Storms of Anxiety
I dread holidays like the 4th of July, Memorial Day, and New Year’s Eve because, despite being joyful occasions for some, they tend to be rather stressful for my dogs, Nala and Sasha. They, like many dogs, have a fear of extremely loud noises like fireworks, gunshots, and thunder. I feel sorry for how upset they get, especially since the noise is typically out of our control.
Whenever a random thunderstorm pops up, we can almost always count on the twins to start shaking and panting. There was one particularly bad thunderstorm recently that made both of them refuse to eat their dinners. If a storm comes in the middle of the night, they tend to wake up and move to my husband’s side of the bed since he’s always their protector when they get scared.
If Sasha gets super upset, she usually tries to get right underneath us when we’re sitting on the couch or, on rare occasions, she’ll actually try to jump up on us so we can hold her. She knows better than to jump on the furniture, so I can literally count on my hands the number of times she’s tried that move. She’s also roughly 70 pounds, so it definitely hurts when she tries to put her big body on us.
She usually shivers and shakes, but between the two, she’s the one that calms down first. During a prolonged storm or multiple fireworks, she’ll eventually lay down and just go to sleep as best she can. Getting over that initial fear is key for her and she doesn’t usually need any calming medicine to help her.
Nala on the other hand, has real deal anxiety issues. It takes her substantially longer to calm down during thunderstorms, and truth be told, sometimes she doesn’t actually calm down until the storm fully passes over us. She shivers and shakes like her sister, but usually in a more pronounced way.
We keep some over the counter stress relief chews that promote sleepiness, calmness, and anxiety reduction just for Nala. We don’t give it to her every single time it thunders, just when she’s having a particularly difficult time calming down. My husband always says, “I don’t like giving them to her every time because when I need them to work, I need them to kick in real well.”
Nala also tends to run away upstairs as soon as she hears any loud noise outside. I’ll be in the kitchen cooking or something and randomly notice she’s nowhere to be found. Then, when I go looking for her, she’s either in the corner of the stairway landing or all the way in our closet that doesn't have a window. She’s also content sitting in a bathroom if there aren’t any other options available.
I’ve found letting them go outside during the loud noise sometimes helps them understand that they don’t have anything to be afraid of. Sasha actually got to see a firework because she was outside when one went off. She definitely ran back in the house, but it helped her understand what she was hearing. Same deal with thunder. They absolutely hate being outside when it’s raining or wet, but they will attempt to use the bathroom as long as someone is outside with them.
I think their very first encounter with loud, scary noises was one day when they were less than a year old. My husband and I were still living with our in-laws while our house was being built. We tried cooking something on the Traeger pellet grill, but we weren’t grill masters at the time, so we made a few mistakes. Ultimately, some of the pellets got caught up and when they finally got pushed down into the grill, it made a big explosion noise…..and of course the twins just so happened to be outside on the porch right next to us.
Safe to say, that experience has stuck with them throughout their three, almost four year lives. I honestly doubt that core memory will ever be replaced by good feelings regarding loud noises. It’s definitely part of their personalities now.
It doesn’t have to be hopeless though. There are a few ways to help your pet get through the traumatic time when thunderstorms or fireworks are lighting up the sky. One way is to create a safe space for them by putting their bed, blankets, and toys in a crate or a small room such as a bathroom or a closet. Playing music or white noise can also help drown out the loud noise and create a more soothing environment for them.
Another way to help your fur baby is to distract them with toys, chews, and food puzzles to keep them engaged in something other than the noise. You can also try to desensitize them by playing firework noises at a low level and feeding your dog treats so they get used to sound. Over time, you’d gradually increase the volume to simulate real fireworks.
Finally, you can use a variety of calming resources on the market to comfort your dog. There are calming wraps, vests, and shirts that apply gentle, constant pressure that’s been found to help relax some dogs. You can also try some of the over the counter calming chews like the ones we give Nala. It’s important to not overuse these products since the dog might get used to the medicine and it loses its efficacy over time.
Being a responsible dog owner involves identifying potential triggers before they exist and preferably providing a way for your dog to leave the situation before it gets worked up. Sometimes it’s super easy to spot potential issues like another dog approaching while on a daily walk or perhaps a delivery driver dropping off a package at your front door. However, when we try to predict unpredictable things like weather, it’s often a losing battle.
Instead of mitigating potential stressors ahead of time, sometimes the best we can do is provide comfort in the midst of an extremely stressful situation. Thankfully, Nala and Sasha don’t have lingering anxiety and once the noise stops, they usually calm down and are back to themselves. The only lasting effect is that they are usually super sleepy the next day and have to catch up on their rest once the threat is gone.
If you enjoyed this episode, let me know by giving this video a thumbs up, leaving a comment, and subscribing to my channel. I’ll see you in the next episode!
Signed,
Jessica Marie
