Many years back we had a medium sized mutt who was deathly afraid of thunderstorms. We tried everything and finally found the solution. A tight-fitting T-shirt did the trick. Don't know why, but I heard about it and gave it a try. Worked like a charm! There was still a little shivering but no more pacing and panting.

Our big, mean guard dog gets antsy when the barometer drops or there is thunder.

He hides under the desk where I sit. I basically ignore him and have found hie agitation lessens.

Thanks, but I have tried the tight fitting t shirt and the children's allergy medicine.
I have tried the ignore route to...nothing worked, he goes berserk, shakes, gets wild eyed, cries, etc" .

I'm so thankful I discovered that putting him in my car would solve the problem, at last.

A car is basically a Faraday cage and shields the interior from static electricity. My storm phobic girl (the thunder is just a cue and they learn to associate it with the uncomfortable feelings related to static and other weather changes) goes to the bathtub which is the most well grounded spot in the house. Same concept, different protective environment.

Mine retreats to the laundry room during storms or fireworks. I turn on the dryer for her (sometimes my couch pillows get well fluffed, lol). The dryer cuts the booming noise enough that she can (sort of) sleep through it. It's also a fairly small space and the window is not too large. Sometimes I have to hang a dark cloth over the window, but not as often anymore.

This does not work with all dryers though, my grandmother's dryer doesn't have the same low pitch that mine does and did nothing for my dog while we were visiting there.

One of mine will go in the cabinet under the kitchen sink. I take the garage can out for her. The other one will follow me around and want to sit on my lap. That one also expects that during a thunderstorm he may sleep and snuggle in the bed with me at night. Otherwise he sleeps in his bed on the floor next to me.
The one in the cabinet is the difficult one, she has a bed in the bathroom closet but she will still hyperventilate. If I put her in bed with me and the other dog she constantly trembles.
Doesn't help that I have no window coverings in the bedroom!

All the different remedies just prove dog problems can be related to individual dogs and require individual solutions.

Shows that when you keep looking for the best solution, it can be found. And good owners find the best solution, or keep looking.

I enjoyed reading everyone's comment.

I especially appreciate what you said handymac, your wise and it is so true.

Thanks

My dog has always been extremely thunder phobic, it started with what he "heard and saw". After several attempts at T shirts and calming agents I decided to go the drown out the noise route using "white noise" tapes and CD's, and block out the view of storms. In all honesty it worked like a charm, and for him it omitted any electrical sensation theory. Now that he's half deaf at 13 it pretty much proved his problem was mostly noise related because now that he can't hear well storms aren't an issue for us at all anymore. Anyway if you know a storm is coming just through in a CD, close the drapes and turn up the TV, do laundry whatever...see if your dog gets through it better if he/she can't hear or see the storm.