Expert: Anne Springer, B.S., Dip., CAPCT - 2/1/2012

Question
Hi,

We have a dog (that we got from a rescue 4 years ago and is about 4years old now) that is extremely fearful of something coming from the sky when she is outside.  This behavior consists of looking up in the sky and then cowering and walking over to a place underneath a tree where she usually lays down. There is nothing we see in the sky during these times, no planes or big birds.  Some days the behavior is worse than others. This behavior is not always prevalent since she will play with our other dog often (as if she forgets about whatever is up in the sky) but then goes back to her usual self and cowers and runs back underneath a tree.  She also does something similar when she is inside the house (but not as often),  she looks up at the ceiling often as she lays on her pillow.

We have tried using a Thundershirt which has not helped.

She does have other  issues (fear of loud noises, storms,  unknown things and then flees to a safe place) but the outside issue is what is concerning/bewildering us  and how we can address this. We do not know her background when she was a puppy but we do know she was abandoned and found on the road.

Would love to receive feedback about this.

Thank you,

Brad

Answer
She seems like an anxious dog from your description.  If this were my dog, the first thing that I would do is to have a complete veterinary examination done, explaining to your vet that you are worried about this specific type of noise phobic behavior and the possibly "stereotypical" behavior of sky gazing.  I would request a full thyroid panel to be done as well, just on the off chance that the generalized anxiety could be related to such a physiological imbalance.  I would ask the vet to send the sample to Dr. Dodds' Hemopet for analysis.  If you like, you can try some of these benign solutions to see if they help:
Try the dog in a Thundershirt - this is a "wrap" for dogs, sort of like a baby bunting, that makes some dogs much less anxious.
Use a DAP collar.  DAP stands for "dog appeasing pheromone" and is used as a calming aid.  
Some veterinarians suggest supplements such as Harmonease or Anxitane.  These are relatively new so if your veterinarian doesn't have them yet, or has not heard of them, here's a link:
http://www.deerrunanimalhospital.com/site/view/197334_MedicationsforNoisePhobia.
Good luck!