Because many people have a problem with their dogs being afraid of thunderstorms, I'm going to tell you how I worked with this.
The dog pictured above in a charcoal by Carol Mooney, done in 1979, is Bobo, a Lhasa Apso who was almost entirely black with some white markings. By today's standards, he would be considered refined but he was never shown because he was thought to be "too big".
Bobo - rather misnamed because he did not have the clownish actions or attitude of other Lhasas I have known, including Buddy - was adamant and very vocal about two things he disliked. A Russian gentleman with a defined accent used to deliver meat and as he was talking, Bobo would pace and bark at the same time. The other problem was electrical storms. During a thunderstorm, Bobo would bark incessently. We always had other dogs back then and I was just starting my Shih Tzu breeding program, so there were Lhasa and Shih Tzu.
Bobo lived a long life - over 14 years and there was a curtain of sadness - you probably have felt that when your dog has gone to the "Rainbow Bridge".
The evening of the day Bobo died, there was a major thunderstorm in the Toronto area. I came up with the concept that Bobo was telling us he had reached Heaven safely. I talked about this in a calm voice to the dogs present in the living room. They listened and were very quiet. Of course, I was sad but even I found it calming. It seemed as though Bobo was indeed talking to us.
After that night, whenever there was a thunderstorm, I always quietly told my dogs that they should not worry. "It is just Bobo talking to us."
Well, here I am - more than 20 years and 1,600 miles later - in Texas, still telling my dog that it is just Bobo talking when the thunder sounds.
Buddy never knew Bobo and there is no relationship but probably because I am calm, he is calm and that is what matters.
I just heard from a friend this morning that her dog was very upset for four hours during the storm we had early this morning.
Now, I am not sure this would work with an older dog, but it might. Some of my dogs were adults when Bobo died. But, you don't have anything to lose to try talking calmly to your dog about the storm. I am sure Bobo would not mind if you used his name!
While remembering Bobo - much more serious than his name implied - let me tell you how one of his quirks helped him home one time.
As I told you, Bobo always barked when the Russian meatman would speak.
Well, one night, Taury the Shih Tzu came up the steps and into the house, but Bobo was nowhere to be seen. The wind was blowing and it was dark and cool in Thornhill (North Toronto) that night. I called our two neighbors.
Our next door neighbor was Czechoslovakian - with throaty accent. His wife was French. I telephoned to them, told them Bobo was missing and could they cup their hands to their mouths and call for Bobo who might be in their backyard or the next. I can still hear that famous call:
"BOBO . . . DE BOBO . . . BOBO . . . DE BOBO . . . BOBO . . . DE BOBO . . . "
"Wruff . . . Wruff . . . Wruff." I could just barely hear it from the back porch because, remember, there was a loud wind. I certainly could not see him: remember Bobo was black and it was dark outside!
We got a couple of leads and walked across the adjacent lawn where the neighbor was still calling. Now, I could hear Bobo better . . . and the lady from that house was already at her door, telling us Bobo was there.
I think he was glad to see us and Bobo came to us right away.
Over the years, I have found that sometimes, you really do have to be at least as smart as your dog.
Today, we have found that Buddy - who has an ugly habit of bolting out the front door - likes to follow the little space from the curb to the roadway, and does not like to go out onto the asphalt. This means, if you want to find Buddy, you go down the path to the curb and follow the curb around. You glance up the driveways and paths to see if he has gone up to someone else's house. You will find him!
The lesson? Well, I'd just tell you to observe your dog's habits. Hopefully you are almost as smart as he is and you can figure out what it will take to remedy the problem!
The dog pictured above in a charcoal by Carol Mooney, done in 1979, is Bobo, a Lhasa Apso who was almost entirely black with some white markings. By today's standards, he would be considered refined but he was never shown because he was thought to be "too big".
Bobo - rather misnamed because he did not have the clownish actions or attitude of other Lhasas I have known, including Buddy - was adamant and very vocal about two things he disliked. A Russian gentleman with a defined accent used to deliver meat and as he was talking, Bobo would pace and bark at the same time. The other problem was electrical storms. During a thunderstorm, Bobo would bark incessently. We always had other dogs back then and I was just starting my Shih Tzu breeding program, so there were Lhasa and Shih Tzu.
Bobo lived a long life - over 14 years and there was a curtain of sadness - you probably have felt that when your dog has gone to the "Rainbow Bridge".
The evening of the day Bobo died, there was a major thunderstorm in the Toronto area. I came up with the concept that Bobo was telling us he had reached Heaven safely. I talked about this in a calm voice to the dogs present in the living room. They listened and were very quiet. Of course, I was sad but even I found it calming. It seemed as though Bobo was indeed talking to us.
After that night, whenever there was a thunderstorm, I always quietly told my dogs that they should not worry. "It is just Bobo talking to us."
Well, here I am - more than 20 years and 1,600 miles later - in Texas, still telling my dog that it is just Bobo talking when the thunder sounds.
Buddy never knew Bobo and there is no relationship but probably because I am calm, he is calm and that is what matters.
I just heard from a friend this morning that her dog was very upset for four hours during the storm we had early this morning.
Now, I am not sure this would work with an older dog, but it might. Some of my dogs were adults when Bobo died. But, you don't have anything to lose to try talking calmly to your dog about the storm. I am sure Bobo would not mind if you used his name!
While remembering Bobo - much more serious than his name implied - let me tell you how one of his quirks helped him home one time.
As I told you, Bobo always barked when the Russian meatman would speak.
Well, one night, Taury the Shih Tzu came up the steps and into the house, but Bobo was nowhere to be seen. The wind was blowing and it was dark and cool in Thornhill (North Toronto) that night. I called our two neighbors.
Our next door neighbor was Czechoslovakian - with throaty accent. His wife was French. I telephoned to them, told them Bobo was missing and could they cup their hands to their mouths and call for Bobo who might be in their backyard or the next. I can still hear that famous call:
"BOBO . . . DE BOBO . . . BOBO . . . DE BOBO . . . BOBO . . . DE BOBO . . . "
"Wruff . . . Wruff . . . Wruff." I could just barely hear it from the back porch because, remember, there was a loud wind. I certainly could not see him: remember Bobo was black and it was dark outside!
We got a couple of leads and walked across the adjacent lawn where the neighbor was still calling. Now, I could hear Bobo better . . . and the lady from that house was already at her door, telling us Bobo was there.
I think he was glad to see us and Bobo came to us right away.
Over the years, I have found that sometimes, you really do have to be at least as smart as your dog.
Today, we have found that Buddy - who has an ugly habit of bolting out the front door - likes to follow the little space from the curb to the roadway, and does not like to go out onto the asphalt. This means, if you want to find Buddy, you go down the path to the curb and follow the curb around. You glance up the driveways and paths to see if he has gone up to someone else's house. You will find him!
The lesson? Well, I'd just tell you to observe your dog's habits. Hopefully you are almost as smart as he is and you can figure out what it will take to remedy the problem!
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