5 Tips to Help Your Dog Survive Storms and Celebrations
Last week, I opened my voicemail to a desperate plea. “Help!” the message started. “I have two Labradoodles, Delilah who is 8 years old and terrified of storms and fireworks and Rosie who is 4 months old. So far Rosie hasn’t seemed too afraid of thunderstorms, but what can I do to make sure she doesn’t get freaked on the 4th or pick up on my other dog’s anxiety? I know Delilah is older, but is there anything I can do to help her cope?”
The case of Rosie and Delilah is one that I’ve been hearing about a lot recently, and with two dogs involved, it really highlights an issue at hand. With so many of us having adopted new dogs over the last year and so many of us already caring for multiple four-legged darlings, it’s important to remember how much younger dogs model the older ones. As anyone with a storm- or firework-sensitive dog knows, it is not a form of anxiety you’d wish on anyone! With the 4th of July just around the corner, now is a good time to prepare and plan how you’ll calm your dog’s reactions to the excitement and sounds. I outline 5 simple tips below to help you and your dog weather the storm, no matter their age.
#1: Test your dog’s sound sensitivity
Download sounds of fireworks and thunderstorms on your phone or TV and play them at a low volume while your dog is doing something they enjoy—eating, working on a puzzle toy, or enjoying a licky mat or foraging mat. While hearing a pre-recorded sound emanating from a speaker isn’t a complete stand-in for the real thing, this should give you some indication of your dog’s reaction level so both of you will know what to expect.
#2 Let your dog self-soothe
Pet parents will often find their dogs who have natural sensitivities to loud noises hiding out in the bathroom or a dark closet during storms. Why? These spaces feel grounding and safe. If this sounds like your dog, you should neither climb into these spaces with them nor pull them out or react when you find them lying in the shower. They are just trying to self-soothe.
In fact, if you give your dog too much attention when they are anxious, you may be inadvertently reinforcing their anxiety. Take Delilah, for example. She is a sweet, hyper-sensitive girl who worries about the unknown and isn’t sure how to act unless her mom directs her with familiar commands. Some dogs are born with sensitive temperaments; they are nature's empaths—startled by unpredictable sights, sounds, and weather patterns but also the first to lay at your side when you’re sick and sense tension when frustrations flare. Thinking they were helping their girl, Delilah’s parents would pick her up and coddle her during storms. Rather than help Delilah develop her confidence, though, her parents’ concerns only fueled her panic.
Instead, if your dog seems anxious and makes a beeline to a closed-in, comforting space, simply give them a bone, sit near or outside their chosen safe spot, and stay calm. Model that everything is okay and that you will get through the storm together.
#3: Use high-value rewards
Consider all of your dog’s triggers—from thunderstorms to the doorbell, fireworks to skateboarders—and work on your own or with a trainer to positively counter condition your dog to these distractions with the help of high-value rewards. Whatever your dog considers their top treat (my dogs love chicken cubes and hot dogs), have plenty of these on hand as you mindfully expose your dog to their triggers. Start by hanging out with your dog at a distance from the trigger, and reward them with their high-value treats. Then, gradually move closer to the trigger while using the rewards to distract them. Check out my YouTube video to see an example using a ball. If your dog isn’t into food, use anything that gets their tail wagging, whether that’s happy talk or a special toy like a play pole, to keep them excited while the scary thing goes on in the background.
This is a great tip for dogs of all ages and is important practice, especially for puppies like Rosie. Unlike her big sister, Rosie faces life with a can-do spirit and never backs away from an unknown situation. Ongoing socialization that pairs new sights and sounds with high-value rewards will ensure that pups like Rosie continue to build their confidence as they mature while helping older dogs better manage their anxiety. It’s never too late to help a dog of any age!
#4: Drown out the scary sounds
The 4th of July is a crazy time. Sounds that go boom in the night? Just imagine if you didn’t know what was going on. When the fireworks start going off, your dog will, ideally, be in their sleeping area deep in the inner sanctum of their den. Set up a white noise machine like an air conditioner or fan, and turn on some reggae music to give your dog another sound to focus on. Cover your dog’s crate if you don’t already, and put towels around the windows as a buffer against the outside noise. While you can certainly condition them to the sound of fireworks or storms with a recording (see tip #1), helping your dog process what on Earth a firework is in real life is a tall order. By setting up a comfortable space for them to rest with other, calming sounds, though, you can help your dog feel safe. Hopefully by morning, any scary sounds will be forgotten as just a bad dream.
#5: Buffer the arousal with freedom, food, and fun
A tired dog will rest more peacefully than one who’s been left alone, bored, or stressed out by too much human-focused activity. To help your dog settle down as in tip #4, tire them out with plenty of freedom, food, and fun during the day. Dogs are most energetic at dawn and dusk, so try to plan adventures, extra long play-bouts in the backyard, and playdates with favorite friends around those times. The idea is that they’ll be too zonked out to be scared.
The most important variable in how your dog reacts to storms and celebrations isn’t the situation itself, it’s how you model calmness and respect your dog’s instincts to self-soothe. I know when a storm is coming when I find Hootenanny, my Border Collie-Golden mix, lying in the downstairs shower, belly glued to the drain. I give her a bone, a few treats, and a pat on the head. I fetch my Echo, tune into some soothing music, and then I make certain we’ve remembered to close the car windows. Hopefully these tips will help you and your dog weather the storms and celebrations to come as well. With the summer season upon us, you should have plenty of opportunities to practice!