|
THUNDER AND OTHER RUMBLES |
|
The
loud noises of thunder and the rockets that blast away in this lovely town of
San Miguel, often cause dogs all kinds of problems. Puppies, who encounter such noises during
the early stages of their lives, very often never have problems. Others seem
fine as pups and develop their fears as they age. However, a couple of things can happen. One is that the summer thunderstorms do not
coincide with a pup’s early days, (ditto the horrendous racket of the rockets
that so often soar into the heavens), and another situation is that what was
just fine suddenly becomes horribly frightening because of a change in
conditions. That means that they may well view the
horrible sounds differently when they hear it later in life. Another problem
is that something terrible happens – terrible in the eyes of the pup - (or
older dog) at the very same time that the racket is going on! That
terrible “thing” could simply be fireworks happening at the moment the pup
was scolded for some behavior that did not suit his beloved owners. Or he was hungry and crying for
dinner. Or he was at the vet’s for his
second vaccination! Or – you fill in
the blank. For
dogs, thunder is considered to be a noise in a very separate category from
any other loud noise. There is
something “in” the air as well as whatever hits the dog’s ears. During thunder storms dogs will often head
for the bathroom and wrap themselves around the toilet bowl, get into the tub
or somehow attempt to physically connect with water pipes. Attempting to ground electrical
charges? Nicholas Dodman,
BVMA, MCVS, author of An A to-Z Guide
to Understanding and Curing Behavioral Problems in Dogs, suggests that in
addition to the noise of thunderstorms, “there is static electricity that
generates painful shocks, especially in larger, heavily coated breeds.” All
those water pipe connections seem to supply the grounding that gives dogs
relief. Some owners have gotten
successful results by applying anti-static products directly to their dogs! Trying
to help the dog with thunder problems may well be in
a separate category from other noises.
With that in mind, one can buy tapes of thunder that can be played
with the idea that slowly increasing volume will condition the dog to the
rumble-or those “blasts” in the night.
One can play the “1812 Overture” during thunderstorms in an effort to
outclass the thunder. But such efforts
are probably best directed towards helping the dog adjust to loud noises
other than thunder. Real
success in helping our canine companions may come from other areas when it
comes to thunder. Melatonin has been used with great success. This is an over-the-counter product used by
humans to relieve insomnia. It is
available here in San Miguel and is known as melatonina
(this is not the brand name). What I
liked about the report I read is “Melatonin isn’t a sedative. It didn’t put her to sleep; she stayed
awake and alert. Thunder just didn’t
bother her any more.” I really like that part about “alert”. Dr.
Dodman, who runs the behavioral section at Tufts
New England Veterinary Medical Center, along with Dr. Linda Aronson, found
the supplement to be successful with other loud noises as well. While Valium has been used, it definitely drugs the dogs and there are potential side effects. Especially in this town when one considers
the number of times such a drug would need to be administered, I personally
wouldn’t “go there”. What
I encountered when I bought melatonina was that the
tablet size is larger than what was considered appropriate for most
dogs. As always, care must be used
when administering any treatment/medication. But
let’s not stop with something sold over the counter. An article in the May issue of the Whole
Dog Journal presents impressive coverage of canine acupressure and Tellington TTouch treatment
(developed by Linda Tellington-Jones). Video tapes and books clearly explaining
her work are available. It
has been generally promoted to not try comforting a dog when it shows fear
but now there appears to be a new view of that recommendation. Very often dogs want to be near their
person when life gets threatening and I would suggest allowing that behavior
to take place. NEVER punish a dog for
being afraid. Since dogs can and do
injure themselves and cause great damage to their surroundings in attempts to
escape or seek security, do not take fear of loud noises casually. Seek help, but avoid simply drugging your
canine buddy. It bears repeating: NEVER punish any signs of fear! . P.S. Since this article was first published
there are some things I would like to add. What I am about to present is and must be
viewed as anecdotal. My Bouvier and people reporting on their experiences on the
various behaviorist and trainers lists to which I subscribe as well as clients
here in SMA offer observations that dogs appear to present a lasting benefit
from melatonin. By that I mean – those
dogs with exposure to melatonin hear those first sounds of thunder and seem
calmer when it happens than before their exposure to the supplement. Furthermore – and I am not able to offer
scientific explanations of this !!!! – my own dog has observed thunder far off and appears to
seek me out for his “fix”. Yikes! Did I actually say that!!!!!!!! B |