Fear of the oven

 Wow I just found this post!  I have a 4 1/2 collie rescue name Taylor who was fine until I was cooking Xmas Eve and set off the smoke detector!  ACtually a couple of times until I took it down until I was done.  She seems to have become alittle recluse and goes upstairs and lays in her bed more.  I thought she would get over this and have played with her etc.  I read someone suggested gating off the exit to the room where they hide and wondered if this helped? 

Thanks

Pattie

With Mr. Sully (a collie at almost 9) and Ms. Taylor (a chicken collie at 4 1/2) 

Welcome to the forum, Pattie! No, gating the exits didn't help. He would just try to find other "safe" places to hide. Or he would sit or lay on the floor and shiver.

We're taking it slow, trying to desensitize. When the oven is off he has no problem. I can open the oven, put treats on the door, and he'll take them off. I've been trying to give him treats when the oven is on. Sometimes he takes them, sometimes he doesn't.

dgriego

mudpuppy

I can assure you that a dog with a serious fear of the oven would not be able to either remain in a down or be able to eat hot dogs in such a scenario; she would be trying to claw her way through the door, willing to cause serious damage to her own body or to others around her in her efforts to get away, and would only appear "relaxed" after collapsing from exhaustion.

yeh whatever mudpuppy

Your rudeness doesn't eliminate the fact that mudpuppy is right, at least about the inability to eat if the dog is too stressed.  We know that SA dogs have the same modus operandi, and that is also a serious fear-based problem.  Such dogs often do themselves severe harm, and bloody their lips and gums, paws, etc. trying to get to the owner, or out of their enclosures, before giving up in exhaustion.  The fortunate thing here is that Rupert's fear doesn't seem to be this severe, and I would submit that the best suggestions have come from luvmyswissy and kaf, thus far.  If a dog is able to eat, he is being classically conditioned to be near the oven.  If he cannot eat, he's simply too close to the oven, and should be started on the regimen at a distance that he is comfortable with.  Your suggestion is actually not "flooding" if the dog in question is relaxed enough to eat and continues to do so.  A terrified dog will usually not eat, owing to the fight or flight response - the terrified dog will often not only not eat, he will eliminate, thus lightening himself for the "flight" or signaling to a foe that he is not a threat. 

Is it possible that instead of a "fear" there's something about the noise that hurts his ears?  The reason I thought of that is because we frequently have hot air balloon riders from Napa drifting over town.  A friend of ours had a house that  backed up to a huge empty field and whenever a balloon came lower and made that "whoosh" sound when hot air is released, his dog went totally nuts. She'd shake her head and paw at her ears and he finally realized that it made her ears hurt.  Just a thought.

Joyce

spiritdogs

Your rudeness

 Yes MP is so nice with every post and I am ashamed to have been so rude.

spiritdogs

Your suggestion is actually not "flooding" if the dog in question is relaxed enough

 I bow to your superior knowledge. You may have the thread. After all I know nothing of Vizsla's and nothing about dogs and nothing about anything. Can you please hurry up and write a book so the rest of us can learn?

spiritdogs

Your rudeness doesn't eliminate the fact that mudpuppy is right, at least about the inability to eat if the dog is too stressed.

I would say: at least and only thing. And you have never been more right than now, if the dog is scared it does not matter if you put a new york steak, the dog wont eat it, just like if a person in hanging off a cliff and i offer him a hamburger to calm down.

But the whole "claw her way through the door, willing to cause serious damage to her own body or to others around her in her efforts to get away, and would only appear "relaxed" after collapsing from exhaustion." its blown out of proportion, imagination sometimes does that, you have seen the great dane video and he didnt do that, if you think thats an isolated example i have other video examples to help

 And this is why I try to stay out of the Behavior and Training threads.

 Sorry jano, if it gets too rough just ignore it.  Did you get any helpful tips for your trouble?  How is Rupert's fear now?  Is he any better or much the same?

espencer

spiritdogs

Your rudeness doesn't eliminate the fact that mudpuppy is right, at least about the inability to eat if the dog is too stressed.

I would say: at least and only thing. And you have never been more right than now, if the dog is scared it does not matter if you put a new york steak, the dog wont eat it, just like if a person in hanging off a cliff and i offer him a hamburger to calm down.

But the whole "claw her way through the door, willing to cause serious damage to her own body or to others around her in her efforts to get away, and would only appear "relaxed" after collapsing from exhaustion." its blown out of proportion, imagination sometimes does that, you have seen the great dane video and he didnt do that, if you think thats an isolated example i have other video examples to help

You are correct that if you drag an oven-phobic dog up to the oven, he won't take the steak.  If you start at a distance from the oven, and feed him steak where he will eat it, that's the point at which your conditioning exercise begins.  Who cares if you only get a millimeter closer to the oven each day as long as the dog is comfortably eating roast beef to get there?  The danger in flooding is that there are some dogs that will be completely traumatized by it, and, possibly, generalize their fear to the whole kitchen, the owner, etc.  There are dogs that will, lightning fast, "fight" instead of trying to flee, and the owner/handler will be bitten.  Especially for the amateur, flooding is not the way to go in most cases.