Wussy staffy x Pug

[lynyona]

This lovely group as been helpful on many occasions I posted this on another on of my dog groups at the weekend
As anyone an ideas what to do with my wussy dog .She is a staffie Pug Cross just over 3 years old. She has a terrible aversion to noise.. I have just got a new microwave and when it beeps when you press the buttons or beeps when its done she turns into a quivering wreck ..any beeping sound bin truck reversing vans reversing .I don't know what to do with her ..The replies I got suggested that I get a dog trainer as she needs something called Positive Association. I have since looked into this and in our financial Circumstances there is no way I could afford one. Is there any videos on You tube or good book that anyone can recommend .I get the general idea of what Positive association is and seems straight forward now whether Miss stubborn will get it is a totally a different matter.Any advice would be grateful .Thank you

 

[Inka]

Positive Association.

In reality is is just positive reinforcement. If you give your dog a reward (praise, play, food, toys, etc.) when he responds to you or offers an action or a behaviour that you like, then that behaviour is likely to be repeated. Your dog learns that good things happen to him when he does the thing you like.

New noise she hasn't heard before, for positive reinforcement you would ping the microwave and feed her meal/s, simply as you feed her daily it is a reminder to you to do it, so you get into a consistant habit, so the ping will become a "I get fed"...

Now if your dog is REALLY noise sensative, then record all and any beeps she is scared of, put them all together and play them on the lowest volume possible so you can't hear it at all, play it as and when you can after a week increase the volume still so you don't hear it and so on, until you hear it at low volume before you get to that stage of hearing it your dog will be well on its way to accepting these beep are not frightening and nothing bad happens when heard

 

[JoanneF]

Can you turn off the beeps from the microwave?

 

[Dibbythedog]

Dogs have very sensitive hearing , Im wondering if the pitch of microwave is actually painful for her.

 

[Jjohnd]

I contacted the Vet recently regarding similar problems to yours. They recommended a CD of noises called 'Sounds CD' by Company of Animals. I bought it from Amazon and ever the pessimist that I am, I started playing it each morning and can definitely see improvement. We just act normally and don't fuss or praise her. We are only into the second week of playing the CD and the dog is so much more relaxed and happy and if she is happy then so are we. Good luck which ever method you use.

 

[lynyona]

I contacted the Vet recently regarding similar problems to yours. They recommended a CD of noises called 'Sounds CD' by Company of Animals. I bought it from Amazon and ever the pessimist that I am, I started playing it each morning and can definitely see improvement. We just act normally and don't fuss or praise her. We are only into the second week of playing the CD and the dog is so much more relaxed and happy and if she is happy then so are we. Good luck which ever method you use.

Thank you very much I will try that .My smoke Alarm battery was going yesterday and because when the batteries low they beep she was a quivering wreck bless her

 

[Hemlock]

Smoke alarms have the same effect on me too.