We are having thunder storms here today - very loud and heavy rain. Overnight Harley came up onto the bed due to the noise, but just led there with us smoothing her. Really unsure whether or not to take her for a long walk today? Just worried that the loud thunder might scare her and she has been really good with it so far as long as she is inside. She is very alert and sits perfectly still every time it thunders then looks at me for reassurance. Any suggestions? Should I take her for a walk through the woods, or just a short walk locally?
Re: Walk today? I find that re anything that bothers the dogs , its best to act completely relaxed and normal around them , if we give out too much reasurance , they think there must be a reason for it, if this makes sense Depends how warm it is re the walk , I dont take ours out at all during the middle of the day if its hot , but if it isnt too warm , I would take her for a local walk , at least you can get home quicker if the storm develops
Re: Walk today? In the hot and potentially thundery weather I keep my walks very local. Does it matter if you walk up and down the same few hundred yards several times? You both still get the exercise, but if the heat or rain get to you it is not far to dash home.
Re: Walk today? If she has never been out in very heavy rain and thunder before, I'd see how she is on a walk that you can cut short if necessary or even check how she is outside in the garden first. Being out in thunder is different to hearing it in the house. The first time Charlie and I got caught out in thunder and torrential rain, he wasn't keen at all even though he had never reacted to any noise in the house. He was just a baby at the time. But I was glad to be able to walk on a bit and then head home by a short cut. He's fine being out in storms now, but I just think there is no point in taking risks getting dogs used to things like this. Sure, she might be perfectly fine, but it would be a bit of pain to have a dog scared of storms - I'd always be worried about leaving them on their own in stormy weather.
Re: Walk today? Thanks all I don't react to the thunder or when she looks at me for reassurance. Sometimes I pick up a ball to throw, sometimes I just ignore her. I'm going to do a local woods walk in a bit where we can get back home quickly if needed. So far she hasn't shown any fear of the thunder, she sits by the open patio doors and just looks at me every time it thunders
