I need some advice here everybody. My parents have 2 German Shepards, both over 120 lbs, so they are pretty damn massive. They're great people dogs, and even better guard dogs. They've never been aggressive towards a single person that they weren't meant to. The problem lies in that the female is absolutely terrified of storms/lightning/gunshots/etc. Basically anything loud or goes boom sends her into a total panic. He isn't as bad about it as she is, but when she starts losing her marbles, he starts to as well. This isn't a 'normal' dog freakout when it storms. They have their own room down in the walkout basement, and they have literally clawed and chewed their way through the wall from trying to get out of that room and into the main house when it storms. They have in the past been at a kennel when a big storm hit, and she literally ripped 3 holes in her chain link kennel. Don't ask me how she did it, because I still can't figure it out... When we let them out of that room and into a central room in the basement, they calm down just a little, but not much. If you sit with them long enough, they will eventually calm to a managable level.
The problem is bad enough that if there is even the remotest chance of a storm or popup shower, one of my parents will have to cancel everything they are doing and sit downstairs with the dogs just so they don't rip the fawkin house down. My mom will not leave them to go do anything, and rarely gets a chance to leave the house for an extended amount of time since we have popup storms almost daily here during the summer.
We've tried getting them on a prescription of an anxiety medicine and it never seemed to help, even after a month or so. They then kept them on that medicine and added an injection of a strong sedative when a storm would hit, it doesn't stop them either, just makes them slower moving and very unstable on their feet. My parents know not to 'encourage' the behavior by catering to them, but honestly, what other choice do they have right now. Also, they are going to start putting a radio in their room that plays a thunderstorm soundtrack on repeat to hopefully de-sensitize them, starting it really low and increasing the volume over time. Another thing they are going to start trying is brushing them down with a dryer sheet to take the static off them that builds up as a storm approaches. Those are really our only two ideas left currently.
My ultimate goal would be to find someone to take them off our hands, but lets be serious here... who in their right mind would take dogs that do that.. Then there's the whole thing of are they really going to a good home, etc. The vets last suggestion was to put them down if its unbearable, but that's out of the question. It's really starting to take a toll on mom, she has spent many sleepless nights sitting with them lately. I really have to find a way to help her out here.
I'm open to any and all advice..
The problem is bad enough that if there is even the remotest chance of a storm or popup shower, one of my parents will have to cancel everything they are doing and sit downstairs with the dogs just so they don't rip the fawkin house down. My mom will not leave them to go do anything, and rarely gets a chance to leave the house for an extended amount of time since we have popup storms almost daily here during the summer.
We've tried getting them on a prescription of an anxiety medicine and it never seemed to help, even after a month or so. They then kept them on that medicine and added an injection of a strong sedative when a storm would hit, it doesn't stop them either, just makes them slower moving and very unstable on their feet. My parents know not to 'encourage' the behavior by catering to them, but honestly, what other choice do they have right now. Also, they are going to start putting a radio in their room that plays a thunderstorm soundtrack on repeat to hopefully de-sensitize them, starting it really low and increasing the volume over time. Another thing they are going to start trying is brushing them down with a dryer sheet to take the static off them that builds up as a storm approaches. Those are really our only two ideas left currently.
My ultimate goal would be to find someone to take them off our hands, but lets be serious here... who in their right mind would take dogs that do that.. Then there's the whole thing of are they really going to a good home, etc. The vets last suggestion was to put them down if its unbearable, but that's out of the question. It's really starting to take a toll on mom, she has spent many sleepless nights sitting with them lately. I really have to find a way to help her out here.
I'm open to any and all advice..
