My Dog Is Scared of Thunder

The good news; we are finally getting some consistent rain! The bad news; lightning, and especially thunder, can be scary for some dogs.

Why is my dog scared?

This is most often because the dog was not exposed (or not exposed correctly) to thunder when he was in the curious weeks (about 8 to 12 weeks of age). Often dogs with extreme aversions are so spooked because their handler accidentally reinforces the behavior.

Can I make my dog feel better?

I have spoken to many clients about coddling their dog. Unfortunately, you cannot sooth your dog by coddling them. Giving a dog this type of attention just reinforces a behavior. Now, if your dog is sick, of course you can give him some “coddling” like attention, but if your dog is reacting to something negatively that should not elicit a negative response (e.g. thunder) you should NOT coddle the dog. Instead you should try to have fun with the dog as the thunder starts to approach (as soon as or just before you start seeing them get anxious) and be happy and goofy with them during the storm (try and get his tail wagging)! This is true for all kinds of behaviors that should not, but do elicit fear.

What if my dog is crazy scared?

Of course, if he is already completely terrified and you cannot get him to do anything except run and hide, then give him a safe place to hide, e.g. a covered kennel. But still do not coddle him. Just ignore him and go about your business – make a special effort to do something mundane or fun. At the very least ignoring them will not make it worse (especially if he can find a “safe” place to wait out the storm) but coddling him certainly will continue to worsen the reaction. Most importantly, make sure he can be safe and will not break out of the house or yard to get away. You can also try a Thundershirt as I know some clients rave about it and others it did not help.

If the reaction is causing a significant problem or issues you should seek out assistance from Sit Means Sit.

In summary:

• Expose your dog early to loud – SAFE – noises and play around the noises, treat, have fun. Do this with thunder too.
• If the dog is already fearful but not crazy scared, try to play and have fun as soon as any signs of anxiety appear – the sooner the better.
• If he is crazy scared, give him a safe place to hang out (a crate, under the bed, in the bathtub, etc – he will usually seek this out on his own but make sure he has some options.