Just found this site via a car bb where I posted the issues I am having with my male dog.... so here goes
I have a 2.5+ yr old Brittney who is scared to death of thunder & this is the first time he has been scared of it. He totally freaks out.. panting, restless, breathing heavy etc... I have no clue what to do to get him over this fear.
I try having him lay in my lap, on the floor, in the bathroom, in his cage, give him a bone & the list goes on. Nothing helps
If your dog has extreme fear, you might want to talk to your vet about behavioral modification, or a combination of behavioral modification and medications, to be determined by your vet's evaluation of your dog, health history, etc.
Here is another link with some ideas. I'm fairly sure Traci will add some caution about the more natural remedies, but it might be worth talking about with your Vet.
One of my dogs is like that too, and I pretty much leave her alone, even though it breaks my heart. We have tried meds with no luck, a thunderstorm tape, etc. Someone else had suggested putting the dog on the bed with you and making a really big fuss over her, talking in a loud but pleasant voice and feeding a really special treat such as liverwurst constantly. I can't imagine Biscotti wanting to eat, but it might be worth a try.
You can guess how excited I am about the approaching hurricane season!
Uh-huh. Homeopathy: Does not work, period. And it goes without saying, it is no better than placebo. (since the substance contains nothing of the "mother tincture").
Flower essences: Also essentially worthless and based on "faith" for a miriad of psychological "claims". Although, since most of them contain alcohol, given enough of it, yeah, it may produce a slight "effect", but does that mean it's safe?
Melatonin: Many studies have been done on it's use in canine alopecia, but I suspect it's use for storm-phobia is mostly anecdotal. I personally would not want to risk tampering with the natural hormonal balance in the pet by using this supplement. To their credit, the link at least warns consumers about the potential for adulterated supplements (i.e., those that contain additional herbs, etc). Herbs have not been properly tested for use in animals, and until they are, and until they are properly regulated, they should be considered risky, especially when used with or combined with other substances.
There are also behavior studies that suggest that persistent "hugging" or "coddling" a storm-phobic dog generally worsens the situation and heightens the dog's apprehension and fear. I suppose for some dogs, depending on the relationship between the owner and dog, and environmental considerations, this may work for a few of them, but I doubt it's the rule. I think the less stress on physical attention given to the dog (and perhaps diverting the attention), the better, but that's only my opinion.
Most vets are capable of helping the owner form a behavioral modification "program" for their storm-phobic dog, some dogs may indeed require combined medications, this should be determined between the vet and owner based on several indicators of the dog's tendencies, environment, observed behavior, health status, tolerance of medications, etc.
I have heard from several sources that one of the worst things you can do is make a fuss over your dog during the storm. It is best to go on with everything as normally as possible. By making a fuss (like keeping them in your lap or staying with them) and trying to calm them down, you in effect, validate their fear. Distracting them with a game may work. I found with Mickey, he just had to ride it out. Nothing I tried worked. He found the only room in the house with no windows (the laundry room) and would go there. If I had a pile of dirty laundry on the floor, he would hide in that. It was terrible to watch because he would shake and was obviously so miserable. He became afraid of storms when he was about 6 years old. I never knew what happened to cause him to become afraid, but here in Florida we have afternoon thunderstorms almost every day during the summer, and I suspect there may have been a lightening strike near that house or even possibly a tornado that went overhead during one of those storms when we were at work. That was the only thing that was good about him becoming deaf as he aged. When he could no longer hear the thunder (or it's sound became muffled), he was no longer afraid.
One of the things I did read when I was trying to figure out how to help Mickey was to find a recording of a thunderstorm and play it for the dog often, starting at a very low volume and gradually increasing it over a period of several days, and at the same time finding something for him to do, and doing that same thing everytime you played the tape. It is a form of desensitizing. I never tried it, but it makes sense that it could work.
I know I haven't been of much help. I hope you find something that works for your dog.
"A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself." ~ Josh Billings.
