Storms & Wind Phobia in Dogs

Training to help an anxious dog, how to help them, and how an owner should behave.

Storms are a very common cause of phobias in dogs, but we often don’t think about the wind that can accompany storms and how that can affect our dog’s behaviour. Even without a storm, wind can be problematic for a lot of dogs. Here are some facts about wind you may not have thought about:

Scent

Wind carries scent in all different directions and over greater distances including unusual or worrying scent. Dogs have an incredible sense of smell and are much more accurate with their scent compared to us.

Sound

The most common phobia related to wind that we see, are dogs who have been startled by loud noises caused by wind. Sound can also be amplified in high winds. For example, a large object falling over or leaves swirling around. So, by association, the dog learns that wind can predict a scary event.

Tactile

The wind can blow your dog’s coat/fur in different directions and may feel unusual for dogs who are touch sensitive. We have all had days where the wind blows our hair and clothes around and annoys us!

Air Pressure

An increase in wind speed will result in reducing air pressure, and dogs can often sense
the drop in barometric pressure that comes with changing weather. As this change may
predict a storm, many dogs can start to become worried well before a storm arrives.
They may hide, become anxious/stressed, or on the other end of the scale become
overly excited.

Signs of Wind Phobia

Wind phobia may look a little different to what you would expect. You may see subtle changes in behaviour such as not wanting to go outside or on a walk, restlessness, irritability and subtle or stressed body language signals such as lip licking, ears back and a tucked tail. Wind may also increase reactivity and hypervigilance. It may be the one thing that tips your reactive dog over their ability to cope.

Safety

Wind can blow open gates so check before letting your pets out and have locks on your gates when you go out.

Supporting your dog

Sometimes, it may be a good idea to skip the walking your dog if it’s really windy, particularly if your dog is scared.

Be there for your dog if they need comfort and have a safe place your dog can retreat to such as a room, den, crate etc that they are happy to use. Set the space up so it has a comfy place to rest and doesn’t have doors or gates that rattle.

Play calming music or white noise to muffle some wind sounds and provide calming activities such as licking and chewing.

Some products may help mild storm and wind phobias, however if your dog needs extra support contact a Behaviour Vet and qualified trainer. Shop the range of calming and anxiety products available online at vetnpet DIRECT here.