Storm's a Brewin'

We had our first really good storm (hale, tornado watches) here in OK. When Roo was a pup, we desensitized with the sounds CDs. We had lots and lots of storms in TN. Roo was always calm and slept through them. He was fine with storms in VA. Last night, he got nervous. So here are some handy tips to help nervous dogs:

1. Breathe deep, breathe slow. Your dog will cue to your body language. That includes your breathing. Make a conscious effort to take deep, relaxing breaths.

2. Sit down in a comfortable place. Allow your body to relax. Let yourself sink into the couch or cuddle up under the covers in bed. Your body being relaxed will cue your dog to relax. If your dog likes to sit close to you, allow it.

3. Give a massage. Gently rub your dog down. If you are interested in good massage techniques, I recommend looking into T-Touch.

4. Light up the happy spots! When your dog eats, it lights up pleasure centers in his brain. Get some tasty treats and ask your dog for some simple behaviors. This is a good distraction. You can also feed every time there is thunder. In our house, that is called "good dog noise" and a tasty treat comes out when I mark it.

5. If your dog has a hiding place, allow them to go. Some dogs may go under the bed, in the bathtub, in a crate (covering the crate can make it more comfortable for some dogs), under a blanket. That's fine. If your dog can self-soothe, allow it.