Boxer mix Tammy is so afraid of folding chairs that she refuses to go out the back door when the chairs are there.
Earlier in the summer, she had been peacefully sleeping outside when her owner came out, quickly opened a chair and just as suddenly, dropped it. The shock, the clatter, the sound and vibration of the chair as it hit the patio, startled Tammy so thoroughly that she ran and hid for hours under the shed in the backyard.
Since then, she has eyed the chairs as if expecting them to spontaneously implode at any moment. No one can convince her to come outdoors if one of the menacing objects is visible.
Tammy isn’t the only dog with a seemingly irrational fear of
a stationary object.
There is Jeremiah, an enormous Great Pyrenees that can be barricaded in the kitchen with a child’s safety gate a mere 2 feet in height. Jeremiah could easily step over the gate. Except he once bumped into it by mistake. It made – to Jeremiah – a terrifying din when it hit the floor, so he keeps a respectful distance from it at all times.
We’ve seen dogs with fear of stairs (Watch Your Step), riding in cars (Riding in Cars With Dogs), the kitchen (The Dog That Hated the Kitchen), the outdoors (The Great Indoors) and being alone (Independence Day).
The worst thing you can do is to make a mountain out of an already terrifying molehill.
Don’t push your dog into confronting his demons. Instead, take a low-key approach.
Feed your dog his meals as close to his nemesis as he can tolerate, but not in his bowl. Scatter the food on the floor.
Each time you offer a meal, one or two particularly choice pieces (like bits of plain cooked chicken) just happen to land closer to the object.
Take it slow. If your dog is hesitant and balks, retreat an inch or two and work your way forward.
Be a calm, quiet, patient presence. Don’t talk, demand or cajole. Let your dog find his own way.
For more help with your dog’s fears, read The Cautious Canine by Patricia McConnell or consult a professional dog trainer/behaviorist.
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