I had a very old thermostat that didn't work properly and just installed a new one that makes a clicking noise when turning on and off. My Riley has a rough time with high pitched beeps and runs for cover to the bathroom when she hears a smoke detector or anything of the sort go off. That being said, she now does the same thing when the new thermostat turns on and off. Last night she wouldn't even go into the kitchen (right by the thermostat) to eat dinner. Any thoughts on how I can train her to not be so scared? I am going to try showering her with treats over the next few days when it turns on and off, but I also don't want her to get used to that either. Thank you in advance to anyone who helps!!!!
I wouldn't give her loads of treats as she might then cotton on to the fact that if she runs from the monster thermostat , she gets treats and may do it more, and yes, they are clever enough to work this out I would be very matter of fact about it, don't make a big deal out of her fear of it as you could compound her fear even more , just chat away as normal when the noise starts , could you also move her just a little further away from it to eat and then very gradually move her closer ? They really can be very sensitive at times , my Sam hates anything different too, like big bad plastic bags blowing around in the wind , she will be fine in time I`m sure .
How old is Riley? It sounds as is it's more a case of de-sensitizing to a noise. How is Riley with police/ambulance/fire sirens? Does she react the same. What you need is something that makes a similar noise and set it off when she is sitting quiet and reward her for staying quiet. at first just a few seconds and gradually increase the time. Others may have better suggestions
We'll I was amused and had to read your post but of course it's not funny for Riley or you. I would be struggling between ignoring and using a similar sound to train with. So I can't help but I hope it all settles down soon and please let us know what worked.
Thank you all for your suggestions! I tried to move her bowl away, but she was resistant to that change haha. However I decided to try and work around when I knew the thermostat would go off, and then allowed her extra time to go back to her food if she did get scared. Riley is about 2 1/2 and she isn't super fond of any loud noises like sirens, but has definitely become better over time. I have been acting as normal as possible when it goes off and have given her a treat/nice back scratch when she doesn't run away. It has worked!!!! Depending on what she is doing, she still notices the sound but overall she doesn't hide anymore! Thank you all again for your suggestions!
I'd make a recording of the thermostat on your phone. Put it on a loop if you can. Put the phone near the thermostat. Have Riley at a distance from the thermostat (where she can hear the soft sound but doesn't show signs of fear) and have her do some really simple stuff for great treats (just sits and drops or tricks or whatever she knows well. If she's attending to you and responding to your cues then you know she's calm enough and is coping. You can then keep her at that distance and turn up the sound a little bit. Repeat the exercise of responding to basic cues for lots of treats. Then turn up the sound a little (only a little). Go slowly and build up to the normal sound level of the thermostat. You can repeat the whole exercise with her a little close, but with the sound right back to soft again. Anytime you move her closer, go back to the soft sound and gradually build that up. Oh I just realise this thread is old and you have already fixed it Great!
