Greenbriar Animal Hospital

Does your dog get upset when thunderstorms approach, or when fireworks are set off? If your dog can’t tolerate these loud noises, call us for an appointment! We can help. The doctor will assess the status of your dog’s health, get a current weight and help you decide if medication is appropriate, and more. Our goal is to have the anxiousness decrease to the point that your dog is nervous but perhaps just pacing and/or panting a bit.

Major tips for your helping your dog cope with loud noises:

The first thing you can do to help your dog is to complete a desensitizing program that will help your dog become accustomed to the loud noises, using behavior modification techniques. See below.

Most dogs will benefit from some drugs to help them, especially during the initial desensitizing stage. There are several different drugs that we can prescribe, depending on your dog.

Another part of treatment is to use non-drug calming agents like Bach’s Rescue Remedy or DAP (Dog Appeasing Pheromone). They can help, and are okay with drugs and with behavior modification programs.

A course of drugs is recommended for a few days before and during the July 4^th holidays, since this is usually more than your dog will be able to cope with!

Non-drug calming agents and prescription medications both need time to take effect. Medication will not work as well if your dog is already very agitated, so do your best to give it ahead of time, and realize it won’t have quite as much effect if you have to give it during a storm or during a spate of fireworks!

Miscellaneous helpful things to know about behavior modification and loud noises:

The best time of the year to begin a behavior modification program for loud noises? Wintertime, so you will not be interrupted by thunderstorms! Expect it to take longer if you are doing this during the spring, summer, or fall. You dog is likely to be set back a stage or two each time a thunderstorm occurs (before you completethe desensitizing program), so don’t be discouraged if this happens!

Purchase or download a recording of thunderstorms or a battle. Play the recording at the lowest volume setting on your equipment (you may not even be able to hear it). Do 10 to 15 minute sessions, once or twice daily if possible but at least 3 times weekly. While you are playing the recording, DON’T reassure your dog. Instead, be happy and matter of fact, and brush him, give him a light massage, or feed him his favorite treat. Act like this is a normal part of his routine. “Don’t worry. Be happy!” is the tone you want to set. Every 1 to 2 sessions, turn up the volume a SMALL amount. Eventually, your goal is to have the volume turned up window-rattling loud and your dog to be OK with this. To get this far usually takes 30 to 40 sessions, so you can see why we recommend twice daily rather than a few times per week. If your dog is stressed during these sessions, try giving him a dose of one of the Bach’s remedies just before each session, or spray a bandanna with DAP and put it on him. If at any time your dog panics, OR if there has been a thunderstorm during the weeks you are working on the desensitizing process, immediately go back several notches on the volume control. Stay at the quieter level for several sessions, until your dog is calmer again, and then start to increase the volume again. Never increase the volume more than a SMALL amount. Only increase the volume once per session.