Why are dogs afraid of thunder?

Every time it starts to rain, Sugie will find an area to hide away from the loud roar of thunder. He will also tremble and salivate a lot.

Mimi's Ricco and her other dogs will howl and whimper and run around the house.

Marley in "Marley and me" will start messing up the house and scratch on the floor and wall.

Are all dogs afraid of thunder? If yes, are they born with it or it develops in the later part of their years?

I got curious about this topic so I decided to check out from the Internet.

Apparently, not all dogs are afraid of thunder. Some dog owners say that their dogs would even sleep through during rainy days. Some cats are afraid of thunder too.

So what are the reasons? Why are dogs afraid of thunder? Some reasons I found are listed below. I think they're not scientifically proven. More of people's believes. They're quite interesting though.


Reason 1:
Their super-sensitive ears respond both to lower volumes and higher pitched sounds. Thunder is very loud for them it's like playing drums full blast to a baby.


Reason 2:
Some dogs are reincarnations of human soldiers fallen in previous wars. They are here to demonstrate through their unconditional love for us that we should be the same to each other and not befall the path of violence as they have learned.

As a result the sound of thunder triggers a deeply traumatic memory for them of being in battle in a previous life, cowering with fear and horror at every step as the threat of bombs and missiles bear down on them.

By eliciting human reassurance, they are training us to live peacefully and kindly on earth, and fulfill their dreams of returning to human form again when their task is done when human violence resigned to history.


Reason 3:
Some dogs are afraid of thunder for the same reason that some small children are: thunder is a loud, abrupt noise that arrives unexpectedly from somewhere beyond the animal's capacity to understand. This startles the animal and, because it cannot understand how the sound is formed and does not expect it when it arrives, can frighten it. A dog will vocalize this fear in precisely the same way a small child does: whimpering (crying) and seeking security from the dominant animal in its life.


So after knowing the possible reasons why my dog is afraid o thunder, I also wanna know how to help him overcome his phobia. Therefore I searched for solutions too.


Solutions:
•Handle it early on in your dog's life.

•Don't heed advice to let her "sweat it out" or not to "baby" her.

•Offer treats, cuddlings and other good stuff when storms happen.

•Let him hide — in a crate.

•Get him away from the noise, and compete with it.

•Ask your veterinarian about drugs.

•Consider seeing a board-certified veterinary behaviorist.


I guess I'll play some techno music for Sugie next time the thunder rumbles. Hopefully he'll get distracted from the noise then.

One good thing, I know when to close my windows. Cos I have my most accurate weather forecast!

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