For some reason every time there is a storm my brittany goes crazy, he chews his way out of his kennel and goes nuts. He has never had this problem before, my dad said it started about a year ago. I really don't understand because he loves hunting and isnt gun shy. He is about 9 years old. Any ideas?

I had a similar problem with my dog when I was a boy. If you can sleep with the noise you can try turning on the radio so it is louder than the thunder.

I had the same thing with one of my wire hairs also. Dog never did over come and it is more spearation anxiety than anything else. What we did was bring the dog in the house.

One method is sedation but then that can get expensive.
JW

My family had one when I was a kid. It would run and lay in the bath tub for some reason. Once got to jump into the bath tub to lay it was alright.. Strange but that was the way it was when a storm came in. It would just go crazy until it found the bath tub..

Your dog probably knows thunderstorm does not mean gun and is spooked by them. I would bring the dog in the house. If you don't want the dog running loose in the house, perhaps use a laundry room and get a kennel or something it could hide and feel comfortable in but be ready for the barking.

I don't think there is a 'viable' solution except letting the dog find shelter with its 'pack'.

tihs is a old post but my 7 year old britt dose the same thing we have him in the house and when it storms out he dont stick around he run and hides and whimpers... and when ur not hunt just out shooting he dont really like the gun shot kinda like hes gun shy but when you get him in the feild you can shoot all you want it dont bother him at all... its weird..

My springer had the same problem.When we first experienced this,
it was late afternoon and somehow got out of the house,I an thinking she jumped out of one of the kids bedroom windows and She bolted to our neibours house and scratched on their front door till they opened the door and let her in. She hid under their dinning room table till the storm passed. We got a call from them at about 6 pm that our dog was safe in their house and feel free to grab her when the weather cleared.But whenever a storm came, she always wanted out of our house, always. I think she associated, the thunder, as our guns going off in the house.She was great in the field, and no problems with guns firing, but she was scared of thunder.Maybe its hereditary among the spainial breeds.She is gone now,it happens to all living things, but her memories will live as long as I do.

I use to have a Lemon Pointer that was great in the field, but would get under my bed when a thunder storm came up.

I now have a lab, pretty much the same, but he doesn't get under the bed but lay on the floor next to my bed or if I'm in the living room he will get as close to my chair as possible and in my lap if I let him. Both of these dogs loved guns.

dog1