Does your dog leap for the sky when they see lightning strike? Or throw themselves under the couch when they hear thunder?
Here’s a little bit of advice to help them cope through wild winter weather.
A dog’s point of view of a thunderstorm is very different to ours, for them, it’s loud noises and flashing lights that have no meaning or source. They don’t understand the concept of weather and how it works or that it’s not harmful like we can which is why some of them have such adverse reactions.
When they’re young we’re able to use habituation to help them become comfortable with storms so they’re not fearful as they grow up, if they develop fear as they get older the good news is we can still help them. Whilst comforting them we can make an effort to create a positive experience and teach them storms aren’t scary regardless of their age.
What to do when they react to thunder
The most important thing to understand when a dog struggles through a thunderstorm is that it’s okay to comfort them.
When a dog is struggling and displaying undesirable behaviour such as barking or being destructive, it is common not to want to ‘reward it’ however, there is a difference between rewarding and comforting. The goal of comforting the dog is to help them get past the fear and stress where they’re not displaying displacement or undesirable behaviours to cope.
How to comfort a dog during a thunderstorm
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Provide a safe space for them
One key step to comforting them during a thunderstorm is creating a safe space for them, making it cosy and providing a quiet spot where they won’t be disturbed. This can range from their crate, their own bed, or a spot nearby you. Add lots of blankets, preferably with a familiar scent, adding pheromone sprays can also be a great calming tool. The goal is to create a spot that they can curl up into and avoid other disturbances. Avoiding high traffic or noisy areas will help the dog stay calm, if they don’t have to perk up and check every little noise they’ll settle much faster.
Australian company SASH Beds have a Calming Dog Bed that’s specifically designed to help dogs through any form of anxiety. A deep, donut-shaped bed like this will help them to find a place of sanctuary, where they can curl up and find shelter and safety.
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Distract them with entertainment
Providing them with entertainment will allow them to keep busy or distracted and at times can be calming. Each dog will seek comfort in different activities but long-lasting chews, enrichment snacks, enrichment games, or their favourite toy is a great start. If they’re too stressed to interact with enrichment or toys on their own, spend some time trying to get them engaged and work up to leaving them with the entertainment on their own.
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Drown out the thunder with a more familiar noise
Competing with the thunder can be very helpful, putting on other noises that drown out or distract the dog from the thunder. Dog TV, children’s movies or music are great ways to settle dogs, there are lots of studies suggesting that classical music can be very effective in calming and helping dogs sleep.
Encouraging and rewarding calm
When all these efforts to calm the dog are in place, it’s important to reward calm behaviour to teach the dog that it’s okay and create a positive experience with the thunderstorm. Any calm or positive behaviour can be rewarded with treats, praise, cuddles or anything of high value to the dog. Repeating this will help the dog to learn that storms aren’t a fully negative experience.
Your mood has a huge impact on the dogs in your care, so it’s important that you remain calm and don’t over-arouse them. If you act calm and keep the household relaxed, this will be beneficial for the dog. The same goes for other people or pets in the household – keeping everyone as calm as possible will be very beneficial.
Lastly, if none of these efforts work after a few tries it might be time to discuss with your local Vet if anxiety medication is an option that may help them cope during these weather occurrences.
