How do I keep my dog clam during a Thunderstorm?

When there are thunderstorms in the area my dog gets all worked up. She shakes and her ears go back and her tounge hangs out while panting. I know if you have a made bed she will clam down a little, but when sshe hears thunder she isn't calm anymore. This all starts an Hour or a 1/2 hour before the storm even arrives. Is this what all dogs do?

yes it is pretty natural....

my parents had some dogs that did that too. You can probably turn the tv up, but there is not much you can do to make the sound of thunder go away.

It start an hour before the storm because she can hear what you can not. Don't make a big deal of it, play a game with her. Reassure her but don't coddle her. If this doesn't seem to work you might have to see your vet for a mild sedative.

Most Dogs are a bit uneasy during thunderstorms and such. I would try maybe turning on some noise to drown out the sounds of the storm, TV, Radio, even a fan perhaps. They do have meds you can get for overly anxious dogs in situations like this, but there usually more for " forth of july celebrations" and such events like that. But I'd try these simple things that most of us have in our homes, and see how that works =)

My dog doesn't even react to the storms. I taught him they are ok by playing with him during storms or giving him a treat or loving him up and scratching his tummy. This way, he associates storms with good things and doesn't get nervous.

Thats normal. In the wild, they have to take cover during a storm. Just give her lots of love, a place to feel safe, and talk to her gently. A crate or bed or a table to hide under can do wonders, so will your praise.

I have one dog who is terrified of storms, and another who completely ignores them. So no, not all dogs do this. I personally think it's best to ignore this behavior unless you feel the dog is in danger of hurting herself. When you react to her nervous behavior (perhaps by petting her, trying to talk to her soothingly, giving her a treat to distract, etc.) what you are really doing is reinforcing her negative behavior with your attention. She will learn that it's best to continue her neurotic behavior because when she does it, she gets positive reinforcement from you for it. Does your dog have a crate or other safe place she likes? That might be a good option. Otherwise, I would ignore her when she does this and let her see if she can't learn to calm herself down. Good luck!

Comfort her, but remain very calm and soothing. Avoid high pitched cooing as that may confuse her more.

Make things so fun for her that she forgets about the thunder. Give her toys and treat and lots of attention. Eventually she will acquaint a thunderstorm with a positive and fun play time.

Yes my dogs always know when a storm is coming long before I can hear it, and they both used to try to jump on my lap during storms which I wasn't about to let happen since that would have been about 150 pounds of dogs on my lap. The WORST thing to do is to baby her and tell her, 'good girl, good girl'. Then you are just reinforcing her fear and telling her this fear she is feeling is 'good'. The best thing to do and what works with my dogs is to distract them. Toss one of her toys around for her to chase and take her mind off of the storm.

My dog is horrible during storms too. He quivers and it's so pathetic. He is impossible to keep calm and every boom of the thunder is even worse.If you know a storm is comming well before it gets there take a take a dryer sheet and rub it on them. I have done that and I believe it helps with the static electricity in the air. I heard it from a family friend and for the most part worked well. I have seen this question here before and I put some effort into getting some good ways to help with Thunder-Phobia. Here is my response:There were lots of ways we found to calm Buck down during storms. There are pills called melatonin. They are actually intended for people but can be used on dogs without a prescription and can be bought anywhere that carries medication. They are also all natural so it isn't anywhere close to being harmful. It really helps. We sneak them in his cheese and it works about 30 minutes afterwards. You give them we give Buck 2-3 pills. Keep in mind he is a German Shepherd so his doses are bigger than small dogs.Another is Phosphorous PHUS 30C. It can be bought at health food stores and such and is used to treat fears of thunder and loud noises. With this you have to drop about 3-5 pills down the dogs throat every 15 minutes until you see results but you have to be careful not to touch the pills with your hand. If this doesn't work it's ok because this is a homeopathic remedy and either does or doesn't work and it won't leave and side-effects or harmful effects. If you have tried Phosphorous PHUS 30C and it didn't work you can also try Aconitum Napellus 30C and admistiter it the same way.Another product used is a plugin or a spray that puts calming pherormones in the air specially designed for your dog or cat. I use this also during storms and it helped a lot with his emotional state. What I personally like about it is that it is easy to buy at petco, or petsmart (in the medicines), and that it is scentless for people.There are also flower remedies that work well too. The rescue remedy, calming essence, and five flower formula are good starters to see if they help at all with your dog. Milumus (for fear of known things) and Rock Rose (for terror and panic) work well together.Some types of music help calm my dog too. I normally put my music so it distracts him from the thunder. He crowds around the speakers while there on. Some websites sugest harp music or calming but my dog also enjoyed some decent rock music that I enjoyed too mainly music he had heard me listen to before.Sometimes if you put a blanket over them they feel more secure and relax a bit more and if you give them a hug every now and then you can help make them feel safe without encouraging too much. Buck really responded to this and calmed down as long as the blanket was on him.During storms if you comfort them too much it does make them think that they are doing a good thing and can cause a behavior like "thunder-phobia" to get worse. But you can do it in moderation to soothe the pain. To help explain more I put in links that will explain it all a lot more thouroughly:Melatonin Information:http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-ange...Thunderstorm Phobia/ Treatments and Remedies+ How to give them flower essencehttp://www.ygrr.org/doginfo/behavior-pho...Comfort Zone Information:http://www.petcomfortzone.com/Flower Essences in Animals:http://www.petsynergy.com/flower.html...Flower Essence(Buying):http://www.fesflowers.com/humanitarian-r...I hope I gave some good information! Good Luck! Tell your pooch hi for me and give her a big hug and a treat!

The dog of my childhood had bone rattling tremors when the thunder rolled. Sometimes, it would crack us up to see the fear in his eyes and the terrible shaking. I know it hurts the dogs feelings, but being kids we would get down on the floor and comfort him the best we could as children. As an adult, I turn on some music and dance with the dog, when the thunder rolls, or I will give her the right to sleep on the rug near by the bed and say words of assurance, is about all I'm willing to do. The dog is a pet and no matter how much I explain about the safety of our little house to the dog and the pagans who live with me doesn't do a bit of good. They all shiver and shake like the gods are angry with them, they hide in what they think are safe corners during the low rumbles, but the loud thunder and brilliant burst of lightening will send them all into a dead-heat run to to where I am, the person who has no patience for that kind of fear.

I do absolutely nothing different to my normal routine and my dogs get better with every storm that passes.A case of "Storm?....What Storm?"