If you are a pet lover especially (dogs), a dog hiding under the bed or in a low tight place on a windy and rainy day seems familiar to you. What makes dogs behave this way during thunderstorms?

Dogs have many other senses that make them skilled in sensing certain things even before they happen. One of these things is its sense of bad weather before the storm and rainfall. When the storm arrives, we find that they are taken from low places, such as down the bed or other furniture, sheltering them and hiding until the storm ends.

Sally Morgan, the author and pet therapist, commented: "It is common for a dog in the midst of a thunderstorm to try to literally make its body level on the ground, by looking for a very low area to hide underneath, like the bottom of a bed or couch.

but why? You may think that the noise caused by thunder is the cause of his extreme fear, but if that's not the only part of the equation. Kelly Ryan, director of veterinary services at the Humanitarian Society of the Missouri Animal Medical Center in Central America, commented: "Thunderstorms can be a stimulus to noise phobia in dogs."

If the dog fears loud sounds like the sound of fireworks, it is an indicator of the problem of noise phobia. There are also more factors that cause dogs to panic during thunderstorms. The most important factors are:

Static electricity

When static electricity accumulates in the clouds, they eventually cause lightning. Dogs through their fur can feel this static electricity, even from inside the houses, even before the storm arrives in the area. Dogs feel an unpleasant tingling in their fur due to this condition.

Change in atmospheric pressure

Dogs can also sense the low atmospheric pressure associated with these storms, making them uncomfortable.

Change in ions

In the stormy atmosphere, atmospheric ions change. Dogs can sense it through their nervous system in the form of strange signals that move through their nerves.

Change in our behavior during the storm

The dogs are sensitive to our reactions to the environment. they see us running around the house to close the windows and complain that the situation is getting out of hand. They feel so upset and remain on alert.

Genetics 

A study published in the Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association in July 2001 found that levels of anxiety vary with different dog chains. The most concerned breed was the collie and German shepherd dogs, which were naturally born to take care of bad weather.

How to calm your dog in thunderstorms

The first step is to keep your calm in front of the dog. The dog derives confidence from its owner. Preferably placed in a quiet dark room during the storm.

Special fabrics can also be used for dogs to provide comfort in conditions of high static electricity.

Remember that a dog's fear of thunderstorms does not necessarily mean that the dog is cowardly; it is a strange phobia of noise.

---

Source :   

RD

---

Picture Credit: All taken from © pixabay.com    

---

One more thing, Do you want to support "science" articles on Steemit? Join the #steemSTEM channel.

---