Why Your Dog Freaks Out During Thunderstorms—And What to Do

Summer weather is just around the corner—and with it
thunderstorms that may freak out your dog. We looked into what
causes this anxiety, and how to soothe their rainy-day
feelings.

Signs of anxiousness in dogs are “ears back, tails down, eyes
wide, panting, lip-licking and yawning,” says Terry Curtis^[1], a clinical behaviorist
at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine.
(See our
favorite dog pictures^[2].)

Sometimes, their panic escalates to dangerous levels during
thunderstorms. “I’ve had cases where the dog has dug through walls,
all the way through the drywall,” Curtis says. “Another dog jumped
through a sliding glass door.”

Some dogs have canine noise aversion, which can make them
uncomfortable or even phobic about loud sounds.

Large dogs and those with long or double coats easily build up
static electricity, the way we do when we wear a sweater and get a
shock from the car door if we’re not wearing rubber-soled shoes, he
says.

A dog already nervous during storms may get another shock when
touching its nose to a metal object. Then mild discomfort could
escalate to full-on phobia, Dodman says.

Kelly
Ballyntyne^[3], clinical assistant
professor at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary
Medicine, says that it’s difficult to test whether static buildup
causes anxiety in dogs.

Our canines’ incredible noses may “just be smelling changes in
the environment that predict a storm is coming,” she says.

In addition, “there’s a little bit of evidence that there can be
some genetic predispositions for animals to develop noise phobia,”
such as border collies and Australian shepherds.

While treating storm-phobic dogs, Dodman noticed that many
canines seek out hiding places grounded against electric shocks,
such as bathtubs, jacuzzis, or behind the toilet tank.

Curious about this odd behavior, he started informally asking
owners where their dogs hide, and half of them said the bathroom.
One 80-pound German shepherd even jumps into the sink, he says.
(Related: “Dogs
Sense Earth’s Magnetic Field^[4].”)

Curtis and Dodman both recommend owners buy a anti-static jacket
to keep the dog calm, and Dodman adds that rubbing them down with
an anti-static dryer sheet also helps. Snug-fitting wraps can also
be comforting.

Watch Spellbinding
Time-Lapses of Storms After traveling more than 20,000
miles through nine states, photographer Mike Olbinski captured
mesmerizing time-lapses of thunderstorms and tornadoes.

Ballyntyne suggests dog owners videotape their dog while away to
look for signs such as pacing, panting, and restlessness. These
behaviors could reveal mild separation anxiety that’s exacerbated
by storms.

She also advises letting the animal decide where it feels safe,
and then making that area more comfortable by adding white-noise
machines—to buffer the noise of thunder—or acoustic tiling for
soundproofing. (Here’s
how we know dogs have feelings^[5].)

And all the experts agreed that a veterinarian can prescribe
medication if needed.

“If the dog is panicked,” Ballantyne says, anti-anxiety
medication “will go a long way to improve that dog’s quality of
life.”