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My dog is really scared of all the Summer
thunderstorms. What can I do?
Your best bet for helping your pup
overcome his thunderstorm fears is to talk to your veterinarian. He or she can
help you develop a program to gradually retrain your scaredy dog by gradually,
gently helping him adjust to storms through behavior modification. Technically
called "systematic desensitization," this involves exposing the storm-phobic dog
to some gentle reminders of a thunderstorm, such as a very soft tape recording
of thunder or a flashing light, and rewarding the dog with lots of treats,
attention, and other positive reinforcement only if there's no evidence of
anxiety. Over time, the intensity of the stimulus is increased, and only calm
behavior rewarded. You should get profession guidance, either from a
veterinarian or a veterinary behavior specialist, before you begin this process,
however. If you introduce frightening stimuli too quickly or don't see signs of
fear your dog may be showing, you could possibly end up making the phobia worse.
If gentle, patient retraining
doesn't help your pooch, there are some prescriptions that can. Your
veterinarian can prescribe one of several anti-anxiety or antidepressant
medications to help your dog remain calm during storms. You can also make sure
your dog has a warm, safe "den" to retreat to when the weather gets too scary.
You can try padding a crate with blankets or clearing a space underneath your
bed. Just make sure that it's somewhere your pup can get out of whenever he
wants. A panicked dog can do a lot of damage to his crate and himself if he's
confined.
Most important, though, is that
your treat your dog gently and kindly when he is afraid. Don't cuddle and
reassure him, because that will reward his scaredy-dog behavior, but definitely
don't punish him for it either. Instead, just be calm and provide him with a
safe, familiar place where he can feel secure and ride out the storm.
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