Thunder Phobia Help!!!!!

My dog used to be afraid of garbage trucks, with those big jaws that could swallow anything. He eventually got over it, mainly, I think, because we don't panic at the sight of the truck. Have you tried treats in conjunction with the desensitization cd?
 

Well, instead of feeding into his fears, make the thunderstorm a reason for a PARTY.  Gather him up with some special treats and toys, cuddle up in bed and have FUN together.  Wahoooo!  Did you hear THAT one???  Here, have another liver treat.......here, lets squeek the toy......you get the idea.  Pretty soon thunder storms aren't SCAREY things, but good things, and pretty soon after that, you can lay down and get your sleep!

Glenda's idea is great!!!  But, I would start well before the storm hits - if you can time it before he can hear the thunder, or feels the pressure drop, then you may have a chance.  Be sure to make the food treats extra special (see the dog recipe section for my salmon treats, or Glenda's liver treats).  Be sure to use words you normally use when you are having a good time together - use that association.
Even if you have to play with the toys by yourself, LOL, you'll be showing him that his leader is still having a good time.  You can try using a DAP diffuser in the room where you will be, and giving him some valerian extract (non-alcoholic versions are available) before the storm arrives. 
If you do this with desensitization tapes, get happy and party while you let another human start the tape on low volume.

Oh, I have, I have.  I wish it could storm everyday for a month until the sound no longer bothered him.  For a dog who loves to cuddle, when the thunder and the lightning are going on, he will not have any of it.  He jumps off the bed and starts running around the house throwing himself against the windows, I have to go in my closet with him and play fetch  I lay a cd very high w/nat king cole (which he likes) and have lots of treats. But at 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning all I want to do is sleep, but I will keep on trying with the CD too until maybe one day he is no longer afraid. 

I have also tried the DAP, and the Valerian, and Dr. Bach essence flowers, I even went to learn how to do the Tellington Touch massage therapy and nothing.  But I will not give up. 
 
Thanks for all your suggestions, I am going to start with him well before the storm hits, I don't need the weather channel anymore, Romeo goes into high alert well before I even hear a faint rumble, lol, my poor baby. 
 
I am going to get corny now, before I had Romeo in my life, I never imagined I could be so patient, but now all it takes is one look at that face and those big brown eyes just melt my heart away, and I don't care if I walk around like a zombie or if I have to sleep on the floor next to him.  I am owned! hehehe.

Olinda,
 
Dogs do teach us patience, along with many other llife lessons. 
 
I'm not sure what the right solution is to your dog's phobia, the desensitization sounds like a good place to start. 
 
I just wanted to share with you that I had a dog who was weather sensitive, any coming chanage in the pressure and her barometer went off the map.  Hours before a thunderstorm was coming, she was going crazy.  She would throw herself at the walls of the house and at the windows and go completely insane.  If it was during the night, she would try to climb the wall above the headboard of our bed and would run around scratching at all the doors upstairs.  We were so afraid that she was going to hurt herself, that we ended up going the medication route for her.  We used benedryl and it worked to calm her down enought to withstand a storm.  I wish we hadn't had to do that, but it was what worked and I think she appreciated the help at calming down. 
 
I was the most weather informed lady in the city during the summer, I would obsessively watch weather reports for pressure changes, so I'd know to medicate before it became detectable to the dog. 
 
Good luck, and it's good to hear you're enjoying this dog so very much (aside from this phobia!)

I would obsessively watch weather reports for pressure changes, so I'd know to medicate before it became detectable to the dog.

 
This is really the key to desensitizing a noise-phobic dog.  If you wait until the dog knows the storm is coming, you are wayyyyy too late.
Also, if it makes the dog more comfy, don't be afraid to use medication.

Heres a previous thread about the same issue.... and Callies answer is same as Glendas, just more in detail... anyway thought you may find it useful also.  Good luck!
 
[linkhttp://forum.dog.com/asp/tm.asp?m=34761&mpage=1&key=storm蠇]http://forum.dog.com/asp/tm.asp?m=34761&mpage=1&key=storm蠇[/link]

Absolutely, Anne.  I would watch the weather map and administer treatment when there were storms out in New York, by Lake Erie.  If I waited until the storms had entered Massachusetts, I was too late.  That dog could sense a weather change from a very long distance. 

I had a thunder phobic Beagle once, and did the same thing!  She got better as time went on - those were also my days for doggy ice cream cups, rawhides, bones, etc. []

Glenda's idea sounds great, except I have tried that party idea, and Nemo will not even take his most favorite treat in the world when it is storming. He will not play or eat, just trembles. The only thing that has helped a bit is way before we hear the storm, like if we saw a bulletin on tv and knew it was coming, we give Rescue Remedy. It does seem to help a bit but I have to make sure he gets it early on.

I have heard that many thunderstorm phobic dogs aren't actually afraid of the noise-- they are instead suffering considerable distress from the electricity in the air, basically getting nasty static shocks. Putting the dog in the bathtub is supposed to help. 

Mudpuppy, that's interesting, because one of the things our thunder phobic did during her "fits" was to jump into the tub.  Once in there, she'd scramble all over, so we never let her stay in, we were afraid she'd hurt herself.  We were probably removing her from the one comfortable place she could find.  Whoops.  

I think all the behavioral suggestions are great.  We have a thunder phobic pooch, and I'm going to implement those.  You also might try "Calming Formula" made by et Naturals of Vermont.  We've used it with Moxie, and it doesn't completely get rid of the anxiousness, but it helps without making her super-groggy.

Our German Shepherd is terrified of storms.  In her case it is the noise, because she has the same reaction to fireworks, and other loud sounds.  I think she is worst during storms because of the change in pressure and the electricity.  At first sign of a storm, she climbs in the bath tub.  She takes a trip around the entire house once every 20 minutes, like she is checking the parimeter and makes sure to check on each person in the house as well.  Even when she is terrified, she is taking care of us.
 
The vet suggested benadryl, so we tried it.  It doesn't fix the problem, but it certainly does calm her down.  When we here "chance for storms" or on holidays like New Years Eve and the 4th of July, we give her Benadryl an hour before it's expected to start.  If we have a string of bad weather coming through, she gets it continuously until it passes.  It helps her relax without making her groggy.  Just takes the edge off a little so she can breathe. 
 
The trick is to get it into them before the adrenaline kicks in though, or it's hopeless.