[yorkietalkjilly]

Dogs can be frightened by almost anything. Sometimes it is a combination of things that happen that create the fear. Perhaps at the time of the flashlight incident, there was a persistent noise on TV, coming from outside(such as someone blowing an ultrasonic dog whistle), a police siren or tension among the people in the room or she was having gas pains concurrently. Sometimes it is a combination of things that happen together that leaves the dog being frightened of a routine thing that was going on at the same time. Right now your your girl's scare is related to flashing light and you've really gotten excellent advice here of how to start to get her past this fear. Any technique will work that will give your baby a new association with flashing lights and slowly change her fear to that of acceptance.

The key is to do short, desensitization exercises with her that for very, very short periods of time that expose her to the thing that causes her fear while at the same time she is shown how to have a different reaction with that thing.

I'd probably start out with some highly desirable treat - really, really special - such as warm, boiled chicken that just smells entirely wonderful. Take a piece of chicken and lure her into the living room with it in your fist as you keep it right in front of her nose and get her to follow you in there. If she will, walk her into the room a couple of steps and give her the treat. If she's go scared she refuses the treat, walk back out of the room and as soon as she follows you out, then treat her. If she will take the treat in the living room where she's fearful, that's wonderful and shows her fear is not going to be too hard to deal with. But either way, luring her into the living room with one and then either treating her when she walks in a few steps or as soon as she follows you back out, will slowly begin to show her that the living room is not so scary after all and, besides, she now gets treats when she walks in for a few seconds or as soon as she walks in, stays for a bit and walks out. Keep repeating that and slowly begin to lure her further into the living room with the chicken and rewarding her for going in there, either while still in the room or once she comes back out. Eventually, when you do this enough, she will want to do this exercise and will likely go in there on her own to encourage you to treat her. In time, this should result in her having established a new association with going into the living room - a good place that gets her treats and a happy mommie.

If she is so terrified she will not accept treats at all in or near the living room, see if you can get her all excited playing with a ball or toy, amping her up to an excited level and then throw her ball or favorite toy into the living room and see if she will go after it. If she won't at first, you might run in there after it and start playing with it, laughing and having fun, and see if she will come on in. If she will go in on her on, because you go in and play with the toy or whatever - as long as she goes in and get its and then comes back out with it or without it, give her praise and a treat. Keep repeating that and throw the toy in further and further over time. Make it so darn fun she is just dying to get in there and get that toy! Even rubbing some chicken or peanut butter on the toy is necessary with some dogs fearful of going on a room. Other dogs will chase a treat or chewie thrown into a "scary" room. Try everything you can think of to get her to go in there on her own and then she gets treats, a play session with the toy, etc., as her reward.

If she won't readily go into the living room using food or a toy, take her into the living room in your arms or in a carrier. Do not talk to her during these sessions if she is acting fearful or terribly alerted, looking around nervously. Sweet-talking or just talking to a dog during times of fear can act as a reinforcement of that fear - making them think that reaction is approved of by you. If she will take a chicken treat while in there, that is excellent. Just keep taking her in for brief periods of time and treat her as soon as she gets in. Slowly begin to extend the time - until she starts to go in on her on.

If she is too scared to take a treat while in the living room, try this. Take her in in your arms or in a carrier and sit down. Playing a CD of dog-laughing or happily panting, playing dogs during the time she is in there can really relax her. Just look up dog-laughing CD on Google and read about it. After 20 or so seconds, take her back out of the living room. Treat her or toss a toy, play tugowar, give her a chewie, when she comes out as a reward. Wait a little bit - about 5 minutes doing something else with her, happily playing or scratching her tummy, etc., and go back in for another 20 seconds or so, using a treat reward as soon as you go in there or have that CD playing. Out again, treat her w/food or play, wait another 5 minutes, the play, scratch, etc., and then take her back in. And that's enough. Go on with your day and again that night, try another 3 sessions for just those few seconds each visit in the room. And the next few days just keep taking her in there for the briefest of visits and then back out for treats/toys/playing/scratching or even treat chasing - anything fun between sessions and then back into the living room for a short stay and out.

If you will do that and stay very upbeat, matter-of-fact and calm during her short trips into that "scary" room, she will start to realize that it is not that scary and she is only in there for a short time and then right out again, after which she gets played with, scratched or treats offered. She'll be developing a new association with that room during each session and once you can get her to stay in the room without starting to pant or shake or alert, you should be able to start working with her using treats or a toy to lure her in. Once you can get her to associate that room with a special toy game or luscious treats, you are almost there!

Just keep working on that final part of the desensitization session with the treats or toys luring her in and rewarding her with a treat or play-session with the toy in the living room and letting her leave the room again after a little while, which you increase slowly over time.

Once each desensitization session is over, always let your dog outside to play or take her out on the porch, for a short, fast walk - anything to allow her to run off the tension built up by the short bouts of exposure to the thing that she fears. She needs that total break and a natural way to de-stress her body and little mind afterward.

Once you see her going into the living room on her own to get rewards and she can stay in there without alerting, panting or shaking and just acts normally again, REWARD YOURSELF!!!!! You have done a huge thing - you have taught a dog how to handle fear and deal with it little bit at a time until it is no longer powerful over her. You are quite the trainer now and your dog will love you for helping her not become a fearful, nervous dog.

Use the same techniques with a flashlight or any flashing light source - get treats or a toy, turn the light on very briefly, treat her or squeak a toy instantly - the moment that light goes on, stick that treat right in her mouth, flop around a flossy tugowar or toss a ball or chewie or something to distract her from the light for a few seconds as it is on or flashing and then turn the light right off. Treat her again. Try not to talk to her during these sessions as it can reinforce the fear inside from the light. Repeat that for about 4 or 5 times and then enough. Take her outside for a good de-stress, fun time.

Keep having little short sessions like that around flashing lights or TV shows on TV with flashing lights and in time, she will have slowly formed a new association with flashing lights - that of delish treats or a fun, wild toy-playing session and then a run outside.

It is so important to keep the desensitization sessions extremely short at first and to stay upbeat and relaxed during them. She will come to see that however bad her fear is, you are very calm and in control during the training, she doesn't have to endure her fear for very long at all, other nice things do happen during it and she gets a nice reward afterward. Slowly all of that works to take the power from the thing that she fears and begin to associate it with all of the good things that come from being around that once-so-scary thing.