Here are the other factors that may be causing your pooch to freak out:
- Static electricity. During a thunderstorm, static electricity in the clouds builds up, eventually bursting into lightning. Dogs can sense this static electricity, even from inside our homes, and often even before the storm reaches our own neighborhood, says Lazhar Ichir, Founder of Breeding Business, an educational platform for ethical dog breeders. “Specialists now understand that static electricity is felt by dogs through their fur, generating an unpleasant tingling sensation,” he says. “For this reason, pets feel agitated and seek a spot they hope might isolate them from the static charges.”
- Change in barometric pressure. Dogs with thunderstorm phobias can often sense a drop in barometric pressure that accompanies these storms, says Wendy Hauser, DVM, an on-staff veterinarian and VP of Veterinary Relations for ASPCA Pet Health Insurance.
- Change in ions. During a thunderstorm, the ions in the atmosphere change. “Dogs may experience that as increased vigilance as external signals travel through their nervous system more quickly. These signals include the sounds of rain and thunder, and flashing lights,” explains Morgan, and this explains why the dog goes in search of a way to ground himself.
- Change in our behavior. “Dogs are sensitive to their peoples reactions to the environment,” Morgan points out. “If [youre] running around the house to close windows, complaining when the power goes out, etc., your dog is going to feel that something is wrong and that he needs to be on alert.”
- Genetics. According to a study, dogs—just like humans—can have noise sensitivities passed down to them through genetics. Dogs can have hereditary reactions to “certain frequencies, intensities or types of sound, associated with strong feelings of dislike, fear or even aggression.” Different dog breeds can have different levels of anxiety during storms, and the breeds who seemed the most anxious were working and sporting breeds, such as German Shepherds and Collies, which would make sense considering that they were bred to take care of other animals, which includes shepherding them out of nasty weather.
Give the dog a safe place where they can go in a storm.
That might be an open crate, a basement where the dog cant hear or see whats happening outside, an interior room with music playing, or a bathroom.
Let your dog decide: Notice where they go during a storm, and if possible, allow access to it.
Be sure your dog can come and go freely, since some animals become more anxious if confined. Sherman treated one golden retriever that was confined to a garage and, in an attempt to escape during a storm, scratched through the drywall of the door leading to the house.
Snug-fitting shirts and wraps especially designed to calm anxious dogs are worth a try, says Sherman, who has consulted for Thundershirt, a so-called pressure garment that is said to have a calming effect similar to swaddling a baby. Some dogs also respond to wearing a metal fabric-lined cape marketed as the Storm Defender, which claims to protect dogs from static shocks.
So far, the benefits of these garments are anecdotal. A 2009 study found “there was a trend toward the Storm Defender performing better” than a placebo cape, but the results were statistically insignificant, said study author Nicole Cottam, MS, behavior service coordinator at Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. Tufts researchers are currently performing a study sponsored by the makers of Anxiety Wrap, another compression garment.
Do you have a dog with mild to moderate noise anxiety (storms, fireworks)? There are many ways to help your dog feel more comfortable and at ease during these situations. However, if they have progressed to full-on anxiety attacks and are throwing themselves through walls and doors then it is unfortunately the below tips will likely not help. If that is the case, please contact our team at The Pet Doctor immediately.
For some dogs, firm soft pressure around their upper body is very relaxing. This can assist some dogs for a variety of reasons (shy, nervous, fearful, needing confidence, stressed, hyper-excitable, car sickness). There are commercial products made for this (such as Thundershirt and Anxiety wrap). The basics of how they work have to do with the fit being much more firm (yet pliable) than a regular loose doggie sweater or t-shirt. The fit is intended to be very firm like swaddling a baby.
If they wish to hide, then let them. If they want to be in their crate, then allow them inside. Try allowing them into a dark closet or smaller bathroom in which you have placed a bed, food, water, and their favorite toy. Being in a small inner room or closet reduces the light flashes and muffles a lot of the vibrations and noise associated with storms. You can also try keeping a heavy blanket around and laying it over their crate during storms. Some dogs settle down right away when allowed to hide in their own storm bunker room. Don’t work against that need for them. If hiding helps, consider leaving their ‘bunker’ available to them all the time so they can get inside when you are away, and a storm starts.
The second is to try one of the commercially available shirts made for static discharge reduction (Storm Defender Cape). This does not help every dog, but it is the ticket for some of them. You can always try the foil method and see if you notice any improvement at all before you spend cash on the cape.
Try keeping a nice loud movie or show video on hand that the dog does not usually react to. Play it while the storm or fireworks are going on. Turn the radio on and turn it up or use a white noise machine. These tips all work for some dogs and are easy enough to implement when the storm starts.
The science behind why dogs get frightened during storms
Do you have a dog with mild to moderate noise anxiety (storms, fireworks)? There are many ways to help your dog feel more comfortable and at ease during these situations. However, if they have progressed to full-on anxiety attacks and are throwing themselves through walls and doors then it is unfortunately the below tips will likely not help. If that is the case, please contact our team at The Pet Doctor immediately.
Fireworks and such are usually more pure noise phobias and many of the techniques recommended here can assist with them as well. Storm anxiety can be more complex as there can be many components to a storm that dog’s ‘cue’ to. Thunder is not only noise but vibration, the noise of heavy rain, the darkening of the sky, their people running around looking worried, flashes of light, changes in barometric pressure and humidity and some can even become sensitized to the buildup of electrical charges. Yes, dogs can learn to cue to all those things and more. The complex nature of the cues with storms can make treating severe thunderstorm anxieties a complex business (but they usually can be managed).
The following is a list of the most commonly helpful recommendations. Very often what works will be a combination of some of these methods rather than a single fix-all product or method.
This tends to be true for ALL behavioral problems. Step in and deal with them sooner rather than later. The time to deal with these issues is long before major destruction and injury is occurring.
Storm anxiety is known to be a progressive disease. Every subsequent storm can compound the fear and anxiety, and every subsequent storm season can result in the fear getting worse. You also need to be able to recognize the subtle signs of distress in your dog to be able to intervene early. Some of the more subtle signs may include:
There is a difference between reassuring and coddling. A big dramatic production can work against you and may even make your pet worse. However, there is nothing wrong with reassuring the dog that everything is okay.
They will often take cues from you, so by all means give them a pet, let them lay close by if they wish, speak more often and in a calming way. Yelling “it’s ok it’s ok it’s ok” in a high-pitched voice is not helpful. Speak slow and low. Above all, do not act like there is a problem, and instead, go about things in the most normal and calming way possible.