
How to Calm Your Dog during Storm?
It is heart wrecking to see a dog panting, or displaying destructive behavior during a thunderstorm. These are the symptoms of the thunder phobia in your dog. This state of panic is a common sight in young dogs.
Due to fear, your dog can psychologically and physically harm himself. The dog owner needs to calm his furry companion during this highly-stressed situation.
Most of the veterinarians suggest that the dog owner should never ignore this condition as this condition tends to get worse with age. It is essential to take necessary steps to cope up with this issue.
Dogs are very sensitive to sounds and this sensitivity results in making them more anxious during a flash of lighting.
Many veterinarians believe that dogs can predict the storm before humans can do as they can sense the changes in barometric pressure, low-frequency rumbles, lightning etc. which makes their experience even more stressful. Storm can build up the stress level in the dogs. The dog owner needs to address this issue and should make efforts to keep his furry friend calm during the storm.
Let’s consider some effective ways in which one can calm his four-legged friend during adverse weather conditions:
Be Home with Your Furry Friend:
Nothing is worse than leaving your dog alone during a thunderstorm. Dogs tend to get highly stressed during thunder claps and your absence will make his situation even more miserable. Being a pack animal, your dog will feel secure around you. Your presence will help him to deal with the anxiety. All you need to do is gently massage him and, reassure him that he is fully safe and secure.
Provide him a shelter:
During a thunderstorm, the initial response of a dog is to hide at any secure place. The dog owner needs to provide a safe shelter to his furry friend so that he can ease his anxiety by confining there. You can use a crate and place his favorite toys inside it to keep him occupied. Also, the dog owner needs to take care that the crate is neither too small nor too big. Whenever your dog will become fearful he will run to hide inside his shelter, this will help in dealing with the stressful situation.
Diffuse lavender oil:
The soothing fragrance of lavender oil can prove beneficial in calming your dog’s nerves. Whenever your furry friend becomes fearful of thunderclaps then you can consider sprinkling some lavender oil over his oil, its fragrance can help him in calming down. Many essential oils for dogs are beneficial & safe so you can use them to offer them some relaxation.
Distract him:
The next way of calming your dog is to distract him with interactive games. If your dog will remain occupied with other things then he will not pay much attention to the thunderstorm. You can manage his anxiety level by keeping him distracted.
Desensitization:
By desensitization, you will be able to eliminate your furry companion’s phobia of a thunderstorm. All you need to do is play the thunderstorm sound at very low volume and gradually increase its volume. Over time your furry companion will get familiar with the thunderstorm sound and then he would no longer become fearful.
Cancel the noise:
Another of calming your dog’s nerves during a thunderstorm is by the cancellation of noise. If your dog won’t be able to hear the fearful thunder claps then he won’t get frightened. The dog owner needs to play some music that can calm the dog by canceling the outside noise.
If all these ways don’t prove effective to calm down your dog then you must consult a veterinarian, he will prescribe some medication that may help in lowering down your dog’s anxiety level.
By implementing all these effective ways, you will be able to make your dog more comfortable during adverse weather conditions.
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