Dogs and Thunderstorm/Loud Noise Phobia

Loud noises upset many companion animals, leaving them feeling very nervous and scared. Although your natural reaction may be to comfort a nervous pet with a soothing tone and food treats, comforting him can exacerbate and reinforce his behavior. He will learn that he will be rewarded whenever he shows fear. Treat your dog gently and kindly when he is afraid, but don't cuddle and reassure him, because that will reward his scaredy-dog behavior.  Definitely don't punish him for it either. If you appear concerned, you will reinforce your dog's conviction that something is horribly wrong.  Instead, stay upbeat and cheerful, and encourage your dog to play.  You want to make it appear that loud noises make good things happen.  Be calm and provide him with a safe, familiar place where he can feel secure.  If his reactions are extreme, your veterinarian can prescribe *medication to help your pet ride out the thunderstorm, fireworks, or other uncontrolled conditions that send your dog or cat into a frenzy of fear. 

*Please plan ahead. We must have current (within the year) records of you pets health before prescribing this medication, as it is a prescription item.  When filling your pets medications there are many strict regulations that we must follow, so call well in advance of when you think you may need a tranquilizer/anti-anxiety medication.   We will advise you if your pet needs an examination before this can be filled.  It will also give you the chance to do a "trial run", to see how your pet reacts to the tranquilizing effects.

Does your dog bury his head into your side every time he hears the roar of thunder? Does he dive under the bed whenever lightning strikes? From your point of view, this may seem like cute and endearing behavior, but it's a sign that your dog is terrified of storms. Some owners are willing to simply put up with symptoms of storm phobias like hiding, panting, trembling, whining, drooling, and pacing. In more severe cases, however, panicking dogs have been known to chew furniture, claw and tear at doorjambs, tear drapes, break windows, jump fences and take off running during thunderstorms. In either case, the behavior is a sign of a terrified, unhappy dog.

Causes
Storm phobias are one of the most common behavioral problems dog owners face, but their cause is not entirely clear. Behaviorists are not yet sure what part of the storm frightens dogs most, whether they're reacting to lightning flashes, the sound of thunder, wind blowing around the house, or the sound of rain on the roof. Some dogs even start to pace and whine half an hour or more before a storm. They may be reacting to a sudden drop in air pressure or the electrical charge of the air.

Nature or nurture?
An article in the July/August 2001 issue of the Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association describes an Internet survey of the owners of storm-phobic dogs. The authors discovered that some breeds may be predisposed to a fear of storms. Herding dogs, such as collies and German shepherds, and hounds, such as beagles and basset hounds, seem to be more likely to develop a storm phobia than other dogs. The phobia is also common in sporting and working breeds. The study suggests that this tendency may be explained in terms of the dogs' genetics. For example, herding dogs have been bred to react quickly to stimuli, such as a calf wandering away from the herd, but not to be aggressive. It could be that herding dogs have a strong reaction to the startling noises and flashes of a storm, but they repress any aggressive response to it, causing anxiety.

The JAAHA study also showed that rescued dogs--dogs adopted from shelters or rescue organizations--may also be more likely to develop storm phobias. The article suggested that these dogs are more likely to have had unpleasant, scary experiences prior to being adopted. They may have been abused or abandoned by a former owner, or they may not have been well socialized or exposed to a wide variety of sights and sounds. These kinds of early-life experiences can make dogs more anxious and prone to all kinds of phobias.

What to do
Your best bet for helping your pup overcome his thunderstorm fears is to talk to your veterinarian. He or she can help you develop a program to gradually retrain your scaredy dog by gradually, gently helping him adjust to storms through behavior modification. Technically called "systematic desensitization," this involves exposing the storm-phobic dog to some gentle reminders of a thunderstorm, such as a very soft tape recording of thunder or a flashing light, and rewarding the dog with lots of treats, attention, and other positive reinforcement only if there's no evidence of anxiety. Over time, the intensity of the stimulus is increased, and only calm behavior rewarded. You should get profession guidance, either from a veterinarian or a veterinary behavior specialist, before you begin this process, however. If you introduce frightening stimuli too quickly or don't see signs of fear your dog may be showing, you could possibly end up making the phobia worse.

If gentle, patient retraining doesn't help your pooch, there are some prescriptions that can. Your veterinarian can prescribe one of several anti-anxiety or antidepressant medications to help your dog remain calm during storms. You can also make sure your dog has a warm, safe "den" to retreat to when the weather gets too scary. You can try padding a crate with blankets or clearing a space underneath your bed. Just make sure that it's somewhere your pup can get out of whenever he wants. A panicked dog can do a lot of damage to his crate and himself if he's confined.

Helping a dog with noise phobia requires a muliti-level approach; 

Environmental management -a quiet, dark, safe place, backround music to help drown out outside noises.

Behavior modification -teaching your dog to settle and relax in a specific location, using treats and playtime as a reward for a good sit, stay and relax. Desensitazion using audio CD's of sounds & noises to help decrease anxious behavior.........this training must take place prior to storms or fireworks.

Medications- there are several drugs that your veterinarian can dispense, as well as homeopathic remedies.  Any treatment should be discussed thoroughly with your veterinarian.  It is important to understand the necessity of a combined treatment plan, as a single approach to this behavior is rarely adequate.  The time you put into training will improve the welfare of your dog, and reduce the stress you both experience when dealing with noise phobias.

Most important is to treat your dog gently and kindly when he is afraid. Don't cuddle and reassure him, because that will reward his scaredy-dog behavior, but definitely don't punish him for it either. Instead, just be calm and provide him with a safe, familiar place where he can feel secure and ride out the storm.

Signs of stress

The first thing to do if you are concerned about your dog’s reaction to loud noises is to watch him for signs of stress and anxiety. These can include:

trembling, panting, restlessness, salivating, destructiveness, clinging to you, hiding, licking lips, pacing, yawning, attention seeking, barking, shaking, whining, escape behaviour, loss of house training

Any of these types of behaviour could indicate that your dog is developing a phobia towards noise. Occasionally, once a phobia begins to develop, your dog may begin to display similar symptoms towards other sudden noises, so it is very important to seek advice at the earliest opportunity.

Early experiences are very important for the development of puppies and if dogs are exposed to a variety of sights and sounds from an early age, they’re less likely to have adverse reactions when they grow up. However, there’s no guarantee that even the soundest of dogs won’t display an unexpected reaction later in life – it only takes a single scary event to induce a fear response.

What you can do

Making sure his environment is safe and that he cannot escape.

Ensuring he always wear a collar and have him microchipped– just in case of a successful escape attempt.

Trying to ignore any signs of restlessness and stress and rewarding any calm, relaxed behaviour.

Preparing a “den” for him, away from windows.

Covering a table with a blanket or placing his bed behind a sofa where he will feel safe, secure and comfortable.

Closing the curtains to reduce the likelihood of flashes, and turning on the TV or radio.

Feeding your dog before the noise starts – this should encourage him to rest.

Not leaving him alone – dogs are pack animals and need the security and confidence provided by the presence of others.

Finding him a friend! The companionship of a confident dog can give reassurance to a fearful one.

Occupying him with food-filled toys or other fun activities.

Choosing safe times for exercise and relief.

Temporarily moving his sleeping area. Moving it closer to you can increase his confidence.

Remaining calm and relaxed yourself.

We would advise you never to:

Let your dog go outside when fireworks are sounding, even if he shows no signs of stress.

Exercise or walk him when fireworks are likely.

Punish your dog for being frightened.

Leave him alone during the firework period.

Take your dog to a firework display.

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