Dog Scared of Storms? Calm Your Pet

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Is your dog scared of storms? Your pet is not alone. Sadly, animal shelters see an uptick in strays after thunderstorms. Pets that aren’t properly confined may run off in frantic fear of the deafening noise; other pets are abandoned when their owners decide they can no longer handle their erratic behavior.

What kind of crazy reactions to thunderstorms are we talking about here? Well, some pets go nuts. Dogs have hurtled themselves through plate glass windows; cats have hidden behind freezers only to be burned by the coils in the back. (Dogs are more commonly scared of loud noises than cats.) Severe reactions also can include destroying furniture, soiling carpets, not wanting to go outside for hours after the storm and developing an all-out fear of other loud noise (or not-so-loud noise).

Dog Scared of Storms? Calm Your Pet

So what do you do to calm your dog during a thunderstorm? First, find a comfortable place — a ridiculously plush dog bed, a rug, a dog crate space under a bed, even in the bathtub — that the pet thinks of as a safe haven. Offer a few reassuring words.

And perhaps remind your dog that a cherished toy is still here, just waiting to be played with.

However, don’t overly cuddle or appear yourself to be anxious — your scared dog will pick up on that and will remain fearful. In fact, a couple of vets told us not to say anything to the dog at all, or even look them in the eyes, to avoid giving “cues” that something is wrong.

Dog scared of storms?

Music can soothe phobic pets, but good luck finding something that masks the ferocious thunder outside — maybe if your pet happens to love death metal this could work. Play the music for your dog as needed, not continuously; otherwise your pet can become de-sensitized to the satanic subliminal messages from the death metal.

Melatonin, an over-the-counter hormone, has been shown to calm some dogs. They remain alert, not sleepy, but thunder just doesn’t bother them any more. Melatonin for dogs varies by manufacturer, so you’ll want to talk to your vet about what brand and dosage to give your dog. Other holistic remedies for dogs are available as well.

And, uh, there’s also this, um, thunderstorm cape for dogs.

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