May 19, 2011
I have a Walker Coonhound who is extremely afraid of thunder. Any suggestions for how to comfort her or train her to settle down and finish the walk?
Full Question:
Cindy,I have a Walker Coonhound who is extremely afraid of thunder. She is a rescue and I have had her for 3 1/2 years. We are guessing that she was about 3 when she was hit by a car and ended up in an coonhound rescue. She was in very bad shape and had a badly broken leg. She has had five surgeries and lots of physical therapy and is doing great but the threat of a storm or the actual rumbling sends her into hiding with trembling for hours. She is a very mild mannered girl and is a joy to have in our family. I have talked to all of her vets (she has 5 with all of the special care she has needed) and none of them recommends giving her any kind of sedation, but I hate to see her get so upset. If we are out for a walk and it even looks like we might get a storm she becomes very difficult to control and drags me home. Any suggestions for how to comfort her or train her to settle down and finish the walk if there is no storm on the immediate horizon?
Thanks very much--Paula
Cindy's Answer:
Hi Paula,
This is an extremely common issue and it tends to get worse as dogs get older. I’d recommend using a crate and Start with our groundwork program. Dogs with anxious tendencies do best when they have very predictable structure and leadership all the time.
I’ve had good results using Rescue Remedy as needed. It can be given any time you anticipate anxious behavior. I know it works as I have taken it myself when I’m anxious about something.
You may also want to check out Calm Shen. It’s a daily supplement given twice a day, every day. I’ve used this for a dog that has generalized anxiety and it’s helped her a lot.
You might benefit from learning to use our SEARCH function, which is located in the top left corner of every page of the website. If you type in your key words or question it will find you articles, Q&As, free streaming video and links to threads on our discussion forum. Our website has over 16,000 pages and it’s very likely you’ll find the information you are looking for. I hope this helps.
Cindy Rhodes
This is an extremely common issue and it tends to get worse as dogs get older. I’d recommend using a crate and Start with our groundwork program. Dogs with anxious tendencies do best when they have very predictable structure and leadership all the time.
I’ve had good results using Rescue Remedy as needed. It can be given any time you anticipate anxious behavior. I know it works as I have taken it myself when I’m anxious about something.
You may also want to check out Calm Shen. It’s a daily supplement given twice a day, every day. I’ve used this for a dog that has generalized anxiety and it’s helped her a lot.
You might benefit from learning to use our SEARCH function, which is located in the top left corner of every page of the website. If you type in your key words or question it will find you articles, Q&As, free streaming video and links to threads on our discussion forum. Our website has over 16,000 pages and it’s very likely you’ll find the information you are looking for. I hope this helps.
Cindy Rhodes
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