Tibbe had so many fears when I first got him but we've worked through all of them. Sadly, odd sounds he hears from the TV are his last bugaboo - today I was watching a TV show and a woman screamed and Tibbe got nervous - big eyes, ears back, standing out in the middle of the floor of the den to face whatever bad thing he imagined was coming. I began to laugh at him, tease him with my hand, poking and touching him and jerking my hand away and engaging him to get me back and before long, he was playing, chasing me and forgot the scream altogether. That's kind of how I got him over his fear of wind, just distracting him with other things to quickly get his mind off the thing he feared and before long, he'd begun to see that it was actually pretty fun to be out in it.

When I first got him, he would not have gone out to potty in that wind at all - even though he was desperate to go - and if I carried him out, he would have frozen in place. He did that once, a total downpour started while he was outside and he just froze in place, barrels of rain pouring down on him, thunder and lightening suddenly firing, wind swirling, and I had to go get him at the far edge of the yard - he couldn't make himself budge to come to me when I called him. He was too scared.

Gradually, in little bursts of wind as it occurred, he was distracted from and desensitized to it with play sessions/chasing bouts, treats, laughing, etc., made to associate it with fun and play, so that when it's very windy now, he seems to really enjoy it. And he loves cold weather.

The day it stormed so badly here and 1/4 million households' power was disrupted by the storm, some for days, Oct. 2, I came home in the beginning of that storm and the wind was gusting up to 50 miles, really howling, with leaves, limbs, pieces of everything flying through the air but I'd been away for so long, I knew Tibbe needed to potty badly. So I let him out in it to get his pottying over before the storm began to get worse. He dashed out, stayed right next to the house, did his biz and ran right back in with just a couple of minutes to spare before the downpour started. He got a big praise and treats.

We were just outside again and the wind is still really blowing, so strong I had trouble getting the door open against it and Tibbe's coat was blowing every which way! The den window is just cracked open as wider would allow in too much cold wind in. I can hear it blowing even with the home theater sound going. But cold air and wind sure feels good after months of heat and AC-living!!!

This got me thinking I'll make a more focused effort to distract Pickles when it's windy and get him to keep going. I tried it this afternoon and he never stopped - thanks for the idea! I bet cold air/wind does feel good - wish I knew what it felt like! 😃

Hope it works as well for Pickles as it did for Tibbe but he actually learned to associate the wind with fun times rather than fear and freezing in place or running to a hiding place. If he has deep-seated issues with fears/anxieties/insecurities, once retrained to like it, there might be a time or two he might revert to his old fear and begin to act scared of the wind again, but just begin to play with him or doing whatever he likes the most, and reset his mind on having fun.

I've even gotten down on the grass and rolled in it laughing out loud like an idiot to get Tibbe's attention off the wind and onto attacking me and the fun I seemed to be having(praying the neighbors weren't looking out the window!), which he does when I invite it. He loves to play rough and he totally gets into it - forgets his fear and jumps right on me and we play hard. Or I bait him to chase me and we're off. During training, I always carried treats that I tossed all over the grass to get him busy hunting those down or tossed a ball for him to chase.

P. S. Fall weather has got to hit you all before too long - it's the middle of October.

We're hoping for that, it was mid-eighties today. And very windy! Poor Pickles! (Lol) :rolleyes:
That must be a scene - you on the grass! We stay off the grass much of the time, there are lots of wasps in the grass in our neighborhood. Aggghhh, danger everywhere!

Mid-80's is still not autumn! When will we get good, solid fall weather?!?!?!

lol. I guess my neighbors are long used to the crazy things I do for dogs!

I've never heard of wasps in the grass! That's awful. I've seen one or two perched on a blade of grass over the years but mostly see them on bushes, window-, door-frames, flying and in their nests. Ugh - wasps in the grass are no fun for kids or dogs, huh?

We're 77 now, going to the low 80's next 3 days(:() and then into the high 70's. Not the 50's or 60's, but I'll take it. Beats the heck out of 90's and 100's, though.

It's gonna be in the 90s all week again - I mean, COME ON! BRING ON THE FALL PLEASE, already! I cannot wait for the 60s, 70s, even 80s. Still though, the 90s in AZ is indeed nice...bc it's dry/comfortable...so it's more like other places' 80s. I crave crisp weather though.

We started having wasps (or maybe hornets? But I think wasps) in the grass throughout our neighborhood a few years ago. It's weird and not sure why it's going on. Fortunately, it gets better in fall and winter. Otherwise, the boys go on the grass as little as possible. It would be nice to be able to roll on the grass with them someday. LOL!


Allegedly, we're going to have rain and 75 degree weather today, but I have my doubts, it's bright, sunny and warm already.

I sure hope you got the cooler weather - maybe it will work its way across AZ to TX! Here it is the 20th of October and the AC was running several times today!

The leaves aren't even falling around here! My huge tree in the front yard usually begins to partially shed its leaves much earlier than other neighbors' trees - usually mid or end of August and then more and more as the fall progresses. Usually by this time, the yard is covered with leaves between yardman visits! Both lawns are green and almost leaf-free, though the back yard tree is shedding some small leaves here and there! By Halloween, I'm usually turning on the heat. Well, that is only 11 days away and I'm not very hopeful I'll need any heat until mid-November at this rate.

What the heck is going on?

There are yellow jackets that build their nests in the ground. That night be the problem . .

Well just think you save on heating bills ;)

That may be it! I'm bummed it's throughout the whole neighborhood. It's been slightly better this year, fortunately and we didn't have the problem in our back yard this year - the small grass area we had is dead (drought here) and the wasps/whatever they are were not interested in hanging out on a dirt patch.

I cannot believe it! It's a mere 74 degrees at 6:00 p.m. The sun is easing up on us!

OMG Halloween was in the 70s for the low, and now just a few days later the highs are in the 50s! I am so cold! Then I turn on the news and all these states have been pummeled my snow. I should probably stop complaining.

We had a lovely dip into the low 40's - high 30's in North Texas Saturday night and it was wonderful! Got to wear autumn clothes at last this past week! I'm loving this real fall weather - can't believe it's finally here.