[Marhcarter]

Originally Posted by yorkietalkjilly

Your little one got very scared by that noise maker and is now paranoid, not knowing where the next really scary sound could come from. The remote might have reminded her somehow that it was a handheld object that scared her so.

I would just get that party blower out and place it on the floor and put a whole lot of delicious pieces of boiled chicken all over it and around it. Ignore her and allow her to approach and do what she will without your input - look away from her if she looks to see if you are watching. Just keep doing this until she is walking all over it and whatever you do, don't blow that again right now. Even when the treats are gone just leave it lying around in the floor, moving it near to her foodbowl, her bed, her toys, by the back door. In time she will associate it being around with good things and grow used to it.

Then, one day you can put it to your lips and clap you hands gently, treating her at the same moment. Do that about 3 times a day and that's all. Keep repeating that 3 times daily and then when she's not that scared, try lightly blowing it as you treat. If she runs scared, start over and put it on the floor covered in treats and go through all those same steps and then start with putting it in your mouth and clapping/treating. Keep working up until you can blow it and treat and it not scare her. In time, this will help her associate the thing that scared her with good treats and seeing it around in the floor all the time and slowly desensitizing her to the sound from it by little by little blowing it gently and treating will accommodate her to it.

You can cover the remote in treats on the floor as well and help her desensitize to it being around the same way.

Your dog obviously has an overdeveloped fear response to loud or certain types of noise so every time she shows this kind of fear, work to slowly and over time desensitize her to that noise and the object that made it by replacing her fear little by little with treats when the scary object is around or noise comes from it. Take it very slowly and do not try to "flood" her with sounding it a lot all at once and over and over in rapid succession. That type of attempting to desensitize a young dog can severely frighten them and cause them to become noise-phobic.

Just take it a little at a time and very slow. Be very patient and do not soothe her when she is shaking or acting fearful - that can further reinforce her becoming fearful by thinking you are approving her acting fearful. Do just the opposite - let her deal with the noisemaker on her own as she eats chicken and let time and the object being around all the time where she lives be the healer.

Wow, what great advice! I will tuck this away in my brain in case I ever need it for Huey or any future dog!