Summer brings some nasty storms. Nasty storms can mean scared dogs. As the thunder booms and lightening crackles your dog may be showing some extensive stress signs: panting, drooling, pacing, etc. If you are having trouble with nasty storms, fireworks, or gunshots you are can work to desensitize your dog to those sounds.
Start by getting yourself a CD that has thunderstorms and fireworks on it and turn it on the quietest setting. As the CD plays and your dog is calm, start feeding some yummy treats. As the dog gets comfortable with the very low noises, turn up the volume a bit at the next session. Every session start to increase the volume and continue feeding treats, until the dog is comfortable at the highest volume. By doing this you are teaching the dog that loud noises bring yummy treats, a positive experience, versus just scary noises and fear. You can also incorporate a calming spray. Use the spray on yourself prior to the CD playing so the dog associates the smell and you as calming. You can rub some of the spray on the dog prior to playing the CD.
If you would like help in building confidence in your dog taking one of our Canine Essentials Classes that focus on building the confidence in your dog and increasing the trust in your relationship.