She is terrified of the sudden loud pops and hisses that my 1920's floor furnace makes, so I rarely turn it on, and we both freeze! She has the standard fear of fireworks, but is also terrified of other noises such as a smoke detector beeping, and any noise coming out of my computer speakers (but unafraid of TV or stereo noise). I am most concerned about her fears of the heater. She seems to be a German shephard/yellow lab mix.
2006-12-08 14:12:12 · 2 answers · asked by ckrunhard 1 in Pets ➔ Dogs
Basically, you need to get her used to the noises. Turn the heater back on, and completely ignore the fact that she is scared. Don't coddle her or say "poor baby", because that attention is actually rewarding her for being scared.
Just go about your business and don't react at all to the heater's noises or to her fear. She'll learn in time that there is nothing to be scared of. She just has to get used to it.
2006-12-08 15:21:14 · answer #1 · answered by Pink Denial 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
One of my beagles was a stray and had this problem to any sudden noises, even dropping light objects. This was due to her being abused. We finally (after over a year) have gotten her almost all out of this due to keeping on reassuring her that "its okay Gracie" and giving her love and making her feal safe when she is scared. She has gained confidence that she is safe and is not going to get hurt so it has slowly died out.
Good luck!
2006-12-08 22:16:10 · answer #2 · answered by Legal_Beagle 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋