Does your dog get nervous or frightened during storms? Help calm them down with a few tips to soothe their anxiety when wind, rain, thunder, or lightning strike.

Some ways to help soothe a stressed-pet during storms include:

Make some noise. Turn on white-noise to distract your pet, such as the radio, TV, or an air-conditioner.

Lock yourself in. Close the blinds and keep windows and doors shut tight to prevent your pet from fleeing in fright.

Put on some clothes. Put your dog's sweater or coat on to make them feel snug and secure when stressed.

Curl up in a small space. Contain yourselves in a small familiar space, such as your bedroom, during the storm to help your pet ride it out.

Dogs like to be in safe, secure places during scary situations. Build a storm tee-pee for your pet to hide in during foul weather. While this serves the same purpose as a kennel, it provides a different retreat for small pets when they are frightened or stressed.

To build your dog a tee-pee:

• Find some dowels. You will need three-to-four wood dowels for the tee-pee's structure. These should be around 40" in length for small to medium-sized dogs (or cats). These are found for a dollar or two in standard-lengths of 48" at home improvement stores, and you can cut to length with a serrated knife or blade.
• Lash with twine. Lash the dowels together with twine, string, or nylon rope. Make them tight, but still flexible enough to be pulled-out and stretched into your tee-pee's structure. The rubber end-caps from spring-tension curtain rods work well as 'feet' for your dowels, helping them to grip the floor when stretched.
• Recycle some fabric. A round tablecloth works perfect for the cover of your tee-pee. Cut a hole in the center that will go down over the lashed dowels, and pin to tighten where you want it to fit snugly. Also, leave a slit to be used for the door.
• Add some comfort items. Add a pet bed, pillow, or blanket to the inside of the tee-pee to entice your pet inside. It may help construction to build the tee-pee around a small round bed that will accommodate your pet. This can help to serve as a template when erecting the tee-pee.
• Cover and enjoy! When you are happy with your cover, slide it down over the dowels and pin or glue back the flap near the door for your pet to enter. Pets may find their new tee-pee to be soothing during stressful situations- like storms.

Use these tips to alleviate your pet's storm anxiety and help them relax when bad weather hits. Start gathering what you need to build them a storm tee-pee to hide out in when things get scary. For severe anxiety, talk with your pet's veterinarian, or contact establishments like Acequia Animal Hospital, about other interventions or solutions.