My 7 month old lab puppy is really frightened of the vacuum cleaner. I've tried to carry on and ignore her, but she is getting worse and runs off down the garden as soon as I turn it on. When she finally comes back indoors she shakes like a leaf. I have tried holding her and treating her whilst it is turned on. I have also left if near to her bed (switched off) so she can sniff it and get used to it, but she seems to be getting worse. Whilst I like any excuse not to do housework, I do need to vacuum my floors regularly. Any ideas please. My older lab will let me vacuum right up to her, and even likes the extension nozzle on her tummy.
Lorna

One of mine is like this and even at 12yrs he still is not too keen. The only thing I found to help at all was to put him out of the room before the horrid thing was even taken out of the cupboard. Mine did improve as he got older but that was because he became more confident not anything I did. All my others were nothing but a pain leaping all over it and picking up the nozzel and walking off with it when I tried to use it. Try if you can to avoid upsetting the pup as each episode will make mattes worse, know it's difficult, can some one walk the pup whilst you do it. If you do that for a couple of months and the try to get her used to it again. Push around, motor off, then with something quiter like a razor running whilst you push it building the noise leavel up until you can switch the vac on without the excape to the garden taking place. Will be interested to see if anyone has the answer to this one, in case it happens to me again, it's a real problem isn't it. JH

I agree with what Jackie suggests; one of mine was never too keen, although she would let me vacuum she would always walk off if it came within 5 feet of her. My puppy loves the vacuum and wants to play so that's a different sort of problem - but easier as i can pop her outside the baby gate or in her crate or whatever. My new pup's breeder vacuumed etc whilst she was very young so she was used to it even before we got her, so there's no fear.

I expect your pup will get better but yes, I would start vacuuming whilst pup is in another room and gradually build it up, treats etc do help. My suggestion would be to do this slowly over a couple of months or even longer. Do let us know how the pup gets on - it's a problem isn't it!!

Lindsay

I am also experiencing this problem with our 4 month old lab puppy. I have tried some of the above suggestions to no avail yet. For the time being she seems happy to be in another room to the one being vacuumed with a selection of toys. The door I am presently leaving ajar, but will open more in time, hope this idea will work for me.

She also is not happy when the cooker extractor fan is running on maximum, yet a walk on Boxing Day half a mile away from the annual shoot proved excellent, no negative responses.

David

David, you can not compare the noise of a vacuum cleaner or extractor fan with the sound of gunshot, no matter how close you are to it :-) Gunshot is instantaneous and is diluted by outside forces eg: the wind and distance. You have also introduced your dog gradually to gun shot and it is a work bred animal. I would hazard a guess that most dogs first introduction to a vacuum cleaner etc, is when the owner switchs the appliance on next to the dog having assumed that the animal will not react! The sound of the appliances is a continuous drone. I would go with the other suggestions, put the puppy in a different room. At the end of the day, does it really matter if your dog doesn't like the sound of a vacuum cleaner? I for one, would find it a pointless exercise to try and vacuum a room with my dogs all running around, trying to retrieve bits and pieces as I try to clean it :D

Leigh

Leigh

Totally agree with all your comments. As this was the first gunfire my pup has heard,my elation got the better of me. So I feel this was more of a comment than a comparison. As this is the first work bred lab pup we've ever had, again I agree, the vacuumn cleaner negativity is incidental to the future of our lab. Although the convenience of vacuumning with her around in a calm composed manner would make life more convenient.

David

I think I'd take this in really 'baby steps' you say you've tried treating her while it's turned on - have you tried sitting beside it with some treats and waiting for her to come to you? When she does - treat her! ( Do you do 'clicker training' - this would be great here) Keep building her confidence for a week or so with it switched off. Once she is happy with this, push it around without the motor running and treat her every time she comes any closer........ Keep this going until she starts to realise - 'hoover = good things' then go back to sitting beside it - but this time with the motor running for short periods (if it's an upright this willl need to happen on a hard floor to save the carpets!) switch it on for very short periods and show her the treats - if she comes closer - she gets one, if she doesn't - don't make a fuss, simply get up and turn the hoover off - no treat. Once she is happy sitting with you with it running - you can push it around (actually 'doing the hoovering') and feeding her treats. Once this behaviour is established she can work a little longer each time for the treat, so that eventually she is only treated for good behaviour while the hoover is running at the end of the session......

HTH

Fran

Fran, are you the same Fran who gave a talk on Clicker Training at the Bracco Club AGM in Bucks? :-) Leigh

Sorry Leigh, this is the sort of thing I aspire too - but I haven't reached those dizzy heights yet <G>

Fran ....you have sooooo much to look forward too :D Leigh

Thanks for all the comments so far. I realise its easy to put her in another room whilst I vacuum, but I would rather her not be frightened of it. Interestingly, I bred her so she has been used to the sound since birth, but seems to be getting more worried by it lately. She also doesn't like the Kenwood mixer, but thats not a problem as I don't use it so frequently. And gunfire - no problem at all. She is such a bold little girl with most things so I hate to see her so worried about something.

Lorna :)

Hi Lorna
I know what you mean when you say that you hate to see your dog afraid of something. My older dog is frightend of the Vac too, but I've just resigned myself to the fact that she really doesn't like it, and I let her disapear off to wherever she feels safe (usually she nips upstairs and tucks herself in under my duvet!! - unless I'm vacuuming upstairs of course). My younger dog is the complete opposite and leaps all over me while I'm vacuuming - I don't know which is worse!
Scarlet tends to dislike noise and she really hates fireworks (November is absolute hell, and now the fireworks are starting up again around by us as people are celebrating the new year). She'll tremble from head to foot, pant, and pace about the house. I can't exercise her in the evenings because it frightens her to be out - and I worry incase she took off with fright. I've got some tablets to try her with this time if things get really bad for her. I was interested to read that you made a point of getting your pup used to the vacuum right from the start because I wondered if there was something more that I should have done to de-sensitise Scarlet to different noises when she was small, I did use the vacuum around her, but I wonder if playing tapes of firework noises might have helped to avoid the problems that we are having with her now. She is a gundog too, but I honestly think she'd run a mile if a shot was fired near her! :)

HI Leigh

Being nosey, was the talk geared towards gundog type training and if so, what was the general consensus of opinion? Were there any practical demonstrations with dogs? (As i said, just being nosey! ;) )

Lindsay

Lindsay, no idea .....the Grand Prix was on and I had 50 minutes to get from Bucks to Kent via the M25 :D Leigh

Oh right! LOL! :)

Thanks anyway Leigh

Lindsay

It's an interesting thing about the wave-lengths that a vacuum cleaner gives out - maybe one of you who's clued up with physics can answer, but we could actually change channels on the television by pointing the hoover nozzle at the screen. OK so it's bizarre, but maybe it affects some dogs by these odd wavelengths, but not others.

Fireworks affect our biggest, bravest, dog, who is definitely not gunshy. It's the ones that give the high-pitched squeals that freak him out - again - sensitivity to a certain wavelength, I guess.

Jo and the Casblaidd Flatcoats

arent they the oddest creatures . I had a rough collie who was scared to death in the dark never ever found a solution to it only to leave on the light .

Hi, I am no expert on behaviour but two things spring to mind. Around Nov 5th there was a post about a homeopathic remedy for fear of fireworks, do you think it might be worth trying that ?
Also how about hoovering at feeding time, so she eats her food listening to the hoover runnig at the other end of the house. Or, leaving the hoover running in another room and popping into "her room" to give her a very favourite treat a few times during your hoovering session?

Hello WL!
Thanks for the suggestions re fireworks and hoovering - don't laugh, but the vacuum actually makes me go all sleepy and I have been known to switch it on and curl up on the settee for a kipp!
It is interesting why some dogs are sensitive to these type of noises and others aren't isn't it? Scarlet is an excellent guard when we go out together at nightime.....but I often wonder what would happen if an attacker approached us armed with a hairdryer (not likely I know!) - I suspect she would not stand by me - but bunny off at a rate of knots!!LOL :)

My older dog was TERRIFIED of the vaccuum. She would tremble worse than with fireworks. What I did with her after getting tired of her shaking and running away every time I brought it out (which I have to admit isn't often LOL) was to bring it out and before using it I would put her favourite dog treats round it - hiding them at first just close to it, then on it, then even tucked away just under it. I would do this before and after using it. I did this for about a year before forgetting to do it. She now tolerates it - gives it the 'eye' tucks up on a chair and lets me get on with vacuuming. The puppy (okay she's 13 months, but it will take a while before I stop calling her the puppy) decided she was afraid of it today and went and hid upstairs so I will do the same thing with her. However, I knew today that Chelsea was cured when she lifted her head - saw we had it out, and then went back to sleep! So for me that method has been totally successful!