Scared Maxy

S

sheltiegirl91

Forums Regular
I know i haven't been on in a while but max has kept me so busy. So there is something new with max.

One day Michael took max outside to go potty and a trash truck came and the noise scared max so bad that he is now scared to go outside and potty. I have to carry him outside and the only thing he will do is pee, which is bad because now that he won't go poo outside he is backed up.

Yesterday when i woke up i found poo on top of our dinner table, yes on top of the table. Max is very smart he has learned how to get on top of tables which is no bueno. Then as i was typing the first part of this max took a poopy right on the floor by the table.

I tried to take him out after the trash truck came or even before they come but living in an apartment there are millions of noises that scare him. He gets so scare he shakes When we go to Michaels parents house he is fine with going potty and stuff because there are no noises in the country except for his fathers cows and chickens but max loves it there. Does anyone have any idea what we can do to make max not so scared? :confused2:
 
sheltiegirl91 said:
I know i haven't been on in a while but max has kept me so busy. So there is something new with max.

One day Michael took max outside to go potty and a trash truck came and the noise scared max so bad that he is now scared to go outside and potty. I have to carry him outside and the only thing he will do is pee, which is bad because now that he won't go poo outside he is backed up.

Yesterday when i woke up i found poo on top of our dinner table, yes on top of the table. Max is very smart he has learned how to get on top of tables which is no bueno. Then as i was typing the first part of this max took a poopy right on the floor by the table.

I tried to take him out after the trash truck came or even before they come but living in an apartment there are millions of noises that scare him. He gets so scare he shakes When we go to Michaels parents house he is fine with going potty and stuff because there are no noises in the country except for his fathers cows and chickens but max loves it there. Does anyone have any idea what we can do to make max not so scared? :confused2:
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Yikes! Not good. I'm no expert by any means but from what I've seen recently, the best way to deal with fear issues is to re-introduce the trigger in a non-fearful way. I.E. make a recording of the sound and play it back to him very very quietly. When he doesn't respond with fear, treat him for being calm, praise him and show him you are both safe. Repeat with the volume slightly louder. etc..

Some animals don't respond to recording so if that doesn't work, you might take him to a park where you can control how close he is to traffic. Same prinsiple applies, get him comfortable and relaxxed and treat him for responding then move a little closer to the noise. Watch him for signs of fear and stop there.. let him get comfortable again and reward him for responding with a relaxxed attitude.

It's hard work and requires time but from everything I've heard, it should help. I had a black lab that got scared over loud noises and this technique worked for him.
 
Wow you poor thing Sheltie girl. What Strider said was excellent and the others will also have some great suggestions and advice too. Sorry you all are going through this :(
 
Strider said:
I.E. make a recording of the sound and play it back to him very very quietly. When he doesn't respond with fear, treat him for being calm, praise him and show him you are both safe. Repeat with the volume slightly louder. etc..

.
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If you use this technique, initially play the recording when he is eating - that way the sound becomes background noise. I used the technique with Deska for airplanes and thunder (it didnt work for the thunder tho).

Couple of other things you can do is just go outside with him for a minute or two then come back inside. I would suggest either playing or practicing some commands - both will provide a distraction and make going to the potty area less threatening. I would do this a several times a day.

Also, a technique I was introduced to by a vet behaviourist was to 'give permission' for them to bark at certain things. As you are in an apartment I dont know whether it would be to noisy. But basically my dogs are allowed to bark at some noisy things on my approval - and the garbage truck is one of them. I did this by firstly holding them when the garbage truck went past so they could see where the noise came from, and secondly, I barked at it. Didnt take them long to work out they could bark at it too. Of course garbage days now are mayhem, they actually love the garbage truck now because they are allowed to go silly! And barking at it gives them a 'job' to do.
 
Remember, never make a fuss or give Max a pity party. Act natural and like nothing's wrong, and he'll pick it up, too.
 
Chris said:
Remember, never make a fuss or give Max a pity party. Act natural and like nothing's wrong, and he'll pick it up, too.
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I do act normal but Max is still scared he just runs back to the door. I have tried putting his leash back on but when he has his leash on he is even more scared bc he can't run away and he begins to shake and then i have to carry him home and reassure him everything is okay.

Max will be 1 this month.
 
sheltiegirl91 said:
I do act normal but Max is still scared he just runs back to the door. I have tried putting his leash back on but when he has his leash on he is even more scared bc he can't run away and he begins to shake and then i have to carry him home and reassure him everything is okay.

Max will be 1 this month.
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But picking him up and reassuring him, you are actual promoting the behavior. Dogs don't see this as reassurance but reinforcement. The behavior will increase and stregthen as long as you do this. When he is scared on leash do nothing,stand their like nothing is wrong and wait, when you see any sign of relaxing then praise him quietly and treat if he'll take a treat. Any sign of nervousness ignore. Do the same when he reacts to any noise or is nervous.

My dog Jazz was scared to go into my backyard for some reason for a whole week, she go out front though. What I would do is go out into the yard by myself and play with a ball or frisbee(she loved them) throwing in up in the air or chasing it by myself(I'm sure my neighbors thought I was nuts) if she came off the porch I'd praise,if she didn't I play for about 5mins(2x a day) and then walked back in the house totally ignoring her. One day about 5 days in, she stepped off the porch and I praised her, she ran back I ignored her, She ventured out about 10 ft and I praised, she ran to me and grabbed the toy and we played, that was the end.She was totally back to normal the next day.:smile2:
 
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