My dog is such a wimp pls HELP!

[tyson'smommy]

Greetings all I have a almost 10month old neuterd boxer/pitt mix who is my 1st born. We are currently expecting our 2nd child (1st skin baby) in January.

Tyson (furbaby)we've had since he was 8weeks and exposed him to everything we could and enrolled him in puppy class. his mannerism could not be more social and friendly he dosen't have a mean bone in his body.

recently he was out on the porch when the trash truck came he has heard is several times before but I guess he never saw it? He freaked out and tried running through the glass doors I let him in and he was shaking uncontrollable like a 1st time mom my reaction was to immediately say "it's ok" and pet him and try to sooth him to no avail then I remember reading something about that I shouldn't do that cuz the dog thinks it's ok to react that way?

I now have one big scared BABY he is afraid of EVERYTHING with a motor. Trucks,suv,lawnmowers ,weed wackers everything the minute he hears it whether inside or in the car or outside he freezes up, starts crying, drooling and shakes uncontrollably untill the noise is gone.
Any advice on how I can help him get over this fear??

 

[Rlr.Giraffe]

The key (I think) is to just ignore it, act natural, laugh and be really confident whenever you hear a motor... he will be taking cues from you on whether it is ok or not. If he does hear a motor and doesn't react, praise him like crazy and give him a bunch of treats. Good luck in reminding him he's a boxer, not a fraidy cat :D

 

[Melgoglia]

I have a scardy Kat pup too.. :eek: get out a trash bag and shake it to put it in the trash can.. watch out run away pup scares her to death.. any loud noise..

not meaning to the other night I was clearing the table she got under foot and well I had a dish in my hand it slipped bonked her in the head and hit the floor.. there she was scratching off trying to get out of the kitchen not going anywhere.. I was laughing so hard tears running down my face.. the dish did not hurt her but the noise scared her.. after I calmed down I tried to let her know it was ok but she would not come in the kitchen.. I know I'm mean for laughing but if you saw her running and not going anywhere... I don't remember Brandy being like this but Abigail seems to be afraid of anything.. she's 8 months maybe its a stage they go through at this age?

Heck she will stare at the fireplace fixture, she can see her self in it. She will bark kind of howl at it not knowing she is seeing herself. :confused: If one of her toys gets placed infront of the frieplace she thinks the other dog is going to get her toy?? She is a riot sometimes keeps us all laughing..

 

[Jan]

You need to ignore it. At least don't consul him and tell him it's okay. You need to try and make it a positve experience. Grab his favorite toy and play with him. Make hearing noisy trucks a fun time.

 

[Tulsa-Dan]

Dogs go thru 2 fear imprint periods where socialization needs to occur. Please see the following ARTICLE

 

[lexintitus]

Lexi used to go bonkers with the vacuum cleaner (as most dogs will). However, we started training such as "on your chair" which means go to your chair (A La-z-boy recliner) and stay there...to a down-stay position while we vacuumed. This has niped it in the bud Now, when we vacuum or sweep the floor, it doesn't bother her. When we're done, she gets verbally praised followed by a treat. It took awhile for her to learn this, so patience is key.

Titus is afraid of alot as well. The other day I just moved a computer tower with my foot and he jumped like something had scalded him. So, I can relate to your frustration.

Hope you find something that works.

 

[Princess3604]

Princess was scared of my DVD player (not sure if she still is or not since i havent used it in a while).. but when ever it opened/closed she would go nuts barking at it and i would leave it closed for a minute or so and she will go up to it to sniff it and i will make it open again with the remote and she will take off running into the kitchen and turn around and bark at it again.. i know its mean of me to do that but its cute.. also when we play with her rope and one day i tossed it and it ended up landing on the DVD player and she just kept barking at it and would try to get it off with her paw.. it was so cute! shes such a goof

 

[Cami]

Try to anticipate what sets your dog off and then get them interested in something fun just prior to the trigger. It takes time and persistance but well worth it in the end.

When Cami was about 9 months old she started reacting to the sound of pots and pans. She wouldn't enter the kitchen if you so much as walked near the cabinet that had the pots and pans in them. My first thought was to just eat out.....LOL. I ignored her reaction to the noise and eventually she got over it. Now I often times have to scoot her away from that cabinet so that I can get stuff out.

Try a game of fetch with one of his favorite toys when the trucks start coming....keep his attention focused on you and the game and treat him when he continues playing.