Animal Fears May Be a Phobic Reflection
Humans aren’t the only mammals to feel fear. You only need to watch a nature program to see that the presence of a lion frightens water buffalo or a tiger causes monkeys to fee threatened. One common animal fear is thunder and it seems most acute in dogs.
This fear is often referred to unscientifically as Thunderphobia. We’ve all seen those pets that shake violently or pace frantically when thunder is present. They may howl, bark or even run through the house knocking things over. They can’t be reasoned with when this fear takes over. In this respect the fear is every much like humans who express common phobias.
Calling Dixie
Perhaps one of the bet portrayals of Thunderphobia I’ve seen is in the movie Because of Winn-Dixie. In this movie the stray dog taken in by Opel has a very bad case. She tried holding onto the pet, stopping it from running and eventually she and her father simply sat on the floor and watched the dog run – destroying many things in the home in the process.
Are There Treatment Options?
Unlike humans you may not be able to psychologically treat this fear. Studies further show that there is no singular method known to manage all cases effectively.
That being said there are options in dealing with doggy fear. Let’s take a look at some of the options.
- Make noise normal and even fun for your pet. Help your pet see noises as an everyday part of life and they may not fear them as much
- Place them in a tight fitting doggy shirt. For some reason this close feeling allows some dogs to feel more secure in these types of situations
- Turn a radio or television on in a storm. This can minimize the sound of the thunder and help your pet feel as if things are somewhat normal
- You can also place your pet in a room without windows and supply a fan to provide adequate white noise to alleviate their fear.
- Work with a behavior therapist for dogs. They may be able to help provide training techniques to manage the fear
- In difficult situations consult your vet. They may have medication that can help in the most severe cases.
How Do You Respond?
Is it possible your pet senses anxiety from you when storms come? It may be possible that your pet is simply projecting a fear that it feels from you. For instance is you express fear in the presence of an individual who is visiting your pet may become agitated and may show signs of attempting to protect you from the source of the fear.
In the same way a pet can sense your anxiety your children may also take their early cues from you. If you have phobias you haven’t dealt with then the fear you feel can be transferred to your children by way of learned behavior. What they see in you is what they view as the truth. If you show fear of storms they will likely feel the same fear. The same is true for virtually every other phobia. Perhaps this can be reason enough to seek help.
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