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Fear of thunderstorms is quite a common problem for
our dogs. To them, loud noises of thunder, or
heavy rain can be quite frightening.
Often times the dog will try to "hide" themselves
away from the noise. Closets, bathrooms, and bathtubs/showers
are common places for them to hide. Many times
no matter where the dog chooses to go, the noise is
still present, and they will begin to dig or chew items
or walls etc. all in attempts to try and get away.
Destructive behavior when associated with loud noises
as in thunderstorms, or fireworks, should be curbed
when possible. Not only are these behaviors destructive,
but they represent a high level of anxiety and stress
that the dog is going through.
Curbing this unwanted behavior: Many different
techniques have been tried, but counter-conditioning
seems to work the best. Counter conditioning,
involves exposing the dog to the frightening noise by
playing audio tapes of thunder or fireworks at various
times during the day. You can even set a timer
to play at a certain time or times. Short intervals
of a minute or less should be started, gradually working
up to longer intervals.
Initially, being home with the pet and comforting them
through the duration of the play interval is most helpful.
This way, you can monitor the actions of the dog, and
when a reaction isn't apparent, increase the time of
the play interval. In this way, flooding the dog's
senses with this undesirable, anxiety producing sound,
acts to desensitize them to its effects.
Eventually, when the real thing occurs, the pet will
have become desensitized enough to ignore the noise.
Praising the dog and rewarding the dog through this
desensitization process is most helpful in achieving
the desired result.
Many of us however, do not have the time it takes to
make counter conditioning work. I would encourage
you to try as best you can, but when this is not an
option, there are medications which can help in reducing
your dog's anxiety during the thunderstorm or fireworks
event.
Check with your veterinarian or submit a request to
Questions
for the Vet for more information.
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