The Dogs Survive a Thunderstorm

Though I could see the dog’s anxiety in his eyes, I knew how to deal with it. Rule no. 1: DO NOT INDULGE HIS ANXIETIES.

It’s rainy season here now after a long hard summer. After a hot and muggy season, when the rains come Mother Nature compensates with a vengeance. The rains fall in torrents capable of causing flash floods throughout the city and snarling traffic till midnight.

           

            Just a few nights ago, I was up late, reading at our kitchen counter when the rains fell again, accompanied by thunder and lightning. Toto barked nervously at the sudden explosions of noise and came close to me. Every time lightning cracked and the thunder blasted, he’d jump at the sound, clearly distressed and bark at the sound. Suddenly, I felt the gentle presence of a doe-eyed dog sitting and looking up at me near my lap. It was Spot. He had risen from his doggy bed in my bedroom and had walked to where I sat on a stool at the counter. He was quiet. He just wanted to be with me.  

Spot in his doggy basket. He woke up during a thunderstorm, noticed I wasn't on my bed, rose and sought my company to assuage his fears.

             I stayed calm and undisturbed. Dogs learn from their masters and my reaction to the thunder claps would reinforce their fears.

           

           Though I could see Spot’s anxiety in his eyes, I knew how to deal with it. Rule no. 1: DO NOT INDULGE HIS ANXIETIES.

          

            I held myself from cuddling or petting him. I didn’t want to reinforce his feelings at that moment by rewarding it. That's why I didn't want to "comfort" Toto as he jumped at the thunder. I remembered the power of a dog’s focus and the 2 dogs were focused on the thunder. My job was to divert it.

           

            It had been quite awhile since we’ve done some training together but my learning hasn’t stopped. When I take Spot to the vet, I’ve learned not to cuddle and soothe the dog when he’s upset. That will reinforce it. But what do you do instead to calm his nervousness? I discovered the solution by accident with our fourth dog, Toto. During one of Toto’s visits to the vet, I held a small container of barbecued meat, a lesson I learned from dog behaviorist Fred Alimusa. The aroma was mouthwatering and it distracted the dog considerably. The first time I did this method, it was with Spot and I would feed Spot with bits of the meat while he was on the examination table. 

           But Toto showed me a better way. As he kept straining to reach the container, I kept pulling it away from him. That's when I noticed the dog was so focused on the container he didn't notice anything else. Eureka. So I kept the container, lid partially open, a tongue lick away. As Toto stretched with all his might sniffing and trying to get a tidbit, the vet behind him successfully delivered his vaccination and the dog never noticed it. He was so distracted with the temptation of the barbecue.

             

           He got lots of barbecued tidbits in that container, of course, when his treatment was finished. 

            So as the thunder rumbled and rolled up in the night sky, Toto jumped nervously and Spot looked at me quietly but anxiously. I knew what to do. Rule no. 2: DISTRACTION DISPELLS THE STRESS.

           

            I reached across the counter where the dogs’ biscuit jar was located. This was the best time to do a training session!

             

           The 2 dogs immediately went on alert mode at the sight of the biscuit jar being unscrewed. I reviewed Spot’s common tricks: “Speak” and “Shake hands.” Spot used to take time to gather enough power to make a bark but this time — even with the explosions of thunder above him — but seeing the biscuit waiting at my fingers, he barked readily. “Good boy,” I practically squealed, rewarding him.  Toto, meanwhile, had a natural tendency to stand on his hind legs, forelegs high in the air. I decided to work from there. “Dance!” I commanded, lifting a biscuit above his nose. Toto rose on his back legs, eyes burning brightly for the reward, totally focused on it. I let the dog stay in that position, letting him walk a bit, before lowering the biscuit to the floor and praising him when he got it. All this happened while the thunder rolled like a pile of bowling pins tumbling in the night sky.

           

           The dogs didn’t notice it. All of a sudden, their attention was elsewhere. Spot’s anxieties disappeared as his mouth watered for a biscuit and waited for his turn. Toto’s nervousness was forgotten too. He was being rewarded for doing something and he wanted to keep doing it!

            

            Next time thunder rolls in the sky, oh my. The dogs might come to me expecting a training session!