# 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:** 3
**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 29, 2018, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-react-in-thunderstorms/811302/41 "2018-03-29T02:28:41Z")
> [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](#): > > 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. > > 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. I knew someone was gonna say that. Don’t you worry about those dogs. They live high on the hog. They have a heated cabin they sleep in and a fenced run as big as a tennis court. They eat the best dog food for high performance in the field. And get regular vet care. The main reason they are outside is there are 16 of them. Two are preggers right now, so the count will rise if Mr.Wrekker doesn’t sell the puppies. He doesn’t like to sell them because he gets attached to them. Those dogs have the life of riley. They are not below stairs at all. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2018, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-react-in-thunderstorms/811302/42 "2018-03-29T13:47:53Z")
Loki doesn’t care a bit about thunderstorms. He just doesn’t like to get his prissy little paws wet. It’s my roommate’s pit that cries like a baby when the thunder gets too close. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2018, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-react-in-thunderstorms/811302/43 "2018-03-29T15:09:57Z")
We don’t have dogs any more, but we formerly had two dogs, with very different reactions to storms. Max (who was one of the smartest dogs I’ve ever known) was frightened by thunderstorms. He didn’t get as overwrought about them as some dogs do, but he’d get nervous and skittish when the thunder started (and would have similar, but even stronger, reactions to fireworks). Shadow, on the other hand, didn’t care about storms in the least. ---
**Author:** ![jerseymule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jerseymule/32/3155_2.png) [@jerseymule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerseymule)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2018, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-react-in-thunderstorms/811302/44 "2018-03-29T15:14:46Z")
My small terrier/Chihuahua-looking mixed breed was always afraid of thunder, fireworks, sirens, and anything else loud. Until one day she wasn’t and I knew she’d become deaf in her old age. She has since passed on. [Touille](https://www.flickr.com/photos/mbk/20829254/in/album-147622/) ---
**Author:** ![Pabitel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbce88/32.png) [@Pabitel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pabitel)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2018, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-react-in-thunderstorms/811302/45 "2018-03-30T15:00:13Z")
I don’t have a dog right now but did back in the 70s. I had her during the big ice storm that hit Michigan. We lived in the middle of about 4 acres of pine forest. It was a little wired because the trees were all the same age and planted in rows. Anyway, during the ice storm we lost about 20-30 trees. All night long they came crashing down as the ice accumulated. The dog was freaked out by this. From that point on, any time there was a thunder storm, the dog thought treemageddon was coming back to get her. ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2018, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-react-in-thunderstorms/811302/46 "2018-03-30T16:01:36Z")
I’ve had 4 dogs in my life and not one of them had any noticeable reaction to thunderstorms (terrier, shetland sheepdog, mini schnauzer, husky). Now, sirens? My mini schnauzer goes NUTS over those. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2018, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-react-in-thunderstorms/811302/47 "2018-03-30T16:23:27Z")
Current dog is not bothered at all by thunder, lightning, fireworks, etc. I think he learned his queues from us. However, sometimes he will jump-up barking at some noise he thinks he heard, and we are like “WTF!”. Of course, he probably heard something we missed. And he is barking right now at the garbage truck. Previous dog was bothered somewhat, but not like some of the reactions posted here. She would just come close to one of us and stay quiet with thunder. The house on the next street had a large parrot that they would sometimes place in an outside cage on their porch, and for some reason that bird’s squawking would set her off - she would jump around excitedly as if there was a squirrel running around the back yard. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2018, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-react-in-thunderstorms/811302/48 "2018-03-30T22:57:37Z")
We once had a spaniel who ran and hid under the dining room table, whimpering and trembling, at every thunderstorm. Why do they react that way? Is there something in the frequencies of thunder that hurts their ears? What is a thunder shirt? ---
**Author:** ![diggerwam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/919ad9/32.png) [@diggerwam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggerwam)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2018, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-react-in-thunderstorms/811302/49 "2018-03-30T23:01:12Z")
he used to freak a little, got thundershirt last year and it seemed to work, granted with small sample size. looking forward to trying it again this year. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2018, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-react-in-thunderstorms/811302/50 "2018-03-30T23:43:22Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > Our pug doesn’t seem to care. I’ve never seen a pug that gives a shit about anything. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2018, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-react-in-thunderstorms/811302/51 "2018-03-30T23:49:40Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > We once had a spaniel who ran and hid under the dining room table, whimpering and trembling, at every thunderstorm. Why do they react that way? Is there something in the frequencies of thunder that hurts their ears? What is a thunder shirt? [Thundershirt.](http://www.thundershirt.com/) ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2018, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-react-in-thunderstorms/811302/52 "2018-03-31T01:10:50Z")
Every dog I’ve had, from childhood on, reacted the same way - if the storm is really, really bad they come over for a reassuring scratch behind their ears. Some run in the rain, some roll in the puddles, some won’t get their feet wet, and all don’t sleep through the bad storms, but none freak. Doorbells, car doors, and high winds are another story. All my dogs HATE high winds. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2018, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-react-in-thunderstorms/811302/53 "2018-03-31T06:08:07Z")
They notice the smallest sounds and freak out, including just someone coming into the room. But they don’t seem to respond to thunder and lighting, even when alarmingly close (like it was recently). I think being indoor dogs is a big part of this. They’ve been out in the rain for potty breaks, but never when thunder or lightning are close. And they’ve never been raised with other non-house dogs to learn the behavior. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2018, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-react-in-thunderstorms/811302/54 "2018-03-31T15:14:14Z")
Urla, our first Anatolian Shepherd, was bought to be a guard dog and took her job very seriously. She was afraid of nothing… except thunder storms. It wasn’t your tremble and pee on your shoes kind of afraid; instead she would be very subdued, very much unlike her. I think she figured whatever it was, was far bigger than she, a sensation she rarely had. OTOH, when we had a 3-am earthquake, she jumped on top of **DesertRoomie** in her bed and looked around, barking furiously. She wasn’t sure what she was protecting **DR** from but, by God, she knew her duty. OTOH the hounds sleep right through it. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-react-in-thunderstorms/811302/55 "2018-04-02T13:10:19Z")
Helen Mirren played an uncharacteristically unglamorous role in the Hungarian film _The Door_. One of her character’s many oddities was to panic in fright at the sound of thunder, inexplicably. Then a flashback from her childhood showed her out with her two little sisters when a thunderstorm rolled in. Lightning struck her sisters and left nothing but two smoking heaps of charcoal. :eek: What is it with dogs, though? ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-react-in-thunderstorms/811302/56 "2018-04-02T17:52:37Z")
Our late lamented Sadie (pit bull / hound mix, we guess) was terrified of all loud booms, thunder included. We eventually determined the likely cause, when an x-ray of her hindquarters revealed shotgun pellets still lodged in her flesh. She had come from a public shelter in the South. Eventually I was able to mostly offset her fear. I sort of assumed that in the wild, a pack of dogs wouldn’t play when there was danger present…so as the ostensible pack leader, I initiated play every time we had thunder or fireworks. This seemed to ease her fears greatly, and for the rest of her life, with a curious mix of eagerness and anxiety, she brought me a toy at the first rumble. Our current girl Luna is completely deaf (presumably from birth) and doesn’t react to any sound. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DrumBum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e79b87/32.png) [@DrumBum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrumBum)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-react-in-thunderstorms/811302/57 "2018-04-02T18:13:19Z")
The dog does okay in all but the the most torrential storms. With those, she hides in the pantry. ---
**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:** [April 2, 2018, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-react-in-thunderstorms/811302/58 "2018-04-02T18:30:50Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I knew someone was gonna say that. Don’t you worry about those dogs. They live high on the hog. They have a heated cabin they sleep in and a fenced run as big as a tennis court. They eat the best dog food for high performance in the field. And get regular vet care. The main reason they are outside is there are 16 of them. Two are preggers right now, so the count will rise if Mr.Wrekker doesn’t sell the puppies. He doesn’t like to sell them because he gets attached to them. Those dogs have the life of riley. They are not below stairs at all. I wasn’t worried. There are plenty of decent ways to raise dogs and there are millions in shelters that need decent homes. I’m not going to judge because someone takes different care of their dog than I would. I just wanted to understand your distinction. > [@Sailboat](#): > > Our late lamented Sadie (pit bull / hound mix, we guess) was terrified of all loud booms, thunder included. We eventually determined the likely cause, when an x-ray of her hindquarters revealed shotgun pellets still lodged in her flesh. She had come from a public shelter in the South. I also rescued a shelter dog from the south with a BB in his leg. I always assumed it was from an air rifle but maybe it’s a shotgun pellet. That would explain his hatred of fireworks. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2018, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-react-in-thunderstorms/811302/59 "2018-04-03T01:31:58Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > What is it with dogs, though? Maybe dogs exposed to thunderstorms while still in the litter are less likely to panic? ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2018, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-react-in-thunderstorms/811302/60 "2018-04-03T01:49:28Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > Helen Mirren played an uncharacteristically unglamorous role in the Hungarian film _The Door_. One of her character’s many oddities was to panic in fright at the sound of thunder, inexplicably. Then a flashback from her childhood showed her out with her two little sisters when a thunderstorm rolled in. Lightning struck her sisters and left nothing but two smoking heaps of charcoal. :eek: > > What is it with dogs, though? My ex-GF that I lived with for 4 years was a Vietnam war orphan. She would similarly get very anxious and want to hide during thunderstorms. “Rolling Thunder” meant something very different to her. As did “Linebacker” and “Arc light”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-react-in-thunderstorms/811302.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-your-dog-react-in-thunderstorms/811302.md?page=4)