With thunderstorm season upon us, I have been reading many articles about noise phobia in dogs,. It seems everyone has an opinion about how to deal with a thunder phobic dog.

Some folks will recommend flooding techniques, playing a tape of thunderstorms while simultaniously feeding or playing with your dog, gradually increasing the volume, so that the dog will  supposedly, learn to associate the sound with something positive.

My feeling on this one is that it may work if your dog isn't afraid of thunder, it might make him less reactive to loud noises, but once you have a phobic and fearful dog, this probably won't work as a 'treatment ' or 'cure' because most are too stressed to eat or play.

The other problem with this technique is that it isn't just the sound that may be upsetting the dog. Animals are much more sensitive to things like barometric pressure and imagine what it must feel like when your whole body is covered in fur and the air is filled with static from an electrical storm!

I used to have a dog that would get into our bathtub long before the first grey cloud of a storm approached. I suspect something about the cast iron may have made her feel more grounded? On a sunny day I would have had to drag her, kicking & screaming into that tub for a bath!

Old school thought was that petting or comforting your dog while he/she is in a state of panic about a storm would actually reward the fearfulness and we were told to never coddle or comfort a fearful dog.

Here's the thing about that theory, fear is an emotional response. It is a built in protection system for self preservation that we are all born with. IT IS NOT A BEHAVIOR! Therefore it can not be trained into or out of a dog. Petting or otherwise comforting a scared dog will NOT make it more likely to become scared.

So here is my advice to those of you that have a storm phobic dog. If your dog wants to hide in the basement, the bathtub or under the bed during a storm-let him! If your dog is pacing, panting and nudging you, pet him, talk soflty to him, draw the curtains to block out the flashes of lightening, turn up the  soft classical music to help drown out the noise and get down on the floor with him or invite Fido up on the bed, for a gentle massage if that makes him feel safer.

In cases where the dog is severly distressed by storms, to the point of injuring himself trying to escape etc, please consult your veterinarian for prescription medication/sedatives.