My dog is scared to sleep on the bed during storms. What can I do?

I'm sorry to hear of your concerns with Rosie. It's terrible to have your pet be so scared. I would recommend asking your veterinarian about using an anti-anxiety medication and/or sedative prior to thunderstorms to help reduce Rosie's anxiety. Medications such as trazodone and Sileo can be quite beneficial in these cases. It may also be worth working with an experienced animal behaviorist to work on counter conditioning Rosie's response to thunderstorms. This can be an involved process, but the benefits can be great in that you may be able to reduce Rosie's anxiety over time by helping to have a more positive association with storms.

Although I can't be exactly sure there may be something causing Kenai's anxiety in he middle of the night. Sometimes a noise that occurs (perhaps snoring or something while sleeping in your case) is causing Kenai's anxiety. If there are loud noises outside like thunder, gun shots, cars back firing this could also trigger this response. It may even be a sound imperceptible to you. My first suggestion is to try an Adaptil collar to see if this lessens some anxiety. This is a pheromone collar that tends to work nicely with mild anxiety. There are supplements like Solliquin that may also be helpful. Even adding a white noise machine may be worthwhile to block out some sound. It may be helpful to crate train Kenai at least for sleeping. Sometimes have a "settle location" like a crate can help reduce a dog's anxiety. Finally, if there is no improvement it would be a good idea to have Kenai examined by your veterinarian to ensure there isn't any underlying health problem contributing to the behavior. Sometimes pain or infection can manifest in anxious behaviors. If necessary your veterinarian can prescribe a medication for anxiety. I hope this is helpful! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and good luck to you and Kenai!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is commonly known as noise phobia. Actually one of my own dogs suffers from this so I will also tell you based on my experience. These types of behaviors can be modified with the help of dog behaviorists who specialize in these types of conditions. These specialists are hard to find as there are not many in the country. In my case, the thunder shirt helped my dog to the point that she acts pretty much normal with it on. There are medications like Trazodone that can help reduce anxiety. This is something that you can obtain from your veterinarian and is likely going to help reduce the anxiety caused by the thunder. Good luck and have a great day!

Noise phobia (thunderstorms and fireworks usually) is a pretty common scenario in dogs and cats. However, I have never heard of bleeding from the nose occurring during these types of events unless your pet ran into something during their panicking. If this is the case, I can understand that, but if not I would definitely seek a veterinarian to investigate the bleeding. As for the noise phobia, some more natural ways to try and calm your dog would be with products like the Thunder Shirt and/or certain pheromone products designed to create a calming effect. These are hit or miss in my experience. I usually prescribe a drug to my clients who have pets like this that can be given on an as needed basis. The two drugs I prescribe most often for these scenarios are trazodone or alprazolam. Alprazolam works quicker and I find it more effective, but many veterinarians are not fond of prescribing it because it is a controlled substance. I hope this helps calm your dog down.

Oh dear, poor Axel! Some dogs have innately anxious and nervous personalities, and German Shepherds (it appears that Axel has a fair amount of Shepherd in him from the pictures!) are known for anxiety issues. Continue gently trying to socialize Axel with new people and surroundings, and offer small treats and gentle encouragement as he is introduced to a new situation. Some dogs also benefit from thunder shirts ( http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=24037 ) for anxiety, as well as calming pheromone collars or diffusers ( http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=33000 ). If all else fails, consider consulting a veterinary behaviorist to discuss behavioral modifications to try at home, and possible anti-anxiety medication. I hope that all goes well!

I recommend thinking about what changes have happened in the last couple of days. Have you moved any furniture, replaced lightbulbs, or plugged in any new appliances? Some electronics can have sounds that we can't hear, but can trigger anxiety in our pets. There are a couple things you can try for anxiety; Composure chews and Adaptil diffusers. Adaptil is a pheromone that can help with anxiety. It is available as a plug-in room diffuser for large areas, and as a spray for small areas like a mat or bed. https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/dog/dog-health-and-wellness/dog-calming-aids/comfort-zone-diffuser-with-dap-for-dogs Thanks for using PetCoach.

I'd always want to rule out a medical problem when there has been an abrupt change in behavior. A visit to the vet is in order to help to ensure that there are no underlying issues - changes in vision, neurologic issues, etc - that may be at the bottom of this. If everything is well with your health, ask yourself some questions: could there be any nocturnal animals visiting your property, and would she be able to see them or smell them? Could there be distant thunderstorms that she is hearing (and you're not, because you're sleeping) and the noise is making her anxious? You can try some low impact changes, such as a [Thundershirt ](https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/thundershirt-heather-gray-dog-anxiety-solution) or [pheromone diffuser](https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/thunderease-calming-diffuser-kit-for-dogs) to help calm anxiety. Your vet can also prescribe medications that will reduce anxiety. Hope this helps!