[alaskayorkie]

Excellent thread! Yorkies are always the smallest thing in the room, so I think it's natural for them to develop a fear of things they don't understand. It's part of their survival instinct and is actually a good thing. You don't want them investigating snakes and cats and big dogs on their own.

That's been one of the biggest challenges I've faced trying to train them. In agility, Eddie was terrified of the teeter-totter because it made a loud bang when it hit the ground. He never really got over that, I think because I babied him too much at first. He's also afraid of fireworks, flopping fish, unexplained noises. ...

With Jillie, I've tried to not only expose her to new stuff, but to watch my own reaction when we encounter it. I don't make a big deal about it if I see she's afraid. She sees I'm not afraid, so she gets over it. We're practicing walking over incline boards now, and she's shown some fear. I just pick her up, place her in the middle and let her walk down. No reward for the fear, but a big reward of treats when she does what I want her to do.

A trainer once told me not to reassure them by saying "It's OK" when they act scared. She claimed that the lesson the dogs get from that is it's OK to be scared. I'm not sure I believe her, but it's worth keeping in mind as you're reassuring them. I always ask myself "Is it helping?" Often, my answer is no.

With a flopping fish, I think I'd just matter-of-factly remove the fish from their view and not say anything. The dog would learn that I've got their back and will take care of the scary stuff. I don't want my dog sniffing slimy fish anyway, so there's no need to waste my time training them to accept it.

Good luck!