Going to be up all night...

[aly]

Two nights ago Lolly kept me up until 5am. We were having a mild thunderstorm and she all of a sudden developed thunderstorm anxiety. The thunder wasn't even that loud and there was sometimes 30min-1hr between thunders. She stayed up ALL night shaking and panting. She was shaking the whole bed. She kept crawling on my chest and licking me to death, then she'd jump down and run to the bathroom, then run back to bed, etc etc. It was awful because nothing could distract her.

Now it just started thundering and burst out raining again and guess who is at my feet shaking

I know a lot of the general info on thunderstorm anxiety because I have counseled on it and researched it. What I don't understand is why she just developed it the other day and it hasn't been a problem in the past

[ October 13, 2001: Message edited by: aly ]

[shais_mom]

Too bad you don't have my number call me anytime. The dog we had growing up, Sparky, was TERRIFIED of thunderstorms, but Shaianne never even blinked twice during one!!! She was cool as a cucumber, Kylie on the other hand spends the night under the bed. I'll be thinking of you!!
Hugs to you and the crew.
Staci and Kylie

[Eudora]

Cookie has that too. And Singapore is a tropical area, so.... almost every week I stay up all night looking after her. I find that she feel better if she sleeps on my bed and I pet her a lot until she falls asleep. One time I was so desperate that after she fell asleep i put earmuffs on her!

[jackiesdaisy1935]

Aly, poor Lolly she gets extra kisses and hugs during the storm and I think Reece will take good care of his sister as he is the brave one in the family.

[Pam]

Oh Aly poor little Lolly! I had a toy poodle that used to get very nervous when it thundered. In fact he didn't really care much for any loud sounds. On the 4th of July when the neighbors would set off some fireworks in their backyard if it went on too long he would wind up throwing up! I wonder why this is just happening to Lolly now. I guess for the moment you will just have to live with with bags under your eyes if it storms at night when you are trying to sleep! She will need to have you close to soothe her fears. Hope it passes in time. Sorry to say, my poodle (Pumpkin) never got used to loud noises.

I thought I'd post a picture of my sister-in-law's GSD during a thunderstorm. I have posted this once before on another topic, but it makes me smile every time I see it. She is 110 lbs. and scared to death of thunder!

[yorkster]

That'such a cute picture Pam!

[Daisy's Mom]

LOL Pam that is adorable! Daisy has never even acted like she notices thunder. She just notices the rain and gets grouchy! Poor little Lolly. Aly, I hope the storms - and Lolly - settle down soon!

[Sudilar]

That pic is just hilarious! Isn't that the same dog who climbed on the table in another pic?? What a cutie!

[Logan]

Isn't it funny how they never do what you expect? Poor Lolly.....I should be saying Poor Aly. With all the things that Honey is afraid of in her little world, she has never flinched at thunder or fireworks! Isn't that amazing? I guess I should be grateful for small favors!

[lizbud]

Aly,
I'm so sorry to hear of Lolly's 'sudden'
fear of t-storms(loud noises)!
My daughter's dog Obie (Shep/Dobie)mix has
this condition.Just developed over the last 4-5 years.Don't think anything people do or
don't do will help.(except Tranks if it
becomes severe). Think this would be a good
thing for Carrie-DixieLand Dancer to help
you with...Best of luck with Lolly!!! Liz.

[aly]

We were up all night again, but thankfully it wasn't as long as last time. I got in 2 and a half good hours of sleep. I popped out of bed early this morning and have been full of adrenaline all day because I was so excited about this Rescue Expo thing I was at. I imagine its all going to catch up with me on Monday

I think I just need to give Lolly more time to become a confident dog. She has been severly abused for 5 years and although it seems she is making huge progress, I don't think she could classify as a dog with "normal" behavior yet.

It was so hard last night to do the whole cheerful routine since I was so groggy and tired. But again, it wasn't as bad as the other night so maybe we made a little progress

[Dixieland Dancer]

Aly, I really sympathize with you and everyone else who has to deal with noise phobias. I had the problem in one of my Goldens (now gone to the Rainbow Bridge) and it was hard to overcome but we did, so there is hope!

Noise phobias (intense fear reactions to sound) are hard to determine why they occur. Especially in a older dog that did not display this tendency earlier. My guess is that some loud noise (car backfiring, close gun shot, sonic boom, or even really loud thunder when nobody was around) happened to startle and set off the plunge into noise phobia.

Desensitization is a proven treatment for noise sensitivity. Expose your dog to the sinister sound (or a simulation of it) at low enough volume so the dog shows no sign of apprehension. As long as the dog remains calm, reinforce the behavior with treats or toys so the dog associates the once dreaded noise with agreeable experiences (counter conditioning). If your dog tolerates the low volume exposure, continue to expose it to louder and louder versions of the sound and also continue rewarding calm behavior. Proceed to higer volumes very gradually and only after the dog shows no anxiety at the lower intensity. Continue until the dog tolerates the sound full blast without becoming ruffled.

Prior to the first desensitization session, make sure the simulated noise (a recording for example) delivered at full volume, sparks your dog's fear reaction. And because thunderstorms involve sensory ingredients other than thunder - such as the sound of wind and the flash of lightning, you may need to simulate multiple environmental conditions to completely desensitize your dog. Thunderstorms involve a variety of stimuli, so you may have to desensitize your storm phobic dog to flashes of light in addition to the sounds of thunder, wind, and rain.

This process is very time consuming and may require several months of 10 to 20 minute sessions at least 3 times a week in order to properly desensitize your dog. During the desensitazation period try to shield your dog from the real noise causing the phobia. You can experience set backs and have to start the whole process over again if the noise is experienced before desensitazation is complete. Pick a time such as winter when the threat of thunderstorms is unlikely.

Finally it is important to handle the noise phobia in a Leader role. Avoid coddling a dog that's anxious about noises. Leadership is much better than sympathy in these cases. During the noise that invokes the phobia, turn the dogs attention towards play or do some obedience exercises. It is important to expose your dog to many different noises and reward with treats to help the dog associate noise with pleasure rather than fear!

Have lots of patience and don't expect the problem to be gone overnight! This is a hard problem to overcome but you can do it!

[aly]

I've pretty much been doing all of that. I am actually glad we covered thunderstorm phobia at a shelter workshop I went to, although at the time I thought it'd never be a concern for my dogs.

I never coddle my dogs when they're scared. I tell them they're being ridiculous I have lots of practice with this on a daily basis with all the scared, wide eyed pups at the shelter. They harden me up so I won't be tempted to give in to my doggies, hehe.

I have a sneaking suspicion that the terror comes from her previous owner who was going to shoot all the dogs. But there have been previous thunderstorms when I first got her that didn't bother her at all.

[Pam]

Yes Sue it is the same dog, although I no longer have that picture!

POOR LOLLY! DID REESE EVERY ACT THAT WAY?