Do you have a dog that shows fear with thunderstorms or maybe even fireworks on 4 July. Watching your dog suffer with anxiety is no fun. There are some things you can do to help your dog during these difficult times. Let's talk about a few of them and see if we can find one that will help your dog.
One of the options it's available is what's called a Thunder Jacket. A thunder jackets actually wraps around your dog's torso. It's important to make sure that it's fairly snug. Thunder Jackets seem to work great with some dogs and have absolutely no effect on other dogs.
Some of my clients have had great results using audio as in an audio CD or recording of thunder, lightning or fireworks to help desensitize their dog. These recordings are commercially available online. Simply go to Google and type in desensitizing your dog to thunder and fireworks CD, you'll find many options to choose from.
The key to these CDs is to start with the volume low and over a period of time raise the volume so that is very loud. Hopefully your dog will become accustomed to the sound and it won't be something that causes fear.
You can also try some herbal remedies and aromas. A product that is used quite often is called rescue remedy and it's a popular treatment for noise phobia. I've had some clients recommend D. A. P. Which is a pheromone from a lactating mother. It is a smell that he remembers from being a puppy and is supposed to calm your dog. Like everything else these remedies work for some dogs and not for others.
Having a place for your dog to go during storms or fireworks can also be a good solution. An example would be his crate in a dark room are simply a place that you can burrow into as if it's his cave.
Of course you can always try to drown out the sound of the fireworks a storm by simply turning up your TV or stereo. This works in some cases
In conclusion hopefully one of these methods will work for your dog. Another option you can certainly consider to help your dog is talking to your veterinarian. Your vet may possibly prescribe a sedative that you can give your dog during these fearful times.
Wayne Booth is owner of Canine Behavior Specialists, http://www.CanineBehaviorSpecialists.com in Nashville, TN where he helps people train their dogs and solve behavior problems. Wayne has been teaching people how to become Professional Dog Trainers since 1990 and he is the Training Director of the Canine Behavior Specialists Network, http://www.K9-University.com.
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