8 Tips to Calm Your Dog During a Storm

There seems to be nothing but storms in our future forecast so of your dog tends to freak out at the first rumble of thunder here are some things you can do to help calm them down…

There is nothing worse then a dark lonely house with flashes of lightning and the feel of thunder rumbling all around them… dogs unlike humans can’t have a sit down with mom and dad and get the explanation on what is going on outside… I understand that you can’t always stay home with your dog, or take them to work with you… but by keeping them in a well lite, environment with music playing, and maybe having a friend of family member check in on them can really help make their lives much less stressful as well as yours.

Calmness and comfort are very different things. Since dog’s don’t speak English when we get all “poor dog… it’s going to be okay” we actually scare them even more… think about it…. when someone comes and puts on their pitiful “it’s going to be okay” voice… when is it really okay…

I have found over the last 10 years that dogs respond much better to a calm confident tone vs. a whole bunch of comforting words. I always tell my clients “Be your dog’s cheer leader, DON’T baby them”

If your dog is comfortable in their crate it can be helpful to place their create in a room near the center of the house to minimize the flashing and noise from the storm… This is a nice safe out of the way spot where they can decompress and not feel like they are surrounded by the unknown.

Offering a positive stimulus, such as gentle petting, deep massaging of the chest or circular petting on the top of the head can be a great way to distract and calm your dog, these motions and points on their body release chemicals in their body that help them to relax. If your dog will still engage, you can also try a game of indoor fetch, tug, or offer a kong with a treat inside (I recommend filling it with yogurt, broth, or almond butter and setting it in the freezer so it takes them awhile to get through it).

So let’s be realistic… a completely sound-proof room doesn’t exist, but you can compete with the noise by turning on the radio or white noise machine. Classical music specifically is extremely calming for dogs and can help to muffle the sound of the storm.

You can often desensitize your dog to the sound of storms by playing tracts with storm sounds in the background or from a noise machine. Start by playing it at a very low volume while following the calming steps listed above… By slowly increasing the volume over several weeks, desensitization will lessen if not completely eliminate anxiety during storms.

For the highly-anxious dog who doesn’t respond to the above methods, there are certain medications that may help. However, this should be a last resort and only after extensive desensitization efforts fail.

Hope this helps to get your pup through the rough weather!!!

Bethany Stelzl

Perfect Pups Training Academy

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