Blow Dryer Issues

[yorkietalkjilly]

Hoping this works for your baby pretty quickly and go slowly but keep at it.

Donna, glad you weren't hurt or shocked and no fire or anything! Scary stuff!

[DBlain]

LOL this is not the first time I have had a hair dryer short out on me, but I thought it was so ironic since I had just spent so much time on this thread. the thing that bugged me was it was not that old

[yorkietalkjilly]

Originally Posted by DBlain

LOL this is not the first time I have had a hair dryer short out on me, but I thought it was so ironic since I had just spent so much time on this thread. the thing that bugged me was it was not that old

No kidding! I'll have to say reading that post about what happened so soon after the other one was surprising!

[Verbena]

Originally Posted by yorkietalkjilly

Don't soothe her or speak to her when she is shaking fearfully as that tends only to reinforce her fear and make her think you are agreeing with her fear reaction and shaking. When she stops shaking, praise her.

Desensitize her to the dryer a little every hour. Have her sit beside you, turn it on about 3 feet away from you and give her a treat. Turn it off. Turn it on and give her a treat. Turn it off. Turn i on and give her a treat. Turn it off. Do this 5 or 6 times and then release her to go about her day but leave the hair dryer lying around - on the couch, the floor, outside - wherever she is just have it there physically present so she will grow accustomed to its being around. But every hour that you are home, put it on one end of the couch, set her beside you and turn it on, treat her. Repeat until you have done this 5 or 6 times in a row and then release her to go about her day again with that hair dryer being placed near.

Get the picture? You are slowly but surely taking the power it has over her away by making it part of her day and its sound part of each hour. Believe me, if you will keep it up, she will grow quite used to that sound to the point that she barely reacts to it. When that happens, move it half way closer and continue with the 5 or 6 turning on/treating sessions and release her, remembering to keep that dryer near her as she goes about her day.

In time, turn it on and blow her with it, put it right down and treat her. Repeat a time or two and release her. You just want to do 3 blowing sessions but keep the sessions up hourly.

Before long, you can increase the amount of time that you are blowing her with the dryer and the times you turn it on and blow her hair and treat each time. Before long, she will allow you to dry her a long, long time and will be used to the whole process.

Slowly working up to and repetitively doing things often and over and over and associating them with delicious food treats will allow her to associate the dryer with food, which is good to her and will in time understand that it never does hurt her and she'll lose her fear of it and when that happens, she won't try to bite it or be scared of it.

But keep each training session very short so even when she feels fear, she will understand that it's over very quickly in only about 5 or 6 times and then she's free to go on with her life. And the fact that that drying(turned off) is everywhere she goes and everywhere she plays and even beside her food bowl will soon cause her to realize that mostly it is quiet and doesn't do anything and she'll learn it's not the bugger she thinks it is now

[Starlette]

I just ordered Hands Free Hair Dryer Stand, adjustable height.
Thank you, thank for your recommendation

Starlette

[MandiesMom]

Originally Posted by Starlette

I just ordered Hands Free Hair Dryer Stand, adjustable height.
Thank you, thank for your recommendation

Starlette

That's great! You'll love the difference with having both of your hands to work with