I understand all too well that many dogs are terrified of fireworks and thunder, cowering and hiding. I have exactly the opposite problem: My Cairn terrier goes into full attack mode at anything that goes pop or bang, running in the direction of the noise and barking wildly. Now, he has turned his ire toward thunder storms -- not a good thing when you live in Florida.
McDuff would literally run his stubby little legs into the ground chasing the sound of thunder from one side of the yard to the other. Needless to say, we lock him in. He does not bark at thunder when he is inside. He also will fly through the dog door onto the porch and bark wildly at the sound of rain hammering on our porch roof.
He also takes offense at our neighbor's lawnmower, but appears to be infatuated with motorcycles -- go figure.
He's 5 and seems to be getting more aggressive as he gets older.
So, is it sound that hurts his ears? But loud TVs and music don't faze him. Any ideas?
Cheers,
Magster
2 retirees
2 dogs, 1 cat and a foul-mouthed parrot
2003 29RL Dutchmen Classic, "The Ark"
2001 Dodge 2500 diesel
Our Maltese barks at the thunder, even in the house. Not pleasant in the middle of the night, but I suppose it could be worse. She'll wake me up at the first sign of thunder, and I would probably sleep through it. Gives us a chance to take cover if necessary.
Interesting you would bring this up--one of the real surprises when we rescued our first Cairn Terrier was just the behavior you have noted. Thunder and lightning, fireworks, and gunfire would absolutely put her in full charge mode. She was so inured to it that we could take her to firework displays and the first time I took her trapshooting with me, the line had to be shut down because she charged thru the shooters looking for the shooter. I have never seen another dog, other than a bred gun dog behave that way--most certainly not a small dog. She is still that way with thunder, when she can hear it--she is seventeen. Our four year old Cairn is not the least cowed by loud noise--both will charge right out of the house during our lightning storms and bounce around hunting for the source of the report.
I don't think it is "curable" in Cairns--we have never tried to stop the behavior because loud thunder isn't that frequent. I assume it may be a trait of the Cairn and experience with four individual Cairns has taught me that instinctive reactions by these little hard chargers is difficult to rein in.
Actually, I like a dog that doesn't cower to loud noise--my dogs like to mix it up with the grandkids and my grandkids can be real noisy sometimes--the dogs are right there.
Interestingly, neither of my dogs are barkers as a rule--when someone comes to the door, yes, but other times they are pretty quiet--maybe a grumble or two but not much more.
Chuckster:
I think you've got it. They are a fearless breed, our little Cairns. Glad to hear your kids react the same way. So, I'll stop worrying about ear problems and let him run -- within reason, of course. Generally, McDuff is light years away from being a yappy dog. But it's about that thunder...I can't imagine what he'd be like on a gun range...climbing up the barrel, I imagine.
Thanks for the backup.
Cheers,
Dogs learn to fear thunder from their owners as it is not a natural K-9 (or any other animal) reaction. Not sure why your dog is turning aggressive but you can bet there's a reason and it's not natural.
I had the same problem with Baby (80 lbs Pit). Since I am usually in remote areas she didn't bother anyone.
I actually thought funny, one day I was talking to one of the heavy equipment mechanics and he asked me what Baby was doing? I turned and saw her sitting about 40 yards from us looking up into the sky watching the lightning in the far distance. When one was close enough for her to hear she would pace the desert lined area barking, then would sit and wait for the next one.
She had an aggressive bark, very deep, but was never a problem. I don't know what you can do to help, but try watching Caesar Millan "The Dog Whisperer" you will be amazed what you can pick up from watching his show.
LUeno
Captain: Pops
Ist Mate: Harlee "Vicious Attack Dog" only if you try to move her when she's sleeping...
skipnchar wrote: Dogs learn to fear thunder from their owners as it is not a natural K-9 (or any other animal) reaction. Not sure why your dog is turning aggressive but you can bet there's a reason and it's not natural.
I have to disagree. I've seen this reaction in patients and my own dogs far too many times and in far to many situations for it to be only a learned response. The degree of response CAN be determined or exacerbated by how you respond to your pet though.
There is a natural protective response in every species I deal with, humans, dogs and cats. It's call "fight or flight." There is a well documented physiological response characterized by increased heart rate, respiration, muscle tension, dump of adrenalin and cortisone. As suggested by the name, when confronted by a fearful situation the animals will try to get away and/or hide or turn and fight. I see this daily when examining animals. When confronted with fear, it is a natural reflexive response. In some individuals (breeds) the fight happens more often than the flight. By responses here, Cairns are more the "fight" variety with loud noises .
Doug, DVM
Doug & Sandy
Megan (14 yr old Golden)
2008 Southwind
2001 Honda CRV
Thank you for that, Dr. Doug. I was about to respond that both my husband and I love the drama of thunderstorms, so McDuff's reaction has nothing to do with us. We just bring his little blonde rump in the house so he doesn't A. run himself ragged and B. annoy the heck out of the neighbors with his barking.
Cheers,
Maggie, aka Magster
I've got a golden retriever that will eat her way through a treated pine fence when it starts thundering and then the other golden could care less. *shrug*
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