My Dog Hates Rain , Dark Nights and winter weather !!!

Doreen Potter Author

Winter Weather can affect our dog's behaviour.

The nights are getting darker.

It seems to have come around very quickly this year.

You might find that some of your dogs are affected by the darker evenings. That on top of rainy and windy weather can really make our dogs more wary, possibly fearful.

You might notice some behaviour changes….

• More Agitated, unable to settle.
• Sleeping more.
• Change in appetite
• More reactive.
• Seeking out comfort
• Less interactive with you                                                                                                                                                                                                       

I know If I have a holiday and spend the day getting to know the area, when night falls I can get completely lost. Landmarks have changed, new things have appeared and It can be really disorientating.

Even Google maps doesn't help

I can’t see in the distance to know what's coming up, even with street lights, it looks so different.

I even become more aware of noises, and objects that I don’t recognise.

It can be the same for our dogs. Plus the added change in the scents, especially air scents as colder air keeps the scents down low. A lot of our dogs don’t cope well with change or anything they see as new.

Add in RAIN 

That can affect our dogs in a multi sensory way.

• They get wet from above
• They get wet from below (puddles)
• Rain can be noisy
• Rain alters the sound of cars or even footfall.
• Rain alters the vision and hearing
• Rain dilutes scent.
• Toileting may be a no no, This could be due to the fact that most dogs have a good sniff around prior to toileting and scent is diluted. They hate their paws getting wet, they dislike being rained on.

A thing some of our dogs do is generalise. 

So Rain may have them thinking a storm is coming. 

Barometric Pressure changes can affect our dogs too, just like it can for us humans. I know I sometimes get a headache when the weather is stormy.

And what about those aches and pains, again you might hear people saying that the change in the weather is affecting my arthritis. 

So it could well be the same for our dogs.

Then let's add WIND and wow a real sensory overload.

Remembering that feeling safe is the number one priority for our dogs.

It may be that your dog just wants to cuddle in and sleep when the weather is horrid.

After all, the majority of our dog's have those innate hunting, survival skills. There are not going to be any little critters running about in nasty weather, so might as well have a snooze.

AND

Did you know some dogs do suffer from S.A.D. Seasonal Affective Disorder just as we humans do.

We also must remember that some dogs just love getting wet, being covered in mud and feeling the wind up their tails 

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Categories: : Dog Behaviour, Romanian Rescue