The Lucy's Dog House Blog

Spring and summer are times of year that can be difficult for some pets and their owners. While most dogs are fine with thunderstorms, others are downright traumatized. With symptoms ranging from barking when they hear a thunderclap, to severe hysteria, chewing or self-injury, this can be a serious problem for both the dog and his owner.

One of the biggest difficulties in overcoming a thunderstorm phobia is that you can’t always predict when there will be one. Sometimes they occur when you’re home and can work with your pet, but other times they’re in the middle of the night or while you’re not home.

The first step is to work on some basic obedience commands with your dog. This will help build his confidence in general while also teaching the meanings of “no” and “good dog.” In addition, you’ll be able to use the obedience commands to teach your dog that even during thunderstorms he can behave “normally.”

Next, you’ll need to purchase a thunderstorm CD or cassette. Ironically, these are found in the relaxation section of any place that sells music. You’ll be using the CD to desensitize your dog to the sound of the thunderstorms.

In the beginning, play the CD on extremely low volume as background noise while you go about your day-to-day activities around your home. If your dog acts afraid, gently tell him “no,” and redirect to a more appropriate behavior, such as doing some obedience commands or playing ball. Gradually increase the volume until you’re able to work with your dog during a more realistic sounding storm.

The most important part of this exercise is to make sure you don’t accidentally praise your dog while he’s afraid. If you pet your dog in an attempt to soothe him, instead of feeling soothed he will feel as if you’re saying “good boy, acting afraid is good.” Instead, use a gentle “no” and redirect as described above. You may need to use his leash to help him.

Another important factor is your own behavior during real storms. If you act anxious, your pet will pick up on it and think he should be anxious too. Refrain from constantly checking the weather on television, peering out windows, etc.

Atmospheric pressure may be an additional trigger. It can help to work with your dog during regular rain as well, so he can learn under less severe circumstances that this is an acceptable weather condition.

Last but not least, be sure to confine your dog to a safe area such as a crate if you won’t be home. This will likely comfort your pet because he’s in his own special safe place, plus will keep him and your belongings safe should he become upset while you’re out.

By following these steps, your pet is likely to improve dramatically. These tips can also be applied to fireworks phobia as well. Working with an educated, experienced trainer can help too. By practicing with your dog in advance, hopefully both you and your dog can rest more easily next time there is a storm!

Article written by Lori Verni

Lori Verni is a freelance writer, Certified Master Trainer and owner of Best Paw Forward Dog Education in Holly Springs, NC. She also proudly brings you all of the free articles on FreeDogTrainingInfo.com, and has a book available: Everything You Need to Know About House Training Puppies & Adult Dogs. The book can be purchased at www.FreeDogTrainingInfo.com

Keywords: dog toys, dog beds, dog collars, pet supplies, dog training, dog health

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Of course, we all know that dogs are dogs, not people. However, when it comes to certain behaviors, humans are sometimes offended or embarrassed by their pets!

Some of the things that dogs do may seem ill mannered to humans, but to dogs they’re simply natural behaviors that help them to explore their world, learn about others and establish relationships. Things such as sniffing one another’s private areas, mounting one another and wrestling with other dogs, sometimes accompanied by play biting and growling can seem rather off-putting to humans.

However, since dogs use these behaviors to establish their pecking order with other dogs, it’s usually best to “leave well enough alone.” When humans interfere by stopping their dog from interacting with other dogs in these ways, it can serve to exacerbate the situation, making the more dominant dog feel even more the need to assert his leadership.

For example, when dogs sniff each other at body parts that humans find offensive, it’s because they use their sense of smell to get to know one another. With their strong olfactory abilities, dogs can learn a lot about one another through scent alone. Questions such as male or female?, leader or follower?, and young or old? are all able to be answered by dogs through sniffing.

Mounting one another is another behavior that humans sometimes find offensive, but is natural for dogs. Since dogs are pack animals, they use shows of dominance or submission to establish the pecking order between themselves and others. It can be easier to let the dogs work things out on their own once you understand that the dogs do not intend to procreate (unless there is a female in heat, in which case, keep them separated!) and are not doing it for recreational reasons.

Another thing to understand is that dominant leadership has nothing to do with size or gender in the dog world. There are plenty of little dogs who have more dominant personalities than larger dogs and vice versa. Nothing you can do will change that.

Once dogs have met one another and have done their “dominance dance,” they’ll usually begin playing together. Just like baby lion cubs will play using mannerisms such as stalking and pouncing, so do dogs play using mannerism of biting, wrestling and growling. As long as things are not escalating into a dog fight (which they usually don’t), there’s no need to interfere by separating the dogs.

Of course, if your dog does things to humans, such as greeting them at the door with an offensive sniff, mounting your children or play biting with humans in ways that are far too rough, some obedience training will be required. While it’s fine to allow dogs to be dominant over their dog friends, it is not acceptable for your dog to consider himself dominant over the humans in the household. Implementing some obedience training and building the amount of respect your dog has for family members should alleviate the issue. If you need help, contact a knowledgeable trainer for assistance.

All in all, when it comes to potentially offensive dog behaviors, understanding that a dog is an animal and this is how they communicate can help alleviate embarrassment when these behaviors are displayed.

Article written by Lori Verni

Lori Verni is a freelance writer, Certified Master Trainer and owner of Best Paw Forward Dog Education in Holly Springs, NC. She also proudly brings you all of the free articles on FreeDogTrainingInfo.com, and has a book available: Everything You Need to Know About House Training Puppies & Adult Dogs. The book can be purchased at www.FreeDogTrainingInfo.com

Keywords: dog toys, dog beds, dog collars, pet supplies, dog training, dog health

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