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Our new pup, Chinook, settling in with senior, Swami, and proving to be a great playmate to tire out our two-year-old, Barley.

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My Jack Russell girl has a Class A level of Storm Phobia. Regardless of the actual weather conditions, when the barometer rises above 1005 hPa she starts shakin' like a leaf on a tree (to quote one of my heroes - Ronnie Van Zant).

My Rat Terrier, on the other hand, sleeps right through it like he was tranquilised or something.

We have a Thundershirt for the Russell girl. It helps to calm her down from a level where our entire bed is strongly vibrating to a level where the bed is lightly vibrating. Pinning her down by the neck and holding her like that also helps a great deal, but it's tiring to keep a dog pinned down for an hour especially when I am trying to go back to sleep.

Anybody else have a dog with this level of maladaptive stress reactions to rising barometric pressure? Do things like playing storm CDs during normal weather help?
 
My father-in-law's lab had a similar fear for thunder, but they untrained it by just giving the dog a treat after every thunderclap....it worked but requires patience and a lot of treats..
 
Kharnynb said:
My father-in-law's lab had a similar fear for thunder, but they untrained it by just giving the dog a treat after every thunderclap....it worked but requires patience and a lot of treats..
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I am not even talking about a storm, simply a rise in barometric pressure starts her violent trembling. Thunder comes and it feels like she is going to shake herself into a heart attack.

This is a female dog will will gladly fight male dogs twice her size and win.
 
I like the above suggestion of positive association with the changing conditions. It will take a great volume of repetition. Video your sessions to gauge your progress.

If you know that weather is coming, head outside for treat time or play time. I prefer play via ball/fetch or tug...it is a better distraction than food. Going for a walk or run beforehand can also buffer high levels of energy being directed into unwanted behavior.
 
MattyIce said:
I like the above suggestion of positive association with the changing conditions. It will take a great volume of repetition. Video your sessions to gauge your progress.

If you know that weather is coming, head outside for treat time or play time. I prefer play via ball/fetch or tug...it is a better distraction than food. Going for a walk or run beforehand can also buffer high levels of energy being directed into unwanted behavior.
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Mostly the problem is that I wake up at 4am with the entire bed violently vibrating and her rapidly panting. I peek out the window, nothing happening. I log on to the weather site and barometric pressure is up over 1005 hPa. I can't go back to sleep because the dog won't go back to sleep.

When she gets into this mode, she refuses treats or water. If I take her outside, she is totally out of her mind and confused, doesn't even recognise her own yard when we approach it to come back home.
 
podz said:
Mostly the problem is that I wake up at 4am with the entire bed violently vibrating and her rapidly panting. I peek out the window, nothing happening. I log on to the weather site and barometric pressure is up over 1005 hPa. I can't go back to sleep because the dog won't go back to sleep.

When she gets into this mode, she refuses treats or water. If I take her outside, she is totally out of her mind and confused, doesn't even recognise her own yard when we approach it to come back home.
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This jumped out at me. How does she do with basic obedience commands, etc. during these times - or, does she seem to recognize YOU?

The reason I ask is, Sage (8 yr old black lab) has epilepsy. We went the first year or two after his diagnosis without medicating him for it at all; he'd go 6-8 weeks between episodes and the vet said the seizures don't really hurt him unless they 'cluster'. Anyway, every time after a gran maul seizure (the tipping over and flopping around on the ground type), he'd go into almost like a trance - he'd get the 'thousand yard stare', completely ignore any commands - to the point I'm pretty sure he wasn't even hearing me, and he'd start pacing, only if there wasn't something to physically stop him (leash, fence, wall), he would continue walking in one direction.

It wasn't until Sage had a major episode (gran maul seizures every 12 hours for three days) that I learned the trance-like state was actually a peti maul seizure. During his major episode, he was having 3-4 peti maul seizures between every gran maul. He was so amped up that it took two doses of doggie valium to bring him down - and that only calmed him down enough they could work with him.

It's probably a long shot, but maybe it's worth talking to your vet about.
 
dkwolf said:
This jumped out at me. How does she do with basic obedience commands, etc. during these times - or, does she seem to recognize YOU?
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She recognises me and she doesn't pull hard on the leash. Actually, she usually jumps off of SWMBO's side of the bed, walks around to mine and starts to pant loudly signaling me to help her. Normally that means picking her up and into bed and pinned down by the neck for half an hour or so. That really calms her down, but if I loosed the grip even for a second then it's back to the hysterics.
 
ColoHox said:
http://www.thundershirt.com/

Thought about one of these? I used a similar product on a puppy a few years ago. He would still have to lay next to me, but I wouldn't have to lay on him.
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thundershirts work well for many dogs.

If you wake up with her trembling on the bed, cover her with a heavy blanket, up to her eyes and comfort her. I had a male Aussie that did the same, and the heavy blanket seemed to comfort him.

MC
 
My Doberman, Heidi, has thunder phobia. We adopted her from the Humane Society so we have no info on her history. Funny thing though, if I take her for a walk inside the local Home Depot (I take her there often; she is in therapy dog training) she responds as if nothing was every wrong.
 
MindenMan said:
My Doberman, Heidi, has thunder phobia. We adopted her from the Humane Society so we have no info on her history. Funny thing though, if I take her for a walk inside the local Home Depot (I take her there often; she is in therapy dog training) she responds as if nothing was every wrong.
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A few things: a) Most dogs know the difference between thunder and loud noises - I'm not 100% certain how, but they know. My Aussie, Blue, (pic on left) has no reaction to thunder on TV no matter how loud. But all bets are off with real thunder.

b) Home Depot, Lowes, Tractor Supply (and others) all allow dogs on leashes in their stores.

MC
 
Our greyhound (and I think many greyhounds) does a similar thing--if the pressure changes, she starts shaking. Thunder bothers her as well, but she anticipates it, and just kind of shakes and pants.

I can second the thunder shirt, that definitely helps her at least lay down. She likes to lay on the footrug in the middle of our apartment, probably the quietest/middlest part of the house. I know some dogs like to get in the bathtub because it feels safer.

I would tightly wrap up a thundershirt, and maybe ask your vet about medication--there are actually mild dog relaxers for dogs with serious anxiety problems. I've heard half a benadryl can help calm them down too--but check on that. My dog's huge (63 lbs) so that might not work with a small dog.
 
SuchSweetThunder said:
I've heard half a benadryl can help calm them down too--but check on that. My dog's huge (63 lbs) so that might not work with a small dog.
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Believe it or not, my vet recommended one normal adult benadryl per 10-lbs of weight. That's 6 of them for a 60+ lbs Aussie. Barely made him drowsy.

MC
 
Misplaced_Canuck said:
Believe it or not, my vet recommended one normal adult benadryl per 10-lbs of weight. That's 6 of them for a 60+ lbs Aussie. Barely made him drowsy.

MC
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No freekin way.......
2 offem and i'm asleep within an hour.
Regardless how early in the day it is.
 
Our Sheltie occasionally gets stung by bees and the vet recommended to give him 1/2 a Benedryl for the reaction. Surprising, but it does help.
 
My dogs eating the bones from two huge-ass tomahawk steaks!

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p792pF-Kv3o[/ame]
 
I just had to add to this. Visiting my in-laws and my 12.5 year old mix (border collie 50%, Australian shepherd 25% & Australian cattle dog 25%) chillin' out back in the shade! Chain free and electric fence free!!! Such a good girl!!! PS - had to zoom in a lot and she's still a bit hard to see (well on my phone). ;-)

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1439060331.741003.jpg
 
8 years ago today, we adopted this floppy-eared mutt. 1/2 beagle, 1/2 basset hound; a bagle.

we didn't have him very long, only 2 & 1/2 years, but he left some pretty deep paw prints on our hearts

we miss you, Goombah

if there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die, I want to go where they went
- Will Rogers
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GrogNerd said:
8 years ago today, we adopted this floppy-eared mutt. 1/2 beagle, 1/2 basset hound; a bagle.

we didn't have him very long, only 2 & 1/2 years, but he left some pretty deep paw prints on our hearts

we miss you, Goombah
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It is always sad to loose one early. My Newfoundland, Grady, was with us less than three years. He was only an estimated 5 years old when he passed.

He was the dog that got me hooked on giant breeds for their generally laid back demeanor (though my current rescue St Bernard is challenging that).

Conversely, our Senior adoption of a 12 year old Bernese Mountain Dog to "give him a good last year" is now well into the third good last year and looking like he might make a fourth. He has ruined me for all but Senior Giant breed rescues.
 
Onkel_Udo said:
It is always sad to loose one early. My Newfoundland, Grady, was with us less than three years. He was only an estimated 5 years old when he passed.

He was the dog that got me hooked on giant breeds for their generally laid back demeanor (though my current rescue St Bernard is challenging that).

Conversely, our Senior adoption of a 12 year old Bernese Mountain Dog to "give him a good last year" is now well into the third good last year and looking like he might make a fourth. He has ruined me for all but Senior Giant breed rescues.
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vet said Goombah was 2 or 3 when we got him, so yeah, ≈5 when he passed
 
My wife's dog, Skippy, the littler dog in the pic had an allergic reaction to something tonight. She was walking the dogs after a few days of heavy rain and he either stepped on a bee, maybe a centipede or Who knows what? Moments later she called me at work bawling and hysterical. All i could make out was. Skippy is dying, he might be dead in my arms...im going 90 (mph) to the vet!

Not a good night for this, of course there never would be a good night for this. But it had started raining hard again, she was extremely upset snd i was 3 hours later than usual getting off work and was stuck in heavy slow moving traffic. I told her id meet her at the vet but got super lost. The town the vet is in has a rail being run through it and is a mess.

Long story short. O2, a shot of benadryl snd cortisone and Skippy is okay. Thank God and medicine! If that little dog would have died it would have been devaststing to my wife... To our family

Couple of pics of the dogs. They look a bit stern in these photos but usually have big smiles on their faces. They're both camera happy...they just dont like sharing the same shot! [emoji4][emoji6]


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