wedged between the couch and wall. How 100# fit in there I do not want to know.

On my vets advice we used the rescue remedy and started low dose melatonin. It was enough to relax him, but not buzz him.


How did Duncan do over the 4th?

[Random Boomer]

20. Same situation for our rescue

We adopted our coonhound at about 6-7 years of age, and she'd obviously been used as a breeder and we suspect kept outside in a kennel most of the time. She's terrified of thunder storms and nervous in general about any unexpected noises. We don't think she was physically abused, but seems mostly to have been emotionally abandoned and/or ignored.

For the first few years she would spend all her time upstairs in a dog bed. We could only coax her down for meals or to go outside for a brief relief break. Over time she's learned how to be affectionate and that she can trust us. Now when she's nervous, she comes to us for reassurance rather than secluding herself, and she spends more time with us generally.

[iscooterliberally]

12. We used to use the Thundershirt with some Benedryl for our old Samson.

Samson passed away at 15 last year. He would be inconsolable when the storms came in. We adopted him as an adult though. Since your dog is young I would try distracting him with special treats and toys. Try to get him to play when the storms come in. You might be able to get him to associate storms with fun times. If he has a crate, put some blankets over it, or make a blanket fort with him like children like to do. Anything you can do to get his mind off of the storm will be helpful. Part of the problem isn't just the noise of the storm, it's also the drop in barometric pressure. Dogs are much more sensitive to that than we are. Dogs usually know a storm is coming before we do unless we're watching it on TV or the web. Thunderstorms are hard to deal with for dogs, so be patient, and good luck!

[Factchekr]

13. Golden Retriever owner----here to help

Hi DUNCANPUP: Jr freaking out on #Skybooms??
Not good. The barometer dropping sets them off

Multiple answers to yr question. A combination of things will help.
1- @thundershirt- Buy one at Amazon. Try the Sport V. It gives your dog a gentle hug. Reassues them. And they do help..
2) If he has a crate, move it near an interior wall of yr home. Keep away from windows. Cover the top with a sheet. You're making a cave. Do not shut the door. Let him hide in there.
3) Either this pupper is sensitive or you missed loud noises in socialization. Definitely a behavior component.

If you want to connect, I write "Golden Retriever Channel" on Twitter @goldretrieverUS
81k follows. Reach out. Happy to aim you in the right direction.
Give Duncan lots of love and reassurance during bad weather. Set a routine and be consistent!!

If you got him from a breeder-- talk to them also
#GRC

Good luck

[Factchekr]

14. 1 thought

Repost

[SouthernIrish]

15. I have used Thundershirts for years.

They work well for storms and fireworks. The trick is getting them on the dogs before the thunder starts. Also give them some Hemp for anxiety (sold at Petsmart). Another thing yo do is turn on a floor fan on high to create white noise. I have used all 3 of these things and it they really do work.

Best of luck, my friend. Hopefully Mr Big Paws, Boog, and Duncan will feel more secure.

[SheltieLover]

17. Until you get Thunder Shirt

Hug him while pressing on his sides. This works about the same as the shirt, the same as Temle Geandib's cattle press to calm eople with autism when they are escalated.

Hugs to your pup.

[milestogo]

18. Thundershirt and adaptil air freshener

Thundershirt works very well for my dog.

[CozyMystery]

21. My daughter did this:

She doesn't comfort the dog, although he lies on or next to her during our frequent thunderstorms.

She takes his favorite treat and cuts it into tiny pieces. She started feeding him these treats during thunderstorms.

Now, a month later, his fear has diminished by 80%. All the dog does now is lie beside either me or my daughter. He no longer freaks out, but he is still scared.

Thundershirt didn't work for him. We tried several medications from the vet and none of them worked.

During thunderstorms he would frantically try to climb on the highest object in the room, even if that was a person. There was no comforting him. He would leap on and off people, too. He weighs 60 lbs.

He is also afraid of gunshots. One of my sons discovered a great way to deal with this. He put the dog in his crate and covered it with a blanket. The door remains uncovered, and we sit in front of it. The dog stays calm. Now, ordinarily he doesn't like the crate and he figured out how to unlatch it while he was in it.

We would have tried the crate plan with the thunderstorms, but my daughter wanted to try this other method, which she read about online.

[Duncanpup]

22. Thank you

[JustAnotherGen]

23. Ditto the treat method

Works wonders for my Maltese over lord.

[qzwv8j]

24. I had one that was so terrified I was at wits end

I tried comforting, holding, music, drugs, food…. But I tried all this independently. Nothing worked. Until I combined all.

I give gabapenten, cuddle her on the couch with me or sit next to her in the floor, play the radio or the tv — anything that is a noise that is not a “boom”, and use little mini dog bone treats that I feed one at a time as a distraction after a loud clap of thunder/fireworks/gunshot, whatever.

The drugs combined with me really seems to help, but the food was the kicker.


Thunder shirts were useless on this particular dog — the fear was too great. Worked good on another that didn’t like the noise/was scared but NOT terrified.