Help! My Yorkies afraid of storms!
 

My little Odie (3 years old) is afraid of storms and is becoming worse. What can I do? The vet suggested playing a storm CD and maybe getting a strobe light to simulate lightning. I tried the CD. He doesn't pay attention to it. Haven't tried the light yet. But he's not only afraid of thunder and lightening he's also afraid of rain. Even when he hears the weatherman on the news say the word 'rain' he begins to shake, then he pants so hard he gags and chokes. The vet gave us tranquilizers but when I give him a dose he stumbles and falls and is just so pathetic. Please help if you can!

my york gets scared too. sometimes ..storms frighten me too. i think it's a natural reaction to loud noise and bright light. i just hold and comfort him during a bad storm.

We had the same problem with our 70lb Keeshond - a little harder to hold and comfort. But that's what we did, because he would FREAK OUT (running, barking NON-STOP) whenever he heard a clap of thunder. The behaviour would continue until he hadn't heard any thunder for several minutes. Ironically he was pretty good until last summer (he was 3.5) and it used to be our Sharpei who would get upset, and she got a lot better last summer, she was 5.5. So, I don't have any advice other than try and calm him down as much as you can (we'd force Jager on the bed and try and cuddle him and pet him and make the shush noise quietly) and hopefully Odie will grow out it :)

Here's hoping you have light storm summer!

Tara :)

I have never used one, but have read that these help a lot in storms.

http://www.anxietywrap.com/

You would have to put it on before the storm I believe.

Good luck, let us know if you find something that helps.

I've had success with a couple of different techniques - depending on the personalities of the dog.

One was VERY food motivated. So every time a storm would start up and she'd start getting anxious I'd get the treat jar out and every clap of thunder or flash of lighting I'd laugh and dance around, gave her treats and just be really happy and make it like a big party. It didn't take too long for her to hear the thunder and run to the kitchen barking and jumping wanting her treats.

Another sounds much like your Odie. She'd shake and hyperventilate to the point of nearly having a seizure. Wasn't just thunder and lightening, it was any loud noise that she couldn't see the cause of the noise. The A/C kicking on, the garage door going up, heavy rain. With her I just had to stay very calm, she could sense if I was upset, and kept her laying right on my lap. Very little petting, no comforting talk, just an occasional scratch on her back and when it started to get out of control a firm but loving "Quit". If it was at night, I'd turn on a night light and at first even the tv to help with the noise issue. It took maybe a year, but she got to where she'd be worried, but not freaking out.

The comforting talk and petting that we instinctive want to do only reinforces the fear. They are panicking and you are basically telling them they are right to panic, there is great danger and you should be very afraid. I think it took longer to 'train' my husband to not comfort her then it took her to figure out the world wasn't coming to an end. ;)

I guess the main thing is to find what you can do to get their mind on something else and then do it without transmitting the stress you are feeling about them being upset.

Good luck!
Teresa

I just got the newsletter from http://www.b-naturals.com/ (a great site) it is about anxiety and stress this month. They address thunderstorm phobia in it. For some reason it isn't showing up on the website. If you are interested in reading it I would be glad to forward it to you.

Nancy

There are herbal remedies that may or may not work. Never know until you try one or several different ones.

My babies don't get upset in storms, in fact they lay in the window sleeping and watching the storm when it is lightening and thundering and I have to pull them out of the window for their safety. We recently had thunder that rocked the house and they didn't bat an eyelash. I don't understand why some dogs are afraid and others aren't. I would recommend you don't coddle them when they are afraid though. I think if I acted nervous they would be too.

A friend of mine told me that she puts a little dress on her baby when she gets afriad of lightening and thunder and it helps. Even though she isn't afraid of the fiercest storm, Daisy is nervous when the ice cubes drop into the ice cube tray in our new refrigerator. She isn't used to the noise so it scares her. When I put a little dress on her she calms down. I put a soft cotton dress on her that kind of hugs her around the middle. She is getting used to the noise now and is doing much better.

Good luck.

I had a golden ret. named Cody girl and she was absolutely, positively terrified of storms. Poor baby would shake and drool and pace and then she finally found peace in the bathtub where it was dark and somewhat muffled I guess. She was the worst Ive ever had but you could take her out in the fields and skeet shoot all day and she was fine. There is something in the barometric pressure that gets them too. She never did get over it no matter wat we did to help her. She finally passed away at the ripe old age of 14.
I guess some dogs are just more sensitive to them. Storms dont bother my yorkies one bit. I have to say, its a nice change lol.

My 12 year old girl, Dixie, is terrified of storms. When it starts storming I just have to hold her, she shakes and shakes. Going through hurricane Rita did not help any. She got much worse after that. I think she knows I get a bit tense also during storms. I have one other that gets really scared and she will go hide under a chair.

Don't baby him. If you do, he will always be fearful. Conner was afraid of storms when he was a puppy. When a storm would come, I would get his favorite toys and play with him on the floor. He is no longer afraid of storms. He doesn't even flinch. He runs and gets his toys and thinks it is playtime!!

My MIL's Collie is terrified of fireworks..her vet told her about this herbal spray that is actually for human anxiety..it's called Rescue Remedy...it contains (and i happen to have a bottle right here) 5x dilution of flower extracts of Rock Rose, impatiens,clematis, star of bethlehem (whats that?! lol) and cherry plum in a grape alchohol solution..grape???hmmmmm:confused: anyway..I have never tried it on any of my dogs but my MIL says it does help calm her down alot.

Ugh - my post deleted!!

My older Reggie has severe storm terrors. In fact, it's storming here tonight. Ignoring the problem not to reinforce the fear doesn't work in our case, because these are terrors, not fears. So I've researched a lot. Dogs will often try to get themselves into a grounded area to avoid shock - behind the toilet or in the car. Reggie does this. On really bad occasions, we've actually just taken him for a ride in the car to calm him down.

Newest research shows comparisons between the therapies in autism in children and storm phobias in dogs.... pressure therapy. It inhibits the "messages" being sent. The anxiety wraps uses this therapy but are very pricey. To try it out, try tight t-shirts. For Reggie, I use two premie snap t-shirts - one snapped in the front and one snapped in the back. This has worked to take the edge off the terror. He is actually quite compliant when he sees me getting them out. I told my "holostic" groomer about this, and she shared that she had another client with a tiny dog that used a tube sock in the same manner. Since using this therapy, Reggie's "terrors" have actually reduced to "phobias" - after 10 years of living with it, trying medication, natural remedies, and MANY sleepless nights.

Good luck - Spring is a rough season. :)