Extreme reactivity to spray bottles

[AllieMackie]

What the title says, basically. I've never used a spray bottle on Finnegan, for discipline or otherwise, and to the best of my knowledge, he's never accidentally been sprayed with one, water or otherwise. I asked the housemates and they don't think so either.

 

And yet... whenever I take out a spray bottle and try to use it on anything, Finn growls, snarls, lunges at it, and bites at it... inadvertantly biting my hands and fingers as well. He bites hard and with intent to harm the bottle. He's accidentally broken my skin and he made my finger bleed once, all in attempt to "kill" the bottle. He has good bite inhibition otherwise, this is the only time I ever see any hard biting from him.

 

I can't treat him while I have the spray bottle out, he lunges right for it and doesn't stop. I haven't tried anything else yet, because I honestly don't know how to deal with it - I just temporarily crate him while I spray whatever needs spraying, and he bark-freaks in his crate while I do -that-, too.

 

Any ideas on how to work him out of this behaviour?

 

Thanks in advance!

[sandra s.]

If he was lunging after something I was holding, I'd tell him to get stuffed! ETA: and once he stopped, I'd praise him for not attacking the poor bottle anymore.

 

But I love him even more now, knowing that he's such a brave little spray bottle warrior. Kessie absolutely hates that kind of noise as well, but she just really, really wants to leave when she hears one.

[Root Beer]

Any ideas on how to work him out of this behaviour?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

I'd go with Look at That. I'd start with other objects that he is neutral toward and once he gets the game, start with the spray bottle on a footstool a bit of a distance away and gradually move closer.

 

Once he is able to look at it with a neutral attitude when it is sitting on something, you could have someone hold it, but be sitting in one place. Once he is neutral toward that, the person could slowly move it around, and then squirt something just one time, etc. Slowly, though - always making sure he is calm and interested and not reacting to it.

 

In the meantime, I would shut him up in a room before I start using the spray bottle and let him out after I finish.

[desertranger]

I had that problem once. Surra loved squirt guns but hated spray bottles. It took a couple of weeks but I showed him that a spray bottle was nothing more than a squirt gun with a different shape. Start by gently and slowly squirting a stream of water into his mouth until he gets the idea to drink. Over time you change the nozzle from stream to spray.

 

Squirt guns, hoses and water bottles as discipline never worked for me. The dogs liked the water too much.