Last night I woke up to Nugget pacing around the house. Not even 3 seconds after I opened my eyes, the whole basement was alit with the lightning from outside. I didn't see Nugget, but I heard her little nails going in all directions as she was clearly 'spazzing out'. I got out of bed to make sure she was ok, she was whining at the door, so I opened the front door and let her out. But she didn't go anywhere, she just sat down and stared into the back yard. After a minute, I invited her back in. I was heading back to bed, but I noticed her intently staring into the bathroom, I wondered what it was she saw, a spider perhaps? So I flipped the light on, and got to see what the nails on the ground 'spaz out' looked like. Poor Nugget, I spooked her big time! She tried to run in all directions, all at once, then got her feet under her and ran for the bed, tail tucked between her legs!! Oh I laughed, poor thing, I couldn't help myself!
She got me back though, this morning when I woke up, there was doglog on the kitchen floor. I guess she had to go, but the lightning scared her too much to go outside!
So what is it about storms that scare dogs?
Storm phobias are one of the most common behavioural problems dog owners face, but their cause is not entirely clear. Behaviourists are not yet sure what part of the storm frightens dogs most, whether they're reacting to lightning flashes, the sound of thunder, wind blowing around the house, or the sound of rain on the roof. Some dogs even start to pace and whine half an hour or more before a storm. They may be reacting to a sudden drop in air pressure or the electrical charge of the air.
WHAT NOT TO DO:
- Do not attempt to reassure your dog when she is afraid. This may only reinforce her fearful behaviour. If you pet, soothe, or give treats to her when she's behaving fearfully, she may interpret this as a reward for her fearful behaviour. Instead, try to behave normally, as if you don't notice her fearfulness.
- Do not put your dog in a crate to prevent her from being destructive during a thunderstorm. She'll still be fearful when she's in the crate and is likely to injure herself, perhaps even severely, while attempting to get out of the crate.
- Do not punish your dog for being afraid. Punishment will only make her more fearful.
- Do not try to force your dog to experience or be close to the sound that frightens her. For example, making her stay close to a group of children who are lighting firecrackers will only make her more afraid, and could cause her to become aggressive in an attempt to escape from the situation.
These approaches will fail because they won't decrease your dog's fear. Merely trying to prevent her from escaping or being destructive won't work, either. If your dog is still afraid, she'll continue to show that fear in whatever way she can—whether by digging, jumping, climbing, chewing, barking, or howling. Finally, know that formal training won't make your dog less afraid of thunder or other noises, although it could help boost her general confidence.
It's Storm Season, do you have a scaredy cat like Nugget?
