My GSP Zeke is gun shy so him being afraid of thunder doesn't surprise me, Jack my setter on the other hand doesn't even flinch when I yell. Well after a loud thunder clap both are under my desk at my feet. Wimp azz bird dogs

All thunder dogs are not gun shy.

Nope, I have an EP that is scared to death of thunder & fireworks but not gun shy in the slightest.

I didn't think that at all it just doesn't surprise that Zeke is. Jacks not gun shy in the least bit and he's scared of thunder

Both my GSP's - no problem with gun fire. Thunder and fireworks, they both go into their dog houses.
I think it has to do with the drive to hunt...and they know the pop in the field means - party time, off to the races.

Yep, my Tiny is terrified of thunder. Crawls under the bed every time. No issues with gunfire(anymore)

My water spaniel go nuts during fireworks because he thinks someone is hunting without him. He gets mad!

He takes all but the worst thunderstorms in stride.

I've started to think its hereditary.
I know two dogs out of a gundog that scared of thunder, both of them are also scared during storms.

Old hunting buddy had an Elhew pointer that would climb out of the pen when it thundered. Not a bit gun shy but hated thunder.

As my dogs get older, they seem to become more concerned with thunder.

I have one EP that is terrified of thunder but he loves a gun. Have a project dog that is 1/2 Setter, 1/4 EP, 1/4 Brittney that is spooky in the field but pays no attention to bad weather.

This ^^^, my current GSP is the same way. I can always tell when bad weather is on the way LOOONG before it shows up because he starts getting real clingy and nervous.

I don't have gun dogs, just ranch dogs and they are the same. One knows before it happens and is under something, good heads up, and another doesn't have sense to come in during the worst of it.

You can actually buy thunder suits or some such nonsense. I say just let them be.

true story

This is Cracker. She will run for cover. She's had hundreds I'd birds shot over her.



This is Muffin. She pays no attention to thunder. She was never properly introduce to the shotgun.

My dogs breeder was real big on puppy socialization and desensitization. One of the things she did with the litter my Vizsla Dash came from is play a cassette tape with thunder and storm sounds in the background when feeding the puppys. I think other recorded sounds were used also like pots and pans, lawnmower, vacuum, wind, fireworks etc. Dash to this day seems to like thunder and storms. When he hears thunder he can be found at the back door wanting outside to run in the rain.

Have a Britney that loved the rain and thunder until Dec 26 when the Tornado came through Rowlett about 2 miles from the house where he was home alone. Prior to that he would be in the yard playing in the rain, now if I am home with him and it thunders he is in the lap or trying to get under the covers if I am in bed. That storm put the fear of weather into him.

same here.

I have a buddy whose GSP runs under the bed if you pull out a camo shirt.
Big dummy.

Never had a gun shy dog but had two I had to move into the garage on the forth.

The best dog I will ever own and probably ever hunt behind was scared to death of thunder. I always took his collar off in the pen because he tried to climb out during a storm. The one time I did not he hung himself.
That dog wasn't afraid of anything but thunder.

My 10 year old has no issue with the gun, but will start going nuts even when a storm is coming in. I guess he has gotten used to the barometric change or something. A week or so ago, I ended up putting him in a plastic kennel in the shower, to insulate him as much as I could. Even though he was better there than anywhere, by morning, he had scratched and chewed through the plastic sides.

Funny you say that. I have had my Beagle about 4 years now (she is 6 years old). She has never ever had a fear of thunder at all. She would usually just keep snoring right through even the heaviest storms. For what ever reason she developed a major fear of thunder earlier this year and I couldn't pin point why until I just read your post. That same tornado missed me by a few hundred yards and I would just about bet my life that is where her fear is rooted. Her fear is so bad that she will wake me up trembling so bad that the whole bed will shake and she will do it for hours. Its so bad that I am going to talk to my vet about it next time and see if there is something I can give her to calm her down.

JCB, get some pure lavender oil and put on the pads and webbing of all four feet. It doesn't completely stop the neurotic behavior but it does lessen it by a large margin.

Should have tried that on my ex wife

I know it sounds like BS but it works. I didn't believe it either till I saw it work.

Where on earth do I get it?

https://www.youngliving.com/en_US/discover

Online is the only way I know of. My wife has gone eyeball deep with this stuff. Supposedly, there is an oil to cure everything.

GNC also sells it.

Thanks yall. Will look into it for sure. Last night was another one of those nights although not as bad as some of the others.

Walmart has it. Usually on the top shelf where the vitamins are located.

The thunder vests work great to. We have a gsd that is big time thunder shy. And if we put the lavender and thunder shirt on she turns into a drooling pile of fur til you take the shirt off.

Fear of thunder and storms you say? Won't stay in the outside kennel, so we have tried putting him in a temporary kennel inside. Look at what he did yesterday (he lost his partner of 8 years to cancer a month ago - has made it MUCH worse). Trying a type of thunder coat this week - we'll see.

I let my GSP run free in the house, when it storms I have a 70# lap dog. He's calm then

Wow, have you considered medication?

Just started considering it. I think if he gets another friend he will be okay, but finding one is another story. He wasn't like this before my other one died a month or so ago.

My lab is scared of thunder . She sleeps in the house and during a storm she drives me crazy. A week ago I decided to try something during one of the storms. I got an old T shirt and pulled it over her with head and front legs sticking out. Pulled all the loose shirt up tight over her back and knotted it. The shirt was rather snug on her. She didn't bother me the rest of the night. Whether it was something snug on her or maybe my smell on it, not sure. But at least I got some sleep.

I have some tranquilizers from the vet that I seldom use. I just hate to see my dog all drugged up, but when we have had the storms that we've had lately some days I have no choice. If I have to leave her in the house alone, she might hurt herself.

My brittany was thunder shy, but not gun and was not as bad as your GSP. I'm afraid to say that you have a serious problem on your hands.

That was for bassfishinglawyer, not the OP...........

This is a very difficult situation. Do whatever you can to make your dog comfortable during these storms. A crate is fine, but leave the door open. I have heard that vests do work for some. It may be worth some training time. Get your dog in their most comfortable situation such as running, playing fetch, etc.. and start introducing similar noises from a distance, gradually bringing them closer and louder as warranted.

Some say that dog's feel the static buildup with storms but most say it is the sound (at different frequencies). I think it is the later.

Though this is difficult with an older dog, I can offer up a suggestion for those new gun dog puppies. Socialize them early to lots of sounds such as big trucks, traffic, people, banging, clanging and especially gun fire. The more racket they get use to as a puppy the less they will be scared of thunder, and other loud noises.

I saw a gun dog breeder that mounted metal trash can lids on cords a couple of inches off the concrete in the puppy kennel(outdoor of course). Those puppies sure made a racket running around in there.

I have a Lab pup that will be 4 mos old on July 1. Last week when we had all the thunder, lightning and rain, we're house breaking her, she was out in the middle of it. I'm the one standing there with an umbrella thinking I'm going to be a lightning rod. Have to take her to the gun range to see how she does with gunfire.

Used to do that myself. Never had a gunshy pointer because of it. I used bailing wire and put metal folgers coffee can on top of the lid. Lots of noise. LOL