With all my dogs I have, at a very early age, taken them outdoors on the covered patio and sat holding them, toy in hand, as storms approach, especially when there's thunder & lightning. Holding them is reassuring and seeing that those things don't alarm you is good training. After all, most stray dogs aren't afraid of storms because of this constant exposure. Early exposure with toy playing as a distractor is the best way to get them used to storms.
As far as doing their business when it's raining, get ready to get wet yourself! Keep a raincoat or umbrella by the back door! We just carry our puppies/dogs to the farthest spot in the yard & stand with them. If they have to go bad enough, they usually go before they can make it back to the house. Some dogs we have had to even carry out a second time! I've raised around 8-9 dogs over my lifetime (telling my age here) and have never had one afraid of storms using this "Exposure" and "Don't give'em a choice" approach. |