Any Success Stories In Desensitizing A Noise Phobic Hound

[gracegirl]

Hello greytalk!

 

I have had Grace for just over 5 years now. Each year her fear of fireworks and thunderstorms has gotten worse. At the first noise (even if it's imagined) she begins panting and shaking like a leaf. She will not go outside to potty, and she will typically not eat (either her kibble, or treats). If available, she finds refuge in the bath tub and will bunker down there for safety. Fenway is a confident dog and sat on the front porch with me for an hour the other night with fireworks going off all around. He sets a great example for her, unfortunately I just can't get her to follow that example.

 

Last year the vet suggested meds. We rode out last summer without meds, using the bath tub for comfort. This year, it's gotten so bad that I picked up some Ace to use last weekend. A 25 mg pill will put her to sleep in 30-45 minutes. It's the only way any of us can get rest, otherwise she's up panting until about 2-3am. I'm not thrilled about using Ace long term, so I'd like to try some other things before I go with drugs. In addition, there is no longer a tub available for her to access. She unfortunately doesn't feel as comforted by my walk in closet.

 

Any thoughts? Here's my biggest problem....with the many afternoon thunderstorms we have all summer long in Colorado, I am typically not home when the thunder starts. Unfortunately I come home to my panting mess of a dog frequently.

 

I'd love to hear your success stories in how you desensitized your noise-phobic greyhound. Thanks!

Edited July 6, 2011 by gracegirl

[kalalynn]

I did once with another breed. I won't say that it was easy, or fast. What I did was make thunder storms a fun time. I would use high value treats, only used for noise events, and when the first sign of the storm I would start talking in an excited voice and dolling out the treats. As long as I could make the event a non issue and as fun as possible it worked. I'll admit that if anyone would have seen me dancing around the house, acting all excited and using baby talk they would have committed me. But after one season of thunder I had two dogs that would not try to break out of the house with fear. Were they ever completely comfortable? No, they would still pant and pace a little, but they would lay on their beds and expect treats. One of the dogs was a 97# Rottie who jumped a 6" fence to get away from fireworks at one time. She would check the windows for an escape route before we had "storm parties". This might not work for all dogs but it worked wonders for mine.

sue

[Guest BrianRke]

I did once with another breed. I won't say that it was easy, or fast. What I did was make thunder storms a fun time. I would use high value treats, only used for noise events, and when the first sign of the storm I would start talking in an excited voice and dolling out the treats. As long as I could make the event a non issue and as fun as possible it worked. I'll admit that if anyone would have seen me dancing around the house, acting all excited and using baby talk they would have committed me. But after one season of thunder I had two dogs that would not try to break out of the house with fear. Were they ever completely comfortable? No, they would still pant and pace a little, but they would lay on their beds and expect treats. One of the dogs was a 97# Rottie who jumped a 6" fence to get away from fireworks at one time. She would check the windows for an escape route before we had "storm parties". This might not work for all dogs but it worked wonders for mine.

sue

If Grace is anything like Diamond, she will have no interest in ANY treat once she hears the thunder. I can put a piece of chicken skin in front of Diamond's face during a storm and she wont even acknowledge that its there. Any other time she would trample me for it.

 

Grace sounds a lot like Diamond. Even if she thinks she hears thunder or sees lightning, she starts shaking, panting, and drooling. Even if someone flashes a camera at her now, she freaks out because she associates the light flashes with thunder. The only thing I have found that works for Diamond is a 3mg of Xanax about 45-60 min before the storm. I constantly find myself on weather.com trying to predict storm patterns. BTW, I have a better record than the local meteorologists

[Guest Swifthounds]

Yes. Two of my greyhounds so far and one terrier mix (not mine).

 

I'm pretty proactive about conditioning, so none of the dogs I have raised from pups have issues with sounds. In fact, Mocha (IG) LOVES tractor trailers, dump trucks, motorcycles, thunder, fireworks, and gun shots. I did succeed in her not being the common conception of the IG as timid and afraid, but she could end up in a biker gang. July 4th is her favorite weekend with Gettysburg a close second.

[gracegirl]

Yes. Two of my greyhounds so far and one terrier mix (not mine).

 

I'm pretty proactive about conditioning, so none of the dogs I have raised from pups have issues with sounds. In fact, Mocha (IG) LOVES tractor trailers, dump trucks, motorcycles, thunder, fireworks, and gun shots. I did succeed in her not being the common conception of the IG as timid and afraid, but she could end up in a biker gang. July 4th is her favorite weekend with Gettysburg a close second.

 

The one I raised from a pup is not afraid. Grace, who I adopted when she was three, is afraid. Were either of the two greyhounds you conditioned older when you began working with them?

 

If you could share what steps you took, that would be helpful.

Edited July 8, 2011 by gracegirl

[RobinM]

It's only gotten worse here too. My Elsie is 12.

[JJNg]

While I understand the reluctance to use medication, dogs with severe storm phobia are truly having a panic reaction, and anti-anxiety medications are one of the few things that can provide more immediate relief. I know some people have also had good results with products like the Thundershirt. Training and desensitization are the way to go for long term improvement, but it takes time and won't help your dog during the current storm season.

 

Acepromazine is not an anti-anxiety medication, and I've posted before about why I don't feel it is appropriate for noise phobias. Ace can actually sensitize to noises and make problems worse. For the sake of time, here's a link to a previous post about ace. Anti-anxiety meds like Valium or Xanax are much better choices. And for severe cases, it also helps to have the dog on a 'background' daily medication like Prozac, which will give the dog some relief for those times when you're not home to give the Xanax immediately before the storm.

 

The best time to work on a desensitization program is during the off-season when actual storms or fireworks won't interfere with your progress. This can be done through the use of CDs so that you can control the volume of the noise, starting with a level that your dog doesn't react and is not too anxious to take treats and learn. Here's a previous post with more detail about the process.

 

I haven't used these CDs myself, and I'm sure there are other sources, but Dogwise.com has audio CDs for storms and fireworks.

[gracegirl]

Thank you very much for the info jjng. I appreciate it and will discuss the other medication options with my vet for the remainder of the summer/storm season here in Colorado.

[Guest budsmom]

Twiz is severly storm phobic, and the best thing I've found so far is trazadone. We just started it this summer, someone here suggested it. My best advice would be don't wait to do something, the longer the fear goes on the worse it gets. I waited far too long with Twiz, trying all the natural stuff and her fear just got worse every year, until now even a hard rain can flip her out.

[Guest Swifthounds]

To answer the OP, yes, both hounds I worked with were adopted as adults.

 

If you have an older hound who seems to be getting worse, you should also have hearing checked by a specialist. As they lose hearing ability, loud sounds sound different and can be very unsettling.

[gracegirl]

To answer the OP, yes, both hounds I worked with were adopted as adults.

 

If you have an older hound who seems to be getting worse, you should also have hearing checked by a specialist. As they lose hearing ability, loud sounds sound different and can be very unsettling.

Thank you! Grace us my first dog, and while I've had her for 5 years some of these aging issues are still new to me.