Storm Fear Phobia

What age does it start? In research undertaken in the UK in 2001 it was shown that the majority of dogs develop this phobia under 1 year of age and my research to date confirms this. This could be a result of insufficient exposure to storms and noise stimuli during the 'window' period, or could be 'one event learning' wherein a pup has received a fright during a severe storm, especially when the pup is going through a fear period. The owner’s reaction, by comforting and pampering the dog, could contribute towards the fear being reinforced.

When it comes to late onset phobia, this appears to be more prevalent in the Herding and Gundog Groups and seems to occur mostly at 3-4 years of age in the Herding Groups and at about 7 yrs in the Gundog Groups. Not enough research has been undertaken to understand why this happens, but my own research is starting to point to the cause of this being an 'one event learning' occurrence and again, could be due to the above breeds being genetically designed to react to stimuli or perhaps it occurs only with dogs that were not exposed to storms during the 3-16 week window period. Hopefully further research will help us to understand why late onset storm phobia occurs.

Although my own dog, a Border collie (Herding Group) called Brady, who was born outside the storm period, received extensive socialization and noise habituation and showed no reaction whatsoever to storms, he still developed late onset storm phobia at the age of three and a half years.

This occurred while we were sitting in the lounge during a bad storm. Suddenly there was a huge crack right above us and the next second an electric flash emanated from the plug close to us. Needless to say, it was nearly both of us that developed the phobia! The owner's reaction to an occurrence like this really impacts on the dog. If I had remained sitting and showed no reaction, it would probably have lessened his fear, but unfortunately I jumped up in huge fright and called out to my husband, which could easily have reinforced Brady’s own fear. If a dog does react during a storm the owner must not pander to the dog.

Future research from the scientific field will undoubtedly find out whether it is the change in ions or static electricity, or even a combination of the two, but in-between how can this knowledge assist us to help our dogs?

Don't pander to the behavior your dog is exhibiting during a storm Although owners are told to ignore their dogs during storms, I do feel that this is rather excessive and the terminology 'ignore' is often misunderstood by owners. As a behaviorist if I tell a client to ignore a particular behavior, simultaneously I tell them to reward any good behavior exhibited. In the case of a dog that was storm phobic, I encourage the owner to praise the dog for any lessening of the behavior and if the dog was following the owner around, to allow it to do this, but also try to sing or laugh. Singing and laughter help us, the owners to relax, and guess what, if we are more relaxed about the dog's behavior, the dog will pick this up from us and in turn become more relaxed itself. If the dog came and sat next to the owner, to allow this, but do not pet or try to comfort the dog. If we praise or comfort a dog while it is showing fear, all we are doing is reinforcing the behavior we do not want.

Create a Safe Place Dogs normally feel more secure when they have an area they can hide away from the storm. This is based on a dog's natural 'den' instinct. Under no circumstances should a dog be forced into a safe place, it must be the dog's choice. Place a blanket or an old item of clothing of yours in the safe place. Dogs often feel more secure when they can be near our scent. Ideas for safe places - bathroom, in a cupboard, under a bed, behind a chair or curtains, in a crate. Another place that appears to be especially helpful is to place the dog in a car - but bear in mind that the owner should stay with the dog and the car to be in a garage. Ensure that your dog has easy access to this safe place at all times and get into the habit of allowing the dog to chew on a nice rawhide bone, which it is only allowed in the safe place. This will make this area even more appealing to your dog as well as give it something to do during the storm. Chewing can actually lessen the amount of stress that a dog is feeling.

Exercise According to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in the UK, exercise increases brain serotonin functions in humans and it is believed that it has the same effect on dogs. Serotonin is a brain chemical that assists in passing messages to the nervous system and performs many functions including the regulation of mood, and during exercise serotonin levels are increased. Any owner of a storm phobic dog should keep an eye on the weather forecast and if it is likely that there will be storms occurring take the dog for a long walk or engage in a vigorous game with the dog long before the storm approaches.

White Noise The sound of music or a TV is often helpful in assisting a dog to cope with storms, so too is laughter and singing, so sing along to the music. It has been proven that when humans smile and sing our own stress levels are lowered and this, in turn, will help your dogs.

Counter-conditioning This is one of the most effective ways to help a dog cope. When there are no storms around, the owner gets into a daily pattern of playing with the dog at the approximate time storms normally occur. This could be an inside game of throwing a soft ball up and down a passage, a game of pullies or similar. What we are doing here is to get the dog to engage in an acceptable behavior rather than an unacceptable one and by doing this we are turning the approach of a storm into a pleasurable experience, rather than a fearful one.

Electro-Magnet Therapy This is used for various health problems and many owners claim that putting a magnet under the dog's blanket or providing a special magnetic pad for the pet to lie on helps to calm the dog. There are even collars and discs available to put on a collar. A word of warning - if your dog is one of those that runs away or goes crazy during a storm, there is always the possibility that the collar may get caught on an object and seriously injure the dog, so rather don't use this method.

D.A.P Diffuser This diffuser is believed to prevent stress related behavior in dogs. Your vet will be able to give you full directions on its use. Essentially the D.A.P. is based on the pheromones that a bitch secretes that comfort and reassure her puppies. These appeasement pheromones have the same effect on adult dogs. This is to be used during the full storm period and your vet can give you further information on it.

Good Behavior Pheromone Collar This is a new product on the market here in SA and it works on a similar basis as the above diffuser with the added benefit that it is around your dog’s neck at all times. In addition it contains Lavender and Chamomile which provide a soothing fragrance. Once again, you can speak to your local vet about this product.

Tellington TTouch I firmly believe that the success I have achieved with dogs with this phobia is due to the TTouch rather than the behavior modifications, although I always combine the two. TTouch has an immediate calming effect on dogs and the beauty of this modality is that it is very easy to learn, effects are accumulative, and the owner can do it.

In humans, we have two hemispheres in our brains - the left side of the brain is our thinking side and the right side is our creative side and we tend to operate in either one or the other, rather than the balanced state. During research done on humans some years ago it was shown that not only did TTouch balance the left and right hemispheres, but it also showed that the people having TTouch done on them by a practitioner over a period of an hour automatically went into the alpha, theta and delta brain states - these are states of deep relaxation.

While researching the storm phobia, I happened on an article on Hemispheric Specialization in Dogs for Processing Different Acoustic Stimuli published by Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, wherein the results of their research 'revealed that dogs process their species-typical vocalizations using the left hemisphere and the thunderstorm sounds using the right hemisphere, since the right hemisphere is used for processing vocalizations when they elicit intense emotion, including fear'. As TTouch assists in balancing the right and left hemispheres of the brain and reducing stress, this could very well be the reason why it is so successful in helping dogs with storm phobia and other fear behavior.

At a recent storm phobic clinic, we had a Golden Retriever called Sasha who was so distressed during a storm that she actually tried to climb up her owner. This was not pleasant for either of them and resulted in the owner being scratched to pieces. We finished that particular clinic a little earlier as there was a storm approaching. I received a phone call from the owner a bit later to say that on the way home she was caught in a major traffic jam and could not even get to the side of the road before the storm broke. She was petrified as she just didn’t know what Sasha would do in these circumstances. At the first crash of thunder Sasha sat up between the seats (she did have her Wrap on) and the owner started singing at the top of her voice - in spite of very peculiar looks from other drivers. The end result was that the dog stayed in this position for a whole hour without exhibiting any further fear behavior!

In addition to the TTouch body touches, applying what we TTouch practitioners call a Wrap, which is a simple Ace elastic bandage that is placed loosely across the dogs chest, crossed over the back, taken under the tummy and secured with a nappy safety pin, can help our dogs cope. Without going into the scientific reasons why this helps to lower stress it can easily be described as being similar to a Receiving Blanket that is put on a new born baby. It gives a sense of security and is helpful in any stressful situation as well as enhancing the dog's sense of its own body. If you do not have access to a Wrap, putting a simple stretch T-shirt on a dog and tying a knot at the bottom, will help.

De-Sensitizing Desensitizing is simply getting your dog used to the noises of a storm when there are no storms around by gradually exposing the dog to increased volume of the fear stimuli.

This was one of the first methods used to help dogs overcome their fear of storms and although it can be very successful in the case of firework and other noise related fear, it has never had much success with storm phobia. This is due to what we now believe is either the static electricity or the changes in ions - something that we cannot replicate.

However, I have found with my own clients that after we have partaken of the other modifications and the condition has improved, that undergoing desensitization has been successful in helping dogs cope with secondary fearful stimuli, such as thunder, wind and rain related noise.

Medication Although there are a lot of natural remedies that can help dogs with this phobia, I personally believe that all dogs that suffer from storm fear phobia should be examined by the owners vet and the vet be the one to decide whether or not a dog needs medication rather than the owner. After all, would you take an everyday headache remedy for a migraine? This will ensure that the dog receives exactly what it needs to help the condition and the correct dosage and the outcome is likely to be more successful.

When to start? Our storm season has already started in Gauteng and although behavior modification can be started now, during the rainy season in Gauteng, the ideal time to start behavior modification and TTouch is outside of the rainy season.