Does anyone elses' dog 'panic' in a storm? Missie drives me nuts, as she is doing now, panting very fast and shaking. She wont settle down with this thunder going on. Maddie, on the other hand, has just been outside for a wee and decided  she wanted to play in it!
Any ideas for calming her down? I'm trying to ignore her but she pants so loud
you have to turn the volume on the tv up! :D

Dee

My sisters previous springer was terrified of storms.  She gave her rescue remedy which seemed to calm her down a bit.

Helen

Cheers for that. Shes just the same on bonfire night. (and the weeks before and after)

Her vet advised it for bonfire night as she used to get so stressed.  He said to put some drops into a ceramic bowl of water a couple of weeks before and then if she was getting stressed on the night (not that it's a single night anymore!) to put some drops onto her tongue.

Helen

yes, have exactly the same problem.  We have tried to desensitize with one of those cds and that has made life a little easier.  Otherwise we just give him a dark place to go and hide.  I might try one of those DAP defuser which I hear are very good come this bonfire night in the hope that he wont get stressed at all.

Claire

You can now get the rescue remedy spray and it works well.

We are having a storm at the moment and weve just had a really loud clap of thunder and then we heard an ambulance and a fire engine not far away from us!!!

sarah xxxx

hi missie
i have heard the vets can advice on different methods that can help. other than the usual like turn the tv up etc to try and drowned the noise out.maybe a silly idea but what about closing curtains etc so she can't see the weather? luckly i have never had a dog that has been scared of either the weather or fireworks.toby is like maddie he will play/lay in it,he thinks it's bath time.maybe its a breed thing for them.....but he is daft as you have seen.if i can think of any ideas i will post them i know my mums boxer has always hated noise but she just hides and we think it is more down to her age now.
not much help though,hope you find a solution.

Hi Marie, waste of time closing the curtains or even turning up the noise, not that its ever quiet in this mad house, Missie can tell a storms brewing at least half an hour before it starts, which has its uses as I know when to fetch the washing in :D
Leomad, I had some resue spray given to me by a very good friend, unfortunately I dropped it and it smashed. (havent told her that ;)  )
Thankyou all for replying, off to the chemist tomorrow to buy some more :D

Dee

Dogs can feel the change of air pressure which presages a storm hence why those affected start to exhibit signs of stress.

As well as desensitising CDs, DAP, Flower remedies, there are anxiety wraps, melatonin therapy and homeopathic remedies such as aconite, borax, phosphorus etc which can help.

Very strange but one of my puppys is absolutely petrified but the younger one was loving it and ran through my legs out the door and into the garden.....I think shes abit mad!!!! Shes was running around the the rain trying to catch the rain drops!!!!

my daft dog who is scared of her own shadow actually likes the storms and she will try and stay in the garden she is absolutly terrified of fire works so I was very surprised when she was happy laying in the garden in the middle of a big storm yet if someone came in the house she didnt know she would hide and shake

I have 2 labs, and our bitch freya does not know what is going on and just sleeps through it. But our older boy panicks and paces and does not stop pacing until he knows that it is over. Have you tried ignoring her??? Or ear plugs to block out the noise. There are various Homeopathic remedies that you could use to make her fall asleep during a thunderstorm?
Hope this helps
Izzi

My 3 pups (14 wks old today) LOVE storms! We had 1 last night and they kept going out into their run to watch the lightning! Kept coaxing them in because it's metal and i didn't like them getting too close, but at least they're not scared.  Hopefully, they'll be the same with fireworks. I can walk my adult dogs on bonfire night and they don't bat an eye, so i'm hoping their attitude rubs off on the pups.