If your dog shakes, pants, paces or squeezes behind the toilet the moment the sky rumbles, you're in good company. Storm fear is one of the most common worries Australian dog owners have, especially through the long storm season from about October to April. And if you've spent a few nights on the bathroom floor waiting for the next bang, you'll know how helpless it feels.
The good news: it isn't hopeless, and it isn't just how storm nights have to be. Here's the plan welfare groups like the RSPCA recommend.
Signs your dog is scared of storms
- Shaking, panting or drooling
- Pacing, whining or following you everywhere
- Hiding in bathrooms, under beds or behind furniture
- Barking at the sky, or trying to escape
Many dogs start reacting before you can even hear the thunder, as the wind and light change. That's why the plan starts early.
Why nothing seems to work mid-storm
Most of us only act once the panic has started: digging out the vest, ripping the Velcro open, trying to hold a dog who wants to hide. We call it the Mid-Storm Scramble. The middle of a storm is the hardest time for a frightened dog to accept anything new. A 2024 paper in the Australian Veterinary Journal notes that dogs should be familiar with a wrap before a scary event, and that some find putting it on, or the Velcro sound, distressing. So if a wrap "did nothing" for your dog, the timing may have been the problem, not your dog.
Before storm season
- Make a den. A crate or a quiet corner away from windows, with a blanket over the top. Feed treats there and let them nap in it, so it's theirs before the first storm.
- Introduce the wrap on calm days. If you're using a wrap, put it on for a few seconds at a time with treats, building up over a week, so it means good things, not "a storm is coming".
- Check their ID. Scared dogs can bolt. Make sure microchip details are up to date, the tag is on, and gates and screens are secure.
When a storm is on the way
- Wrap on early, before the first rumble. A wrap like the Storm Kit gives gentle, even pressure. Some dogs find it comforting and some don't, which is why it works best as part of a plan, not as the plan.
- Soften the storm. Close curtains, keep the lights on low, and turn on the TV or some music. The Quiet Hood covers the ears and muffles the booms.
- Give them a job. A frozen Lick Mat or a Snuffle Mat gives them something to focus on. In one large owner survey, feeding and play during the noise was the approach most often linked with less fear.
- Stay steady. Comforting your dog is fine, and it won't "reward the fear". Just keep your own voice slow and low, and carry on as normally as you can.
What not to do
- Don't punish fear, or force them out of a hiding spot.
- Don't leave them outside or tied up during a storm.
- Don't wait until they're mid-panic to try something new.
When to see your vet
If your dog hurts themselves, breaks out, won't eat, or gets worse with each storm, please book in with your vet. Severe storm fear can be treated with a behaviour plan, and sometimes medication, and the sooner the better.
Want the plan done for you?
The Storm Kit comes with the wrap, a free Lick Mat and our four-week Storm Ready plan, with every calm-day step laid out, plus free size swaps and the 30-day Storm Night Promise. Not ready yet? Start with the free Storm Plan.
This guide is general information, not veterinary advice. Every dog is different.