Rub a dryer sheet over his coat.

At least that's what a co-worker told me she heard. And she is adamant that it works. I googled this and only found a few references. Supposedly, during a thunderstorm, the air becomes 'electrically charged' and dogs are sensitive to it. Rubbing them with a dryer sheet neutralizes it somehow.

I'm not so sure I believe this one. Is there any real science here? If so, why can't I feel this 'charge'?

Yeah, the reason could be that the anti-static effect of the chemical in the dryer sheet could cause the dog's hair to calm down, and not be affected by the electrical charge in the air.

I suppose it feels really weird for a dog to feel its hair standing on end for no apparent reason. An aroused dog's hair will lift naturally, and maybe there's an (illogical) association there in the dog's mind:

"When I'm mad or scared my hair lifts.
My hair is lifting; should I be mad or scared?"

At the very least I would use an unscented dryer sheet. And I'd try to find out what chemical the dryer sheet is impregnated with, in case the dog could be harmed when he later licks his coat.

I have a dog who is petrified of thunderstorms. I also tried medication and it totally knocked out my dog and made her sick. I would definitely not recommend using medication. I did buy something called the Thundershirt, which is a shirt that you wrap around your dog to help them calm their anxiety. I was shocked to find that it really helped calm her down tremendously, would definitely recommend this solution.

Anxiety wraps for dogs is an old concept. But instead of spending $36, I used to wrap my dogs (fairly tightly) in an old T shirt of mine. It worked quite well. People who had any baby clothes can used a baby's shirt.

(Funny that your email is @thundershirt.com, Maria. You wouldn't have a financial interest in that company, would you? I assume you know that I bill for ads, and report non-payment to local BBBs.)