calming frightened dog

[OakLeaf]

There's a pheromone spray that seemed to work pretty well with our dogs. (Also on us... helped mellow us out enough to deal better with the dogs' residual jitters LOL!) It's called D.A.P. Some vets have it or it's available online too. We also would try to play or treat them as much as possible to distract and desensitize them. Stephen Halpern CDs helped too.

[TsPoet]

Thanks to all!
I called my local homeopathy/designer vet and store and they have the DAP collar and rescue remedy and other things she said she'll talk to me about when I get there.
I will also go out and play with her tonight, the wind usually comes up in late afternoon, so we can play just before dark. The snows have almost melted, too, so good timing to try that.

[sundial]

Here's what I use for my fosters:

Comfort Zone plug in diffuser or spray
harp music
a dark, quiet room without windows aka the bathroom
a crate covered with a towel
Kong filled with peanut butter and/or treats
Bully stik or other chew
Valium--some dogs just need the real chill pill

My rescue girl Niki is terrified of wind and rain because she had to live outside during a hurricane. I have to give her a chill pill and move her into our bathroom with a toy to keep her preoccupied. She really likes a cozy, dark corner to feel secure. I hope this helps and feel free to pm me if you have any more questions.

[KSH]

This is going to sound cheesy... but does anyone where watch the Dog Whisperer.

At of the behavior problems you are all talking about... are addressed in his show.

If your dog is scared of the wind, that shows he's an insecure dog. You cannot feed into that insecurity. Meaning: When he's being scare of the wind, you have to ignore him. Do not pick him up, pet him, talk to him, nothing. When you reinforce his insecurity, he keeps doing it. Yes, you will have some sleepness nights so he gets trained... but you are not sleeping as it is.

As for the aggressive dogs... you have to catch them the minute they start to get aggressive and make a "shush" noise. Ceasar will typically also poke some fingers into their neck (like another dog would) or give them a slight foot nudge on the hind quarters. You aren't being volient... just redirecting their focus.

Anyone with a dog should watch the show... it's really amazing how he rehabilitates dogs. Really teaches you how to be the pack leader of your dog(s).

[brok]

This is going to sound cheesy... but does anyone where watch the Dog Whisperer.

At of the behavior problems you are all talking about... are addressed in his show.

If your dog is scared of the wind, that shows he's an insecure dog. You cannot feed into that insecurity. Meaning: When he's being scare of the wind, you have to ignore him. Do not pick him up, pet him, talk to him, nothing. When you reinforce his insecurity, he keeps doing it. Yes, you will have some sleepness nights so he gets trained... but you are not sleeping as it is.

As for the aggressive dogs... you have to catch them the minute they start to get aggressive and make a "shush" noise. Ceasar will typically also poke some fingers into their neck (like another dog would) or give them a slight foot nudge on the hind quarters. You aren't being volient... just redirecting their focus.

Anyone with a dog should watch the show... it's really amazing how he rehabilitates dogs. Really teaches you how to be the pack leader of your dog(s).

I'm a huge Dog Whisperer fan And, I have tried his techniques with my dogs. Timing is very critical, so that they understand what behavior you want the to stop. Anyway, I would also recommed readomg his books. And definitely ignore the dog rather than try to pamper him by playing into his insecurity. Good Luck

[Pedal Wench]

My Mastiff was terrified during thunderstorms. The only cure was to stroke her belly and sing "The Circle Game." That's what I sang while the doctors took her away too. It always seemed to calm her when she, or I, was scared.

[bmccasland]

Seems to me, that taking dog for regular walks, even on windy days, and not playing into the insecurity (Dog Whisperer stuff) is a start. There's probably a chapter or two in one of his books.

But also having a secure quiet place is also a good thing.

Dogs do feed off your energy, so make sure you're calm and collected too. My Nala never experienced fireworks or thunderstorms until we moved here - and doesn't like either. Will try to scratch her way through the back door to get in, but once inside, she's fine. A loud *crack* will jerk her head up, and she may go look out the window, but she's calm. If she does start getting anxious, I tell her in a strong voice to "go lie down." A little bit later, I'll call her to me for love and attention, but it's on my terms, not her's.

[GLC1968]

We also are fans of Cesar Milan. He definitely advocates that you don't want to increase anxiety by being anxious yourself, trying to be 'soothing' etc...it just reinforces the bad reaction. BUT, just ignoring the dog won't help either if its a pre-existing fear often common to rescue dogs.

I do think you want to teach the dog to ignore the thing that is causing the fear. Playing during a windy time (inside where it's most noisy, in particular) is a good idea. It's helping the dog learn to associate something good with those sounds. We have a rescue that is terrified of many inanimate objects. Luckily, weather doesn't seem to affect her. She's afraid of the vacuum (even when it's not in use), the floor pump (again, even when not in use), a few plastic things in the kitchen (a chopper, a certain cutting board, etc.) We can't find rhyme or reason to her fears, but we are working on them all the time. For the vacuum, we've taken to leaving it in the room with us while we are doing something else with her like playing a game, training, feeding, etc. She's getting better with having it around now. She used to be terrified of our bikes, until we started using them to take her for fast runs around the block. She LOVED that, and now doesn't fear the bikes anymore.

Basically, try to replace bad associations with good ones. And when you do it, do it with calm assertiveness. It works, but you do have to be very consistent and on top of it.

Good luck!

[mimitabby]

my friend who is a dog trainer said:

One thing that might have happened is that the dog is being reinforced for
the wind behavior for the last 7 months. I can't tell from her description
what she has been doing when the behavior is happening. I'd like more
specific information.

She might try rescue remedy. The problem with using it is you have to
give it about 45 minutes BEFORE the event happens or it has no effect. Also
in my experience some dogs and people are not affected by it. I use it on
myself before obedience dog show performances (one reason of many why I
know longer do obedience, no fun) and sometimes it helped but it was less
effective the more I used it on myself. Another thing she might try is a
body wrap for the dog. She can google canine body wraps and find out more
info. I've known people how have used the wrap for thunder phobia dogs with
some success. Another thing to look at is using melatonin. It's been quite
effective with thunder phobic dogs especially in combination with the wrap.
What breed or combination of breeds is the dog? This could also play into
the wind problem. For instance Border Collies are sound insensitive many
times, it's inherited running in some blood lines and not others. If this
dog is upset by 15mph winds, which is not much, there's something going on.
Has she tried crating the dog before the winds kick up? Having the dog in a
secure room as far inside the house as possible to lessen the sound of it
blowing. Also white noise like the TV on.I need to know what she's tried.

Mari