Thunder panic

Question
We have a 9 year old shepherd husky mix, with a small bit of wolf in his blood. He panics at the sound of thunder, or gunshots, and is also deathly afraid of lightning and rain showers. He is an outdoor dog most all the time, (due to incontinence from a previous prostrate infection). We live in a rural setting, and he stays close to home. He is normally well behaved and very obedient. When he panics, he trembles, barks, yips, and pants while racing around the yard in a confused manor. He has torn the screens from our windows, and has scratched the vehicles with his attempts to get in. We fear he will break a window, seriously injuring himself and destroying our nice home if we are away. The vet has prescribed a relaxer to give him at the onslaught of a storm, but it seems to be of no help. Aside from keeping him in a kennel, or tying him, is there anything else we can do?

Answer
You could try desensitization techniques, but you would have to bring him in the house to do so. There are products on the market to help with urinary incontinence, if you're willing to try it. These products are often called "belly bands," or "male diapers" and can be found in most pet stores or ordered online. Here are a few pictures, so you know what I'm talking about:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=14457&Ntt=male%20n...

http://www.petfooddirect.com/store/product1.asp?pf_id=20414132&affiliateCode=PF0...(SMX)&cm_ite=DDI%20Link

What you can do is get a recording of the sounds that your dog is afraid of, and start out playing them extremely soft, so that he does not become anxious. You can go about your normal routine and just let the recording play. Gradually, you can increase the volume, as he is comfortable - you don't want him to become anxious; that's the key to this type of 'training.' You should keep the volume at a low enough level so that he doesn't appear stressed by it.

Something else you may consider would be to put him a building outside that he can go into (not just a doghouse, because it sounds like he wants to be INSIDE something, from your description of his behavior - trying to get in the house, in the vehicles, etc.).