Stormy weather....

So, I'm back. It took longer than I thought it would because life has been a little more hectic than usual. But with the weather report looking as bad as it is looking and our stress levels on over-drive, I figured this was a really good time to ask y'all for ideas and information. Again.

Same dog as last time (for those who missed my last sob story: dealing with a dog who bites.)

This dog does not like storms. It isn't just thunder or just lightning or some combination of those two, it seems to be heavy rain without either thunder or lightning. It's like he can feel the change in the barometer or something and he goes... nuts.

He howls.
He whines.
He tries to dig through the floor.
He runs from one end of the house to another.

He is not comforted by being near his person (we violated the crate rule on several occasions to try and get some sleep during long long storms and it didn't help.)

We've tried leaving him in his crate (which he doesn't mind during non-storm times and he even gets into it at night by himself if it isn't storming.)

We've tried covering the crate with a blanket to help him feel safe.

We've put his favorite toys in his crate.

We've tried moving the crate into a smaller room and a bigger room.

Do we need to take him to the vet for medication? Because at this point, I cannot imagine anything that works... though errr, have you seen the guy who sells some special red cape for dogs afraid of storms? I have to say... I'm tempted. I'll try anything if it means I can sleep through the night when it storms.

Help! Any ideas or is this one of those cases where we are going to have to either medicate him or live with it?

Denise