We live close enough to the railroad tracks that when the wind is right the noise is pretty loud in our backyard when the trains go through. So Abby acted scared and whined this morning when it came through.....how should I respond to her being scared to things? I don't want to give her the wrong signals. She bounces back really quick. It has happened with the train, neighbors dogs barking,etc.
Interesting, as the Norwegian trainer Turid Rugaas in her book, On Talking Terms with Dogs: Calming Signals mentions how she helped a dog that was terrified of the train going by - and they also lived close to the tracks. She told the owners to yawn and that worked.
My boy Mauser became afraid of gun shots after a fire works fiasco. Our neighbors have a gun range in their back yard (legal here in WI) so we had to find a way to 'fix' his fears so he would have fun outside instead of being afraid.
We took his favorite thing in the whole world - the Tennis Ball - and worked out a schedule with the neighbors. When they were going to shoot we took Mauser outside with the ball. We would get him really worked up about chasing the ball and then we would throw it just as the neighbors shot. It took a bit of work but now he thinks the gun shots mean playtime!
You have to find what REALLY turns Abby on and use that to overcome her fear of the noises.
Ignore the noise, don't make an issue out of it and just go about your business as normal, your puppy will learn from you the noise means nothing because you don't react.
I've always done this with noises like thunder, sirens and neighbour dogs barks
Mine was freaked out by balloons the other day, I stopped and took him over, and did not leave under he sniffed them and did not have the flighty attitude.
I have a 6 old GSD that has become scared of the back yard. The yard has a privacy fence. Does ok in the day time, but is scared at night. What do I do?
When you take him out at night, put him on his leash and first walk him in the front then go to the back - calmly walk him around the backyard. As he gets relaxed, then let him off the leash.
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