Nerve Issues or not? - Page 2

I have a female GSD  that was abandoned at 21 months.  She has storm fear because she was left out chained during all weather.  So when a storm approaches she is clingy.  Over the years it has lessened...but always a change in her attitude when it storms.   She was camera shy forever too, because of the flash, she's over that finally!

bubbabooboo,
The OP said the "dog is scared to death of thunder."  I didn't see any references to near strikes of lightening or the dog being struck by lightning.  I do agree and I already said that we do not know the cause therefore we do not know if it is genetic or environmental.  Since we do not know the cause, personally I would not breed the dog.  If the dog has sound nerves in other situations that's great, but we know it has an issue here.  Therefore, IMO the dog is not completely sound.  I suppose if the dog was perfect in every other way possible, great bite work, V conformation, excellent hips and elbows, superior tracking, obedience and otherwise impeccable temperament I may reconsider.  But, I don't think the dog is so otherwise perfect that I could overlook a temperament flaw like this.  That is just my opinion, fwiw. 

A police dog that was afraid of thunderstorms would be of limited value as well.  Unless the dog had so much drive to get it past being "scared to death" that it would still track in thunder and lightning and perform well.  If the dog was in my unit and I saw the issue I would lay a long track in the worst storm and call the handler to come find me.  If the dog would not do it then some serious decisions would be made.  Same as a serious aversion to gunfire, the dog would be washed if the problem could not be corrected. 

For a pet or sport dog as I said earlier I don't think it is that big of an issue.  But work needs to be done to desensitize the dog and condition it to thunder.  If for nothing else for the dog's peace of mind. 

Vonissk,
I agree.  I have never heard of the fabric softener sheet and the static electricity, it's worth a shot.  That is a very interesting idea, let me know how it works out.

You are absolutely right AUBS47, I agree, 
my dogs do not have this problem, but it stands to reason that the electric current does filter through the air in an electrical storm,
and the canine is sensitive to picking up on it.
 I noticed they had a sort of life jacket for dogs to wear that were unsure and nervous, all that does is "ground" them,
at first I thought maybe it comforts them like a big hug, but, I really think it grounds.http://www.thundershirt.com/?gclid=CO3Y7PHDoLYCFcqd4AoddA4Aqg 

I knew a man that ironically was an electrician himself, and he was walking in downtown Newburyport Ma. when all of a sudden his dog stepped 
on a metal grate and was electrocuted, the man stepped on the same metal grate but because he was wearing sneakers with rubber soles he was grounded.  The dog was a beautiful black German Shepherd he had gotten from me, it was unusual in the least, but later I found out that apparently under the metal grate there were some loose wires touching it that went to the street lamps that were not capped off properly, so now everytime I come to a metal grate in the road I make sure the dog steps around it!

And I definitely would question breeding a female with this issue as it becomes possible to pass the unsureness genetically and environmentally....why take the chance when nerve is the heart and soul of this breed.

Any time some veterinarian or university veterinarian has something they can't explain it is genetic .. a nice way to dodge an issue they have no clue about.  I had a Sch III female who had but one litter of four puppies and two of the four grew up to be full time police K9's.  I kept one puppy who lived with the family and the mother dog.  The mother dog had thunder issues which increased late in her life.  It could have been hearing or health related.  Her puppies did not have thunder issues except for one puppy that lived with the dam it's full life and until the dam's death.  The puppy that grew up and lived with the mother dog also had  thunder issues while those separated from the mother dog did not.  The puppy learned to fear thunder from it's mother while those separated from her did not fear thunder.  The conclusion I drew was it was a learned response much like what humans learn from their parents and family.  Why would this be surprising??  Simplistic thinking leads to simplistic solutions. 

A dog with so much confidence that nothing bothers or concerns him or her often sees no threat  in anything. I am not concerned about what bothers or concerns a young dog but it is how they recover from that thing. Most dogs and most people have fears, some have too much confidence and can get hurt and some are just too dumb to realize.

It is one thing to be afraid of fire and another to respect it.  
 

It is all very well to talk about dogs which do not show any fear of anything
OTHER than thunderstorms as maybe still having issues but not showing
them when in drive (ie will still go on the sleeve, ignore a gunshot, etc, while
on the field).  Isn't that a bit 'breedcentric' though ?  Not every dog that is
thunder sensitive is a GSD, (not every GSD works !).  Being thundershy is
a very common problem, in dogs across all breeds and none.  Many dogs
are perfectly sound around fireworks / other noises / flashing cameras / whirling
street-signage / ppl throwing things, and so on ... but still dive behind the sofa
when a thunderstorm starts.

"but still dive behind the sofa
when a thunderstorm starts."

Would you explain what you mean please?
 

Paul - my friend's 4 yr old bitch  (a GSD, as it happens) is a good example
of this;  she is sensitive to both thunder and fireworks, but not a bit 'jumpy'
about anything else I can think of.  As soon as we get the 'bang,flash' problem
however she runs behind her owner's settee (assuming she is at home when
the noise starts),  and is much happier to stay there, between the furniture and
the wall, until the sky is silent again.   I have known several dogs over the years
who act like that;  one Golden Retriever, if it started to thunder while he was out
on a walk, invariably used to panic and take off running in the first available
direction (unfortunately he did not run for home !).  Again, he was normally a
very calm, bold, friendly dog, not given to startling at shadows or other noises.

by Paul Garrison on 29 March 2013 - 00:48

Paul Garrison Posts: 163 Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2009 12:09 am

A dog with so much confidence that nothing bothers or concerns him or her often sees no threat  in anything. I am not concerned about what bothers or concerns a young dog but it is how they recover from that thing. Most dogs and most people have fears, some have too much confidence and can get hurt and some are just too dumb to realize. It is one thing to be afraid of fire and another to respect it.

EXCELLENT point, Paul. Sometimes the dog isn't so much fearless, but oblivious, due to waaay unbalanced temperament and therefore doesn't even notice the damn threat, let alone be bothered by it. That's NOT a dog I'd want for protection, whether he bites hard or not! Recovery is the key to me, too. I'd rather see what bothers the dog and how they get over it.Those who'd chase  their ball over a 500' cliff need not apply.   

Bubbabooboo....totally agree re: vets. I swear, especially w/a GSD, you bring a dog in, they can't figure it out, it's genetic. 
 
I also had a dog until she was almost 5 years old. I put her in a working pet home due to circumstances (nothing to do with the dog is my point) and now, she's afraid of thunderstorms. Weird, huh? Never an issue her entire life with me. Coincidentally (or not) I'm pretty sure the other dog in their home is terrified of thunder. Could this be a case where she's deferring to the senior resident? Tough to say, but I would've previously bet my life on this dog's soundness in every way. This wasn't my kennel dog for 5 years, this was a house dog that's been everywhere, around everything, her entire life. NOTHING else bothers her- gunshots, fireworks, heavy machinery, etc. I'm not condoning this, but my friend brought her on an airplane as a service dog rather than check her as baggage and she played the role beautifully, rode on an escalator (she'd never seen an escalator) because he couldn't find the elevator...I don't think I'd describe a dog who can pull that off with such calm ease that no one even questions the dog's credentials a nervy dog. 
JMO. So, enough rambling, while I generally agree that I would not breed a dog who displayed this in the spirit of "better safe than sorry" I do think it's more complicated than afraid of thunderstorms=nervebag.