Brown Dog Treasures

This is a problem we have been experiencing with our Guinness for the last few years. Initially Guinness (an 11 year old chocolate lab) showed no fear whatsoever of thunder, fireworks or any loud noises. In fact he seemed to like the commotion! We just thought this was because of his “hunting” bloodlines. After all what good gun dog would shy away from loud noise?

When Guinness reached the age of seven, he suddenly began to exhibit nervousness during thunder storms and a mild fear of fireworks. We discussed this with his vet. He prescribed a Chinese herbal blend that he felt would calm him. The herbs did absolutely nothing. In fact, his fear continued to worsen.

Now at the age of 11 he goes into complete panic mode even before the storm hits. When the weather gets cloudly or windy he begins his panic routine. He even will sit and stare out the window in anticipation of the coming lightening and thunder! Once it hits, nothing will console him. He scratches the walls, floor, doors. If any of you have ever seen the movie “Because of Winn Dixie” you will know about the type of behavior I am speaking of.

At his age we really didn’t want to begin sedating him with heavy doses of tranquilizers, yet we could not stand to see him suffer this way. So I began doing some research on this problem. Here are some of the things I found out.

First of all I found out that it is common for a dog to develop these fears later in life, even if he has had no prior trauma or bad experience with loud noises. Medical experts are not really sure why this happens. Just knowing this made me feel better! I kept wondering what we had done to our previously fearless dog! I also found out that if nothing breaks the cycle of fear it will only worsen. The fact that Guinness was looking out the window anticipating the storm shows that he has a high degree of intelligence. The smarter the dog, the more fear they can develop.

Here are some of the tips I learned that can help calm your dog’s fears:

1. Don’t try to comfort your dog by babying, talking sweetly, hugging, petting and giving treats. This only rewards fearful behavior.
2. Whatever you do you must stay calm yourself. If you begin to anticipate the fact that they might become frightened during the storm, your dog will pick up on this and the whole situation will escalate!
3. Never punish or yell at your dog for being afraid.
4. In advanced stages of this phobia, your dog may become destructive to your home. DO NOT crate them. Even though it might sound like a good idea, they are likely to thrash around and injure themselves in the crate in an attempt to escape the storm.
5. Try bringing your dog to a safe place in the house and stay with them. For instance our Guinness like to lay under the overhang on our platform bed, behind some covers. Bring them to a favorite spot in the house.

And finally I will tell you about a product that we found recently at an industry trade show. It is the only thing that has helped Guinness. We are only recommending this as something that has worked for us, we do not sell this product ourselves.

It is called Relieve De Stress by Dog trainer and behaviorist Kathy Santo. You may have seen her on the Martha Stewart Show or the Today Show.  One reason why we like this product is that it is all natural and organic. It does just what it says. Your dog will not become drowsy or sedated as with harsh prescription medications, you will just notice a calming effect. Guinness was still afraid of the storm, but his reaction was limited to panting and nervousness, not all out panic. We began using this in June and I am happy to report that his reaction to the storm has become a lot less dramatic over time. He seems to be realizing that nothing bad will happen. Now when he hear thunderin the distance he goes over to the kitchen cabinet where I keep the bottle and he waits for me to give it to him! This is also supposed to be good for travel, grooming, going to the vet’s office. Any situation that causes your dog to feel stressed.

Ingredients:aloe Vera, organic relaxing herbs St. John Wort & Valerian, imported essential oils including, lavender, chamomile, ginger and rosemary extract (a natural preservative)

Kathy Santos Relieve De Stress Organic Herbal Remedy for DogsFor a drama-free day and for stress and anxiety provoking activities like traveling, separation, thunderstorms, grooming, vet visits, moving & more.