Thunder!

Fear of Thunder

Kraak and BOOM!

The most common behavior problems associated with fear of loud noises are destruction and escaping.

When dogs become frightened, they naturally try to reduce their fear. This means escaping to a place where the sounds of thunder or firecrackers are less intense. If a dog feels less afraid by leaving the yard or going into a certain room or area of the house, then the escape or destructive behavior is reinforced because it successfully lessens the fear. For some dogs, just the activity or physical exertion associated with one of these behaviors may be an outlet for their anxiety. Unfortunately, escape and/or destructive behavior can be a problem for you and could also result in physical injury to your dog.

Your dog may also begin to associate a particular startling noise with other things in the environment, and your dog may grow afraid of these other things because they associate them with the loud noise that frightened them. For example, dogs that are afraid of thunder may later become afraid of the wind, dark clouds, and flashes of light that often precede the sound of thunder. Dogs who do not like the sound of firecrackers may become fearful of the children who have the firecrackers or may become afraid to go in the backyard, if that's where they usually hear the noise.

The safe, natural remedies listed below may help with fears of loud noises.