Anyone got any advice. We were all in the kitchen and I was serving dinner and Meg was in her basket being very well behaved and because I burned the sausages (no comment) I put the extracter fan on at it's top speed. It wasn't until a few minutes later that one of the kids noticed Meg was cowerring at the door and was really frightened. Now, she is nervous to go in the kitchen which is upsetting because it used to be her favourite place, where she is confined when alone, where she eats etc. How can I help her recover? for now I have unplugged the fan so we don't accidentally put it on again. She was used to hearing it, but at a low level. She is fine during the day but as soon as it gets to around dinner time she goes really quiet and depressed.

You can try the simple and direct approach :) :)
Put a pad on the kitchen floor, then lead her into the kitchen and both of you sit on the pad. Bring a book :) Have her lay down next to you. Then read your book and occasionally pet her. Ignore any signs of nervousness. If she relaxes, so be it.
If she doesn't : Give her about 20 minutes, then get up and (with her) exit out of the kitchen. Do it again in an hour or so. Then later on in the day. :)

When she relaxes, do the same thing perhaps every day 2x often until she gets back to normal. It should desensitize her. In fact, once she does get back to normal, Try having someone put the fan on high and just sit there as if nothing is wrong.

If you have a kitchen table and chairs, you could try sitting there instead of on the floor. (I don't, so I don't think about furniture ;) )
I hope this gives you some ideas.
Good luck,
toodles

The above method will probably work but if she finds the above method of going into the kitchen to stressfull at the moment try starting some small game outside the kitchen or at a distance from it where she is not showing anxiety.

Start to play a small game with her, whatever you do that she enjoys, running fingers accross the carpet at her feet? a toy on a string? play for a few minuits preferably with you on the floor and make physical contact with her. Eventualy just run down the game and go to a normal room when you've finished.

Repeat this a few times per day except each time go a little nearer to the kitchen each time, even if its only a foot or so, take you're time, several days if needs be before you get to the kitchen.

It's important to play if she will play as this activity is from a part of her character which will make the anxiety stimulation threshold increase, dureing the activity, and she will eventualy again associate the area with security or neutrality.

Just take time before you eventualy get her to the kitchen area if shes a nervouse dog.

Hi, Thanks for all the advice. Over the weekend she was going into the kitchen normally, but always looking around and looking very scared. I have made the kitchen a bit more exciting by playing with her in there more than usual and giving her some new treats as rewards (got the liver cake recipe from another thread). I have also tried just getting on as normal...she doesn't like it when I start cooking but instead of letting her leave the room (she never used to) I close the door and she seems to be getting better gradually. She won't hang around my feet waiting for bits to fall but she will cheww a toy in her bed (which is quite a distance from the cooker).
She has changed though, she was never nervous at all, ignores the vac, hairdryer etc but now she is jumpy with all noises. Will this go away or have I 'damaged' her permanently. i hope not.

Hi Pat,
Becoming nervous can be a part of growing up. Somethings are new and just noticed. Perhaps a dog's vision changes all of a sudden, I have no idea :) It's best to treat it as if nothing different is going on and ignore the behavior. They'll grow out of most "scares." :)
Don't "comfort" since it seems to give them the impression that "to be scared" is ok. Then it becomes habitual :rolleyes: I also sometimes stop what I'm doing to show whatever the item is up close. Familiarity breeds contempt ;) I either ignore the behavior or I direct a place to go which seems to help a bit.

For instance: Samma is terrified of fireworks now. When she was younger, they didn't matter so much. When she was about 5 years old, she suddenly started racing through the house, climbing onto me or my husband, and just making life miserable for all of us. It took me a while to figure out what would be best for her, but I started telling her to go to her crate (in our dark and quiet bedroom). She's now progressed to sitting quietly at my feet ---shivering and unhappy, but no longer "freaking out" :) Can't do much else for her.
good luck and enjoy your puppy :)
toodles

Hi Sara
I've just been saying much the same on another thread *Scared of Men* and also earlier in the year on the thread *My Obssessed Dog*.
Actually read an article about their perception, which you mentioned here, which I copied out onto the 2nd thread mentioned above.
I'm with you on ignoring the silly behaviour, and it is such a fine line between reassuring your dog and encouraging him/her (usually him in my experience) in the behaviour. :rolleyes:
Nicky :D

Hi Nicky,
There's also the issue of when a dog is scared or nervous and the owner encourages or pushes (force) the dog to confront what is making it shy.... That can backfire and create the permanent fear where nothing else will ever work in the future to make the dog "normal".

Knowing the difference and timing of how to cope ---either by releasing the tension in backing off (retreating), ignoring, or confronting is the hard part of being an owner :rolleyes: :( :( :)
toodles

Hi Sara
How right you are! :D
I always think with my teenage boys' phobias that *confronting* the fear would make it worse. :(
Much better to try and react normally to silly behaviour and try to carry on like nothing has happened whilst reassuring them without encouraging the fear. All v.difficult!
Nicky

hi
sorry but i would ignore the situation and carry on as normaly, use your fan , put it on at the low setting and carry on, if the dog is around don't let it see that you are concerned about the fan or it will pick up on the fact that it has somthing to fear, in time it will remember it has nothing to fear. and it was the silly old fan. regards tina

I agree with aoife, if you're dog is not very nervouse this is the quickest and best way if it is possible for that individual dog, much depends on the degree of nervousness really.
I suppose the main point is she can at some point regain her perception of the room as it was before the fan incident.