Hey guys, wow thanks for all the suggestions.

Firstly - I have heard that many dogs like the bathtub. I have a couple coworkers whose dogs will hunker down in the laundry room next to the appliances. However, my dog MUST be with ME at all times, so unless I sit in the tub too, she wouldn't be interested.

As far as acepromazine (sp), everything I've read says it's one of those drugs that sedates the body but not the mind. In other words, she'd still be just as scared, but her body would be too drugged to react.

My dog doesn't seem to react to storms on TV (i.e. scary movies) but does react to other noises (like beeping) so maybe if I time a thunderstorm CD to play at night when it's dark out I might be able to trigger a reaction. Also, she doesn't alert before the storm or even if it rains (or hails!) - only after the first roll of thunder. So maybe it might help.

I hadn't thought about calming CDs or exercise. She does adore playing ball (although how anxious I'll be to play ball in the pouring rain at 3 AM on a worknight, not sure, LOL). I guess that was the idea behind "thunder treats" - to associate the roar of thunder with yummy treats. She does take treats, but obviously that wouldn't work with a dog too scared to take treats.

I think I'll try a combination of calming CD, storm CD, anxiety wrap and antianxiety herbs, maybe with some ball playing during our pseudo storms, but keeping an option of prescription meds open. I have none of the above (except the herbs) so now I have to go shopping! Where do you guys get your storm CDs, Wal-mart or similar?

I like the idea of giving the dog something she really likes right before and during a storm. This might help her to associate storms with something other than fear. I am not an expert but it sounds very logical to me. Maybe get a recording of thunder and work with her every day. The trick is not to turn this into rewarding her for being afraid. This is tricky.

Hi Angela,
My Cane Corso was also afraid of storms and fireworks. Forth of July was no joy for us after dark. Nicco (cane corso) was my hubby's dog before I met him and until I took it in hand they tried to....talk to him, crawl under the table with him, turn on the TV, pet him give him treats he was too freaked out to eat etc.
When I could no longer bear the sight of my 100lb+ dog shaking like a leaf and whimpering under the table, I waited for the next fireworks. I leashed him up and calmly and firmly put him through simple commands like sit and down. The fact that the storm had no effect on me, and I was not listening to his stress, made him calm down and when we finished, he was no longer afraid. It could take a few times, and you may want to up the ante with raw meat for this excercise. Hope you find something your dog responds to because I totally understand that the stress the dog experiences is real!

Pei, thanks for the reply. I would probably want to do that with a thunderstorm CD, as making my dog do obedience (of which she knows about 5 commands) for the entire duration of a real storm (anywhere from 15 minutes - 1 hour) is probably not realistic. With a CD I could control the duration and volume.

I am searching for a thunderstorm CD to purchase so I can start applying these great suggestions and see how we get on. I'll post back once I have tried it!

Can you let me know how your dog was after these sessions with you? was he ever "cured" or substantially better?

Angela,
I did not do the duration of the storm/fireworks. As you said that is not really possible in most cases. I just kept him on the leash and did a few minutes here and there when he would start to get stressed again. Just to distract. And YES! It worked! Never a flinch when the fireworks or thunder started. He realized that he made it through and that I expected him to and he never cared about the fireworks or storms again!

Pei, I am so glad to hear from someone whose dog has been turned around from this.

I played some MP3 thunderstorm noises from the Internet last night, after dark, while the dog layed on her side beside my computer chair. She didn't even lift her head. She also doesn't react to noises on TV, even if it is a dog barking. So now, I am afraid that buying a storm CD won't work, because she'll know it's fake. I guess I'll have to wait until a real thunderstorm happens; hopefully I'm not at work!

Hope it works for you! I know how difficult it is to see our dogs this way. I have a mastiff pup now who hates noise of all sorts outside. AND I have consrtuction outside. I am employing the same tactics and it is working little by little. So I am doing it AGAIN! And again for a couple of minutes every day. LOL Good luck for both of us! LOL