I used to have a Shih Tzu who was terribly afraid of thunder and loud noises. It was really hard to deal with and I always felt terrible when I was away from home and there was a storm because I knew how afraid he would be.
With Gracie I decided I would give her no reason to be afraid of anything. When a thunder storm or high winds come I pretend I do not notice. If there is a loud crack of thunder I make no comment and make sure that anyone here acts as though nothing is happening. If I have to close windows I go about it slowly and speak in a normal tone of voice. When there is a loud crack of thunder Gracie will look at me and I just continue what I am doing. I do not even say comforting words. To do so would just reenforce her idea that something may be wrong. So far so good. She does not come to me or act scared at all. She will occasionally look at me to see if I will react and when I don't she just goes back to what she was doing.
When you think of it you know dogs are very smart. If a person hears a loud noise and sits up and says, " Wow! that was close!" the dog is going to pick up on the person's surprise or alarm. Right away they know this is something to be concerned about. Remember how sensitive dogs are to your emotions and keep calm and quiet so they will, too. |