Thunderstorms and dogs: what helps and what doesn't
At the first far-off rumble, your dog leaves the sofa and presses against the back of your legs. To calm a dog during a thunderstorm, settle them early in a quiet room they already like. Follow each clap with a treat or a quick game if they'll still take one, and stroke them if they come looking for you. Training in the calm months can ease the fear over time, with your vet's help when it's severe.
Wraps, pheromones and music have weaker evidence. They can be part of a calm room, but none of them replaces the training.
Why is your dog scared of thunder?
Between a quarter and half of pet dogs have a noise fear.1 If your dog also fears fireworks, much of the help is the same. Our fireworks prep plan covers the shared basics.
Storms bring more than noise: lightning, wind, rain on the windows and a drop in air pressure. They can also arrive with little warning, several times a season. If your dog starts pacing when the wind picks up, before any thunder, settle them in the den from the first gusts.
If an older dog is newly afraid of noise, see your vet before storm season to check for pain.
How do you calm a dog during a thunderstorm?
- Settle your dog early. Before the storm arrives, have your dog resting in a den they already like: an inside room with few windows, or one with the curtains drawn. Keep the way out open at all times.
- Put on a loud fan to blunt the thunder.
- Pair every clap with food or play, so thunder starts to predict something good. Begin at the first far-off rumble, while your dog can still take a treat.
- Cuddle or stroke your dog if they ask. Talk to them quietly, but don't grab or hold a dog who hasn't come to you.
- Get your vet involved if the fear is severe. Signs include panic, frantic attempts to get out and refusing even a favorite treat. Your vet can talk through whether medication would help.
The den and the fan help on the night. Food or a game with each clap, and practice in the calm months, can ease the fear itself over time.1
Do wraps, pheromones or supplements help in a storm?
The evidence for all three is thin.
- Pressure wraps and vests. A wrap is a small help at best. Get your dog used to it on calm days first, because the handling, the tight fit or the noise of the fastener can bother some dogs.
- Pheromone collars and diffusers. Studies disagree on whether they help with noise fear. Our post do calming collars work? sets the collars against herbal and music ones.
- Supplements, herbs and essential oils. There's little evidence for them in dogs, so treat one as an extra, if at all.
Thunder sounds for dogs: practicing with recordings
Our fireworks checklist sets out recording sessions step by step; swap in a storm recording for the bangs. Play it low enough that your dog shows no fear, and pair the sound with food or play. Over many short sessions, let the volume rise and fall but creep up overall. A trainer or your vet can help you plan it.
If the recording gets a reaction, stop it at once, wait until your dog is calm, then start again quieter or shorter. Judge the level by your dog's body language, because what dogs hear isn't what we hear.
A speaker can't reproduce the lightning or the deepest rumbles of a real storm. So keep up the treats after real thunder, and teach your dog to settle on a mat between sessions.
Calming music for dogs during thunderstorms
We sell a collar music player, so weigh this part knowing that. Soft music won't cover thunder; the fan in step 2 does that job. None of the music studies we know of tested dogs in a storm. Our research page sets out what music did and didn't do in the studies.
You can still use music as a calm signal. For a few weeks, play the calming playlist on quiet evenings while your dog relaxes, so it comes to mean rest before storm season.
A storm-season plan
Ahead of storm season
- See your vet if last season was hard. Ask whether medication for storm days, or for the whole season, would suit your dog.
- Build or refresh the den. Serve dinner there and save the best chews for it. See step 2 of the fireworks checklist.
- Start the storm recordings barely audible, with food.
- Reward your dog for relaxing on a mat, with your calm music playing.
When a storm is forecast
Walk your dog before the weather turns. Then draw the blinds, switch on the fan and have your dog resting in the den with a chew before the first rumble.
If you'll be out
If your dog panics in storms and one is forecast, arrange for someone to be home or a sitter to drop in. Leave the den open so your dog isn't shut in.
After each storm
Write down how long the fear lasted. Tell your vet if it runs to hours, or stretches out as the season goes on.
What about collar music on a storm night?
The Barkwoo Music Box clips onto any standard dog collar. One button press starts the preloaded playlist, with no phone, Wi-Fi or app. It's the only calming-music player made to be worn on your dog's collar, so it stays with your dog while you're out. No music study we know of used a collar, so count it as your quiet-evening music coming along while the training works on the fear. It charges in about an hour and plays for almost a full day on one charge, so plug it in when a storm warning goes out.
References
- Riemer, S. (2023). Therapy and prevention of noise fears in dogs: a review of the current evidence for practitioners. Animals, 13(23), 3664. doi:10.3390/ani13233664 ↩︎
