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Poor little guy freaks out!!! Hi Everyone! I need your help! We have been having a lot of storms here lately and Bailey freaks out when it rains and storms. He starts displaying the following symptoms: shaking, panting, crying and pacing. Sometimes if a really loud boomer will strike he will yelp. I just don't know what to do to help him. I've tried making him stay with me and not letting him move (to not give into his anxiety). I've tried meds, but I don't want to medicate my dog for his whole life, not to mention the meds don't work well on him. I've been literally losing sleep because the storms have been overnight. I'm worried because 4th of July is coming up. Can anyone offer any advice??? I'm open to anything!!! |
I am so sorry your little baby is going through this. I love the dog whisperer and watch his show religiously and read his website. On the website they had a case where a dog owner didnt know what to do because their dog was afraid of storms and thunder. His suggestion was to play cd's of rain and storms (some just have loud rain falling and then some have thunder incorproated into it---they are part of the relaxing spa kind of cd's you can get anywhere) in the house a little at a time to get the dog accustomed to the noise. He also said that you start out with a low volume and you can build up the length of the cd playing but also the volume strength. Hope this helps! |
That's a good idea... Maybe if I can desensitize him, he will not be so upset when the storm or boomers come! Thanks! Quote:
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Also, I read on here somewhere that a snug t-shirt works good for storm fears! It makes them feel safe or something I have no idea but people swear by it. |
I've tried that and it doesn't work with my baby :(. He just has sooooo much anxiety that nothing seems to calm him down. I put an e-mail into the trainer that I used awhile back and she just e-mailed me back and told me to call her, so hopefully she'll have some suggestions. I can't do these sleepless nights much longer. I'm also afraid he's going to have a heart attack!!! Quote:
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Mine are scared of Thunder and hide under blankets. |
I wish Bailey would do that and only that! Are they afraid of fireworks too? Quote:
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I could see Suzi very scared of thunder and all these loud sounds :eek: Growing up, our family had a little pom that was terrified of the same things. She would go and hide and nobody could find her. We finally did, and she was in a closet . my only suggestion would be to find a safe place for Bailey. One that he can go to when he is scared, that is quiet. even if you have to make a cozy spot in your clothes closet or something , as far away from the noise as possible. otherwise try desentizing him, but dogs hearing is so much greater then humans. my son has autism, and freaks out with loud noises too . So I have to do the same thing with him, try to calm him down , and reassure him that he's safe. |
I have had a lot of luck with desensitization. All you need is a cd or mp3 of what have you of thunderstorms and something to play it on. What you do, is you put the track on very very low (barely noticeable) for a short period of time at first. It should barely be in the background. Slowly work up the time you're playing it until you're playing it for several hours. (If you dog acts nervous, lower the volume more.) After about a week (or less) you're dog should be getting a bit more used to the sounds, and you can turn up the volume a bit louder. Do the same thing again, slowly increase the time you play it for until you're playing it for several hours at a time. Increase it again and do the same thing. Eventually you'll be at the point where its a normal volume and he shouldn't be upset about it. The whole idea of doing it this way is that you're teaching your dog that the sound isn't something to fear. This works with any other sounds as well, like vacuums or fireworks. Sometimes it takes a while, but I've never had a dog I couldn't desensitize yet. |
Thank you, I will try this. :) Quote:
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