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Pupforum presents your training questions answered by professional dog trainers.
Simon has a Bachelor of Science in Zoology and Psychology and specialized in Canine Behaviour. He was recently the first New Zealander approved for membership to the IAABC, and he is also a member of APDT Australia. Simon founded Dog Guru in 2002. Dog Guru has helped hundreds of dogs and their owners with training and specialist problems, and is also a dog trainer for the ministry of Education. Simon lives in Auckland, New Zealand with his wife Michelle and two golden retrievers. Sherlock is often used as a demonstration dog in schools and retirement villages. He was also used as a demo dog in the Auckland pet expo in 2004. Training is always using positive reinforcement.
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7/27/2006
I have a year and a half old male American Staff named Chaos. He's a perfect dog in almost every way; loyal, well mannered,
he listens, is good with people & children & most all dogs (not cats though). I just have one problem-HE HATES THE VACUUM CLEANER & THE BROOM!! I have to put him in my car to clean! Is this common? What can I do to help him get over his fear of the vacuum cleaner & the broom? (jenn, Nova Scotia)
It is actually not that uncommon for a dog to be afraid of the vacuum cleaner. What you have to do is to get the dog used to it.
Step 1: Have the vacuum cleaner off but lying on the ground and every time the dog goes to smell it or walk around it reward the dog for ignoring it.
You can have it on the floor for a couple of days so that the dog gets used to the fact that it is not going to hurt it.
Step 2:
On about day 3 pick up the cleaner and pretend to vacuum the floor but don't actually turn it on. Reward the
dog for ignoring it or at least not freaking out. Do this for 2 days.
Step 3: On day 5 (sorry it has taken so long to get to this step, hope the house is not too dirty!) turn on the cleaner for about 2 seconds and then stop it.
Sit down and once again reward the dog. Do this during the day and don't exceed 20 seconds on this day of vacuuming. Continue to reward the dog.
Step 4: Over the coming days increase the amount of time for which the vacuum cleaner is on. Ensure you keep rewarding the dog. If it is scared just go back to step 1.
And don't comfort the dog when it shows discomfort as this is not the habit we want to get into.
Do the same thing with the broom so it is not a scary thing to use.
Good luck!
Simon Goodall is now a member of IAABC (International Association of Animal Behaviour Consultants). This means the information you receive is the most up to date.
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