Stop Your Dog From Feeling Stressed During A Noisy Storm

Dogs have a heightened sense of hearing, meaning noises that sound loud to us sound incredibly loud to them. They’re also extra sensitive to changes in barometric pressure, and these two factors contribute to our dogs getting very stressed and scared during storms. 

Alterations in pressure, combined with the noise of thunder and rain, mean they spend the whole time whimpering and feeling extremely terrified. It’s horrible to see, yet you can do a few things to prevent your dog from being scared during a storm. 

Give them a calming remedy

When a storm’s about to hit, you’ll notice changes in your dog’s behavior. They’ll start whining and acting scared, so you need to calm them down. Give them a few dog calming chews and they should begin to feel more relaxed. These chews often contain CBD which acts as a natural stimulant and stops your dog from panicking. It’s usually enough for them to become less fearful and they may sleep through the storm. 

In severe cases, your dog may be terrified of the storm and no natural remedies help. If this is the case, you should take them to the vet for a checkup. See what’s wrong with your doggy and maybe the vet will give you some medication for when another storm hits. 

Find a safe place for them to stay

The noisiness of a storm scares your dog, but so can the brightness of lightning. It sparks so much anxiety, so the best course of action is to find your dog a safe place to stay throughout the storm. You aim to make them feel comfortable, almost so they forget about the storm or don’t notice it. 

Find a room in your house and close the windows. Play calming music or white noise to cover the sounds of thunder and rain from outside. Sometimes, covering your dog with a blanket or thundershirt helps too; they feel safe and secure, protected from the storm. 

Try to distract them from the storm

The last thing to do is simple; distract your dog from the storm. Give them other things to focus on so they don’t pay attention to what’s happening outside. Play games with them, give them belly rubs, and just generally do everything to occupy their focus. 

An engaged dog will stop thinking about the storm and become engrossed in whatever activities you’re playing. It’s one of the easiest ways to help them during this tricky time and the storm will be over before you know it. 

All of these tips also apply to other situations where loud noises can cause your dog stress. This includes fireworks displays or if there’s a concert in a park nearby playing loud music. You may also consider buying earmuffs for dogs to block out as much sound as possible. It’s another great way of calming them down and easing their anxiety. This is particularly good during fireworks displays as the sounds are exceptionally loud and random, so even distracting your dog isn’t enough in these circumstances.