Photo by Vickie Matthews
I love spring, but Tuesday night I was reminded of what else comes with it besides longer hours of daylight, pretty flowers, and nicer weather: storms. We had a pretty severe storm roll through complete with tornado warnings, lightning, thunder, and pounding rain.
This was my first experience with Tabby in a storm situation. She was perfectly fine. However, perhaps you read Aimee’s account of her nights of thunder with her dog Moose.
Like Moose, Murphy and Kitty do not like thunderstorms either. Murphy happens to be one of those dogs who can sense a storm coming a half hour before it breaks and he’ll start acting weird. Kitty doesn’t start to freak until the storm hits and the first crack of thunder sounds. Then he seeks shelter wherever he can find it, preferably in a dark corner somewhere away from windows. (Which is actually pretty smart.)
There’s a name for what Moose, Murphy, and Kitty suffer from: thunderstorm phobia.
Signs of Thunderstorm Phobia
• Acting afraid
• Hiding under furniture (or trying to hide in laps)
• Whining/crying
• Shaking
• Destructive behavior (chewing furniture, digging at carpet, destroying drapes and blinds, or breaking through windows)
Dogs That Seem to Suffer the Most
In the Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association (July/August 2001 issue), there was an article about “storm-phobic dogs.” The following types of dogs were identified as the ones most susceptible to developing such a phobia:
• Hounds (Like Beagle and Basset hounds)
• Herding Breeds (like Collies, Sheepdogs, and Shepherds.)
• Sporting Breeds (like Spaniels, Retrievers, and Setters)
• Working Breeds (like Akitas, Boxers, Dobermans, Rottweilers, and Huskies)
What You Shouldn’t Do
• Punish your dog. This will just make things worse.
• Cuddle them.
• Reassure them.
(Oops! I’m guilty of doing the last two. I feel so bad when Murph gets himself worked up that I hold him and coo to him that it’ll be okay. I just learned this is a big no-no. I’m actually reinforcing his behavior by rewarding it with attention!)
What You Should Do
• Provide a safe place for your dog to hang until the storm’s over.
• Talk to your family vet.
• Try “systematic desensitization.” (Which is introducing your dog to stimulus associated with storms, like a tape recording of thunder or rain falling. He or she’s rewarded for calm behavior. But this should be done gradually and under a vet’s guidance, as too much too fast could make the phobia worse instead of better.)
• Medication. (If a dog’s behavior can’t be corrected and he or she may be jeopardizing their health and safety, prescriptions for calming nerves might work best.)