My dog has been afraid of thunder lately, although it is not severe. I thought it's time to take some action on my part before her fear gets worse.

The Dumb Friends League (the largest animal welfare organization in the Rocky Mountain region) provides some useful information on what can be done to help your dogs with fear of thunder and other startling noises.

• Create a safe place (A safe location from your dog's perspective, not yours. Allow your dog to have access to the place.)
  
• Distract your dog (Encourage her to engage in any activity that captures her attention and distracts her from behaving fearfully).
  
• Behavior Modification (These techniques are called "desensitization" and "counter-conditioning" This approach must be done very gradually).
  
• Consult your veterinarian (Medication may be available for a temporary period. Do NOT attempt to give any medicine without consulting your vet first!).

The above only briefly summarizes the information. If your dog has fear of thunder, please click here and learn in detail about what you can do to help your dog safely cope with thunderstorms. The information also provides "what not to do" -- which dog owners also should know.

I bought a CD that has a collection of thunderstorms (nothing but thunderstorms. No background music), and play it regularly for my dog for "desensitization" purpose. (I'm finding, though, that using only a CD is not enough for my dog. Somehow she knows it is a CD. Real thunderstorms are more than just sounds. They also come with dark clouds, strong winds, lightening and the change of atmospheric pressure, etc. It seems like my dog is reacting to all of them combined together. I realize the need of multiple training methods for my dog.). At the same time, I took her to my veterinarian to make sure that she doesn't have any underlying medical condition that could make her particularly fearful of loud noises.

The following website articles also provide useful infomation.
Fear of Thunder, Sounds or Noises
Thunderphobia in Canines