It was a glorious day yesterday. I fastened my shoes, grabbed my phone and a poo bag, put Gus’s harness on and off we set, ready to enjoy the lovely sunshine. But that took longer than our walk.
Things started well. We marched down our drive and started up the lane. I waited patiently for Gus to have his sniffs to check out who had had been around, wondering, as I always do, exactly what he was sniffing. Our neighbour’s dog? The local fox or badger? Next door’s cats? Only Gus knows.
There were five stops between our drive and the turn to the hedge by Gus’s bête noire, the yellow Labrador. The dog wasn’t there, but just as we started up that final leg of the lane, a small digger truck started up in the garden. I could see flashes of the yellow bucket as whatever it contained was tipped out – and I have to admit, it was noisy.
Gus dug all four paws in. I tried a happy voice, reassurance, petting and treats, and even dragging him for a pace, but nothing would make him budge. So, Reader, I gave up. He trotted quickly back down the lane with me trailing behind. Then, just as we reached the turn, the noise stopped.
I am so frustrated. It was such bad timing. I’m most cross on Gus’s behalf. This experience, plus the one I told you about last week, will almost certainly create problems for me walking Gus from home – again. We’ll see what happens later today…
Noise sensitivity is a common problem with collies, and with some other breeds. It’s one of the few behaviour problems that can appear at any age – so just because your puppy seems fine with noises doesn’t mean they will stay that way all their lives. Gus has always been noise sensitive but it has definitely got worse this year- and he’s eight now.
Catherine’s been doing a sterling job over the weekend in our Canine Challenge Facebook group discussing what to do to help your dog get through the Halloween firework season. Have a look – she tells you all about preventing potential problems by practising fun games and setting your dog up for success by giving them a safe den.
The sooner you start helping your dog the better.
I’m off to start some work helping Gus cope better with digger type noises.
Keep training and stay safe,
Carol