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#1
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Fear of thunder getting worse
We adopted a 10 yr old malamute mix 2 yrs ago. In every other way she
is a perfect pet and we love her dearly but her fear of thunder (and firecrackers and gun shots) is getting worse. She used to hide in the basement during a thunder storm and that was OK, they don't last that long. I thought as she became more secure with her surroundings and us the fear would abate but recently she has expanded her fear to being afraid of rain and even cloudy days, this is after a string of late day thunderstorms. She won't leave out of the house in the late afternoon though I know she must have to go. I feel so sorry for her and have no idea what to do about it. I took her in the car yesterday afternoon to an area not far from our house and that seems OK, I guess she figures there was no thunder there, who knows. I can't take her for a ride every day that's for sure and I miss our long walks after dinner. Can anyone help me and my pupster? |
#2
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sue said in rec.pets.dogs.behavior:
Can anyone help me and my pupster? How do *you* react to thunderstorms and loud noises? My first dog was very sensitive to thunder and it took a lot of time to desensitize her to the point that she wouldn't hide in the basement and void her bowels when I wasn't home. My current two dogs are fine with thunder and lightening, though where I live it can come on suddenly and, caught unawares, it's difficult *not* to flinch when the boomer comes out of nowhere. It's important to ensure that you're not inadvertantly signalling your discomfort to your dog. On a different level, you may be getting anxious because you believe she will get nervous and she builds off of that. -- --Matt. Rocky's a Dog. |
#3
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sue said in rec.pets.dogs.behavior:
Can anyone help me and my pupster? How do *you* react to thunderstorms and loud noises? My first dog was very sensitive to thunder and it took a lot of time to desensitize her to the point that she wouldn't hide in the basement and void her bowels when I wasn't home. My current two dogs are fine with thunder and lightening, though where I live it can come on suddenly and, caught unawares, it's difficult *not* to flinch when the boomer comes out of nowhere. It's important to ensure that you're not inadvertantly signalling your discomfort to your dog. On a different level, you may be getting anxious because you believe she will get nervous and she builds off of that. -- --Matt. Rocky's a Dog. |
#4
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sue said in rec.pets.dogs.behavior:
Can anyone help me and my pupster? How do *you* react to thunderstorms and loud noises? My first dog was very sensitive to thunder and it took a lot of time to desensitize her to the point that she wouldn't hide in the basement and void her bowels when I wasn't home. My current two dogs are fine with thunder and lightening, though where I live it can come on suddenly and, caught unawares, it's difficult *not* to flinch when the boomer comes out of nowhere. It's important to ensure that you're not inadvertantly signalling your discomfort to your dog. On a different level, you may be getting anxious because you believe she will get nervous and she builds off of that. -- --Matt. Rocky's a Dog. |
#5
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Sue, you are facing one of the most difficult challenges. It's common
for the fear to increase and one event be 'chained' to another until the dog is panicking at things you're not even aware of. How much time are you able to spend with her? Densensitization, as Matt accomplished, takes a good deal of time and alertness to anticipate and distract before the dog goes out of control. where I live it can come on suddenly and, caught unawares, it's difficult *not* to flinch when the boomer comes out of nowhere. It's important to ensure that you're not inadvertantly signalling your discomfort to your dog. Are these events that unpredicable where you are? If not, I would seek help from a board-certified veterinarian behaviorist known for judicious use of drugs. (Ha! Good luck finding one of those.) Last July 4th, a friend spent a tense, but not unbearable, night with her fireworks-panicked dog with the aid of a single Valium. I'm as anit-drug as anyone, but Dr. Karen Overall, whose opinion I respect, believes that some pharmaceutical intervention may be necessaary sometimes for desensitation to be accomplished. Otherwise, the dog is simply 'unreachable'. |
#6
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Sue, you are facing one of the most difficult challenges. It's common
for the fear to increase and one event be 'chained' to another until the dog is panicking at things you're not even aware of. How much time are you able to spend with her? Densensitization, as Matt accomplished, takes a good deal of time and alertness to anticipate and distract before the dog goes out of control. where I live it can come on suddenly and, caught unawares, it's difficult *not* to flinch when the boomer comes out of nowhere. It's important to ensure that you're not inadvertantly signalling your discomfort to your dog. Are these events that unpredicable where you are? If not, I would seek help from a board-certified veterinarian behaviorist known for judicious use of drugs. (Ha! Good luck finding one of those.) Last July 4th, a friend spent a tense, but not unbearable, night with her fireworks-panicked dog with the aid of a single Valium. I'm as anit-drug as anyone, but Dr. Karen Overall, whose opinion I respect, believes that some pharmaceutical intervention may be necessaary sometimes for desensitation to be accomplished. Otherwise, the dog is simply 'unreachable'. |
#7
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Sue, you are facing one of the most difficult challenges. It's common
for the fear to increase and one event be 'chained' to another until the dog is panicking at things you're not even aware of. How much time are you able to spend with her? Densensitization, as Matt accomplished, takes a good deal of time and alertness to anticipate and distract before the dog goes out of control. where I live it can come on suddenly and, caught unawares, it's difficult *not* to flinch when the boomer comes out of nowhere. It's important to ensure that you're not inadvertantly signalling your discomfort to your dog. Are these events that unpredicable where you are? If not, I would seek help from a board-certified veterinarian behaviorist known for judicious use of drugs. (Ha! Good luck finding one of those.) Last July 4th, a friend spent a tense, but not unbearable, night with her fireworks-panicked dog with the aid of a single Valium. I'm as anit-drug as anyone, but Dr. Karen Overall, whose opinion I respect, believes that some pharmaceutical intervention may be necessaary sometimes for desensitation to be accomplished. Otherwise, the dog is simply 'unreachable'. |
#8
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I wonder if I'm doing the right thing with Cubbe. She's normally
fearless on her own territory which is where she spends most of her time. Unlike the typical dog that follows her person around the house, Cubbe hangs out on the living room couch or at the bottom of the basement stairs, places that are comfortable for the weather. I'd sometimes prefer it if she slept by my feet like a normal dog, but no. That is unless there's thunder in the distance and a storm in the air. Then she lies down behind the chair in the computer room while I'm seated at the computer. She doesn't cry or pant or show any sign of stress. She's just there. This is not forbidden behavior by a long shot. She might press herself against the legs of the chair making it hard to adjust, but I like her there. The only trouble is that I know she does it when she's reacting to the storm. I can't imagine discouraging a behavior I rather like and that she's allowed to do, but I don't want to reward behavior that has fear at its root. Am I rewarding her by letting her lie there? I'm not praising or coddling in any way. The most she gets is the same pat she gets any other time I'm walking by her. --Lia |
#9
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I wonder if I'm doing the right thing with Cubbe. She's normally
fearless on her own territory which is where she spends most of her time. Unlike the typical dog that follows her person around the house, Cubbe hangs out on the living room couch or at the bottom of the basement stairs, places that are comfortable for the weather. I'd sometimes prefer it if she slept by my feet like a normal dog, but no. That is unless there's thunder in the distance and a storm in the air. Then she lies down behind the chair in the computer room while I'm seated at the computer. She doesn't cry or pant or show any sign of stress. She's just there. This is not forbidden behavior by a long shot. She might press herself against the legs of the chair making it hard to adjust, but I like her there. The only trouble is that I know she does it when she's reacting to the storm. I can't imagine discouraging a behavior I rather like and that she's allowed to do, but I don't want to reward behavior that has fear at its root. Am I rewarding her by letting her lie there? I'm not praising or coddling in any way. The most she gets is the same pat she gets any other time I'm walking by her. --Lia |
#10
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I wonder if I'm doing the right thing with Cubbe. She's normally
fearless on her own territory which is where she spends most of her time. Unlike the typical dog that follows her person around the house, Cubbe hangs out on the living room couch or at the bottom of the basement stairs, places that are comfortable for the weather. I'd sometimes prefer it if she slept by my feet like a normal dog, but no. That is unless there's thunder in the distance and a storm in the air. Then she lies down behind the chair in the computer room while I'm seated at the computer. She doesn't cry or pant or show any sign of stress. She's just there. This is not forbidden behavior by a long shot. She might press herself against the legs of the chair making it hard to adjust, but I like her there. The only trouble is that I know she does it when she's reacting to the storm. I can't imagine discouraging a behavior I rather like and that she's allowed to do, but I don't want to reward behavior that has fear at its root. Am I rewarding her by letting her lie there? I'm not praising or coddling in any way. The most she gets is the same pat she gets any other time I'm walking by her. --Lia |
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