Enyen

He will pull on the lead with all his might and scream and bark. Again, he's out of control. He's entirely focused on the storm. No playing. And yes, his screaming can be heard from far away even during a storm.

Many thanks for the replies so far. A few things to add in response to your comments and questions: First, trying to distract him is a waste of time, and we've spent plenty of time trying. Leashing him does no good, as he's so out of control he will not be obedient for anyone or anything. He might take a few seconds to gobble a bowl of food but that's it. Crating him, or confining him in any other way, makes it worse. He wants to MOVE, to RUN and spin and SCREAM (a good word for some of the sounds he makes). Again, he wants to be outside more than anything. Out there he can run at top speed from one end of the yard to the other, and I mean FAST. Even if we risked him being struck by lightning, he makes so much noise out there that neighbors would likely complain and we still wouldn't be able to sleep. I can't actually remember all the drugs we've tried over the years, but I know we tried Ace in different doses over and over hoping it would finally work. Valium didn't work either, and I think we tried some Benedryl. We haven't tried Melatonin or Xanax but I'm willing to try them.

This issue was somewhat discussed years ago on these forums ("My BC Has Very Different Reaction to Thunder - Not Thunder Phobia), but since that solution doesn't apply in my case and I hoped for more visability, I started a new thread with hope that you can help. Allow me to introduce you to Jack. He's now 6 yrs. old, is a purebred BC, and is generally a great dog. We live outside the city, and Jack stays mostly inside, but since I am into fitness he gets plenty of exercise with me. He also gets lots of mental stimulation. Among his quirks, however, are his extreme reactions to loud noises, mainly fireworks, gunshots and thunder. I have to admit that his reactions have caused great stress in my family. We have endlessly argued about it, discussed it, discussed it with our vet, made various sleeping arrangements, and lost sleep due to these behaviors. Believe me, I want solutions to this problem, but there doesn't seem to be any other than what we're finally doing now. I welcome any ideas. Thunderstorms are the worst time at my house. Jack RUNS endlessly back-and-forth (sometimes spinning), stopping briefly to stare out a window and bark. Well, bark is a kind word to use: he really SCREECHES. It is almost impossible to describe the sound. It is so loud and high-pitched and scary, almost like some animal being tortured (and maybe he is). It is painful to hear, and makes sleep impossible even if he's at the other end of the house in a closet or bathroom (our current solution, which is only effective if I keep my ears plugged). Drugs from the vet? No help. We've tried many. Thundershirt? We tried, no help. Crate? No. Trying to calm him down? Nope. If I were so inhumane as to try beating him, he would immediately continue after the beating. He would only stop when he died. It's that severe. During a storm, what Jack wants most is to go outside in the back yard, RUN and BARK. I've finally come to realize that it's NOT FEAR! I really don't think it's fear that causes this. It took me five years to figure it out. Sure, some stress is involved somehow, and I really hope that can be dealt with. But the issue, it seems, is that he wants to HERD the thunder. He wants to work. His reactions are due to his inability to do that. How do I know this? A strong clue was when I noticed him WAGGING HIS TAIL when looking out the window during a storm--in the middle of all that frantic behavior I've described. Keep in mind that I spend a lot of time with Jack, and I am certain that regardless of the amount of stimulation I give him he will still do this. I've searched far and wide for identical scenarios, but with the exception of the thread made here a few years ago (which was slightly similar to my case) I've found little. I hope someone can share a suggestion or an idea reagrding where I might turn now. Thanks, Enyen