Re: Very scared lab [quote author=bbrown link=topic=8909.msg126784#msg126784 date=1417021598] If he's within sight of the oven you could leave it off with a bag of treats taped to the door and just touch the oven and produce treats from it and toss them to him. Then start slowly making the oven more scary but still have it magically producing treats. [/quote] I like this idea, with the oven off. Trouble is, it is hard to know which feature of the oven is the problem. A past burn? A high pitched sound that humans can't hear? As Julie says it might be hard to find the crux of the problem, and therefore hard to find the smallest possible version of this that he won't react to. I think it's going to be hard to find an appropriate distance to work at, or even any treat that he will be interested in eating, given how fearful he is. I'd try to isolate things that might be initiate his reaction....the light, the fan, the heat....
Re: Very scared lab [quote author=Morgie1983 link=topic=8909.msg126750#msg126750 date=1417006101] Thank you all for your input!! We think he may have burnt himself when he was a pup but wasn't sure if the smoke from the oven spooks him out!! We try to take him out while dinner is cooking but sometimes this can't always be possible!! [/quote] Do you mean you actually take him out of the house while the ovan is on or just out of the kitchen ? I'm just wondering what is he like in the living room, door shut, tv on ? If he is still nervous then presumably it's the noise if he can't see it although I suppose it could be the smell. :-\
Re: Very scared lab Our kitchen, dining and living room are open planned. Bit of progress today, it looks like it's the extractor fan above the hob!! Oven was on and he was fine but soon as I switched the fan on he was spooked!! I take him out for a walk when my partner cooks the dinner!!
Re: Very scared lab Oh well done on working out that the problem is more the extractor fan rather than the oven! So - can you cook ok without the extractor fan on?
Re: Very scared lab Oh that's a great discovery!! That is much easier to work on than something vague about the oven You can record it if you want, then you can try playing it at a very low intensity, with treats involved.
