Thunder on the way : best way to handle it?

[dogmatize]

I have two 10 month old puppies and there is thunder forecast. This will be their first experience of it. I am keen to make sure I don't do anything to make it worse for them. Any ideas?

I have had dogs who didn't bat an eyelid and dogs who were terrified. I know how to help dogs that are terrified but if I can do anything to prevent another 15 years of anxiety I'd like to know what might help.

 

[leashedForLife]

Activities! -
play games, lower the blinds so the flash is not as intense, & just keep them happily occupied hunting for hidden toys, chasing a meal one flung tidbit at a time [leash them, take turns with one off to observe, & one free to eat], play tug, scent games, train, etc.
Every time thunder rolls, dole out a single small spoonful of vanilla organic yogurt - dogs love it, it's nutritious & not high-calorie. // Alternate which dog gets the spoonful 1st, have the other dog sit for their coming taste.

note:
DO NOT GET "low calorie" or DIET versions which may contain Xylitol - Xylitol is an artificial sweetener that is potentially fatal to any dog, read ingredient lists & never ever give anything containing it, to a dog.

Act as if nothing new is happening - normalize it for them. 
- terry

 

[gypsysmum2]

Try not to react yourself. Lots of people get up and close the curtains when they wouldn't normally to that. Or, they call out to another family member "did you hear that thunder!". If you are reading or watching tv etc just keep your eyes fixed on your activity. Your dog will have checked your expression to see what you thought of the flash or the bang. If you were just sitting as normal then that will be very comforting to them.

Of course, anticipate and have the curtains closed and the radio/tv on, just in case, but if caught unawares then think of yourself as setting an example of complete calm

 

[dogmatize]

Thanks. This is what we would be planning to do - basically just carry on as if nothing is happening. We sadly recently had to say goodbye to one of our dogs who was very reactive to everything but especially fireworks and thunder. We managed her well over the years with herbal remedies, thunder shirt and a bolt hole etc. I'm relieved to say our puppies didn't witness her anxiety so hopefully they will be off to a better start. My 2 older dogs are completely calm and laid back about everything in life !

 

[Peegee]

We made a dreadful mistake with our last dog by doing everything we could to relieve her stress at thunder and fireworks except ignore her!  Consequently the whole thing got so way out of control and all we were doing was upping the anti, so as she got worse, we tried harder and the whole thing became unbearable, and she was terrified.  All we were doing, of course, was making it such a big deal.  I've since learnt that we should have adopted the methods described by Gypsymum and last year our puppy was not the least bothered with the fireworks,  she is yet to experience thunder, but hopefully if we just act normally she will do the same,. This certainly worked when she was younger and quite worried at other dogs barking out of sight,.  We just ignored it carried on walking.  She's now not bothered.

 

[gypsysmum2]

Dogmatize - what did you think of the Thundershirt? Did you introduce it with several other remedies or on its own so that you could see if it had an effect?

There are differing opinions on them and I just wondered what you thought?

 

[dogmatize]

The first couple of times I used it it worked really well but after that it seemed to lose effect and i was worried that perhaps ,with the panting and pacing due to anxiety, it might be too restrictive and maybe overheating for her. Annoyingly we had sent to America for it as they weren't yet available here then. It was used alone without anything else.

The most helpful thing for her was a hidey hole made from 2 cardboard boxes which was fully enclosed with a pop hole for access. It was positioned under a desk with a blanket over it.

I used Valerian tincture for her often too, for anything that might cause her anxiety like the vet etc.

 

[leashedForLife]

I wasn't thrilled with the ThunderShirt - many clients & fosters who used it in humid Tidewater VA outdoors / on leash, complained that their dogs overheated even faster than usual [the climate there is H*** for dogs, 9-mos out of 12].  It's heavy cotton, thicker than a standard T-shirt, & a stressed dog is going to pant, BP & pulse are up, etc - they are prone to overheat just from stress.

the Anxiety-Wrap, OTOH, is a thin 4-way stretch mesh, which breathes very nicely - the only thing i had to watch for, was not keeping a dog wearing one in FULL SUN for too long, on a hot sunny day - as the black color does absorb a bit more heat. // I try to keep dogs in the shade on hot days, anyway, & even walk as much as possible on shadows, silly as that might seem.
On an 80'F day, the asphalt parking-lot can easily hit over 110'F after a few hours in full sun - so walking on the shadows cast by parked cars, tree canopy, etc, saves the dog's paws from contact heat, & saves the dog's core temp from climbing faster, too.   The blood circulated thru the dog's paws is heated by contact with the surfaces they walk on, & that heat is circulated into the body.

On the beaches, there may be no shade to be had, but by wading a dog can stay fairly cool - even on a 90'F day.
 - terry

 

[gypsysmum2]

Thanks, Dogmatize. The bolt hole is extremely helpful to most dogs. I knew one dog, though, that chose its owners lap. It was a Labrador!

I asked about your experience, as an owner, with the Thunder Shirt as there has been some discussion, recently, that it shuts down a dog's emotions rather than comforting them. The dog may appear to be calmer but is actually in shut down and so not calm and in learning mode which is where we want them to be. Shame we can't ask them isn't it?

 

[leashedForLife]

This is how the military habituate combat-K9s to gunfire, ordinance, bombs, choppers overhead, screaming jets, etc -

http://www.quantico.marines.mil/News/News-Article-Display/Article/517756/military-k9s-show-how-habituation-overcomes-dogs-fear-of-noise/

Thunder is a loud sound that travels a very long way; dogs can hear the super-low bass of loud thunder as much as 5-miles away, so long B4 we hear it or know it's coming, THEY already hear it. // Also, summer storms are accompanied by other stimuli - barometric pressure changes [higher, causing cows to lie down - the air is heavy], STATIC charges in the air can make a dog's skin prickle as each hair reacts to the electricity & repels other hairs, wind thrashes the tree limbs B4 the edge of the approaching storm arrives, etc, etc.

All those other coincident stimuli make thunder-phobia, once acquired, difficult to "fix". We can play recordings of thunder; but we can't raise the barometer reading, cause static charges in the air, or make the ground vibrate with infrasonic bass notes. // That's why making a storm the signal of a party, a super game, a training session with high value tidbits, etc, is a good form of insurance.
ALL THE STORM SIGNALS ARE PRESENT... & the dog is having fun, too busy to notice the storm except as background.  
 -  terry

Terry Pride, CVA, member Truly Dog-Friendly
 

 

[leashedForLife]

This BTW , from the Quantico article above, is flat-out wrong -
QUOTE,
"Gallaway said anyone trying to condition a dog’s response also must be careful not to inadvertently reward the wrong behavior. Comforting the dog by petting ..., praising..., or giving [her or him] food while s/he is overreacting can send the wrong message."

I think i already posted CAAB Trish McConnell's 4 articles on "reinforcing fear" & thunder-phobia; comforting, cuddling, petting, feeding, etc, does nothing to 'reinforce fear', & if the animal or person is capable of eating, EATING - or even smelling food, or looking at luscious candies, etc, even tho we do not actually eat them - will help us to calm down when stressed or scared.

Eating produces endorphins, which induce calm & reduce stress; if sniffing "essence of lasagna" helps U cope on nights when U are freaking-out over household finances & cannot Shut Off yer Brain to sleep, great! - keep a tightly-stoppered bottle of Lasagna Cologne by the bed, & sniff as needed.   No side-effects, very safe, very simple.

holding hands with yer S.O. when U are upset won't make U MORE upset, unless something is out of whack with Ur relationship as a couple; if it helps, whether the person in distress has 2 legs, 4, wings, whatever, just do it. // U cannot reinforce an emotion;  U can only reinforce behavior, & if comforting the distressed person lowers their pulse, BP, respiration, etc, you are helping them - not hurting them.  
 - terry