Storm Season in Australia: How We Get an Anxious Greyhound Through Thunder
The first big storm of the season rolled over our place in Adelaide just after four on a Tuesday in October, and I found Juniper in the shower recess with her nose jammed into the corner where the two walls meet. She's a rescue greyhound, forty-one kilograms of muscle and nerve, and she was shaking hard enough that I could hear her teeth. I'd been in the garden hanging out washing. By the time I got inside she'd already worked herself into that corner, and nothing I said made the slightest difference.
That was three storm seasons ago. She's never going to be a dog who sleeps through thunder, and I've stopped pretending otherwise. But the difference between that afternoon and last Tuesday is genuinely night and day, and almost all of it came down to timing — I stopped waiting for the storm to arrive before I did something about it.
What I got wrong for two whole seasons
My first instinct was to reassure her. I'd sit on the bathroom floor, stroke her, and tell her she was fine in that bright voice people use on frightened animals. It did absolutely nothing except teach her that when I sound like that, something must genuinely be wrong. The second mistake was worse in a quieter way: I waited for the rumble before reacting. By the time I heard thunder, her stress hormones were already doing laps and there was no product in the world that was going to catch up.
Storm anxiety relief for dogs isn't really about the ten minutes of noise. It's about the hours before and the hours after, and about living in a body that has been braced for impact all afternoon. Once I understood that, the whole approach changed. Now I track the Bureau's radar like a surfer checks swell, and I act roughly twenty-four hours before the front arrives.
The safe spot came first
Before any product, we built her a place. Greyhounds are den dogs, so I set up the internal laundry with her bed pushed into the corner, a heavy blanket over the top of the crate, and a pedestal fan running for white noise. Interior rooms have less window rattle and the air pressure feels steadier. I keep the blinds shut from mid-afternoon, because I'd noticed she was reacting to the flicker of lightning well before the sound reached us.
We practised this in July, in completely calm weather, with chicken. That detail matters more than anything else I'm going to tell you. A safe space only works if the dog has been there a hundred times when nothing scary was happening. If the first time she's shut in the laundry is the night of a storm, the laundry just becomes another thing to panic about.
Where the collar fits in
The calming collar went on about a week before storm season properly started, not on the day of the first storm. That was the piece I'd been missing. These collars need time on the neck to build up, and the honest ones on the market release for somewhere around sixty days from the moment you break the sealed pouch. Starting it in early October meant it was already working by the time the first front came through, and one collar covered most of the season.
I'll be straight about what it does and doesn't do. Juniper still hears thunder. She still gets up and moves to her corner. What changed is the recovery: she settles within ten or fifteen minutes instead of pacing until two in the morning, and she stopped trying to climb into the shower altogether. For us that was the difference between a bad night and a manageable one, and it's why I keep one on her from October through March.
Fitting it properly
Fitting is where most people go wrong, and I did too. I measured her neck with a soft tape where the collar would actually sit rather than guessing from her weight, cut the excess length with scissors, and left room for two fingers between the collar and her skin. Too loose and it flaps around her ears and annoys her; too tight and it rubs the throat. If you're trying to work out how to fit one on your own dog, the two-finger rule is the whole game.
I also take it off for baths and swimming, and I keep it in the sealed pouch when it's off her, because the whole point is slow release and leaving it on the bench just wastes it. Around the eight-week mark, when I can no longer smell anything on it, it goes in the bin and a fresh one goes on.
If your dog is worse than mine
It's worth saying plainly that some dogs need more than a den, a fan and a collar. If your dog is injuring themselves, destroying doors, or not eating for a day afterwards, that's a conversation for your vet, possibly a referral to a veterinary behaviourist. There's no medal for white-knuckling it through storm season, and prescriptive medication exists for good reason. The collar is support, not a substitute for proper help, and any product telling you otherwise is selling you something.
Storm season used to be the part of the year I dreaded. Now it's a routine: check the radar, shut the blinds, keep the fan on, and make sure the collar hasn't hit eight weeks. Juniper still finds her corner, but she comes out of it in fifteen minutes, and that's a season I can live with. — Nadia, Adelaide, with a greyhound currently asleep on the cool tiles.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I put a calming collar on my dog for storm season?
About one to two weeks before storms typically begin in your area, rather than on the day of the first storm. The collar needs time on the neck to build up, and a single collar usually releases for around sixty days, which covers most of an Australian storm season.
Why does my dog shake and try to hide in the bathroom during thunder?
Interior rooms have less window rattle and steadier air pressure, and enclosed spaces feel safer to a dog who wants to den. Shaking is a normal stress response. Build them a dedicated safe space there during calm weather so the room is already familiar when a storm arrives.
Should I comfort my dog when they're scared of thunder?
Calm, quiet company is fine, but high-pitched reassurance can reinforce the idea that something is wrong. Sitting nearby and behaving normally tends to help more than fussing. Practising the safe space during calm weather with treats does the heavy lifting.
How tight should a calming collar be?
You should be able to slide two fingers between the collar and your dog's neck. One finger is too tight and risks chafing; three is too loose and the collar will flap and irritate your dog. Measure with a soft tape before cutting, not by guessing from weight.
When should I see a vet instead?
If your dog is injuring themselves trying to escape, destroying doors or window frames, refusing food for more than a day, or taking many hours to settle, book a vet appointment. Severe noise phobia often responds better to a combined plan that may include prescribed medication.
Size & Fit Reference
| Size | Neck circumference | Collar length | Typical pets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cat | 18–25 cm | 38 cm | Cats, kittens, toy breeds |
| Small | 25–35 cm | 45 cm | Puppies, Cavoodle, small terriers |
| Medium | 35–48 cm | 62 cm (cut to fit) | Kelpie, Cocker Spaniel, most adult dogs |
| Large | 48–62 cm | 65 cm (cut to fit) | Labrador, Greyhound, large breeds |
Most collars release for around 60 days once the sealed pouch is opened. Replace every eight weeks, or sooner if the scent fades.
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