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From: debbie@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Debbie Forest)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: Re: Wimp-dog
Message-ID: <16340@bunker.UUCP>
Date: 10 Dec 90 03:44:46 GMT
References: <16069@bunker.UUCP>
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Fidonet: Blink Talk Conference

Index Number: 12421

In article <16069@bunker.UUCP> Carla.Campbell@f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org writes:
>Y'all might remember my talking about my wonderful mutt-guide, Chance
>Recently, though, I have noticed a growing problem.  He is _terribly_
>afraid of sharp 'cracking' noises-- fireworks, circus-animal tamer-type
>bull whips (in a circus setting! sheesh! Get yer minds back outa that
>are sharp-noise free.Does anyone have any advice on breaking him of
[Text deleted]
>this?  Would increased exposure to these sounds with accompanying praise
>help, or would it just make him worse?  

i STILL can't figure out how to email successfully to you fidonet
people (either that or my mail goes through but noone ever answers
me :-) so i guess i have to post this.

first off, you are making a big (but extremely common) mistake.
you shouldn't be comforting him while he is afraid.  dog's minds
don't work the way ours do.  to him what you are doing is praising
him for being afraid.  so by comforting him you are actually
encouraging his behavior.  probably the best thing to do when he is
off in a total panic like that is just ignore him.  if you have to
do something, them make a correction.

now to get him to quit acting that way you have to condition him to
the sound that bothers him.  i have a dog who is TERRIFIED of
thunder.  i'll tell you how the experts suggest you correct this,
the same method should work with your loud noises.

1) make a tape recording of the sounds that bother him.  

2) make sure he IS afraid of the sounds on the tape recording.
play it back nice and loud and make sure he reacts to them.  if
not, try again with step 1, or maybe with a better quality
recording.

3) when the dog is calm and happy, play back the recording VERY
softly.  probably soft enough that you can hardly hear it.  if the
dog reacts, quit, and next time play it even softer.  if he doesn't
react with fear, PRAISE him, play with him, pet him, feed him...
whatever he likes.  make him feel HAPPY with that sound going VERY
soft.

4) every day (if possible, less frequently if needed) play back the
recording just like in step 2, PRAISING him every time he is good.
each day make it just a teeny bit louder.  if he reacts at all
badly, shut it off, then the next day play it softer again.

5) eventually you will get him to the point where you can play it
very loudly and he won't react to it.  by then the noises
themselves shouldn't bother him either.  every time he is around
the noises that did bother him without him acting afraid, praise
him.  if you find a particular noise that still bothers him, make a
new tape that will include just whatever noises still bother him
and proceede like before.