Ok -- Jenny -- you're missing the whole point of what Jennie is saying. I've done storm parties for years - I had THE MOST terrified Mostlie Sheltie EVER. His storm phobia was born when a **tornado** bounced over the top of our house -- and it crashed a 75 year old live oak NEXT DOOR (darned tree was 8 feet in DIAMETER **sheesh**) and that came crashing down about 20 feet from my living room.
Poor Foxy was TERRIFIED of storms. He didn't just shake -- he would stand and turn in tight circles in a frenzy. He was sooo terrified I thot he'd have a heart attack.
The point isn't just food. The whole deal is training. Now, I'll get into that in a minute -- but ***IF YOU aren't going to be home on the 4th GET DRUGS!!!***
Seriously -- yes, you can train this, but for THIS year, for the 4th? Since you know he's already scared, just call the vet and ask for a sedative for him to get him to sleep THRU it. If you can't be there, and you aren't ***positive*** that someone will be there for him, be kind -- get something to sedate him heavily enough so he won't get scared.
Now ... to train -- YES, it can be done.
The point is you literally **talk them thru it** -- but first you have to get them ABLE to concentrate on you. And for the phobic dog he'll need some help at first.
Honestly, sometimes Rescue Remedy works, sometimes it doesn't. I've had one dog it worked well on -- and many that it didn't. I have it, I keep it around, but it's not super reliable and it's not my first choice usually.
My first choice is something that's a relaxant -- an herb like valerian or passionflower, or Oat Seed tincture also would work well (that's more a 'calmative' than a true relaxant -- works more on the mind than the muscles). In the ideal situation you want the dog to be able to THINK, you just don't want them all knotted up and tense. Valerian and passionflower both come in non-alcohol tinctures - not unpleasant tasting and they work FAST. (5-10 minutes).
THEN ... while the herb is working you gather up everything completely yummy you can find. Play dirty here -- you want this to be SPECIAL stuff. Food is fine -- but spring for bits of steak, treats, ... heck I've used potato chips. But I want this to be associated with every awesomely WONDERFUL thing they can think of. So schlep this all together, get pillows and comfy stuff like blankets and plop down on the floor in front of the biggest window facing the storm you can find.
Now, with firecrackers you have to do this all without visual -- but you've got the added good thing with fireworks that you can *blame* ABC Neighbor. ("Oh that's just the Schmuckatella kids from down the street making NOISE!!! tsk tsk tsk ... There they did it AGAIN!!")
But with the thunderstorm -- you dose them when you know a storm is about to break (watch the leaves and the forecast and try hard to anticipate it-- the more YOU can storm-chase this the more success you'll have). Gather the stuff and plop down in front of that window and GET COMFY.
The second you see a "flash" say "WOW!!! LOOKIT THAT!!!" and shove FOOD in their mouth as **YOU COUNT** 1001 ... 1002 ... 1003 ... etc.
Be ready -- when you hear the BOOM shove food in mouth as you say "THERE!!! Wow -- that's till pretty far away That's ... like ... still FOUR MILES AWAY!!!!!!" You say this with no fear, you say this with excitement -- this is an ***ADVENTURE!!!***
Continue to talk ... continue to be excited. When you can't see a flash talk about **looking** for one. This is sooooooooooooooooo kewel ... this is truly AWESOME ... We're having a storm PARTY ... "
You gotta talk it up ... be as excited as you would be going on a picnic or to the dogpark or playing Frisbee or anything fun and great. And yea -- give him the occasional treat while you're waiting ... but soon as you see a flash shove FOOD + COUNT ALOUD and when you hear the BOOM food **again** and keep up your verbal storm countdown.
The whole deal is -- you build it up -- as the storm gets nearer the flash and boom will get closer. Treat it as an adventure ... but make your voice full of confidence. YOU are the human -- ***YOU*** know all things and you **do** know this. That storm is getting closer and you, the all-knowing human have THIS figgered out!!!
But then ... as it continues (and you pair food + flash and then food + boom PLUS commentary) you make a big deal out of the fact that you know it's coming close. AND then as soon as the time between flash and boom lengthen PLAY IT UP!!!!
"AHHHHHHHHHH .... I got to count to 100FOUR that time ... wow!!!!! It's starting to go AWAY again!!!"
Do dogs "count" Yeah -- they have a concept of counting. If you don't think they do, put three treats in your pocket and only give them two. SEE if they can't count!!
Seriously -- they have a very elementary sense of more and less ... so if you count LONGER ... yeah, they're gonna get "more" and if you then verbalize that "Wow .... it's going AWAY now .. see that!!!"
All of a sudden you are the all-wise human. YOU knew! In a very real sense they actually begin to have confidence that YOU are chasing it away on some level. They trust your voice -- YOU counted and we're all still here. YOU make the scarey thing go away!!
And as Jennie says... you do this over and over ... you TREAT it as though it's a good thing and eventually you will convince him it's fun not scarey.
This is training. This is teaching your dog to trust your voice and have fun.
Be careful -- noooooo "poor baby" stuff. No coddling. No awwwwwwww. Be fun. Be happy. Be CERTAIN.
The kids in our neighborhood started two nights ago ... and every time we hear them David and I both play this game. Tink will "boof" and We'll say "Yep, we heard it too!! Silly kids!! Nuffin to be scared of tho!!"
We've had a ton of thunder storms lately and at this point I'm keeping treats at my desk. JUST so I can say "WHOA ... did anybuddy see the flash?? Here -- You eat this while I turn off the 'puter and we'll WATCH the storm!!" (i.e., FUN time!! let's do it together!)
Honestly, don't try this the first time without some kind of relaxant. Foxy got so *fast* that he'd go to the cupboard and POINT to the valerian if HE knew a storm was coming before I did!! He *knew* it helped. (if you can't get the alcohol free one just squirt a dropperfull or two into a bit of peanut butter and mix it up -- YUM)
Valerian smells horrible to humans (it's related to catnip incidentally) but don't let on ok?? Dogs don't mind it but you want to make sure you don't make any negative associations here. Passion flower is every bit as good -- there are several nervine herbs, and I've used valerian and passion flower very successfully with dogs.
Don't wait until that storm to try it tho -- when you first bring it home give some when there is no stress. Observe how the dog acts, and let him relax easily (so he doesn't fight the feeling and get scared). Then when you *have* to give it then it's no big deal.
A sedative puts you to sleep. A relaxant specifically relaxes muscles so if you are sleepy you tend to go to sleep. That is TWO different things.
Now ... another thing that can help is Hylands Calms or Calms Forte. But that doesn't work fast -- that takes like an HOUR to kick in. AND it tends to really promote sleep ... truly whe you want in training storm phobia is to relax the muscles enough so you can get the brain to work with you.
Hope this helps.