So sorry you are going through this. Our dog is also a rescue with many issues.

The last year or so he developed fear of rain, wind and thunder. Unlike you though, on these nights we allow him to sleep with us.

For his other issues, I did try Prozac and an other the counter calming treat. Nothing worked so he is off the meds.

I tried the Thunder Shirt. It did nothing but I have heard others have had good results.

There are a few dog experts here, hopefully they can help you with a plan.

Your dog is lucky you have you.

Thank you, Eld, I just need a good nights sleep and can't with a dog laying on my head. Also, my main bed is very high and my last dog who died at 17, did sleep (in his later years) in the bed, but fell out and hurt himself. Then I did crazy things with boards, pillows and bungees to make it safe.

My first thought was a thunder shirt. But I wonder if a white noise machine (or running a fan) might help to mask the jarring sounds of thunder.

I wish Amj! I run the ceiling fan in the bedroom all night long. And I moved a fan into the dog bed room. I have access to a thunder shirt to try.

I wonder if the dog is confused? Can sleep with mama here (Dog room) but not there (mama’s room)?

Sorry, I don’t have dogs, but rather cats. They let us know a storm is coming in before we hear anything at all: They head to the 3rd-step landing of the basement stairs.

We had one dog that was terrified of thunder and lightning. After trying lots of different ideas, we finally were able to make a bed in the bathtub and turn the exhaust fan on (fan roared like an airplane engine) and she would feel safe. This was before the days of thunder shirts. I don't know if one of those would have helped or not.

She is not confused, she's a smart girl and knows what furniture she can sit on and not. I have two sofas and one is the dog napping one, she never gets on the other one or any other furniture that isn't earmarked for dogs. I've thrown her off the bed so many times with a stern No that makes her cower, yet when I turn my back, I see her eyeballing the bed contemplating when am I going to leave the room?

I'm going to try the thunder shirt but I'm doubtful.

The moment I leave the kitchen if I didn't put up the garbage or close the dishwasher she's all over it and in it. Garbage can has to go in the cabinet now :-(

I realize I had two wonderful dogs for 17 years and my other dog is an angel!

All that dog stuff I was missing out on!

Couple things come to mind reading your post.

First and foremost, it takes rescues at least three months to really adjust in a new home and, depending on their prior situation, it can take much longer. Our older rescue was severely neglected and beaten and she's just starting to come into her own and play after a year. And she still spooks really easily so we adjust to her.

Second, once you balance out #1 and try some of the alternatives like calming meds and Thundershirts, you'll need to train her out of the bed and not let her back in to your main room. Dogs adjust to patterns differently.

My current younger rescue has never been allowed to sleep overnight on our bed. However, occasionally I let her take a nap with me during the day - on top of the covers and only on a small area on a blanket. I consider myself VERY lucky because she doesn't try to get up at night. Personally, I think she is an outlier. Most of my other dogs have either been bed sleepers or not.

My prior Yorkie had to be trained out of the bed when I met my husband. The first night was five hours of barking, whining, vomiting and pooping from the stress. It was two weeks of drama and no sleep for me. She could never go back on the bed after that. I think she is more the norm - either you're in or you're out.

Hopefully you'll find a fix so that everyone in the house can be happy and comfortable.

On the bright side, the tape worms are temporary. :)

I don't have any advice except to stick with whatever plan you figure out. She will remember and exploit any exceptions!

When she tries your patience, remind yourself that you're a good person for taking in this dog and it'll work out eventually....

What a difference I’m sure you’re making in this poor dogs life, I hope you are able to work through all the issues.

I can relate some because our 80 lb lab is also on the anxious side. One pop or boom and she would instictively leap into my lap irregardless of what I had there. Even the simple beeping noise from an Amazon van is a trigger. We’ve been working on it for years and so far the only trick that’s worked is for me is to avoid reacting to the fear. That’s because dogs recognize the attempts to calm them as a reward or approval of their behavior.

What I do instead now is distract her. I always say her name first and then ask where’s your ball, get me your toy, where’s your goodie or even if she needs to go potty. The technique works in most circumstances and the distraction can be anything as long as it redirects her focus to something different and more pleasant for her. If your girl won’t respond to any of those, that’s where training can help by teaching her a word that relates to whatever drives her. Lab’s naturally retrieve and Ellie is food driven so I have to admit it was easy for me to find workable distractions for her but even if it means her just getting down and sitting next to you to get that love that’s a good start.

During night time, it’s the same routine, again don’t buy into the fear. Instead, just gently tell her no, get down, put her back into the bed and then give her some love and affection but only once she’s back in her bed, because that affection is her reward. As for sleeping in your bed when you’re not around, can you try putting an old t-shirt, blanket or towel with your scent on it in her bed? That should help a little with any separation anxiety she has and may even satisfy her anxiety a little at night when you’re sleeping.

Our dog has good days and bad, but for the most part now, she will stand in front of me with her head in my lap and beg me to let her up. I will cuddle her as long as she stays on the floor and once she starts to calm down, I invite her up to sit or lay next to me.

Thank you all!

Spanish, yes I agree it will take time but she is getting better everyday with feeling like this is her home now. Yorkies are adorable!

Fori, I'm definitely the one whose been rescued :-) I agree with consistency !

Luki, you are the best with dogs! I'm glad you chimed in.

Yesterday, it was thundering but I wanted to spread mulch so we all went outside. She was scared but could see me and eventually curled in a ball under a bush. Not happy but I didn't coddle. My other dog was rolling in the grass, loving the slight drop in temperature.

The answer at my house would be to let the dog sleep on the bed. But for you, you might consider talking with the vet about getting a prescription for Xanax for storm nights. And another thought: are you giving her enough Benedryl? The dosage for dogs is considerably higher than for people. Same with Xanax.

Eld6161, you also might want to speak with your vet about Xanax. Prozac is the right med for some dogs, but I have seen Xanax work where Prozac doesn't.

I think you might have written your last post while was trying to find the words for mine. I was so sad when I read that she had been abused, I bet having a home where she feels safe is priceless to her. If she is smart and she is food driven, you won’t have a problem at all with the redirection training. Since dogs are so routine oriented, I would put her into a normal routine and stick to it. I wouldn’t sleep between two rooms, I would insist that she sleep in her bed, it takes time and patience. If you haven’t already done so, you may want to try getting a DNA test done on her, the reason I suggest that is she may have some breeding in her mix that is naturally anxious as well. That info might be helpful towards understanding her better. Just a thought. She looks like she’s a very sweet girl.

Awe thank you, I appreciate that and yeah, it works. She’s just looking for your approval that’s all. :c)

Edited to add: I would use a prescription for Xanex over the Benadryl if you can, or nothing at all, depending on how severe it is. I know Vet’s approve of it, but if a dog feels anywhere near the way I do when I take Benadryl, I doubt they feel very good while on it. A couple of weeks ago we had some really really nasty loud and scary storms and ended up having to use the Xanex for our dog. I only used .5 of a 10 mg tablet which wasn’t only a fraction of what was prescribed and it did the trick just fine.

I had a Jack Russel for 14 years and she was also terrified of thunder storms. She knew they were coming too. She was that way her entire life and could not be helped. I hope this dog is not that way, should I stop completely the other room with the bed? Storm tonight at 11.

2 Benadryl btw.

She cannot be in my main bed, it's too high off the ground and basically I need sleep time, the ability to move around, kick, etc.

Bumble, would you consider a larger bed for the dog room?

Dogs are so weird. Mine mostly ignores our very rare thunder but once we had a very loud close strike and he had to race outside to check it out. But you even look at the vacuum cleaner and he vanishes.

I also have a weird dog. Whenever one of the other dogs barks, she rushes over to me, to merge with my body if she could. Same with thunderstorms. She would love to sleep on my bed, (and she used to before I got married,) but that's a hard no now. She is not invited on the bed, and the few times in two years that she has tried, we firmly tell her to get off in no uncertain terms. She and our other dog sleep in our room on the floor, or dog beds. With my dog, I have learned not to buy into her fear, not to console her and to simply use a light voice "it's just the thunder, silly!" or "Oh, Scouty is so barky!" It takes time and patience, but it is working somewhat. Now, most of the time, my dog is satisfied with just being in my proximity--not up my, well, you know. Curiously, for the past few months where I have disappeared into the basement (alone) for hours to work on the dollhouse, my dog has been a bit better.

I'll ask the vet about Xanax, and the storm issue. Thank you Lukki

Eld, a bigger bed would make no difference. They both want to be pressed up against me.

here I am just sitting on the sofa for a minute

Fori, those vacuum cleaners are scary! lol

I would stop with the other room. Dogs are creatures of habit, make a routine and stick to it. When she gets scared, if she jumps up, just put her back on the floor and try to find something to distract her, even if that means going to the Kitchen for a goodie. It’s the distraction and her seeing how you respond to the noises that will be the best help.

That’s love. lol

I have a three-year-old dog, who thanks to a rough start in life, has some serious fears. It's heartbreaking really. I just wanted to caution you about Xanax. We used it with Savannah once in the car because she is scared to death of car rides, and she was worse than ever. Just beside herself for hours. The vet told me she had seen that kind of reaction more than a few times with Xanax. So I was going to suggest giving her a trial dose prior to the onset of a storm.

One thing that probably works the best with Savannah when she is exhibiting fear is to talk almost baby talk in an upbeat tone. It reminds me of having young children and trying to talk them through something after they fall, etc. So with Savannah, I just usually say, "It's okay, Vanny, it's okay. Come on, let's walk around. Come on, let's get a treat," etc. I don't know precisely how to describe the tone except it's meant to be warm and affirming but not overly indulgent. It doesn't rid her of the fear, but it does seem to minimize it. I can almost see her visibly relax slightly. I have become a bit of an expert, through educating myself, on the signs of fear she exhibits: tail between legs, slunk down shoulders, whale eyes, etc. and that helps too because I can kind of get in front of it a bit. With regards to storms specifically, some dogs do find comfort in a snug-fitting coat -doesn't have to be a thunder coat. The shelter I used to volunteer at used to use aromatherapy with some of the frightened dogs there. I haven't myself, but some people do seem to have luck with that. Best of luck.

Ok I'm ready! Treats in the frig!

Let us know how it goes!!!

I have to admit - not what you wanted, but I did smile at quite a few of the comments. We don't have dogs but we used to have a cat who was scared of thunder. I didn't realize that cats could go so flat as he tried to disappear into the floor under the coffee table.

ETA - The nice thing is that it's pretty obvious to me that your dogs love you

Too cute! I don’t know how you say “no”.

I adopted a standard poodle years ago with these issues. One word: Obedience. Training. GOOD obedience training, not PetSmart. Right now, you might do a dog group on FB. I used Dogwood in Houston, TX. After about 2 weeks of training, GiGi was able to be crated when we left the house (she was mechanically inclined, and could open or bend ANYTHING To get out). I have an old Vari-Kennel, and DH threaded the post so we could put a wing nut on it, and then she couldn’t pull the thing together.

It is very important that she learn at least one command that you can use in stressful situations so her brain switches from panic. Do not try to calm her, because dogs do not understand, and take that as praise for the neurotic behavior.

She looks like such a sweet dog, and I am sure you can get her past this!! I am so happy her HW treatment is going well.

Hey, that is wonderful! And it gave you an opportunity to see that there really is a light at the end of the tunnel. Just change the way you are reacting to her stress, show her the way you want her to behave and reward that instead.

I do agree with the training though, it can help on so many levels.