Relieve Pet Thunderstorm Anxiety this Summer

Many pets live in areas that experience strong summer storms along with the steamy summer weather. And next thing you know, your pet has slinked away to a dark closet, under the bed or table, panting heavily and trembling. Pet reactions range from mild to phobic and can definitely keep the household awake in the early morning hours.

Our hearts go out to our panicked pets -- what to do? There are many approaches to anxiety relief and effectiveness generally depends upon your individual pet.

Here at Super Cool Pets we have never bought into the advice that comforting a frightened pet actually intensifies their phobia. Glad to see that the well-respected, kindly dog trainer, veterinarian and author Patricia McConnell agrees in her excellent article on the subject over at The Bark:

On the contrary, it's just not possible that petting your dog is going to make her more fearful the next time there's a storm. Warnings that you'll ruin your dog by comforting her are reminiscent of the advice from the 1930s and '40s to avoid comforting frightened children by picking them up. That perspective was tossed out long ago by psychologists, when research made it clear that having parents they can count on when life gets scary creates bold, stable children, not dependent or fearful ones.

She suggests "classical counter-conditioning (CCC). CCC can be a profoundly effective way to change behavior, because it changes the emotions that drive the behavior in the first place. A typical example in applied animal behavior is having visitors throw treats to a dog who is afraid of strangers."

More ideas and effective product links can be found in previous Super Cool Pets posts -- June 3, 2009 and August 6, 2007 among others.

Read More in: Cats | Dogs | Health and Safety | Problem Solvers | Summer

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