thunder?

Question
Hi, i wonder if you can suggest anything to ease the situation i find myself in when there is a storm? I have a 10 year old dog who trembles with fear whenever he hears thunder, and he has always been this way. can you suggest anything?

Answer
Dogs can sense a storm before you hear the actual noise of thunder. There is many options you can try to relieve your dogs fears.
The most common option is to redirect the dogs focus while the thunder is happening, playing some soft soothing music during a storm can help your dog relax.

If your dog knows some obedience skills like sit, down or stay try  doing a mini lesson as the storm is rolling past but reward the dog with a yummy treat while it performs the actions for you. This has the dog focus on that yummy treat and redirects the fear into something positive.

Play fetch with a toy inside the house while the storm is taken place, again when the dog brings back the toy reward the dog with a small yummy treat.

Sit down with your dog during the storm and use some contact to relax your dog. At times petting  or scratching or rubbing the belly calms the dog by relaxing.

Sometimes depending on the level of fear you might have to turn to some
other level of calming for your dog. Consult a Vet to see your options for calming aides (Homeopathic) that you can use to calm your dog.

I hope this helps you, please let me know if I can assist you further.