How do you calm a dog down that is afraid of thunder storms?

Last night here in central Indiana we had some bad storms and my new shih tzu dog, Sophie, was scared to death and paced the family room floor. She is 5 years old and I just rescued her on April 11th.

Ahhhh, my friend had a dog that was like that. They actually had to get a mild tranquilizer for her as she was that way from birth. They give her lots of hugs and let her get very close to them, but the fear remains, just not as much. Good luck and love her as she is; she may get over it depending on why the fear began. Bless you for saving her.

Doggie downers from the vet.

My sister has to use Doggie Downer's also .....I love shih tzu's but am alergic to animals.

Crafty,my grand-dog was terrified beyond belief! My son got some tranquilizers from the vet. Really helped.
Poor Sophie!!

I once got downers for my Ruby and I will never use them again. It did not knock her out but the next day she was like a zombie.

Now, I spend the night in the laundry room with her. I turn the overhead exhaust fan on. If it's just a few hours, I sit there reading a book out loud. If it's for the whole night, I sleep on the floor with her. Whatever it takes, that's what I will do. Sam is not affected by the storms or loud noises, but he reacts to his bubby, Ruby being stressed out, so he spends the night with us. I do have a large laundry room.

Try a Thundershirt! We have a 6 year old Maltese who has always been afraid of thunder and fireworks. My DH did not want to give him drugs because he is so small (and they are best friends). The Thundershirt works on the same theory as swaddling a baby. It is made of strechy material and velcro. Makes him feel cozy and secure. It really does calm him, although sometimes needs to be in his little kennel also. You can look it up on line, but we bought ours from our humane society. The company offers a money back garantee, if it doesn't work for your dog. We found it worth the money, about $30, I think. I used to have to carry him around in my arms like a baby, could not sit down, had to walk with him. LOL

The trick to calming agents is to give them about a half hour before the stressful situation arises. If you wait until the dog is stressed, their own adrenaline will kick in and counteract the sedative.

Most de-stressers are very safe and mild and your vet can help you give the correct dose so your dog will be calm but not knocked out. Just like people, animals will each handle medicine differently. So you can always start with a smaller dose and see how that works.

There are also some natural remedies out there that some say work very well. Victoria Stilwell has a dog forum that is a wealth of information. http://positively.com/forum/
Several members there use natural calming remedies and swear by them. :-D

I'd go under the bed with her, no, I don't know what to dog other than try to hold her

Okay, this is going to sound very unpopular but just hear me out. LOL

DO NOT comfort a dog that is afraid. Don't coddle him, pet him or otherwise try to "love" him better.

Why not? For the same reason that you DO pet him when he does something good: you are telling him that whatever he just did is the right thing to do! So when you pet him while he's panicking in a storm you're telling him he was right - he SHOULD be afraid!

Instead, you need to be calm and confident. Lead by example - project the idea that there is nothing to fear, and that you are in control of the situation. You aren't going to let anything bad happen to him, but you can't tell him that with words or petting - instead, let your body language and energy tell him that.

As tough as it is, you have to ignore the behavior you don't want. In this case, I would put him in a sit or down position next to you, silently project your calm confidence and read a book or sew something. As long as he is sitting where you asked him to be, ignore him until he calms down - THEN you can praise him, thereby reinforcing the relaxed behavior.

No drugs, no feeling sorry for him. Instead help him face his fears and get over them. It isn't easy and it won't be instant, but I promise it's well worth the effort!