Pet question.
 

At the risk of asking what may seem to be a silly question about weather..we are planning an upcoming visit to TV with our dog, Ivy. Ivy has however, in the past several months, developed a hyperventilating fear of thunderstorms. I know when my Mom lived in Florida, it typically rained a short while every day. Is that the case in TV, and if so, is it accompanied by thunder & lightning? Does it typically occur near the same time each day? We hate to medicate the dog unless absolutely necessary…but hate leaving her home even more! We have had an unusually excessive number of thunderstorms this spring & summer. (Pittsburgh, PA)

Thanks in advance! ☔️
Sandy

Your mom's experience is very accurate.

Thunderstorms are typical this time of year in Central Florida. You can expect them daily often starting some time in late afternoon and ending late at night. They're usually not constant, you'll get a lot of noise at 5pm, then it starts pouring. Then 20 minutes later the sun comes out, and an hour later the clouds roll in again with lightning and thunder until maybe 8. Then at 9 you get another 20 minutes of noise and crackles, and another set maybe at 10:30ish.

This can happen every day for two weeks, or it might happen just two days and stop. The weather here is predictably unpredictable. Expect rain, thunder, and lightning in August, every evening. That way when it turns out to be a nice night you can be happily surprised.

Bring your dog.

When there has been some thunder and lightning recently, it has been only for a short bit (I'm speaking about the Spanish Springs area). Not nearly enough to not bring your dog if that's what you were intending to do.

ThunderShirts for Dogs .
 

ThunderShirt for Dogs - Calming Wrap ThunderShirt for Dogs - Calming Wrap


It does not work for all dogs but the ThunderShirt works most of the time for our pooch. The Doggie Doo Run Run goers had recommended it.

It works best if you get the animal wrapped in the ThunderShirt before the thunder starts.


Doggie Doo Run Run is a 10 acre private dog park up CR101 about 5/6 of a mile north of Southern Trace Shopping Center. That is north of CR466. Belvedere Boulevard becomes CR 101 after it crosses CR101.

Usually afternoon and evenings this time of year. Thunder can be very loud due to Florida flat terrain. Usually lot of lightning.

Two nights ago, the thunderstorm that went on for about 2 hours dumped seven inches of rain. Yes, that was a big one, but you can almost count on them daily from mid-June through September. And we found that "undershirts" don't work. Good luck...

Thunder Treats!
 

Conditioned our dog to love thunder. Pretty easy as she is very food motivated. Every rumble we just smiled and announced Yay! Thunder Treats! (In our very best happy voice). Reward was always something she could not resist...meat, hot dog, whatever. She now comes running to us with a wagging tail every time it thunders. Gets lots of pets, "atta girls" and a few treats.

visiting after rainy season would be a better time. You don't say when you are coming down. Be aware September is the height of hurricane season. Better off coming down Nov to avoid issues.

Another vote for the Thundershirt. Worked well on my rescued Greyhound.

They do not work on all dogs. But certainly help with mine.

We have been getting thunderstorms regularly in the afternoons/ evenings lately. Good luck

Back in Michigan our dog was not a fan of thunderstorms but they were infrequent. If she was outside and heard thunder she would immediately start scratching at the door to come inside. Now in Florida full-time for over a year the everyday thunderstorms do not bother her unless it's a very close lightning strike. She doesn't hide in the bathroom like before but she is on alert. I am amazed at how she has adapted as I thought it was going to be a big issue.

. I find it 50/50 with the lightning and thunder here in Florida. Some places are like 40/60 I other states

Thank you for all of your responses. We are coming down in the first week of October.

Pet Question
 

Invest in buying Comfort Zone plug ins which you can buy at Amazon. These work great to calm both cats and dogs. It emits pheromones which humans cannot smell. I use these every time I take my pet with me to a new environment. It keeps them calm and really works!

Bring the dog
 

I would bring the dog and a box of pet gummies for the storms. One thing I wonder about some pet owners is, “Is the dog here to comfort and benefit the owner, or is the owner here to comfort the dog”?

The storm season in Florida is around May-October so if you’re coming during those times, yes, the storms are “usually” in the afternoon but could be during the night or could be during the day.

Possible solution for your pet
 

[QUOTE=Sjodry;2454911]At the risk of asking what may seem to be a silly question about weather..we are planning an upcoming visit to TV with our dog, Ivy. Ivy has however, in the past several months, developed a hyperventilating fear of thunderstorms. I know when my Mom lived in Florida, it typically rained a short while every day. Is that the case in TV, and if so, is it accompanied by thunder & lightning? Does it typically occur near the same time each day? We hate to medicate the dog unless absolutely necessary…but hate leaving her home even more! We have had an unusually excessive number of thunderstorms this spring & summer. (Pittsburgh, PA)

Yes, thunderstorms and lightning are generally late in the day. Our pup would shake uncontrollably and pace around. We bought him a “Thundershirt”, which calmed him down. It worked miraculously. It’s a weighted, vest-like wrap that attaches with Velcro. I won’t guarantee it’ll work for your dog, but it definitely did for ours. Check it out. ThunderShirt.com | Already Used by Millions of Dogs & Cats

It’s two way street…. :mornincoffee:

Maybe try these? Or something similar?

PAWNIX Noise-Cancelling Greyfriars Bobby Headphones for Dogs - Pawnix Noise-Cancelling Headphones

Sometimes Lopsided
 

Sometimes the street is lopsided with a traffic jam or it becomes a one way. Thus dogs are walking their humans or dogs are being pushed around in baby strollers.

Trying to snag a villa through the Lifestyle Preview program is really the best way to experience The Villages, and I do not believe that Lifestyle allows pets to stay. Enjoy your visit, and do stop by several of the dog parks even if you don't bring Ivy to check them out - especially around doggie happy hour which is typically about 4:30pm.

We had a dog who would shake uncontrollably from thunder. The storm could be 10 miles away. He was our own personal forecaster. The only thing that worked was CBD treats. You can get them locally at either Woofgang Pups or Sparr Building Supply.
As for thunder shirts. They only work if the dog is conditioned to associate the shirt with positive feedback. i.e. wearing it in good weather and lots of treats.

Either way is treating the symptom, not the problem.

Very clever! But I would guess after a summer in TV you would have to put her on a doggy treadmill.

Tranquilizer. Let them sleep through it.

Thundershirt works with my Miniature Poodle. They also have a pheromone that you can put a couple of drops of on a patch on the Thundershirt.