This is Shiner's new thing, thunder-phobia, or maybe a general noise-phobia. Shiner is a 5 year old border collie and this started about a year ago and seems to be getting progressively worse. When I first noticed it, he just seemed nervous if there was a thunderstorm, some pacing, panting, but he would eventually lay on the couch and settle. Then it got to where if I wasn't home and he was crated, he would try to bust out of the crate. This past may he busted out of the crate two nights in a row, the second time breaking his foot in the process, so he is no longer crated. This has seemed to work out fine, even during storms. I don't know what he does when I'm not there but I haven't come home to anything horrible yet.
His behavior when I am home is getting worse for sure though. July 4th he seemed to have an issue with fireworks, which I know is common. I let him out after they had stopped to potty, but he still opened the gate (yep, he opens the gate) and ran out. I got him back the same night.
Fast forward to last night. There was a pretty loud thunderstorm about 1 am, and he was absolutely beside himself. Panting, shaking, whining, pacing. On the bed, off the bed, pacing on the bed, sitting up, laying down. Laying next to me and inching closer and closer until he was on me, then jumping up and pacing again. At one point he was laying and sitting over and over and the cat, who was on my pillow, reached over and slapped him.
I told him to lay down a few times and he would, but only for a minute. When he layed next to me I was putting my arm or hand on him, but after a bit I remembered reading that you are supposed to ignore this behavior, so I rolled over facing away from him. this seemed ok, he was still shaking hard enough to vibrate the bed, but then one loud clap of thunder and he literally jumped onto my head and drooled in my eye. At that point I yelled at him to get off the bed and he went somewhere and I fell asleep. Ugh.
His behavior when I am home is getting worse for sure though. July 4th he seemed to have an issue with fireworks, which I know is common. I let him out after they had stopped to potty, but he still opened the gate (yep, he opens the gate) and ran out. I got him back the same night.
Fast forward to last night. There was a pretty loud thunderstorm about 1 am, and he was absolutely beside himself. Panting, shaking, whining, pacing. On the bed, off the bed, pacing on the bed, sitting up, laying down. Laying next to me and inching closer and closer until he was on me, then jumping up and pacing again. At one point he was laying and sitting over and over and the cat, who was on my pillow, reached over and slapped him.
I told him to lay down a few times and he would, but only for a minute. When he layed next to me I was putting my arm or hand on him, but after a bit I remembered reading that you are supposed to ignore this behavior, so I rolled over facing away from him. this seemed ok, he was still shaking hard enough to vibrate the bed, but then one loud clap of thunder and he literally jumped onto my head and drooled in my eye. At that point I yelled at him to get off the bed and he went somewhere and I fell asleep. Ugh.