Central Heating Problem

[Cathyandmolly]

Hi , I was wondering if any one can help me , I have a 8 month old Harrier pup , every time I turn on the central heating she runs outside scared , she has a doggie door so has 24 hour access to the backyard . 

 

The unit is in the roof, I turned it on this sunday and sat with her on the lounge to comfort her but she was so scare she was shaking, with winter coming I don't know how I can turn on the unit and have her calm . 

 

thanks in advance for any advise 

 

Cathy   

[Boronia]

1 hour ago, Cathyandmolly said:

Hi , I was wondering if any one can help me , I have a 8 month old Harrier pup , every time I turn on the central heating she runs outside scared , she has a doggie door so has 24 hour access to the backyard . 

 

The unit is in the roof, I turned it on this sunday and sat with her on the lounge to comfort her but she was so scare she was shaking, with winter coming I don't know how I can turn on the unit and have her calm . 

 

thanks in advance for any advise 

 

Cathy   

some ideas here

 

[Papillon Kisses]

Hi there! Sorry to hear about your frightened dog and heating woes. I had a noise sensitive dog with generalised anxiety disorder and OCD so I know how tough it can be.
 

I’d recommend seeking help from a force free trainer (Pet Professional Guild Australia is a good directory to check in VIC) who can show you how to desensitise and counter condition properly and refer you on if needed. Let me know if you’d like help finding suitable people.

 

I see a lot of people accidentally sensitise rather than desensitise their dogs, and I don’t mean by using food or comforting the dog as is mentioned in that reddit thread. You cannot, I repeat CANNOT, reinforce anxiety. Please comfort your dog if she seeks it.

 

An example of how things can go wrong is directly in the reddit thread where the commenter states that you should have the dog close to the trigger. They need to be far enough away that they are aware but not frightened. Too close and you’re flooding the poor thing, like if an arachnophobe was forced to have a tarantula facial. Another way things can go wrong is timing problems where the treat comes to predict the scary thing happening rather than the other way around.

 

A vet check is always worthwhile. Dogs with noise sensitivities and indeed behaviour problems in general (other types of anxiety, aggression, hyperarousal issues) often have underlying pain of some description, and there are other medical problems that can contribute to fear/anxiety/stress too.

https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/2/318

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2018.00017/full

 

Some dogs benefit from evidence-based supplements or medication for their anxiety if they’re too frightened for training by itself to be successful. When considering that it’s best to speak to a vet with a special interest and/or further qualifications in behaviour. A lot of products on the market have zero evidence behind them along with quality control issues, and aren’t necessarily safe for all dogs especially if you haven’t had that vet check to confirm that your dog is otherwise healthy.
 

If you could find some alternate heating in the meantime that would be ideal but I know that may be a lot to ask. Continued negative exposures are likely to worsen the fear, and generalisation may occur where she starts becoming fearful of other random noises too (vet behaviourists see that a lot in dogs with untreated/under-treated storm phobia for example).

 

Hope this helps!

 

 

 

Edited April 3, 2023 by Papillon Kisses

[Dogsfevr]

Do you have an air con & if so how did the dog react to that ??