Daisysmom Posted February 20, 2003 Posted February 20, 2003 Our little rescue puppy Chelsea is afraid of everything. We have had her since the weekend after Christmas, she is about 5 Quote
DogPaddle Posted February 20, 2003 Posted February 20, 2003 Desensitization/Positive re-association? Find the things that upset her and do them repeatedly while playing with a toy she likes, playing a game she likes or doing the tricks/commands she knows for treats. You will probably need two people for this. Or if problem is severe try talking to the vet. Is she always high strung or nervouse or is it just certain things? Quote
mouseatthebusstop Posted February 20, 2003 Posted February 20, 2003 I agree with dogpaddle. loads of cuddles :D Quote
pawpaw Posted February 20, 2003 Posted February 20, 2003 i had that problem with MiMi if i sneezed, she ran away like i was mad at her, and she wasnt even a shelter dog/didnt have a history, i got her from people that let the dog run lose and it got pregnant .. anyway we play alot and if i can, i make some of the weird noises she affraid of so they become regular. the only ones she has a problem with now is the vacuum and someone knocking on the door ( but i think that gets all dogs excited in some way good or bad) plus i got one of those little doggy back packs so she could be near my chest while i was walking around, cleaning or what ever, so when those "bad" things happend she was right there and i could instantly comfort her and avoid chasing her. i think running after her started to scare her more when i was only trying to comfort her. (i dont know how big your puppy is so the backpack thing might not work..lol but just sharing) :) Quote
alicat613 Posted February 21, 2003 Posted February 21, 2003 Keep doing that stuff, but never baby her. My dog is a bit of a chicken. He knows that if I say "it's ok" that it's ok. But I say that normally. Never coddle them, that will only encourage the behavior. Good luck! Quote
courtnek Posted February 21, 2003 Posted February 21, 2003 Alicat is actually correct. The things that soothe human babies (kisses, cuddles, "everythings fine") dont work on a dog. When they hear that, they assume that you are saying they are "good" for the behaviour you want to stop. It kinda reinforces itself. And becomes a vicious circle. It's in our natures to soothe when someone/something is upset. The best bet was the earlier suggestion of distracting the pup with something it likes, and then making the noise. Does she like to play ball? throw a ball and move the chair. It will probably fail the first few times, but over time she will come to associate the noise with good things, and then they wont bother her anymore. There was a story I read once about a dog that simply stopped eating - period. Would not take any food from her bowl. But if you put her outside she would eat ravenously. It turned out that a baby gate left lying against a wall had fallen on her while she was eating, and now she was afraid of her food bowl being in that spot. They fed her outisde for a while, then brought her bowl in and put it in a different spot. While she was eating, they dropped the baby gate ont he floor. The first few times she startled and wouldnt finish eating, but after a while she got used to it and then things returned to normal. They made sure to leave the baby gate in the closet after that! It;s usually the little things that cause the most trouble... So if you find something pleasant for her to do while making the noises she doesnt like, you can train her with "positive reinforcement" to not be afraid anymore....Hope that helps. :D Quote
Daisysmom Posted February 21, 2003 Author Posted February 21, 2003 These ideas remind me of an episode I saw on Good Dog U. A poodle was afraid of thunder storms, and they kind of made "play time" out of "storm time" and it eventually helped. and, yes.... she is the nervous type, but I really wouldn't call her hyper. Thanks everybody :D Quote
courtnek Posted February 21, 2003 Posted February 21, 2003 You are welcome, Daisymom! Hope that helps. Dogs are different than us, and respond to different training - she'll be OK once past her fears.. Quote
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