Thunderstorms and Fireworks: Things My Dog Hates

My little dog has decided that after almost 13 years of dealing with thunderstorms and loud fireworks with grace, she is no longer putting up with it. 

It may be that she can't see as well or hear as well and so these vibrations from loud noises are putting her over the edge, but our little Bina girl has started to have anxiety when a storm rolls in or the neighbors decide to set off fireworks.

Does your dog do this too? Panting, shaking, pacing or hiding under the bed? Sometimes dogs will dig up the couch, bark endlessly or hide in the bathtub, but they are all showing signs of anxiety caused by thunderstorms or loud noises.

This only recently started, and we have been able to hold her and help her through the night, but I was thinking there must be better ways to get through this.

Our old dog hated thunderstorms and would wait them out under the bed or on the bathroom floor. When I asked our veterinarian about it, he recommended medication if it got worse, but it never did and we didn't want our dog to have to deal with any side affects.

Many dog behaviorists work with anxious dogs and one method is to expose them, little by little, to what they are anxious about. Play a tape with thunder, run the vaccum cleaner, or any other loud sound that sets off your dog.

While they experience these, you work with the dog. Using treats and praise, get them to listen to your simple commands to the point where they can do them and not be thrown into a tizzy because they hear the sound they hate.

This takes a long time and is not always successsful, but it can bring a little relief for your stressed little pup. Exposing your dog at a young age to many sounds and experiences can also help, but some dogs are simply more sensitive to sounds and the vibrations they make.

In the past year I have been hearing about a new product on the pet market, the Thundershirt. It was created to calm dogs with the use of pressure on their nervous system. Their promotional materials call it a long lasting "hug."

The dog training duo that works through the Morton Grove Park District, Dog Obedience Group, has recommended it and seen positive results.

At a starting price of $36 plus shipping, it's not that expensive when compared with veterinarian visit and the cost of medication. Both are reported to have about an 80 percent success rate and the Thundershirt does not have the side effects of the medicine.

Another problem with the medications, that I have seen used before, is that the storm has passed before the calming affects kick in.

The Thudershirt website,  insists that this will also help with "...separation anxiety, travel anxiety, crate training, problem barking, hyper activity and leash pulling..."

With all these promises I wonder if we need to train our dogs at all? They do admit it does not work on all dogs and of course your dog might benefit instantly or it may take a few weeks.

So we'll try a Thundershirt if our behavior modification training doesn't work or if the storms and fireworks get worse this year.