Thunder-Phobia of Dogs

Aside from being lovey dovey cute, dogs may be our body guards that have the ability to make us feel safe. They have this territorial instinct that they use whenever they feel we – their pack-mates are threatened. Even if dogs have a natural protector characteristic, they are also capable of fear.

This may manifest in normal scary situations such as dog fights or the owner getting mad; but when destructive behavior is observed, it may need to be addressed. One of the most common dog-phobias is the fear of thunder.

Since dogs are not gifted with powerful and clear eyesight, this is compensated in their hearing abilities. They have very sensitive ears that they can hear sounds in wider frequencies than us – especially the ones who have erect ears the can be moved side to side. They can hear a very soft whistle that sounds silence to us humans. They have an amplifier inside their ears that multiplies the sound. This is the explanation behind dogs that have a fear of thunder. It sounds very loud in their ears that sometimes it hurts. Thunders are also sudden and unexpected, usually preceded by a lightning in the sky. This abrupt light accompanied by a very loud crack is truly scary – even for us. Apart from thunder, loud noises like banging of steel, a sudden falling object or a breaking glass can send instant fear to these animals. If your dog is suffering through this anxiety attack, the best option is to “immune” him to the sound of thunder. Do not frighten your dog. Make sure that you introduce the sound gradually and slowly with increasing frequency and intensity. There are recorded thunder sounds that you may use. And don’t ever forget to award them with treats when they have successfully conquered this fear. Thunder-phobia may be common; but when it gets destructive due to immense amount of stress on the dog – they destroy furniture, they ran like a mad dog, salivate, bark, and howl like crazy, or lick or bite themselves just to channel the fear energy out, it is never recommended to tolerate this behavior. The uncontrolled fear can turn your dog cracked and mad that will surely cause a threat to his behavior and the safety of your home and family.