clara Posted August 16, 2008 Report Share Posted August 16, 2008 Ling has gotten over most of her strange fears, including the vacuum cleaner and banging dishes. She does leave the room if voices are raised at all, even in an exuberant discussion... so no political talk if we want the dog in the room! She is still scared of the fly swatter (or the dishtowel Trevor whaps around the house when he can't find the flyswatter). This summer I've noticed she has extended the fear to the actual flies, not just the swatter. If she sees a fly buzzing around the room, her ears go back, she tucks her nub and runs to the bathroom. How pathetic is that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoloRiver Posted August 16, 2008 Report Share Posted August 16, 2008 Solo freaks out if we turn on the main sound system with the subwoofer. He is noise phobic so it isn't a big mystery why, but it is very inconvenient because it makes it impossible to enjoy the sound system or watch movies in surround sound. He is sometimes OK if we put him out in the garage before turning on the sound system, sometimes not. If we put him in the backyard he stands up on both hind legs and scratches at the sliding glass door to come back in. If he stays inside, he paces endlessly and tries to dig through the floor. Next time I am going to try putting him in his crate in the car in the garage, which he likes hanging out in, before turning on the subwoofer, to see if that works. In the meantime, we mostly listen to music through a crappy little iPod stereo and the fancy sound system stays turned off. Fly is terrified of the backyard hose. Solo doesn't like it either, but Fly runs and hides if you pick it up, usually behind the grill. Jett is a normal Border Collie and loves to play "bite the water," but Solo and Fly both think hoses are laser death ray guns and don't want anything to do with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCStarkey Posted August 16, 2008 Report Share Posted August 16, 2008 Hello everyone, After reading through this thread, I have a question. Are those of you with dogs that have "hang-ups" about the things they encounter in every day life helping the dog to overcome their fears? Have you tried desensitizing them to these objects? Regards, nancy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lrayburn Posted August 16, 2008 Report Share Posted August 16, 2008 This is an interesting thread. Oddly enough, my little neurotic dogs are not afraid of anything in the kitchen. Even my very noise-sensitive Nell is totally happy in the kitchen - even with noisy things like the stand mixer and the blender - because there tend to be lots of good things to lick when I'm cooking. Nell and Ben are both terrified of the grinder and espresso machine at the coffee shop but are noise fearless within the confines of their own kitchen. Do you let your pup help with clean-up during the cooking process? Does letting the dog lick the bowl count as a desensitization program? Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate@JIm Posted August 16, 2008 Report Share Posted August 16, 2008 This is an interesting thread. Oddly enough, my little neurotic dogs are not afraid of anything in the kitchen. Even my very noise-sensitive Do you let your pup help with clean-up during the cooking process? Does letting the dog lick the bowl count as a desensitization program? Lisa Yes, I tried a few things, giving cheese when turning on the oven, ( his favorite treat) I did it in a quiet manner. Played ball with the oven on in the kitchen, but you can tell he really wasn't too into it. I think it actually drew more attention to it. I decided to "just let him be" he hangs out in the bathroom when the oven clicks on. And yes, they all get to lick the bowls and plates when we're done with dinner. - and there is always some leftover's for them. We make dog treats a lot and home cook dog food ( I make a batch each month) He knows the food in the oven is his! But still heads to the bathroom. He knows when the oven is off and comes out! Now that I'm semi-retired, I have more time to cook and experiment. So, he's spending more time in the bathroom! I've now had several border collies since the late 70's, they all except one, had a few quirks. This is a first with the oven though - I can live with this, no big deal. kate, Here's the big baby... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted August 16, 2008 Report Share Posted August 16, 2008 Shoshone came to us with so many issues - terrified of people, terrified of being inside a house, terrified of going in the car, terrified of being out of her crate, wouldn't let us touch her, would leave the room if we entered it, would cower and quiver if we picked up a broom or yardstick, jumped when we turned the tv on. The list of things we have successfully de-sensitized her to is very, very long. The rest of the stuff, that she still reacts to, just isn't that big a deal. If she can go to a quieter room when we vaccuum, she comes right back when we're done. It's not that big a deal, in comparison to where she was when we got her. She's still the Queen of Quirks, though, even with the scaredy cat ones taken out of the picture. Ruth n the BC3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCStarkey Posted August 17, 2008 Report Share Posted August 17, 2008 Hello everyone, Thanks for your replies Ruth, Kate, and Lisa! I agree that Border Collies tend to be a bit "quirky", but we can usually help them overcome their fears. Congratulations on your successes! Regards, nancy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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