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Key Takeaways
A storm is a stack of triggers rather than one sound. A thunderclap reaches roughly 100 to 120 dB with most of its energy between 20 and 120 Hz, and it arrives together with falling air pressure, static in the coat, lightning flashes and rain on the windows.
Many owners see pacing and panting before they hear anything. Dogs hear distant low rumble earlier than we do, and the drop in barometric pressure and the build-up of static electricity both come ahead of the first clap overhead.
Yes, if your dog comes to you. In a 2005 study of 19 dog and owner pairs, cortisol rose 207% during a recorded storm and owner behaviour made no difference to that rise, so staying close and calm does not reward fear.
An interior room with the fewest windows works best, such as a hallway, a bathroom or a covered crate the dog already likes. Close the curtains to hide the flashes, turn the lights on and run a fan or steady music to mask part of the rumble.
They help, but they do not make a storm silent. BOLLSEN Dog+ is rated up to 27 dB SNR and attenuates 13.6 dB at 63 Hz and 15.7 dB at 125 Hz, so a 100 dB rumble lands at roughly 85 dB, a net positive rather than silence.
Speak to your vet if the reaction is getting stronger each season, if your dog hurts itself trying to escape, or if other everyday noises now trigger the same response. Prescription options need planning ahead, and some take 4 to 6 weeks to take effect.
The best way to help a dog through thunderstorms is to start before the storm does, because thunder is the one loud noise you can see coming hours or even days ahead. Owners describe the same scene again and again. Even before the first clap, the dog paces, pants, clings to them, hides in a wardrobe or wedges itself behind the toilet, and nobody else in the house has heard a thing yet.
A dog scared of thunder is common, and most of the advice online is the same five tips in a different order. This guide turns them into a timeline built around the weather forecast, explains what the dog is actually reacting to, and gives honest numbers on what ear muffs (called ear defenders in the UK) can and cannot do against low rumble. At BOLLSEN we have made hearing protection since 2016 and are trusted by 1,000,000+ people, and our Dog+ earmuffs are the one part of this plan we make ourselves, so we are careful not to oversell them. This page is part of our wider dog hearing protection guide.
Why are dogs scared of thunder?
Dogs react to thunderstorms because a storm is a stack of triggers: a thunderclap of roughly 100 to 120 dB with most of its energy between 20 and 120 Hz, a drop in barometric pressure, static electricity building in the coat, lightning flashes and wind and rain hitting the windows, often hours before the storm is overhead. Each one can set a dog off on its own, and together they build over hours.
Matija Medved, DVM, explains in the Dr.Vet expert review of Dog+ hearing protection that dogs can take discomfort or hearing damage from around 85 to 90 dB, where humans stay comfortable up to 110 to 120 dB. He also notes that dogs pick up sounds from around four times the distance we can, so the rolling rumble of a storm still several miles away can reach them well before we notice it. Cloud-to-ground strikes peak near 50 Hz, and the lowest part of the sound sits below 20 Hz, where it is felt as much as heard.
Fear of thunder is widespread. Studies from the UK report it in 25 to 49% of dogs, and Okamoto and colleagues (2023) found dogs living in houses were more fearful than dogs in apartments, and dogs whose owners were afraid of thunder were more fearful too. Many storm-sensitive dogs react to other noises as well, which matters when you plan beyond one summer.
| Storm trigger | What the dog senses | When it starts | What helps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thunder rumble (20–120 Hz) | Low sound heard and felt from miles away | Before the storm is overhead | Interior room, masking noise, ear muffs as a partial layer |
| Thunderclap (100–120 dB) | Sharp crack close by | Storm overhead | Ear muffs (more reduction on the crack than the rumble), den |
| Pressure drop | Change in barometric pressure | Hours ahead | Forecast-led routine, settle the dog early |
| Static electricity | Charge building in the coat | Before and during | Tiled room or bathroom, which many dogs choose themselves |
| Lightning flashes | Bright flicker through windows | During | Curtains or blackout blinds, lights on |
| Wind and rain | Noise on glass and roof | During | Room away from outside walls, steady fan or music |
How are thunderstorms different from fireworks for dogs?
Thunderstorms differ from fireworks in three ways that change the plan: a storm is forecastable hours to days ahead, its energy sits lower in the 20 to 120 Hz range, and it brings pressure, static and flashes that fireworks do not. Fireworks are scheduled impulse noise, loudest on known nights and mostly higher in pitch.
That means the preparation for dogs and fireworks centres on the calendar, while storm preparation centres on the forecast and the season. According to the Met Office, most of the UK sees around 10 days of thunder a year, peaking from May to August, while much of the US has a longer spring and summer storm season.
How do you help a dog through a thunderstorm, step by step?
Helping a dog through a thunderstorm works best as a timeline set off by the weather forecast: prepare the den 24 hours ahead, walk and feed early 2 hours ahead, move indoors at the first rumble, stay close during the storm, and give the dog quiet time to recover afterwards. Each step takes a few minutes once it becomes routine.
1. Twenty-four hours ahead: watch the forecast and set up the den
Turn on thunderstorm alerts in a weather app and check the Met Office warnings or a live lightning map when the forecast turns humid and unsettled. Set up the den now, while the house is quiet, so the dog walks into a familiar space later rather than a room that suddenly changed. If you plan to use ear muffs, this is the day to check the fit, never the storm itself.
2. Two hours ahead: walk, toilet and feed early
Take the main walk and the last toilet trip before the sky darkens, because a dog that bolts in the first clap can slip a collar in seconds. Feed a normal meal early and put a long-lasting chew or food toy in the den. Close the curtains and switch the lights on before the flashes start.
3. At the first rumble: move indoors and start masking noise
Bring the dog inside and never leave it tied up, crated outside or alone in a garden during a storm. Start the fan, white noise or steady music at a comfortable volume, because masking works better when it is already running than when it starts with the thunder. Fit the ear muffs now if your dog is already used to them.
4. During the storm: stay close and let the dog choose
Stay in the same room, keep your own voice and movements relaxed, and let the dog choose whether to lean on you, lie in the den or sit in the bathroom. Never punish trembling, barking or hiding, since the reaction is not a choice. Take the muffs off for a break every 1 to 2 hours and check the fit behind the ears.
5. After the storm: give the dog time to recover
Stress hormones take time to fall after the last rumble, so keep the evening quiet and skip the late walk if the storm passed after dark. Note what happened in a simple storm diary: how early the dog reacted, where it went and what seemed to help. That record is useful for your vet if the reaction gets stronger over time.
Where should your dog stay during a storm?
The best place for a dog during a thunderstorm is an interior room with the fewest windows and outside walls, such as a hallway, bathroom or utility room, with a covered crate or bed the dog already uses, the curtains closed and a steady masking sound running in the background. The aim is a space that already feels safe before the storm arrives.
Many dogs pick the bathroom on their own, and some owners have spent 20 minutes sitting in the bath next to a husky. One popular theory is that tiles and porcelain help discharge static in the coat, but it is a theory rather than a proven fact, so let the dog use the space it chooses. Blue Cross recommends a safe space the dog can reach freely at any time, rather than a room it is shut into.
Should you comfort your dog during a thunderstorm?
Yes, comforting a dog during a storm does not reward fear. In the Dreschel and Granger (2005) study of 19 dog and owner pairs, cortisol rose by 207% during a recorded thunderstorm, and how the owner behaved made no measurable difference to that rise.
The old advice to ignore a frightened dog came from the idea that attention rewards fear, and the study found no sign of it. Stay near, stroke the dog if it leans into you, and keep your own reaction low-key, because Okamoto’s data links owner fear of thunder with more fearful dogs. The same 2005 study found dogs living with another dog showed a smaller cortisol change and recovered faster, so a settled second dog in the room can help.
Do ear muffs help dogs during thunderstorms?
Ear muffs help dogs during thunderstorms, but they do not make a storm silent. BOLLSEN Dog+ is rated up to 27 dB SNR, yet at the low end of the spectrum where thunder rumble lives it attenuates 13.6 dB at 63 Hz and 15.7 dB at 125 Hz, so the rumble gets through most and the sharper crack is reduced more.
One well-read trainer argues that ear protection will not work well against thunder, whatever the marketing says, and on rumble alone that criticism has a point. In practice a rumble of about 100 dB at the dog’s ears lands at roughly 85 dB with muffs on, and the higher crack of a close strike is reduced by more, about 23 dB at 250 Hz. That is a net positive, not silence, and anyone weighing how much noise dog ear muffs reduce should look at the low-frequency figures rather than the headline SNR.
How should you introduce ear muffs before storm season?
Our Dog+ earmuffs (SNR 27 dB, sizes XS to L, £69.95) fit most breeds with an adjustable headband and soft padded cups, but the fit only helps if the dog accepts wearing them before the first storm of the year. Start with a few seconds on a calm day, pair each session with food, and build up to 20 or 30 minutes over a week or two. Never put them on for the first time during a storm, always supervise, and take them off every 1 to 2 hours.
What other layers can you add to the plan?
Ear muffs are one physical layer, not the whole plan, and owners who say they have tried everything have usually tried one product at a time. Pressure wraps, snoods, pheromone diffusers and vet-prescribed medication each work on a different part of the storm, and the den, masking noise and forecast routine sit underneath all of them. We compare the physical options side by side in our guide to ear muffs vs snood vs pressure wrap for dogs, including which ones can be worn together.
How do you get through a night-time storm yourself?
Summer thunderstorms often roll in overnight, which leaves the owner awake for hours too, and plenty of people keep a pair of earplugs for sleeping on the bedside table for the rest of the night once the storm passes. Our hub on earplugs for sleeping explains how reusable silicone plugs rated at 24 dB SNR soften thunder, rain and a restless dog for the owner’s own sleep.
Wait until the dog has settled in its den and the rumble has moved away before you put them in, so you can still hear if the dog needs to go out. A dog that sleeps in the bedroom can keep its den bed right next to yours for storm nights.
How can you prepare your dog before the next storm season?
The off-season is the best time to prepare a dog for storms, because desensitisation and counterconditioning only work below the level that triggers a reaction. Play a thunder recording at a barely audible volume while the dog eats or plays, and raise it in small steps over several weeks, stopping at any sign of stress.
A recording cannot reproduce pressure, static or flashes, so treat it as one part of preparation rather than a guarantee. Most dogs do not grow out of storm fear on their own, and many get worse with each season, which is why the months between October and April are worth using. Our step-by-step guide to desensitising a dog to fireworks and thunder sets out the full training schedule, including how to pair it with the den you already built.
When should you speak to your vet?
Speak to your vet if storm reactions are escalating from one season to the next, if your dog injures itself trying to escape, or if other everyday sounds now set off the same response, which may point to broader noise anxiety in dogs rather than a storm-only reaction. The two call for different plans.
According to Today’s Veterinary Practice, storm sensitivity often appears around 2 years of age, can start as early as 8 weeks, and musculoskeletal pain is associated with noise sensitivity, so a check-up is a sensible first step. Your vet or a veterinary behaviourist can discuss situational medication given before a forecast storm and longer-term options that can take 4 to 6 weeks to take effect. Bring your storm diary to the appointment.
What should a storm plan for your dog include?
A good storm plan starts with the forecast, not the first clap, and it gives the dog a familiar den, masking noise, a person nearby and time to recover. Comfort is welcome, the 2005 cortisol data shows it does no harm, and ear muffs add a real but partial layer against low rumble. Practise every piece of the plan on quiet days, and the next storm warning becomes a routine rather than an emergency.
His connection to hearing protection stems from personal experience with sound sensitivity during live events and work in noisy environments, an issue that made him more aware of the long-term risks of unmanaged noise exposure. Today, as both a communicator and a user of BOLLSEN products, he is passionate about raising awareness around the importance of proactive hearing care.
At BOLLSEN, he develops data-driven marketing campaigns, writes SEO-focused articles, and manages communication channels that connect customers with practical knowledge about hearing protection. His work ensures that BOLLSEN’s message—prioritizing health, performance, and sustainability reaches a global audience in an engaging and trustworthy way.
Passionate about writing since childhood, Timotej combines creativity with a strong analytical approach, continuously testing new ideas in digital marketing, performance advertising, and social media. He believes in learning through innovation and collaboration, balancing leadership with openness to new perspectives.
Beyond his professional role, Timotej is committed to a healthy lifestyle and finds inspiration in fitness, sports, and quality time with friends. His personal passion for well-being aligns with BOLLSEN’s core values, making his work not only a career but also a cause he deeply believes in.