[enigma]

The rescue pup we have is terrified of thunderstorms.
He use to be left outside all time regardless of the weather and had a muzzle put on him during a thunderstorm so he wouldn't bark.
We have had two storms since we have had him and both times he has been inside and freaking out, pacing up and down, barking and whining.
We make him sit next to us, telling him he is okay, patting him, and trying to calm him down. Have tried the thunder shirt but it doesn't make any difference.
Someone told me to put a blanket over his head??? To make him feel more secure. Haven't tried it yet, but any other suggestions?
The next few days we are meant to have thunderstorms and after last nights effort of being awake at 3.30am sitting with him I would love to be able to help him now instead of another early morning wake up from him.
I am going to get intouch with the rescue and see if they can help out in anyway.

[Kay1]

Just a thought but what about a white noise machine? We use one to block out noise at night. If you put him in a room with one (or a radio off tune) and gradually increase the volume so he doesn't hear the thunder?

[Paddlepop]

Doggy sedatives from your vet. My staffy was petrified of storms and in the end the only option was to medicate her at the first sign of a storm approaching. It would knock her out a bit and she would sleep. I'm pretty sure it was called clomicalm and was actually Xanax (antidepressant/sedative). It had to be given at least one hour prior to the storm to be effective for the storm.

Another option is a desensitisation CD of storm sounds, and working with an animal behaviourist so that the dog learns that storms are no threat to it.

[la di dah]

Stop patting him and telling him its okay, he thinks you're saying "yes, yes it is scary! we're scared too, oh god I guess we're all going to die!" and that, understandably, is not going to calm him down.

Carry on as normal. Do keep him in the house, don't punish him or get angry with him, but don't make a big deal of it and if he's barking and carrying on, tell him no. You do not want to reinforce that storms are terribly frightening but rather that they're nothing really out of the ordinary.

Is he crate trained? I had one dog that couldn't be, but crates can be helpful. If not, see if you can make a nice safe dark burrow like place.

[caninestorm]

I think all dogs are different, but this is our procedure for our thunder phobic dog (perfected over the 4 years we've had him):
1. Thundershirt and rescue remedy BEFORE the storm hits. Neither of these work on their own but seem to contribute to the overall reaction.
2. Make his favourite spot available and favourable for him (this is under the computer desk for my boy so we put down a rug and encourage him to go there). Some dogs like the bathroom, or a cupboard, or under the bed, etc.
3. Create some "white noise" to help block out the thunder. Close the doors and windows. Turn on the TV, radio or play some music. We also use a portable fan as it appears to calm him.
4. Encourage calmness... be calm yourself (very important). Talk in reassuring tones, not loud panicky ones and not coddling. Simply "Yes I know you're scared... but you'll be ok" with occasional pats.

Some people will probably try to tell you to ignore him, in my opinion that is not the best way to manage it. You cannot reinforce fear as it is an emotion. You can only work to reduce the fear itself and to be honest a lot of dogs just seem to be born with a fear of these things (my other dog just doesn't care).

Good luck. It's so hard watching them be so scared...

[enigma]

Thanks for that. I was thinking that the white noise might work. Will try it tonight. I don't want to give up on this gorgeous boy as then we are passing the problem onto another person. We are only fostering with the view to adopt him.
So it looks like I will have my work cut out for me this week, trying to get it sorted

[caninestorm]

This might sound silly, but the only time my dog actually slept through a (short) storm was when he was under the computer desk when my husband was playing computer games (war/shooting game) and had it turned up really loudly. Simply desensitising him to the noise of thunder wouldn't work for us as it is the storm itself that scares him (couldn't care less about thunder or any other loud noises on TV).

[enigma]

Apparently he is crate trained but we don't have one. (Sorry I didn't quote)
I feel bad that by saying he will be okay and patting hm may be giving him the wrong message.
I have heard about the rescue remedy and will look into it before I resort to taking him to the vet.
He is kept inside at night as well. If he wasn't he would be waking the whole neighbourhood up lol
Thank you to everyone's advice. I must seem so dumb asking all these questions. Our other pup sleeps through everything and is so placid and laid back you would think he was a statue lol. So this is all new to us.
If we can get the humping (which is starting to ease) and his fear of thunderstorm sorted out I think we will have a perfect boy lol

[caninestorm]

You say he's a pup... if the behaviour isn't too ingrained you could try some desensitisation. If you can catch him before he goes over his threshold (ie. when he still has enough of his brain to pay attention, take treats, etc) you can try to make the storm a fun time - get out his favourite toy, do some simple training with lots of treats, play a game with him. Oh, there's thunder? Well... it's time for a game! Yay!

[Unatheowl]

Stop patting him and telling him its okay, he thinks you're saying "yes, yes it is scary! we're scared too, oh god I guess we're all going to die!" and that, understandably, is not going to calm him down.

Carry on as normal. Do keep him in the house, don't punish him or get angry with him, but don't make a big deal of it and if he's barking and carrying on, tell him no. You do not want to reinforce that storms are terribly frightening but rather that they're nothing really out of the ordinary.

This. It's basically thunderstorm training 101. Don't reward his fearful behaviour.

This can turn into something that is unmanageable. I would consult a professional trainier and implement a programme to train him out of it either with or without medication provided by a vet. I wouldn't try to do it yourself with advice form a forum.