Thunderstorms?

[Karen]

What happened when you tried the thundershirt? Is it possible it was not snug enough or something? Have you tried distracting him with commands or treats or anything?

[pomtzu]

Sparky is scared of storms, but not to the extent that Mikey is. As long as he can sit on my lap, or cuddle with me if we're in bed, then he's okay. I don't know how he acts when a storm comes up when I'm not here. He just started being afraid of them a few years ago when I was on vacation. There had been a bad afternoon storm and I wasn't here and my son and DIL were at work - it must have really traumatized him - poor boy!

Hope you can find a solution for Mikey's fear.

[happylabs]

I don't have any suggestions but I feel bad for Mikey. I have never had a dog that was afraid of storms or fireworks. I often wonder though why the storms bother some dogs and not others.

[Freedom]

RB Sugar was afraid of thunder. She would climb up the back of Dad's recliner, going INSIDE. Once, she got stuck and we thought we would have to take a knife to shred the thing to get her out. But finally she managed to get herself out.

Tasha is terrified of them as well. I will pick her up and snuggle in bed with her, and sing. I sing the same song each time, so she learns that song means all is well. (Michael row the boat ashore) Three years back when she came here, she would crawl under the covers next to me, shaking like a leaf in a hurricane. This wasn't too good as she'd get hot fast. Now, she still shakes, but she takers herself off to my bedroom and goes under the bed (not under the covers). She doesn't come out until there is no thunder for at least an hour.

I never tried a thundershirt or any meds with either of them, I just try to work with them. If you start feeling badly that he is so worried, he picks up your emotion BUT HE DOESN'T KNOW THE REASON. So this makes him even more panicky, as he thinks you are panicked too. So you need to focus on your emotions and keep them calm.

Have you tried sitting on the floor and gently holding him next to you? When you put him in the crate, do you have a blanket over the top to make it like a cave / den / nest / safe place? Those are the only things I can suggest.

[Alysser]

Oh trust me, the thundershirt was tight enough, he is just a Drama-King. He pretended he couldn't walk with it on. It works in the way that he focuses on trying to get it off by rolling on his back rather than on the storm.

Honestly, holding him makes it worse. He usually winds up hurting himself or us, by scratching us or something. I also think he is a little embarrassed by the way he acts. He definitely prefers to be alone. We have tried treats, more specifically, his peanut butter bone but that of course only lasts a few minutes!

I couldn't tell ya why some dogs react to storms and why some don't. I have seen both ends of the spectrum. Sassy never cared. She never acknowledged storms before. Mikey is the complete opposite. I would guess he reacts worse to fireworks because he doesn't expect them to happen, but storms he can sense earlier on. Dogs experience the storm much more intensely then humans. My dad jokes that Mikey wouldn't make a very good "gun dog". You'd guess that Beagles wouldn't react so much to loud noises since they are "gun dogs", maybe it's the Pug? My dads cousin had a few beagles for hunting and my dad was surprised Michael acts like this around loud noises, guess it just depends on the dog.

I could definitely try the blanket over his cage, I'll try anything at this point. Pom, we always put Mikey in his crate when there's a storm warning and Mikey is going to be home alone. Poor Sparky At least he likes to cuddle though! That must help him alot. Sandie, that's really scary that Sugar almost got stuck! Poor girl You must have been a nervous wreck.

[Karen]

I would try the thunder shirt again! It doesn't matter if he spends his time trying to get out of it - it means he's focussing on that instead of panicking about the storm.

[NAPSATX]

A key thing to remember with anxiety is that it works on a reinforcing cycle. Think of it as a cork screw that spirals up. The best way to stop it is to find a way to end that spiral. Calming works along the same spiral, so if you can start a calming spiral, it should start to reinforce itself until it gets to a much calmer point. The key is to not put any more stressful situations into the mix. Make sure you are calm about the situation and do your best to bring your pup in to a calmer situation as well.