Is your dog afraid of thunderstorm?

Many of us have had, or know of, a dog that is scared of thunderstorm (I found that dogs that are scared of thunderstorm are also scared of fireworks or any other big, loud sounds). If you don't know if your dog is scared of it, then it most likely means that he is not. The symptoms are quite obvious because they are physical :

- Over-salivation
- Shake
- Pacing
- Whining
- Hiding (under the bed or trying to get under the couch). Sometimes, dogs can even try to "create" a door by destroying a closed door or a wall.

 A study showed that on top of the physical response, there is a physiologically answer too : the levels of  cortisol, the stress hormone, was measured in dogs who were afraid of thunderstorm and it was found that it's levels had increased of an average of 200 percent during a storm! (The level of cortisol was measured after analyzing the saliva of dogs from a cotton rope  after they listened to a storm)

Knowing that, the study went further and measure the level of cortisol of dogs, either they were consoled or not, after hearing a thunderstorm. It was found that whether they are consoled (hold or petted) or not, the level of hormone would still increase.

But don't give up on your dog because you can't help him. Researchers say that having other dogs around may help lower stress levels. In dogs that lived with other dogs, it seemed that their response was not as high and that they seemed to come back to normal more quickly.

Of course, adopting another dog might not be the solution for everybody. And might not work either, if the phobia is set too deep in your dog.

Another way to help your dog, might be to make him tired before the storm starts, when you learn of a coming storm. A tired dog is less likely to react as strongly as a dog with pinup energy. You can also help your dog by staying calm, not letting your worries show. Don't forget, if you show you are a pack leader, your dog will most likely follow your example.

REF : Read the original article here.