Scared of squeaky toys

[Caro]

For some time now Deska has been going outside when I play with Tully, and being quiet while he's outside. That's weird for him. He's also had a few other bad behaviours, he's becoming noise sensitive again and he barks at the door when I come home. When we went on our annual farm stay he was so anxious he wouldn't leave the cottage. Some of this anxiety got better for a while since I employed a dog walker but it is worsening again (they still got 2 walks a day before the walker, just very slow with my broken foot).

Anyway today I was playing with Tully on the floor and could not coax Deska back inside the house. Tully brought her toy outside while I was trying to get Deska and he promptly ran inside and wouldn't come out. It finally clicked - he's scared of the squeaky hedgehog, Tully's favourite toy. And now all the squeaky toys are making him anxious (not as bad as the hedgehog). That will be contributing to Deska's barking because I trained him to squeak a toy rather than bark.

I'm at a loss what has caused it. Is it the noise or did he get a fright. Am I dealing with hearing problem, anxiety issues or just the toy. It seems strange to develop a phobia of toys at 7yrs old. We did a session of desensitising but I had to pull out the big guns (some roast beef I've just cooked for dinner) to get him near it. Now the sessions over he's run outside to hide, so he obviously found it very stressful.

Anyone have experience with a sudden onset like this in an older dog? I'll post a video as soon as I find the video cord.

 

[trini]

Caro, I have had rescues/fosters come in with intense fear of some specific sound...and with no history to tell me "why" I have to work "blind" in setting up a rehab program for them. But the following has worked for me in all but one case: Make a recording of repeated squeaks from the toy and play this for several hours a day at VERY low volume (start with the volume so low that you can barely hear it)...watch carefully to make sure it is not stressing out your little one. After several days with absolutely no negative/fear reaction, increase the volume slightly...watch for any stress...if you see any sign of stress the volume is too high...decrease back until no stress reaction at all and stay at no stress for several days before increasing again...keep repeating this process (tiny volume increases at each step of the way) until the sound can be played at normal level with no fear reaction. This process can take weeks or even longer depending on how intense the fear is and the dog's own personality. Again, depending on the dog's personality, this may not a "permanent fix" and you may have to use the sound recording maybe one a week to maintain the gains you have made.

Hope this helps. It is always so upsetting to see a little dog you love being afraid of something that is harmless and should actually be a "happy" thing for them.

Trini

 

[Emmasmom]

You've had a lot going on and if I remember correctly both dogs have not been well. Could it be a pain response? I know sometimes with myself, a noise I have heard for ages can just set me off and make me really irritable. It would be the same for Deska - an accustomed noise becomes unbearable and scary.

 

[Caro]

You've had a lot going on and if I remember correctly both dogs have not been well. Could it be a pain response? I know sometimes with myself, a noise I have heard for ages can just set me off and make me really irritable. It would be the same for Deska - an accustomed noise becomes unbearable and scary.

I think you're right about the pain response.

I've been going through desensitisation protocols with Deska but they haven't been working. He'll do a little better during a session but then goes back to square one next time, which means we don't progress. So a few days ago I just removed all squeaky toys - and guess what, he's less sound sensitive to other things like, well everything atm, but he's not going looking for a sound to bark at.

I took him to the vet today to see if he had a problem with his hearing, plus his back or hips are playing up (more arthritis we fear) and he had a bout of haemorrhaging again. Vet (who's a behaviourist) agreed I should remove all squeaky toys because if he's in pain his anxiety levels are probably up and there's no point putting him through more anxiety.

On the whole he's still a happy dog, but it's sad to see his confidence decline - it's a reminder of how poorly he really is.