Seek out a board certified behaviorist if you think the problem will progress, it is to your advantage to nip this in the bud instead of letting it get to the point that your dog is shredding doors or drywall and hurting him/herself. Your vet should be able to point you in the right direction.
Here are some things your can try on your own:
Try using a pressure wrap, sometimes these help with stress. There is one on the market for dog anxiety, or you can make one yourself using fabric or old clothes. The point is just to put even, light pressure over the dogs body. Not too tight that the dog can't breathe though!
Thundershirt works for some dogs
It is normal for the dog to be afraid if it is a very bad storm. Problems start when the dog starts to become anxious to the signs of a storm coming (static buildup, smell of rains, clouds, etc). If it progresses to this, this definitely needs more attention.
Play a sound recording of a storm, and see if your dog responds to it. If it does, try to isolate what the dog is afraid of (rain sound, thunder, etc). If so, start a little session when the dog is calm, reward her for being calm. Use the sound she is afraid of in increasing intensity and reward her for staying calm. If she ever starts to show signs of anxiety, lower the intensity until she is relaxed again, and reward her. Do this until she can be around the sound without being anxious. This is called desensitization.
when storms come, reserve a special treat for that time, i.e. storms = I get ham (if shes not too anxious to eat)
Last case scenario, get a behaviorist, they will try the desensitization, but if it is bad enough they will prescribe anxiety medication to help calm the dog enough that you can work with her behaviorally
Also, be careful with "coddling" her during a storm. Many dogs learn that if they are afraid during a storm, they get lots of attention from mom/dad! With some dogs this happens, and with some dogs they do relax, so make sure you pay attention to how she is responding. Only comfort her if you can see that it makes her less nervous.
Here are some things your can try on your own:
Try using a pressure wrap, sometimes these help with stress. There is one on the market for dog anxiety, or you can make one yourself using fabric or old clothes. The point is just to put even, light pressure over the dogs body. Not too tight that the dog can't breathe though!
Thundershirt works for some dogs
It is normal for the dog to be afraid if it is a very bad storm. Problems start when the dog starts to become anxious to the signs of a storm coming (static buildup, smell of rains, clouds, etc). If it progresses to this, this definitely needs more attention.
Play a sound recording of a storm, and see if your dog responds to it. If it does, try to isolate what the dog is afraid of (rain sound, thunder, etc). If so, start a little session when the dog is calm, reward her for being calm. Use the sound she is afraid of in increasing intensity and reward her for staying calm. If she ever starts to show signs of anxiety, lower the intensity until she is relaxed again, and reward her. Do this until she can be around the sound without being anxious. This is called desensitization.
when storms come, reserve a special treat for that time, i.e. storms = I get ham (if shes not too anxious to eat)
Last case scenario, get a behaviorist, they will try the desensitization, but if it is bad enough they will prescribe anxiety medication to help calm the dog enough that you can work with her behaviorally
Also, be careful with "coddling" her during a storm. Many dogs learn that if they are afraid during a storm, they get lots of attention from mom/dad! With some dogs this happens, and with some dogs they do relax, so make sure you pay attention to how she is responding. Only comfort her if you can see that it makes her less nervous.
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