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Motorcycles and loud cars

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Roxie Contact Me Starting Member (7) Posted: 11/3/2010 1:04:30 PM	I am having problems the last few months walking Roxie. I find that whenever a motorcycle or car with a loud exhaust is near.....Roxie freaks out. As well, I live in a condo facing the front entrance. Motorcycles and cars come and go all the time....and yes, Roxie goes crazy. I have tried ignoring her,calming her and even using a dominent tone of voice...nothing seems to work. Has anyone heard of the phermone collar or plug in? Does it work?

sands904 Contact Me Site Administrator Posted: 11/3/2010 1:44:42 PM	Hello Roxie! I too had a dog that was afraid of loud trucks and motorcycles. When he was a puppy he would cower and run to the other end of the yard whenever one went by. It wasn't long before he turned to chasing, barking and growling at them. Fears if not dealt with promptly and properly can turn into aggressive responses. That being said the best thing you can do for her is to use Positive Reinforcement training with her. This is what I did with Lance and he is no longer afraid of trucks or motorcycles and does not lunge and bark/growl at them when on walks. We are still working on him wanting to chase them as the go down the street when he is in our fenced in backyard but by learning 'Leave It' he is MUCH better with this. When you take her for walks make sure to have some of her favorite treats with you. When you hear a loud motorcycle or car feed her a treat. Don't worry about what she is doing at first you are just trying to associate the sound of the scary object with the goodness of the treat. If she will not take the treat from you then you will have to find something better in her eyes and/or be farther away from the vehicle. Baked chicken, hot dogs or Natural Balance roll are some of the best according to my dogs [:D]. It should't take long for her to begin looking toward you when she hears something scary. When she does this reward (treat) and praise (good girl) her. You will most likely even see her posture and demeanor change upon the approach of a motorcycle. She will begin to appear more happy to hear such a sound because that predicts good things now instead of scary things. Once she starts to consistently look toward you you can begin to phase out the treats and just tell her 'good girl' or something like that for reacting calmly as the cars go by. I hope this helps!!! Keep us posted on her progress!!!
michdwy Contact Me Starting Member (14) Posted: 11/5/2010 6:48:00 AM	I haven't really anything to add to the excellent suggestions made by sands904, except to back up the positive reinforcement method. I don't know what the phermone collar is, but as a general rule beware of these artificial aids. They can only mask a problem, I think. It is essential to gain the trust of Roxie, she will gradually gain confidence as she realises that the noise does not harm her and that it means a treat. Please follow the suggestions carefully.
sands904 Contact Me Site Administrator Posted: 11/5/2010 7:07:21 AM	I forgot to mention, yes I have used the D.A.P collar on one of my other dogs, not the one I was describing that was afraid of the loud cars. I don't know how much it really helped as I was doing a lot of work with him at the time on being calm in the house, outside, around strangers, around other dogs, etc. He is doing much better in all these situations so the collar may have helped... I do have the plug-ins also. It may just be me but they do seem to may the household calmer. There are also things called Flower Essences most notably Rescue Remedy which does also seem to work. It is an all natural flower extract solution that helps keep the dog calmer so you can work with them in stressful situations. Might be worth checking out. Again, best of luck!!!
Roxie Contact Me Starting Member (7) Posted: 11/5/2010 12:04:35 PM	Thanks for the replies [:)] The minute I get home from work....the new motto in my home will be "positive reinforcement method" I will give you an update in a few days.....

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