Comment

Comment by Derrik and Wrigley on September 12, 2011 at 10:50pm

Positve reinforcment, find something that he is comfortable with (saying it's okay and petting his head for example that's what I do) and show this action any time the pup is scared by something. This just worked great when I introduced the vacuum to my 11 month old three or four weeks ago!

 

Comment by Julia on September 5, 2011 at 8:48pm

I've known pups, including my corgi, who have strange fears. In my experience, most of these fears were outgrown as the puppies grew to know the world better, what is normal and what isn't. Some of the fears remain. I'm not suggesting that you just wait for your guy to outgrow this, since he seems a bit extreme. But I suspect that many of these fears will quiet as he gets older, and you will have fewer to deal with in the future.

Beth and Jane have some good advice. I would stress not holding him, especially on his back with his muzzle held. That position in itself could induce fear.

I've had some success with Lilli's fear of thunder with a Thundershirt. These seem to work to calm some dogs, but not others. It couldn't hurg

Comment by Beth on September 5, 2011 at 12:53pm

I agree that you'll want to work with an in-home trainer who uses positive training.  You're looking for counter-conditioning and desensitization, and the timing on that can be tricky.   It's an involved process that involves getting the dog to learn how to look at another object on command, and also look at you on command, in a non-threatening environment.  Then you need to work with gradually exposing the dog to things that don't put him over threshold.  He's still young so you have a good chance at success.  In the meantime, try to expose him to as many situations outside the home that don't frighten him as you can.  Play around and see how he is.  If he's ok in a quiet park, take him there.  PetSmart?  Friend's backyard?   Wherever he's good, get him out and about as much as possible while you are working on what he's afraid of.

 

Good luck!

Comment by Jane on September 5, 2011 at 12:00pm

I would highly recommend a puppy class or a private trainer. It does sound like he just wasn't exposed to these types of things as a pup and finds them to be scary now as he gets older. Chasing puppies with a broom doesn't really sound like appropriate socialization on the breeders part...

 

You could try conditioning him to be less afraid, but I would still recommend you consult with a trainer.

http://www.aspcabehavior.org/articles/14/Desensitization-and-Counte...

Basically what you would do is have a treat pouch with really good treats. Approach the bike from a distance and as soon as he sees the bike stop walking and start giving him treats. You do NOT want to push him over his threshold and have him go crazy, the idea is to keep him in a calm state around the "scary" thing. Once he's comfortable at that distance then you very slowly move closer. This will take a lot of time and patience.

 

When he goes crazy barking the best thing to do IMO is just remove him from the situation. If there are people outside that may set him off I would immediately bring him in and sit with him in a quiet room until he calms down. I wouldn't hold him or coddle him as that can reinforce his feelings that something really is wrong.

 

 

Comment by Christine and Meeko on September 5, 2011 at 12:53am

For the pups sorry

Comment by Christine and Meeko on September 5, 2011 at 12:52am

I got him at 10 weeks old by a breeder met him mom and dad I do know that they didn't have toys for the pipe but she would play with a broom and they would Chase it around which might be why he is afraid of the broom?

Comment by Beth on September 4, 2011 at 10:09pm

Where did you get your Corgi?  And how old was he when you got him?   Extreme fear responses can be any combination of genetics, lack of early socialization, or extreme frights during crucial developmental periods.   

 

Knowing a bit of background might make it easier for people to help, though you may need a very good private trainer to help minimize this.