We had a mild spring thunderstorm roll through recently. None of the K9 crew likes storms, but this time they all seemed to react a little differently.
I don’t know if Cricket’s hearing is starting to go a little in her old age, or if she was just so tired from playing that day; but she never even moved. She seems to sleep a bit more soundly these days, just as her late beagle brother Kobi used to do when he got older.
At the first clap of thunder, Luke just picked himself up and went and hid in the master bedroom closet. At our old house, his safe place was downstairs on his favorite bench in the mudroom. That’s where his crate had been as a puppy, and where we kept him before he was old enough to have run of the whole house; I assumed that was why he felt safe there.
When we moved, I worried that he wouldn’t have that safe place. It occurred to me that the master bedroom closet would be perfect, and I was so happy the first time he went in there on his own when he was nervous. I wanted him to have a place where he was comfortable during storms or when other loud noises might bother him. As you can see, he still looks a bit nervous but he wasn’t shaking or anything.
With the other two in their places, Sheba was the only one left and she had started pacing around nervously. I cursed myself for not thinking of putting their Calming Collars on them when I knew there was a storm coming (though we can’t see the storms coming like we used to at our old house). We’d had some good results from the collars the last time we had a storm, but they do tell you that putting them on ahead of time can help a lot more.
However, you can see that didn’t matter. As soon as I put that collar on Sheba, she laid right down! I breathed a sigh of relief; I hate to see any of the crew nervous and uncomfortable. I didn’t put Luke’s collar on him since he seemed mostly OK, but next time I will just for a little extra comfort. You can read our full review of the Calming Collars by clicking here.
That storm was again fairly mild as some storms go, but I have high hopes that even if we get a worse one, we’ve found things that will help each of them feel a little better. I also think our new house carries the sounds differently, and storms might not seem quite so intense here. Our old house was on an open hill (which explains why we could see storms coming), but this house even though also on a hill is protected more by trees. The new house has definitely had some benefits for the dogs that we didn’t anticipate!
*I was not compensated for the mention of the Calming Collars in this post; I just wanted to share that they did help once again.
Thunderstorm Phobias aren’t fun, I’m glad Luke has his spot.
They all looks pretty calm which is wonderful. I think they have settled right into the new place.
It’s awesome when they are settled and calm, isn’t it?
I’ve been giving Sampson “Composure” (the pro-line) twice a day. I give it to him for his adrenal because of the anti-stress supplements it includes. About a week or so ago we had a small storm shortly after the dogs had their supper. Sampson had just recently take the Composure and I was shocked when a very loud clap of thunder sounded directly over head and he never even moved! I hate seeing him stressed out, so this was just such a nice change.
I’ve heard of Composure – is that something you buy over the counter, or get from your vet? I’m guessing if it’s something you’re using it’s an all natural thing? I wonder if it would help Luke with relaxing a little when strangers are around.
It is something I get from my vet (it is “pro-line”) but it doesn’t require a prescription. I just haven’t found it on Amazon or any of the other sites in the Pro line.
It does have some inactive ingredients that I typically wouldn’t give, but the main ingredients are all natural: Vitamin B1, L-Tryptophan, Colostrum (like they would get from nursing from mom) and L-Theanine, (a natural stress reliever.) It has made such a HUGE difference for Sampson, although he still doesn’t like it when Hubby is on his phone, but this morning we had a small thunderstorm and he never even moved, even though one sounded right over us.
I recommended it to my sister for her jack Russell who was having some separation issues and she said it has helped immensely! She also gave it to her other Jack when there was a storm and he wasn’t bothered by the storm.
I highly recommend it.
I should add that it is a chew and I think the additional stuff is what makes it so appealing to the dogs. Sampson thinks it’s a treat. 🙂
I count myself fortunate in that none of my dogs are bothered by storms, fireworks, or gunshots. (Tractors, 4-wheelers, and weedeaters drive them nuts, though) I’m glad your crew was able to find relief in their own ways.
We’re glad the calming collars helped. Storms don’t usually bother us unless the thunder is really loud.
We’ve been having a lot of storms at night. Luckily the windows are closed air is on and the dogs and us can’t hear a thing! Now about the fireworks going off every night already.
Ugh…fireworks are the worst! We’re hoping no one will be setting them off in our new neighborhood….so far, so good, but we’ll see what happens on the 4th weekend.
It’s so nice when it’s warm enough at night to have a/c or fans on. We haven’t needed a/c yet, but we’ve had a couple fans going and that drowns out a lot of noise!
I’m so glad Luke found his safe space at your new house. Barley rejected my “thunderstorm central” area in the closet–she prefers to squeeze herself in under the tiny end table in the living room if I’m downstairs (which is where she’d hide in our old living room) or under the bed if I’m upstairs. Luckily, she still likes her set up in the closet for just everyday napping or when it gets too hot to be in the bed with me and Soth at night. It sounds like the new house is really working out well for everyone!
It really is working out so well, better than I expected. We’ll be tearing out the carpet in “Luke’s” closet, so I’ll have to set him up an area in there with a bed and stuff too once we have the new floor in. There’s also a dog bed behind our bedroom door and that’s his 2nd favorite place to hide out at times. Occasionally we close the closet door without thinking!
Wow that’s really interesting. It’s a funny thing with Daisy – when she was a puppy and up through her third year, thunderstorms never phased her a bit. We put the curse on ourselves, though, when we said how lucky we were that she didn’t get stressed over storms…and soon after she started up. I’m going to check out the calming collar you talked about, thanks for reminding me!
I hope the calming collar works for Daisy! You really have to wonder what causes them to all of the sudden get these fears out of the blue. Luke didn’t mind storms at first, but in his case it was probably his sister’s nervousness that changed it for him.
We are so lucky we don’t get big storms like that. If we do mom blasts the TV so loud to drown out the thunder we can’t hear BOL
Lily & Edward
I’ve done that, or blasted music too!
Pierre could not care less about storms, but if I know one is coming I add some of Dr. Harvey’s Relax in Bentley’s food. It does an incredible job. He likes my closet too. LOL!
I might have to try the Relax too, and maybe also for Luke when people are coming over. We’re having a big party in July and I know that will be a tough day for him; even though we’ll have some safe areas for him to go to.
Aw, poor babies! I’m glad they all have you to help them calm down during storms! Poor Callie hated storms – she would whine, pace through the house, try to hide between my legs, or climb into my lap if I was sitting. Back then neither Shadow nor Ducky seemed bothered by storms, so I could give Callie my full attention with a massage and some lavender mist (I rubbed it in my hands and then through her coat). Now that Callie’s gone (physically at least), Shadow seems to be a bit nervous about storms. I really think Callie’s presence was her security blanket. So I just let her sit close to me if she needs to. She usually feels better quickly that way. And then there’s Ducky Doodle Demon Dog. She barks back at the thunder. ????
We had a storm pass through last night and every time the thunder was particularly loud, Ducky barked at it. Sam and I just laughed. It was like she was saying “I’m not afraid of you storm so just be quiet.”
Oh my gosh, Ducky sounds too funny with the storms! I think Luke might have barked the first times he heard thunder but that was it.
Callie sounds like our golden Moses with the storms. There was no consoling him, he was far worse than Sheba. The funny thing is in their case, I think they all got better with storms after Moses was gone. It was like they had felt his anxieties and it made them more anxious. The other thing is that I don’t like storms, so I also have to work hard not to let them sense my anxiety!
It sounds like pretty much everything is better in your new house which is great. It was time for a move and you feel better and happier which also carries over to the furry ones. So happy for you all.
Thank you, Emma! I don’t think I had even realized how much I needed the move! When selling our house turned out to be such a pain I worried the universe was trying to tell us we were making a huge mistake. So I had so many doubts and worries along the way. I think getting the fenced yard was the turning point for making me finally feel more sure we’d made the right decision for the dogs as well as ourselves. Even with construction going on, they’ve been doing very well.
My rescue girl, Lady Girl, was terrified of storms and all loud noises until about 6 mos. ago. She is now about 8.5 yrs old. I always used Canine Calm on her. Her baby bruder, Pookie, gets excited and actually goes to a window to try and figure out what the heck the sounds are.
I have heard about the calm collars. So glad they work for your furdoggies!!! I am trying a new chewable calming agent the next time the noiseys come around.
Every dog is different and some are so much more extreme than others! Our golden retriever Moses was a wreck over thunderstorms, and he would start at the faintest clap of thunder – he’d even hear it before we would! We tried a lot of different things with him but nothing helped.
I’m glad to hear your Lady Girl has gotten better with them too, and Pookie sounds too cute going to the windows trying to figure it out. 🙂