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community Thunderstorm Fear
Dear WOOF:
We are proud owners of a 2 1/2 year old male pitbull who is scared to death of thunder and lightning. When it storms he tries to get to the highest level of the house and pants, shakes until the storm is over. I am afraid that he will one day hyperventilate or have a heart attack. Do you have any suggests to help us work with our dog through the stormy weather? Hi- This is a common problem in dogs and with the storm season is upon us, so it's something that many dog owners will likely also be thinking about. The standard approach for modifying such behavioral responses are known as desensitization and counter-conditioning. Taken together, this involves controlled, non-fear inducing exposures (done using a CD of storm noises, so you can control the volume) that are paired with good things *like yummy food treats, play or anything your dog LOVES*. The goal is to eventually establish (at "full intensity" levels) a new and positive emotional response to the sounds that were previously frightening to the dog. Unfortunately, storm phobic responses can be difficult to modify. Reason being that in order to successfully teach the dog a new and pleasant emotional association with the storm, we must identify and desensitize/counter-condition all of the triggers that cause the fear. Even if the dog is initially only afraid of loud crashes of thunder, eventually other factors usually begin to "cue" the dog of the impending thunder - before the storm even hits. For example, when a
storm is approaching, there are atmospheric factors like changes in barometric
pressure and humidity that dogs may sense long before we do. Those events
then become a cue to the dog that the thunder is coming, and can in
themselves trigger the onset of fear. If your dog is sensitive to these events,
progress can be difficult, since atmoshperic changes can not be controlled,
therefore making the process more challenging. Sometimes, a flash of lightening
becomes more anxiety producing than the thunder to follow, since it usually
precedes the crashing sound!
Before you get discouraged, there is hope for your storm phobic dog! One product that can help is called the Thunder Shirt http://www.thundershirt.com/. Here's another link to some great information on treating storm phobias that you should also find helpful - Another option depending on the severity of the fear, is medication. For dogs exhibiting behavior(s) associated with more than a mild or moderate fear of storms, your veterinarian may prescribe anti-anxiety medications that can help the dog to relax more during the process. If we can help further in any way, please don't hesitate to contact us. We'd like to know how
you and your dog are doing so please keep us posted.
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