topic Re: Sound Sensitive Dog in Among Friends

Sound Sensitive Dog

TaxyLady — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 14:05:39 GMT

My Border Collie is perfect in all but one way. He is sound sensitive. I have been up all night with him shaking and panting from thunderstorms. I know it is a trait of some Border Collies but I have never had a Border Collie that was bothered by storms.

Other than drugs does anyone have any suggestions? I try to just act normal. I don't reinforce it by petting him or making a fuss. But he keeps pacing and panting.

Re: Sound Sensitive Dog

geezerette — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 14:36:49 GMT

I certainly feel your pain, TaxyLady. Our Lhasa was always sensitive to certain loud noises, but when she first encountered loud thunder and lightning at about six years old, she freaked. We lived in the desert for her young life, then moved back east to a storm-prone area. Honestly, there was nothing we found that helped her, unfortunately. I tried the Thundershirt thing, and that seemed to work temporarily, but as time when on, she just kept getting worse. Finally, we resorted to drugs, and again, as time went on, even those wouldn't keep her very calm.

Many professionals recommend trying to gradually expose them to noises, via tapes, etc. Also, if you have a room that is sound-proof with no windows, go in there with him and stay there. Staying calm yourself is key, but it's really hard when your poor dog is freaking out. I know that Border Collies are traditionally high-energy. Perhaps if you know a storm is coming (and you have the time), you could get him out for a lot of exercise beforehand so that at least he would be tired out when it came and may not react as severely.

Our little girl passed away last December, and while we miss her terribly, every time we have a thunderstorm now we are thankful she's not here to have to deal with it.

I know of so many people that have pets with this problem, but there doesn't seem to be any sure-fire way to stop it. Some things work for some pets, and sometimes nothing works. Good luck with your guy.

Re: Sound Sensitive Dog

9244 — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 15:03:35 GMT

We have always had hunting dogs and the best thing about that was the breeders generally take the pups and their moms out and shoot guns off over their heads so they accustomed to the loud noise. Thunder never bothers them. It is a matter of getting them used to it when they are very young.

I did once have a basset hound that would howl at the full moon. On the days there was a full moon I had to be very careful to close up all the drapes before it got dark, and when I took her out to pee to be sure we went to the side of the house where she could not see the moon.

Re: Sound Sensitive Dog

geezerette — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 15:15:39 GMT

@9244 wrote:
We have always had hunting dogs and the best thing about that was the breeders generally take the pups and their moms out and shoot guns off over their heads so they accustomed to the loud noise. Thunder never bothers them. It is a matter of getting them used to it when they are very young.
I did once have a basset hound that would howl at the full moon. On the days there was a full moon I had to be very careful to close up all the drapes before it got dark, and when I took her out to pee to be sure we went to the side of the house where she could not see the moon.

That's hilarious!! I'm sure it was a pain for you, but it just sounds funny!

Re: Sound Sensitive Dog

loosgse — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 15:26:31 GMT

I have had many Border Collies and not all but some have been fireworks, thunder and gun shot sensitive.

Playing tapes doesn't work well because the sensitivity isn't only the sound but the ions and static electricity in the air that comes along with thunder storms.

That's why some dogs like to get in the bathtub or shower because the porcelin or tiles helps keep the static down.

I had 2 females who fed off each other and at times got so bad neither of them could walk because they were shaking and drooling so much. That's when I tried flower essence and had good results with it. It's an all natural oil, a mix of different flowers. It helps calm the dog so it can better deal with the storms, fireworks, gun shots, etc. A few drops on or under the tongue should do it. I also know some people who use melatonin to help their dogs. For my dogs the melatonin didn't work well. The flower essence is fast acting and if needed you can give more if the storms last longer. Each dog is different but you can tell when it is wearing off. Mine usually last about 1 1/2 hours.

I also think they are becoming more used to the storms and aren't bothered by them as much since I have been using the flower essence. Their reaction to the beginning of the storm, before they the the flower essence, isn't as intense.

Another thing to try is to go out and play when you can just start to hear the thunder. This usually helps the dog relate fun with the thunder.

It's terrible to watch our pets suffer through the sounds. I hope you find something that works for you.

Re: Sound Sensitive Dog

Pook — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 16:03:31 GMT

My last dog was a shepherd/collie mix and we tried everything - desensitizing with tapes, aroma therapy, herbal compounds and nothing worked. Both my SO who is a tuff and strong guy and myself were always full of bruises trying to subdue him so he wouldn't hurt himself. He would jump up on things and pull blinds down, knock lamps over, etc and he was in another world. The thunder shirt calmed him down enough so we could hold him. He had allergies and often took Benadryl and we found when he had taken that for his allergies he would sleep through a storm so the vet suggested giving him some before the storm and it did help. We also found that with the thunder shirt and turning the tv up really high volume it helped immensely.

Re: Sound Sensitive Dog

jubilant — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 16:20:52 GMT

Have you tried a cage with a blanket over it?

Re: Sound Sensitive Dog

9244 — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 16:23:10 GMT

I was thinking this too - a crate with blankets in it and a comforter wrapped around the outside of it should deaden the noise pretty well.

Re: Sound Sensitive Dog

CinNC — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 16:50:02 GMT

I belive there used to be somthing called a Storm Thunder**bleep** - available on Amazon. Looks like it has a wide variety of reviews.

Re: Sound Sensitive Dog

TaxyLady — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 22:51:18 GMT

Thank you for these good suggestions. He has two crates that are covered but that does not work. He hears these storms a hundred miles away. He doesn't go bonkers but he shakes, pants and stares at the wall. He shakes so bad his body convulses. This might sound crazy, but we can't turn on the weather channel to look at the radar or he will go hide somewhere. Somehow he relates it to the storm coming. Probably because we turn it on when we think a storm is coming. He also will hide if he hears thunder on TV. We were going to go to dinner tonight but changed our plans. They are predicting storms tonight and tomorrow.

Re: Sound Sensitive Dog

OnlyShopsOnline — Wed, 17 Jun 2015 02:22:19 GMT

geezerette, I'm sorry to hear about your dog passing in December. Our golden mix, Dudley, passed in October. He was deathly afraid of thunderstorms and he agonized over them for 15 summers.

We would put a memory foam pad in the bathtub, and he would hide in there. He also got a small dose of Xanax. But, nothing totally put him at ease until the storms passed.

He's gone now and, with each storm we have gotten, there is a bit of relief for me, that he is no longer afraid. And then, there is the pain in my heart that he is no longer here.

Re: Sound Sensitive Dog

TaxyLady — Thu, 25 Jun 2015 16:00:34 GMT

Well, he didn't do so bad with the last round of storms. He still hid behind my chair. No amount of coaxing would bring him out. He recovered quickly once they passed and was his old self again. I talked to him all through the storm. Maybe that helped. I hate to resort to drugs.

Re: Sound Sensitive Dog

luvsbulldogs — Thu, 25 Jun 2015 16:35:46 GMT

Hi TaxyLady........our daughters dog is terrified of loud noises especially thunder. She has tried everything to no avail even the Thunder Shirt. What works best for him is to go into the basement. He sees rain now and associates it with thunder and heads straight for the basement door. Luckly our daughter has a somewhat finished basement with a sofa, TV and stereo. When she is there she will put on either the TV or some music and he calms right down. He does the same thing with fireworks. It really breaks your heart to see them this way. I hope you find something that works.

Re: Sound Sensitive Dog

DiAnne — Fri, 26 Jun 2015 02:47:46 GMT

I have a 75 pound mutt - part Chow/part Lab - who is also terrified. He gets under my bed but he actually does not fit so he lifts the bed and me! As he has gotten older he has stopped running around house but he still shakes.

Re: Sound Sensitive Dog

FlowershopGirl — Fri, 26 Jun 2015 16:55:29 GMT

My friends who are also animal rescuers and animal lovers have all had the same suggestions given here and sometimes some work and sometimes not. Its just a "try this" situation and hopefully one or two work.

I know that Benadryl is a very safe and effective allergy relief for dogs but it also works very safely and effectively for dogs when they have sound fears. It goes by weight so if the dog is larger, you may need to give a bit larger dose but usually 1-2 pills seems to relax the dog if the dog isn't totally freaked out and climbing walls.

My brother has a friend who lives where there is a good amount of thunder and he uses the Benadryl very successfully.

Re: Sound Sensitive Dog

cowboy sam — Fri, 26 Jun 2015 20:01:39 GMT

Thank you.. for saying it was ok to give dogs allergy med for sounds.

I have a dog that shakes when he hears thunder,he has a thunder shirt for also but with the 4th of July coming soon and fire crackers,etc going off , i'm getting concerend how to help him..so now

I will give him part of a allergy pill then.

Re: Sound Sensitive Dog

colliemom4 — Sat, 27 Jun 2015 03:58:39 GMT

Several of our pets have not liked loud noises. I haven't tried these, but they sell some sort of little jacket thing you wrap around them that is supposed to comfort them. I've seen these at Bed, Bath and Beyond. If you searched online for comfort jackets for pets, you could probably find one at other places too. I see them mentioned above...I believe they are called thunder shirts.

It is fine to give pets Benadryl. I was instructed by my vet to do so for one of my dogs.

Re: Sound Sensitive Dog

Foggy morning — Sun, 28 Jun 2015 01:26:49 GMT

We have a new to us 7 year old golden retriever that we've had for a couple of months. She is frightened by garbage trucks or any noisy vehicle. But sometimes she would become frightened for reasons unknown to us. In the middle of the night she would need to be held after she crawled next to me in bed. Anyway, the vet suggested we could take her to their behavior therapy department but as we left her office they tied a bandana around her that a pheromone had been applied to. They said it helps some dogs, others not. She is like a different dog. She has not had any more night terrors. She still doesn't like garbage trucks but once they're gone she's fine. It's great to see her much more happy and calm. I wonder if other vets may have samples of this to try? The brand is Adaptil and I see it's available on Amazon. Maybe run it by your vet. Good luck!

Re: Sound Sensitive Dog

Abrowneyegirl — Sun, 28 Jun 2015 01:45:12 GMT

My friend has a dog that is terrified of storms. She keeps a 'quiet closet' in a lower level bedroom closet. She has a dog bed, water dish and lavender set up in this closet during storm season. Her dog now goes there during stroms.

Re: Sound Sensitive Dog

cowboy sam — Sun, 28 Jun 2015 23:46:10 GMT

Thank you for mentioning adaptil on Amazon..i will check it out as i can't stand to see my dog suffer from thunder and fire crackers .