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Thunderstorm Phobia In Dogs

Fear of thunderstorms is VERY common in dogs.

Often these fears will intensify with time, repeat exposure, unintentional reinforcement, and become a “phobia”. Fear, in general, is a normal response (a combination of emotional, physical and physiological reactions) to a perceived threat or danger in order to protect oneself from harm. Fears become phobias when the response is greatly out of proportion to the threat.

Many behavior specialists believe fearful tendencies are inherited, and therefore, are extremely resistant to change. Inherited fears have been shown to develop in puppies that have been well handled, socialized properly from a young age and raised in an ideal environment. Fear can also develop secondary to a “bad” experience earlier in life. Dogs also may learn to become more fearful in response to a situation based on the reaction of their owner. For example, during a thunderstorm, a frightened dog seeks its owner who then pets them and consoles them. The dog may interpret this as a positive reinforcement and in the future will repeat the fearful response in order to get consolation. Or possibly, the dog interprets the owner’s petting and consoling as a confirmation that the fear response was appropriate behavior during a storm. Inadvertently, the fear response is reinforced and will likely worsen with each experience if not recognized and treated properly. Dogs do not generally outgrow their fears- it will be a part of them for life. However, with a great deal of time and patience, many dogs can learn to accept their fear inducing situations more calmly.

Signs of fears and the development of phobias often include a variety of behaviors such as pacing, panting, drooling, hiding, inappetence, lack of response to voice commands, seeking human companions (“clinging”), flight (dogs may run, dig excessively, chew or scratch to escape, jump through windows), urination, defecation, express anal gland secretions, or become stiff as if paralyzed by fear (rare). Often these behaviors start out inconspicuously, but over time, with repeated exposure and unintentional reinforcement, they can become more dramatic.

Thunderstorm phobias are a unique phenomenon stimulated by not only the sounds associated with storms (thunder, rain, and wind), but also often atmospheric pressure changes, lightening (flashing lights), static electricity, and vibrations. This is why thunderstorm phobias are a bit more challenging to treat than a simple noise phobia.

Treating thunderstorm phobias includes behavior modification exercises that combine desensitization and counterconditioning in order to teach your dog to handle the thunderstorm more calmly. In general, desensitization involves exposing your dog to the stimuli that normally make’s them fearful (i.e. thunder) but at very low levels, below the threshold of fear stimulation. Eventually increasing the intensity of the stimulus over time and repeat exercises until the dog can tolerate the full intensity without reacting fearfully. (Since you must be able to control the fear-inducing stimulus so that it can be presented at the appropriate intensity, a recording of a thunderstorm such as those available at the nature store and many music stores will be necessary.) This desensitization is aided with the accompanying counterconditioning exercises that teach your dog to perform a non stressful task while the stimulus is occurring – receiving reward (i.e. delicious treat) as they remain calm.

Basic obedience training, regular exercise and a healthy diet are essential prerequisites for success.

In many cases, your dog may also need antianxiety medications or sedatives during the thunderstorm season until you can make progress with the training. It is important to understand that drugs alone will not solve this problem.

Also, this training may need to be intermittently repeated during your dog’s life in order to reinforce the appropriate behavior and calm attitude.

SEE YOUR VETERINARIAN FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THUNDERSTORM PHOBIA.

Compliments of Jeanette Cole DVM, Gulf Gate Animal Hospital - 2031 Bispham Rd., Sarasota, 941-922-3917.

Updated Wednesday, March 2, 2005