# How does your dog react in thunderstorms? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 27, 2018, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-react-in-thunderstorms/811302 "2018-03-27T22:33:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-react-in-thunderstorms/811302/21 "2018-03-28T03:55:48Z")
The coyotes serenade us regularly around here. It drives my inside dogs crazy because the hunting dogs in the pen outback go bat-shit. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-react-in-thunderstorms/811302/22 "2018-03-28T07:27:13Z")
I’ve had some dogs who hated them and some that ignored them. The current beast used to be afraid, but he’s grown more confident as his hearing has dimmed with age. Now he only notices if we happen to be outside and it thunders. ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-react-in-thunderstorms/811302/23 "2018-03-28T08:48:37Z")
Oblivious. But then, she was raised in London to the sound of police sirens, fire trucks, backfiring vehicles, roaring motorbikes and occasional gunfire. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-react-in-thunderstorms/811302/24 "2018-03-28T12:01:52Z")
It isn’t my dog, but one I’m around a lot not only thinks thunderstorms are the end of the world (often trembling like a proverbial leaf) but has to go to his “safe space” during a light rain. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-react-in-thunderstorms/811302/25 "2018-03-28T13:21:48Z")
Leet the Wonder Dog[sup]TM[/sup] tries to hide under my chair, but I am unsympathetic, so he goes and hides in the closet. I think the clothes hanging there muffle the noise. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-react-in-thunderstorms/811302/26 "2018-03-28T13:42:48Z")
My golden retriever was inconsolable. Really, she was out of her fucking mind with fear during thunderstorms. We finally figured out after 10 years or so that the safest place for her was curled up around the sump pump. No windows around and the nice sound of running water. To be honest we haven’t really had many storms in the 3 years I’ve had my new dogs. We’ve had a few. The boy gets nervous enough to be annoying, the girl is pretty cool about it. I think if we have storms overnight they don’t even wake up. ---
**Author:** ![Brodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cc9497/32.png) [@Brodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brodi)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-react-in-thunderstorms/811302/27 "2018-03-28T13:51:03Z")
One dog used to run and hide, but now he is so senile he barely notices them anymore. The other one isn’t bothered by them. ---
**Author:** ![Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tired_and_Cranky)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-react-in-thunderstorms/811302/28 "2018-03-28T14:31:18Z")
It’s not quite the end of the world for my dog, but if he’s outside during thunder he wants to get inside promptly. If he’s inside, he likes to go to a quiet place. Usually that’s his crate. Sometimes it’s a closet or his bed in the bedroom. > [@Beckdawrek](#): > > The coyotes serenade us regularly around here. It drives my inside dogs crazy because the hunting dogs in the pen outback go bat-shit. Do I understand correctly that the hunting dogs live outside all the time and the other dogs live inside? Why can’t the hunting dogs live inside with the other dogs? I’m not suggesting that you are mistreating the hunting dogs by letting the live outside. I just don’t understand why someone who appreciates dog companionship indoors wouldn’t also appreciate the hunting dogs’ companionship. I’ve known people who had hunting dogs that were outdoor working dogs and not really pets and I’ve known people who had hunting dogs that were also beloved pets. I don’t think I’ve known anyone who had your hybrid living arrangement with seemingly two classes of dogs. It seems like the puppy version of Downton Abbey. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-react-in-thunderstorms/811302/29 "2018-03-28T15:47:35Z")
My dog (now deceased) was cool but would kind of bunker down in one of his comfortable spots unless it was really violent and right on top of us. In that case he would go into fear-mode and want to be as close to me as possible. He was a basic mutt and pretty much an indoor dog. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-react-in-thunderstorms/811302/30 "2018-03-28T16:02:29Z")
My dog doesn’t care. If it is particularly loud, and wakes her up from her nap, she huffs in frustration, but that’s about it. I have a friend who has a dog that is terrified. When we would visit during a thunderstorm, he (the dog) would be hiding under the stairs, and my dog would be running back and forth between him and us, trying to tell us that something was wrong with him. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-react-in-thunderstorms/811302/31 "2018-03-28T16:12:10Z")
My bichon doesn’t give a crap about thunder, fireworks, firetrucks, or anything else that makes noise. But if a strange dog walks down the sidewalk in front of the house, he goes crazy barking at it. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-react-in-thunderstorms/811302/32 "2018-03-28T17:37:45Z")
My dog is scared of any sudden, loud noise. If someone drops a spoon on the floor he jumps like he’s been shot. Heaven forbid if I have to use the hammer inside. The vacuum is Satan incarnate. Thunderstorms, though, are in a league by themselves. He starts pacing when the barometer starts to fall and gets progressively more scared as the wind picks up. Once the thunder starts his saliva glands kick in to overdrive. Thunder shirts are no help at all, and calming treats only marginally so. Poor guy, just his luck to live in a place where thunderstorms happen frequently and pretty much year round. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-react-in-thunderstorms/811302/33 "2018-03-28T18:38:10Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > Maybe not The End Of The World, but she does get nervous and hides. This. My 9-year-old girl doesn’t whine or cry or pant or freak out, but she goes to her “storm spot” (right now it’s in the bathroom) and silently shakes the whole time. I’ve never tried a Thundershirt or anything similar, because frankly I think those would stress her out even more than the thunder. I just let her ride it out, and if it’s a particularly loud/long storm I’ll visit her every now and then to pet and reassure her. > [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > My dog is scared of any sudden, loud noise. If someone drops a spoon on the floor he jumps like he’s been shot. Heaven forbid if I have to use the hammer inside. The vacuum is Satan incarnate. Ha! Same here. Mine is a very jumpy – but very sweet – dog. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-react-in-thunderstorms/811302/34 "2018-03-28T18:45:02Z")
My dog _lives_ like it’s a thunderstorm. 😉 (scared and cowardly) When it’s actually storming, he’s just like an extra vibrant version of himself. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-react-in-thunderstorms/811302/35 "2018-03-28T19:05:28Z")
The two dogs we have now (boxer and a French mastiff/boxer mix) don’t react at all to thunder. One of the dogs we used to have, was terrified. He was an Australian Shepherd/Lab mix. Once when he was in his outdoor kennel during a thunderstorm, he chewed an actual hole through the chain link fence trying to get away (we weren’t home at the time). Another time when he was home alone in the house there was a thunderstorm. When we got home and I opened the door I immediately smelled dog poop. We called the dog and he didn’t come. So I went in search of him. I first came across giant puddles of “pudding poop” all over the rugs in the bedroom along with some pee puddles. I finally found him cowering in a closet. Poor guy… ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-react-in-thunderstorms/811302/36 "2018-03-28T19:30:31Z")
One doesn’t notice, and the other one gets upset (she didn’t always care, but she’s afraid of loud noises now, due to a traumatic experience). ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-react-in-thunderstorms/811302/37 "2018-03-28T21:05:48Z")
Our pug doesn’t seem to care. ---
**Author:** ![AlonzoSWhitebeard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/71c47a/32.png) [@AlonzoSWhitebeard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlonzoSWhitebeard)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-react-in-thunderstorms/811302/38 "2018-03-28T21:33:58Z")
Working cocker spaniel, disapproves mildly of thunder, far angrier about fireworks. But neither is an outrage to compare with postmen. ---
**Author:** ![PoppaSan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/poppasan/32/189_2.png) [@PoppaSan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoppaSan)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2018, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-react-in-thunderstorms/811302/39 "2018-03-29T01:23:30Z")
Our lab needs to be in the same room as us but otherwise seems to not be affected. Fireworks, he won’t go outside. We let him in while we launch. when we target practice on the back 20, he’ll leave us and want to be by the house if not inside. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2018, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-react-in-thunderstorms/811302/40 "2018-03-29T02:09:44Z")
I’ve lived with three dogs and none ever seemed to notice thunderstorms. One of my current cats is terrified of them, though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-react-in-thunderstorms/811302.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-react-in-thunderstorms/811302.md?page=3)