[madcity_mike]

Sofie is almost 12 weeks old. I vacuumed and she flipped.. ran in my room.. and wouldnt come out until i carried her out.. she wouldnt eat food.. looks miserable and went to her kennel. Is there an easy way to approach the vacuuming thing? i dont want to have to put her outside when I vacuum forever. Is it a phase.. is there a way to get her used to it. I dont want her to get stressed out! Any advice would be appreciated! Mike

 

[dixiedi]

Hi Mike, the vaccuum is a very scarey thing, not only to puppies but to adult dogs as well. I would put Sofie in her crate where she feels safe whenever you run the vaccuum and after time, she will learn that it isn't going to harm her.

 

[madcity_mike]

thanks dixie- Im new to the puppy world.. I'm just sorry i caused her this stress! I will put her in her crate!

 

[Guest]

Our Patty (who is prone to being a "nervous nelly", easily startled & frightened) was really, really terrifed also. To help her get over it, we would leave the vacuum out (unplugged) near where we'd play with her. After a while she got comfortable being near it & while she was really engrossed in play with one of us, the other would turn it on for a few seconds, then a few minutes, etc so that she became desensitized to it & eventually didn't freak out anymore. She no longer reacts to it unless she is asleep & doesn't realize it's near her when we turn it on - she'll startle awake but doesn't run away or tremble anymore. Our doodle Odie just sleeps thru it all. It's important not to reinforce their fears by petting them or cuddling them when they are fearful - that gives them the signal that being afraid is good because they get extra love & attention. Just act like it's no big deal & the pup will learn from your confident leadership.
Good luck.

 

[madcity_mike]

great advice to work with! i so appreciate it- shes still moping in her kennel.. i feel awful. Im having company tomorrow but will wait until shes outside tomorrow morning to "do the deed" lol.. thx again

 

[Jac]

Hi Mike, welcome to the forum.
Poor little Sofie! She is at an age where she is aware of more of her surroundings.
Watch her closely if you put her in her crate while vacuuming because it seems that she is TERRIBLY afraid and you don't want her to feel trapped. She needs to have a way to escape. I do agree that her crate is her safe place...you might want to get another crate and put it in a room that will be quiet when you are vacuuming and let her go in there.
Here is an article with a section on dealing with dog's fear of vacuums, I hope it helps!
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Conten ... C=0&A=1612

 

[Jannie]

Hi Mike

Our dog was scared of the vacuum too, but got it over it fairly quickly. She used to hide when she heard it, or even saw it, but now she chases it and barks at it like crazy! Hopefully Sofie will get over her fear when she realizes that it won't hurt her.

 

[wannadoodle]

Mike, You have gotten great advice here. Good luck. My little maltese is the opposite...she hates the vacuum. We have to crate her to keep her from killing it. She already chewed the hose on one. when I go to get it out, she immediately starts attacking it even before I turn it on. She doesn't like for me to open my cleaning supply closet either. Furniture polish, air freshener, all of these make her very angry. I simply can't clean very often :wink:

 

[tojak]

I have an opposite problems Nezzie loves the vacum...loves to try to have the suction next to her face.eat the nozzel so to speak ...She will cry if she is outside to get in to play if Im running the vacum...I thought it was cute and funny till I took her to the groomer and they said she tried to eat the hairdryer and gave them a fit....
Zoey on the other hand was terrified of the sweeper ..until she saw Nezzie trying to play with it ...Now the two of them give me a fit when I run my Dyson "the animal "
Which by the way is a great sweeper with dogs....

 

[K9Summer]

Everybody has given great advice. My Summer is also a "nervous nellie" and she eventually got used to the vaccuum with no problems, but the ironing board used to just send her over the edge. We would put the ironing board on the ground and put food and treats all over it. We left the treats on top of the ironing board all day, and after a while she went up and ate all of the treats. I would try that on the vaccuum too. Just leave it out all day or when you're playing, and put yummy treats or food on it. Don't force the issue and take things slow. Good luck!

Bridget

 

[mssteuer]

Both my dogs (Pacha, the fearless one - not afraid of anything or anyone / Maggie - the more, let's say, careful one) are both afraid of the vacuum, even now at age 1+ years. As soon as they see my wife or me take it out, they make sure they're out of the way and when it's turned on, they go onto the balcony until we're done...

In any case, just wanted to confirm that's it's normal behavior, nothing to worry about, and for most dogs it'll last a lifetime