Thunder freaked her out!
 

It thundered loudly and Melba was sleeping. She was shocked, she almost jump. After the loud thunder, she couldn't even stand straight, her body was curled up, and when I called her, she couldn't even moved her feet.

What should I do in that kind of situation? Any advice? :confused:

Thank you

im very lucky maddie isnt afraid of the thunder--however when there is a REAL loud one she will jump and bark, but then goes back to what shes doing.
I dont really know of anything except maybe give her something that comforts her, a special toy ect. only when it storms. Reassure her petting and talking to her-- sorry thats ill i have ;)

I have been working on this for the past month. When it thunders, Cooper goes and hides and shakes. Poor thing is so scared. I've tried everything but we've made progress with 3 specific techniques. Cooper would never take a treat or play ball or anything.

1. Believe it or not, I take Cooper outside to play ball right before a storm comes, if i can time it right. He's so involved with the ball that he hardly hears the thunder when it starts. Now, when it thunders, he gets his ball and rings the bell to go play outside.

2. I put on his 'tough boy' shirt. I've learned that there are items like the Thundershirt | The Best Solution for Dog Anxiety, that apply constant pressure to a dog's body, thereby comforting the dog. Well, I make a big deal out of Cooper's tough boy shirt and it's become an excitement to put it on.

3. Classical/soft music. I seriously didn't think this was going to work, but it does. If you turn it loud enough it will drown out the thunder.

Cooper still runs in the corner sometimes and shakes. But with these 3 techniques, we keep busy enough that he learns to ignore the awful sound.

Light thunder Callie does great with and could care less about but when it gets really bad she gets a little scared. What I found works for us is for me to wrap her in a towel and hold her to me. Also it helps if you and everyone around is calm which I know is hard to do sometimes with some storms. They also make a thing called a thunder rap if your baby doesnt like to be held.

So it's not just Melba. Thank you to all of your advice! She's scared up until now. She keeps on staying beside :(

Sophie is conquering her fear of rain and thunder. Like Coopers mom, I put a tight tee on her and she is much better. Now this has taken about 6-9 months but it's working!

I must have 2 nutcases because mine love storms - especially Chanel - she'll race around house and HAS to see outside when they're hitting

when I had a yard she would race out the slider door - do 3 circles in the yard yipping like a little fool and run back in totally wet - I learned to have a towel at the ready

but I taught them that storms were 'fun' and fireworks too - I used to sit outside and clap when the big boomers would hit and clap - they started associating it with mom having a good time and really have never been scared since.

Cheri gets quiet and not as 'happy' as Chanel but neither shake

I feel bad for the pets that really freak - it's hard to see them so scared

Putting a snug shirt on does help, my Izzy is terrified of thunder and if I put a shirt on her in time, she does much better.

I have read that the bigger deal you make of it, and the more you coddle them during a storm, the more intense their fear reaction will become. Just act like it's no big deal at all and hopefully your nonchalance will rub off on your baby:)

yup ! I agree ! IF we show them it's something to fear then they read into that -

That's how I acted when mine were little and while I'm sure they hate them when I'm at work - they're fine when I'm home

Thunderstorms
 

my bandit is nuts or something..... it has been pretty rainy and stormy the past few days and anytime i take him out to go potty cause we dont have a fenced yard so we go out on leash..... he goes crazy and wants to run all over and play in puddles that are everywhere and gets dirty and soaked...... does anyones elses yorkies do this.... and no i didnt teach him to like it

We had our first thunderstorm the other night, since I got Teegy. He wasn't at all rattled and last night when I took him out for his walk, people were letting of loud Canada Day fireworks, didn't even phase him. Did I mention I love my Teegy

HI I have also heard that if you get a tape of a thunder storm and play it soft at first for a week or so and then making it louder as time goes on that they get use to it.

Good advise everyone, keep 'em coming...I'd love to break Winton's habit of fearing thunder storms...it's just pitiful the way he shakes, paces and pants. I've never shown any fear towards storms for Winston to have "learned" it...he just gets so scared. I'm going to be trying each and every thing you all have mentioned. Thanks...

try not to make it a big deal. When Joey was about 14 weeks old, he all of a sudden started screaming in his kennel. I took him out, thinking he was hurt. My mom lived about 20 minutes away, and when I told her about it the next morning, she said there had been thunder over there, and he could have heard it. I think it just scares some dogs silly. I would definitely try to not make it a big deal though, cause then the dog will see that it's not a huge deal too. I work in a lab, and the kids that I see freaked out the most about having their blood drawn are the ones where the parents are making everything a big deal and babying the kids.

oh, and maybe if he is calm, you could give him a treat...or give him something to chew on during the storm...maybe it would take his mind off of being scared?

Just keep trying. Cooper and I have been working at it for a few weeks now and it seems to be getting better. Definitely try the shirt technique though as it seems to be working for most of us.

Morgan is terrified of thunderstorms, fire works, loud banging noises, and loud high pitch noises, and i believe she can feel static electricity and changes in the air pressure which make her panic as well. She was fine with these things as a baby then right around the time she turned 2 years old this fear developed out of the blue. the behaviorist i used to work with said this is a common age for these fears to develop. i don't remember why she said so.

I tried so many things to get morgan to relax. I tired ignoring her and just continuing on with what i'm doing like nothing is happening outside. I've also tried dryer sheets before a storm, a t-shirt, a rubber mat, wrapping her in a blanket/towel, turning up the tv, holding her, playing with her, distracting her, etc... nothing worked.

I had seen people talking about an anxiety shirt here but no one had tried it before so i did some research and found these two products: The Anxiety Wrap™ - End Thunderstorm Fear - A calming product that helps Dogs & Cats overcome their fears and anxieties and Thundershirt | The Best Solution for Dog Anxiety

i was going to get the anxiety wrap but the smallest size was still too big for morgan and at the time i wanted to place an order the lady who made the custom sizes was on medical leave for a few weeks. So i ordered the Thunder Shirt. When i first got it in the mail i thought it was just gonna be another failed attempt because it looks like its made of sweat shirt material that velcros across the neck, then twice around the waist. Let me tell you, i noticed a difference in morgan the first time i put it on her when i new a storm was coming. she started shaking when she heard the thunder but never started panting and pacing. usually she's shaking, panting, and pacing around the place trying to find a "safe" place to hide (which included behind the desk, under a towel, in the corner, under the cat scratching tree, and up behind my neck). I put it on her every time a storm was coming, and for those random freak outs for reasons unknown to me. She's doing so much better. the last couple fridays there have been fire works and she didn't shake, pant, or pace at all, and that's WITHOUT the shirt on. so yay! we love the thunder shirt.

Wow that is amazing that it worked. I was skeptical until I read your post as I have never heard from anyone who used it. That will be my next resort if nothing else works with Cooper. Glad you were able to see some relief.

I am wondering, could it be because Winston does not wear clothes at all? Are naked Yorkies more likely to fear storms and other loud noises like fireworks exploding. Hmmmm...just a random thought.

I think thunder is afraid with Melba, it didn't come back! LOL