Why Your Dog Freaks Out During Thunderstorms--And What to Do
With summer around the corner, we looked into what causes storm anxiety, and how to soothe our canines.
By Liz Langley
PUBLISHED APRIL 28, 2018
Summer weather is just around the corner—and with it thunderstorms that may freak out your dog. We looked into what causes this anxiety, and how to soothe their rainy-day feelings.
Signs of anxiousness in dogs are "ears back, tails down, eyes wide, panting, lip-licking and yawning," says Terry Curtis, a clinical behaviorist at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. (See our favorite dog pictures.)
Sometimes, their panic escalates to dangerous levels during thunderstorms. "I've had cases where the dog has dug through walls, all the way through the drywall," Curtis says. "Another dog jumped through a sliding glass door."
So what gives?
ELECTRIFIED
Dropping barometric pressure—which dogs can sense—coupled with darkening skies, wind, and the sheer noise of thunder can cause fearful reactions in dogs. (Read how scientists are trying to crack the mystery of nighttime thunderstorms.)
More:
https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/04/animals-pets-summer-storms-weather/
Also posted in Science:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/122857157
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My Cairn Terrier was terrified of thunderstorms. He would freak out and was absolutely inconsolable. I don't know how it started, I adopted him shortly before his sixth birthday, and because of a series of unfortunate events, I was the fifth home that he had - and I'm in New York and he was born in Paducah, Kentucky.
He was everybody's favorite dog, but we learned early on that he could never be left home alone if there was a thunderstorm. He ripped down the living room drapes once and another time he almost succeeded digging through the door from the kitchen to the garage. If anyone was anywhere when a thunderstorm started, we all raced to get home. Once when I was at work my father called me, the lights had gone out during a storm and my Dad was doing paperwork by candlelight when the dog jumped up on the table and was pacing among the candles, my Dad was afraid he'd set himself on fire, so I went and brought him to work with me - where we had lights - and he was fine.
He was also the dog I had the longest - 12 1/2 years. I lost him rather suddenly at 18 1/2, I was sure he'd make it to his 19th birthday. He was my vet's eldest canine patient and even the vet cried. He was quite a special dog. I don't have an online pic of him, that was 1993, but Toto was also a Cairn Terrier... 
We adopted him from the shelter at about 4 years old. He's probably about 13 now. We use the Thundershirt and some Benadryl with things get bad. We live in South Florida so thunderstorms can get pretty violent. Samson was a street dog that was picked up in Miami and ended up at the shelter.
