puppy got scared... twice

[baileysdad]

this is how it went down:

1st scare:

I'm walking Bailey with my wife the other night, as we're heading back home (around 11PM) we pass by our neighbour's house who also has a 1 year old golden retriever, their dog starts barking loud and scares Bailey so much that he jumped from fear and came and hid behind my legs. We had no idea her dog was tied outside at that time, late at night and we could't see her. Bailey usually has a great time playing with this dog, but neither he or we had any idea she was there. Bailey is almost 4 months old... can this cause any permanent fear?????

2nd scare:

(my mistake) I'm sitting down on a patio chair last night chatting with some friends in our back yard. Bailey is with me, and since he was tired, he had fallen asleep by my feet. I took his lead and tied it oround my chair to be safe in case he decides to get up and walk away (not that he ever has). All is good, he's tied, I'm right there and he's sleeping. I decide to get up, go to the fridge and grab a beer, not worrying about the dog since he's sleeping... well, as I'm walking away, Bailey decides to get up and follow me, not realizing he's tied to a chair he dragged it with him; this scared him as the chair made noise, he started to bark (almost cry) of great fear, not knowing what was going on... running away from the chair that was following / chasing him.... Poor dog, my fault!

I hope these events don't cause any permanent damage.. I'm usually very carefull with him, but not this time, I should never have left him tied to the chair without anyone sitting on it!!!

Ideas????? Opinions???

[brunie's mom]

Your pup should be fine.
If he has good nerve strength he should be able to recover quickly with no problems. If every little trauma affected a healthy puppy...there would be alot of crazy dogs around.

Probably more important is what you did when the scares happen. The best is to be cool and not make a fuss about it or to laugh out loud.

It's human nature to want to make a fuss over the pup and to soothe it...it's not the best thing to do though.

What happened after his scares? Did he bounce right back??

Gina

[baileysdad]

Right after the scare, I started telling him that its OK, pet his head and back for 1/2 a minute or so, called him to me, gave him a treat, walked him for a few minutes and then he settled like nothing had ever happened.

[plato23]

Originally Posted by baileysdad

Right after the scare, I started telling him that its OK, pet his head and back for 1/2 a minute or so, called him to me, gave him a treat, walked him for a few minutes and then he settled like nothing had ever happened.

I wouldn't comfort him when he is scared, or even reeling from the effects of it. It'll just reward him for behaving that way and he will always behave that way.

Plato has a thing with barking dogs( hes 9 months, a fear period from what I hear), so during a walk when I get to a block or two away from my house which I call the gauntlet cause there is like 5 dogs who spend 90% of the day in the yard...I make it a point to walk right past them and react properly. I just keep moving like I am on a mission and if he cringes, which now since I have been working on it he almost never does, I just pop the leash and keep moving and say something like "Come on lets go" in a calm stern voice.

Every time he is exposed to some new noise and he seems spooked, if you act like its no big deal, he will grow to learn as long as it doesn't scare you, then it should'nt scare him, eg. a car backfiring, or fireworks. The first time Plato heard fireworks he was like "what the hell is going on", lol. But then on the 4th of July he slept right through them and was his usual self, snoring like a little rhinocerous, lol.

[baileysdad]

thanks for all the advice...

[mrrsteelers]

Plato's right on. I was walking one of my pups (11 weeks old) today when a neighbor started sighting in his rifle's. 1st shot scared him pretty good. I paid no attention and by the 4th or 5th shot he didn't either.

[guppyfry]

Your puppy will be looking to you for guidance in how to react in fearful situations. If you act unconcerned, Bailey will know that there is nothing to worry about. Keeta was a year old when I adopted her and afraid of everything, hiding behind my legs or trying to run away from all perceived threats (I suspect she was tied up all her life and was never properly socialized). All her puppy-hood must have been a scary, traumatic experience, but pretty soon, as she developed her bond with me, she started to look to me as a leader and check in with me when confronted with something unusual (like thunder, or gasp! STROLLERS for example). Seeing my lack of interest, worry or concern, she would visibly relax and carry on walking or playing. A year later, she is a very confident and self-assured dog, her fears replaced by healthy curiosity. When she used to act afraid, I always ignored her reactions and kept on walking. Doing anything else, (petting her, soothing her) would have only re-inforced that there was something to be afraid of.

[SABELLESMOM]

The more calm and steady you are in instances like this, the less he will feed, negatively, into it. If you act all "Oh poor puppy! That must be so frightening, poor little baby-waby." That will mean to him, that he is "right" in being afraid.

Calm, standing straight and paying no attention would certainly be better. But the last instance, and in all fairness, he would be a bit frightened to move and find a noisy monster chair following him! But if you'd laughed or smiled broadly, and gone to help, without feeling sorry, he would respond better.

You want to raise a confident pup. Choose to act in the way that would help him. He's not damaged by these things. He'll have to face many things in life that are a bit scary and frightening.

Loud noises? Fireworks as was mentioned above? Ignoring, paying no attention to the sound works. If you can "Oooh and Ahhh!" and be cheerful, excited and encouraging, you'll be helping him along his way to being a confident adult!

Have fun! Enjoy this special little guy!

[janinetj]

I'm having similar fear problems with my 4 month old, he is petrified by the lous noises of trucks especially the dustbin truck, i keep percivering and taking him out when i know they'l be about but he is so scared he tries to run and hide but cant as is on the leash.