Dogs and Thunderstorms

green1 · Post by **green1** » July 19, 2006 1:39 pm

So the thunder woke me up last night. Or more appropriately, one of our dogs waking up, jumping off the bed and digging her way under the bed woke me up. She pushed aside luggage, and then when she got there and another thunderclap sounded she started to twist and squirm to get out. So I took her in the other room to let my wife sleep, and just laid on the guest bed until her quivering stopped and she could fall asleep again.

This didn't happen when she was a pup but seems to be getting worse as she ages. Has anyone gone through this, and if so do you know of anything you can do, short of drugs, to calm them?

citcat · Post by **citcat** » July 19, 2006 1:49 pm

My dog AND my cat do this.
We just kinda purposely ignore the thunder, hoping they get the hint that the big loud boom is nothing to be afraid of.
Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
Now fireworks.......THAT scares the beejeebers outta my dog.
Fourth of July is heck on wheels.

Moonie · Post by **Moonie** » July 19, 2006 1:49 pm

Wee Dog is petrified of them...he hides under the couch the first sign of a storm...chopper going over or a loud airplace, he does the same thing...

or gets in our lap, and shakes..it scares him terrribly..

I don't know of any cure or remedy for it..

oh yeah..the other two dogs could care less...

green1 · Post by **green1** » July 19, 2006 1:54 pm

Yeah, she quivers and pants slobbering everything and everyone in her path.

The strange thing is that we hunt with these dogs and she is OK with gunfire going off not to far away from her.

RAGTOP · Post by **RAGTOP** » July 19, 2006 2:03 pm

AJ sleeps right through it. Nothing can wake him up. One time I locked myself out of my apartment so I had to climb in through the window. He just continued to lay on the couch as I climbed in not moving an inch. A guard dog he is not

.

BahamaBreeze · Post by **BahamaBreeze** » July 19, 2006 2:12 pm

Our chocolate lab falls to pieces during a storm.
You have this giant dog trying to sit right on your chest during a storm, drooling and panting all over you.

We have tried putting her in a spare bedroom during a storm, but the door got the short end of that deal.

Now we just call her our weather gal...she will start to pant a little when the pressure begins to drop. We flip on the weather channel and see how intense and how many storms are headed our way. If it looks like it will be a good long storm, we pop her 1/2 of a pill the vet gave. Its just enough to take the edge off...she gets a whole one at night since we all want to sleep.

Funny, our little 15lb daschund just sleeps right throught them...and here is this 85lb lab falling to pieces.

Island_Dog · Post by **Island_Dog** » July 19, 2006 2:13 pm

While I can't speak from experience, as I have to wake my dog up during storm and fireworks to let him know what he's missing, I do know that there is doggy-dope available from the vet that can calm a dog down. Basically a sedative of sorts, but not sure how you would apply it on a timely basis. Fireworks can be predicted, choppers, storms and such can't. Unless you just want to dope fido up to the point where he/she is eternally mellow, but that's not fair to the dog.

Check with your vet.

Best of Love & Luck.... from one dog lover to another.

My screen name is based on the fact that I would love to live a dog's life somewhere on an island. No cares, no worries and someone always available to get me a drink and some chow.

Post by **SMLCHNG** » July 19, 2006 2:16 pm

My Sasha used to do the same quiver and whine...

It was soooo pathetic. Hid under anything she could find.. this helped A LITTLE.

http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_ ... &N=2023689

Island_Dog · Post by **Island_Dog** » July 19, 2006 2:18 pm

RAGTOP wrote:AJ sleeps right through it. Nothing can wake him up. One time I locked myself out of my apartment so I had to climb in through the window. He just continued to lay on the couch as I climbed in not moving an inch. A guard dog he is not .

My dog looks mean as hell, but is a big baby. I had a friend break into my house after locking himself out one night and dog didn't move an inch. I've always said, he'd be a great watch dog. He'll watch you break in, watch you load a truck full of my stuff and even watch out the window going down the road if you take him along too. I've also said though that I could leave a $100 bill lay on my truck's dash and noone would come near it with my dog in the truck due to his look. (mis of lab, rott and sharpei) If they actually put their hand in there, he'd lick it 'til he was tired though.

The Lost Manatee · Post by **The Lost Manatee** » July 19, 2006 2:20 pm

One of my dogs could care less about loud noises, unless it's her food dish hitting the floor however my other one gets really upset by fireworks, thunder, gunshots. I've never been able to find a method for calming her down.

My neighbor's dog is worse, he tore a hole in their garage door one year in an effort to escape the fireworks. Now they make a point of going camping every Fourth of July.

Island_Dog · Post by **Island_Dog** » July 19, 2006 2:23 pm

The Lost Manatee wrote:One of my dogs could care less about loud noises, unless it's her food dish hitting the floor however my other one gets really upset by fireworks, thunder, gunshots. I've never been able to find a method for calming her down.

My neighbor's dog is worse, he tore a hole in their garage door one year in an effort to escape the fireworks. Now they make a point of going camping every Fourth of July.

Maybe they shouldn't light of the fireworks in the garage.

j/k

Interesting decsion on camping. Most campgrounds I know of are worse than neighborhoods when it comes to fireworks. As long as it works for them, cool.

ph4ever · Post by **ph4ever** » July 19, 2006 2:26 pm

We really don't have thunderstorms here like I did in Texas. My dog now isn't afraid of them at all - yet.

I had a dog in Texas that would run and jump in the bathtub about an hour before the thunderstorm would hit and there would be no way to get her out.

12vmanRick · Post by **12vmanRick** » July 19, 2006 2:32 pm

Let's see dogs run under the bed
women get horny and drag men on top of the bed

poor dog

green1 · Post by **green1** » July 19, 2006 2:39 pm

Island_Dog wrote: Unless you just want to dope fido up to the point where he/she is eternally mellow, but that's not fair to the dog.

Agreed and we will do almost anything to avoid that line.

Penny, we have tried to pheromes before with mixed results. Sometimes OK, other times I got headaches. Go figure.

The other pooch couldn't care less. In fact she looks at the older dog intense curiosity.

ToplessRideFL · Post by **ToplessRideFL** » July 19, 2006 3:08 pm

BahamaBreeze wrote:Our chocolate lab falls to pieces during a storm.
You have this giant dog trying to sit right on your chest during a storm, drooling and panting all over you.
.

He must be related to my Golden Retriever...... he is a mess during our daily summer storms.....

comtnfish · Post by **comtnfish** » July 19, 2006 3:20 pm

My dog is now afraid of during storms - she whines at me (woke me up last night too) and will be restless - under the table, on the bed, try to crawl under the bed, laydown beside the bed away from the window.... She didn't used to be like this either, but I had chalked it up to being in a couple of bad thunderstorms on the boat a couple of summers ago. She doesn't get upset until the thunder is really pretty loud though. And she didn't like the 4th this year either - I ended up putting her in a friend's yard that was off the parade route. She doesn't like the cannons they shoot off, but she doesn't seem to mind the fireworks.....go figure.

ejr · Post by **ejr** » July 19, 2006 4:48 pm

My best friend and his partner have a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever (there's a new breed for some of you!) who they rescued. She clearly was abused in her previous life, and is very skittish around storms, and fireworks. She turns into a nervous wreck, and needs lots and lots of loving during storms, wedging her body in between theirs to block the noise.

and another friend resued a yellow lab, and she goes and gets in the bathtub during thunderstorms

phjrsaunt · Post by **phjrsaunt** » July 19, 2006 5:16 pm

I know of what you speak!!!
I've had some dogs that couldn't care less, and some that just spaz!

Our German Shepherd/Lab just turns into a quivering mass of Jello. He is GOING to be in your lap when there is thunder. You have no say in this. One thing that DOES HELP IMMENSELY (when I have them) is to give him some doggie pain killers. The short name for it is "ace." I can't remember the "official pharmaceuitcal" name. They gave it to him after one of his surgeries. I'm thinking it's basically a narcotic. Then he just sleeps.......and everyone is happy.

I had a sweet old bassett/beagle hound years ago. She wasn't afraid of gunshots, but her "cure" for thunder was to go hide behind the toilet. I guess she just felt safe there.

Then there were the Golden Retrievers....to this day, I don't know how Katie Scarlett got into the house that night....but I opened my bedroom door and she literally knocked me down and fell into my arms in fear.

The other Golden got so scared during on the day before the Fourth of July when some neighborhood people were "testing" their fireworks, that he dug out of the yard never to be seen or heard from again.

So, when I say that I know what you're talking about, I KNOW what you're talking about.

Get your vet to give you some drugs for the pup. Trust me.

Tequila Revenge · Post by **Tequila Revenge** » July 19, 2006 5:44 pm

We have two mini dauchsunds. (SP?) One could care less, the other runs and barks, and quivers. After holding the dog for about two hours one afternoon I took Zoe outside so we could "Get that damn thunderstorm!" Sort of like she chases the squirrels away. Now when the booming and thunder claps start, she scratches at the door and runs outside a really tears the storm a new one! She's brutal with them now. Seems to work better for both of us.

CUparrot · Post by **CUparrot** » July 19, 2006 8:52 pm

My dog (yellow lab mix) is the same way, green. She's three now, and has never had a fear of storms until just recently. Never even fazed her before, but now she HAS to be in the room with my husband or she is freaking out. He does what you did--just takes her in another room until she calms down.

Don't have any answers for you.....but our dog is the same way yours is. If you figure something out to help it, I'd love to hear it.