RE: [pyrnet] Fear of thunderstorms

["Viney, Bethany" <Bethany.Viney@tdstelecom.com>]

Bob;
I understand where you are coming from.  Czar, my 2 year old male is
petrified of thunderstorms.  When he is home and there is a bad storm, he
paces, cries, and races to the basement to the bathroom, and tries to fit
behind the toilet.  Yes, this 120# big baby of a guard dog is trying to
squeeze behind a toilet.......  Ironically, this bathroom is a room that has
no windows, so he cannot see lightening or rain. It is the only place in the
house he feels secure during a storm. I sit with him and ask him gently to
"settle", and if I make a move to stand up, he cries incessively.  If he is
outside and it starts to storm, he runs to the house and scratches on the
door and cries to get in. If he is in his kennel, he curls up in the
smallest house enclosure there is to feel safe.
By reacting to him in a very calm way, he seems to have gotten better.
I have never experienced this before either with any of my other dogs, but
it seems as my even tempered reaction seems to sooth him.  It may be
something they may outgrow as well.

Best of luck to you and Atalanta.
Beth, Czar and Raisa in Rural Wisconsin



-----Original Message-----
From: Bob Heinmiller [mailto:R.Heinmiller@omnet.com]
Sent: Tuesday, August 05, 2003 12:54 PM
To: pyrnet-l@pyrnet.org
Subject: [pyrnet] Fear of thunderstorms


Our Pyr, Atalanta, who will be five in November, has recently developed a 
fear of thunderstorms, of which we have a lot here in the Shernandoah 
Vally.  This is very strange, as she grew up here and never showed any fear 
of storms at all.     Normally, she lives with her goats in an area of a 
few acres fenced in with an electric fence.   No problem.   But now 
whenever there is a storm, she finds a way out through/under the fence and 
comes up to the house.   This is a problem because once out of the fence, 
she could get down to the highway or into a neigbor's pasture.

At first, we tied her up to a tree near the house for a day or so.  She 
hates this, because she doesn't like to be tied up or to not be near her 
goats.    But, lately we have been tying her to a tree inside the fence for 
several hours.   (The lead is long enough to allow her to get to shelter, 
water, shade, and food.)    But, then when she is off the line and a storm 
comes, she breaks out again.

We cannot afford an escape-proof fence around the property.   We do keep 
the electric fence maintained, but a determined Pyr, with a heavy coat, can 
usually find a place to squeeze under, with some momentary discomfort.

Our vet has recommended putting her inside a pen inside the fence overnight 
each time she gets out, so she does not have to be tied, which Atalanta 
finds humiliating.   I will get that set up this weekend.   She (the vet) 
also says she has seen older dogs develop such fears, but they grow out of
it.

Anyone else run into this?   Suggestions welcome.
        ..Bob


~~~~~~~~~~
                Robert Heinmiller
Omnet, Inc.
                (21 North Central Avenue)
                Post Office Box 1285
                Staunton, Virginia  24402
                USA

                R.Heinmiller@Omnet.org
                +540.885.5800
                http://www.Omnet.com


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