Humans can't calm Fido's fear of thunder

Dogs that are terrified of thunderstorms are only calmed by the presence of other dogs, not humans, a new study suggests.

Veterinarian and researcher Dr Nancy Dreschel of Pennsylvania State University in the US and team report their findings in the current issue of the journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science.

The findings support the theory that dogs benefit from the companionship of other dogs, particularly during stressful situations.

The effect becomes even more pronounced for thunderstorm-phobic dogs, whose outrageously high anxiety levels were measured for the first time in this study.

Humans can't calm Fido's fear of thunder