If the dog is afraid of thunder

Fear of thunder – the total dog phobia. This usually tends to hide the dog, howling, barking, scratching, or even tags in the house. Nobody really knows why the thunder frightens dogs. Quite specifically, some breeds of dogs are more prone to such phobias than others.

Anxiety caused by thunder, it is difficult to adjust, but it is very important to try to do it as it progresses with age only.
A dog that is afraid of thunder may show signs of trouble long before the storm. Patter of rain on the roof, bright flashes of light or even the drop in air pressure before a storm may be sufficient to cause a reaction in the dog. Also, dogs that are afraid of thunder, often marked by a fear of fireworks.

Do not punish or caress

When it comes to this phobia, it is important not to punish your dog for fear that she feels, but not fondle her too, because it will only aggravate the problem. The punishment will only increase the anxiety and fear because the animal will associate thunder not just with his fear, but also with your punishment.
Excessive affection and attempts to calm the pet is also undesirable, because then your dog will think that anxiety is “good” and like you.

Safe and sound

The first thing you should do for a dog that is afraid of thunder – to provide her with a safe place to take shelter during lightning storms. Carriers for dogs, the space under the bed or chair – that’s the place where the dog is often hidden. This choice is due to a sense of security and the fact that the external noise, frightening dog, smoothed. If your dog has not yet chosen to itself a shelter, arrange it themselves. You can leave for her goodies to her it was easier to survive the storm.

Safe shelter during lightning storms helps to eliminate some of the manifestations of anxiety, but does not eliminate the problem. This problem is difficult to solve and may require the assistance of veterinary experts and experts on animal behavior. It is important to desensitize the dog to thunder or the other stimuli associated with it. The sooner you start the correction of such behavior, the faster will get a positive result.

Let the dog learns more

Eliminating dependence should be carried out gradually. Home is your goal – to teach the dog to the sound of thunder, and to make sure that she perceived it as a normal, standard conditions. Typically, this is accomplished by playing audio with thunder for short periods of time and at a low volume.

The sound of thunder is to truly simulate real thunder. At the same time controls the behavior of the dog. Try to distract her from the noise, offering to play “catch up-fetch” or something else. If your dog is too frightened to participate in the Games, it should reduce the volume of the playback and try again after a while.

The process may take a lot of time and patience, but in the end your dog will feel much more comfortable during a thunderstorm.