Fear of Thunder and Lightning
This 3-part tipsheet includes a good article from the Humane Society of the United States website.
Part 2
Fear of Thunder
Many dogs are disturbed by thunderstorms; some have full-blown thunderstorm phobia. "Affected dogs relentlessly seek the attention of their owner or some safe place and puff and pant as they pace to and fro, sometimes losing control of their bladder or bowels in their anxiety.... In extreme cases, dogs have been known to tear through screens and hurl themselves out of windows," writes Dr. Nicholas Dodman in "The Dog Who Loved Too Much." Dogs who display no fear of storms as puppies may develop this fear later in life, and often, thunder-phobics exhibit other anxieties as well.
Dr. Dodman writes that phobia treatment usually involves careful reintroduction to the fear-inducing stimulus, also know as desensitization. (For example, using tape recordings of storm sounds.) However, many times dogs have a relapse.
The respected Tufts University vet proposes another theory: that frightened dogs are being affected by a build-up of static charge, explaining why some dogs retreat to bathrooms -- to discharge the build-up. TheyUre seeking out conductive surfaces such as sinks, pressing on the pipes in the bathroom. A sink is typically supplied by metal pipes and therefore acts as an electrical grounding device. Says Dr. Dodman: If the cause of thunderstorm phobia is that dogs are receiving small static shocks during storms, it would explain why programs focused on desensitizing dogs to the sound of thunder meet with little success. He suggests that measures to prevent status electrical charge build-up may have preventive value and might benefit as part of a desensitization program. Anti-anxiety medication such as buspirone can help.
An effective technique that PAW's Nancy Klein uses for her doggie Auggie, suggested by a certified specialist in the Bach Flower Essences:
Add Rescue Remedy to the dogs' water on days when the weather report calls for thunderstorms, and to use Rock Rose specifically (for terror) when the storms are occurring. The drops can be placed on the tongue, or mixed with purified water and misted in the dog's face.