Right now we’re at the “sitting in the lobby and watching people get on and off” stage of desensitization.
I’m sure it’s been mentioned, but maybe she could benefit from a sponsor peer? Our puppy was a swimming sponsor for 12 years. Dogs who were terrified of water would come to the pool with our dog and would usually be broken of the fear at least in shallow water within the first 30 minutes. After 3 swims they were almost always on their own after that without any issues. There was only one dog that never swam and that was of a possibly abusive owner.
So maybe there is a puppy friend that she is fond of that can make her feel at ease? Hope it helps, good luck!
well it’s gotta be better than that woman whose dog is afraid of the floor.
Sounds like you’re going to get a lot of exercise.
Yep, nothing wrong with some mandatory stairs as part of every walk.
How many neighbors stop to say ‘hi’?
(I know I would! What smart and dignified pooch!)
About 50-50. And when I tell them “we’re facing our fears today!” They know not to get too close.
Try “you’re facing your fears today” for an even stronger reaction!
I’d say, “You’re about to face your fears today.” Add a little pending doom!
“LOOK OUT! THAT DOG IS A CLOWN IN DISGUISE!”
We’re fearing your face today
Lots of bacon in and around the elevator will change that attitude pretty quickly
Actually no, she was so scared she turned her nose up at treats. That was the first thing I tried! Little bit of shaking and trying to hide under the lobby furniture too (which I’d allow if she wasn’t nigh impossible to get back out). I’ve also been carrying her out to start so I can make sure she pees first or she’ll piss herself either in the elevator or in the lobby. She’s a COVID puppy who’s never really had to go on an elevator before this big stressful move (she’s also never moved before). We managed to get her socialized enough that she’s not going to bite anyone or fight with other dogs (she’ll even say hi sometimes!) but she was a very nervous dog to begin with, and we haven’t always been 100% on making sure to acclimate her to lots of different stimuli so this is a LOT for her.
Awwww
Thank you for taking the time to allow her to properly acclimate.
Figure out a really high value treat, and then make that the “elevator only” treat? I know when we were crate training, ours did not want to go in the crate, and it took a bunch of practice, lots of treats when he got close to the cage and even more when he got in. Now he demands to have his nap at noon and bedtime at 9PM.
He loves his routines (he has dogtism), and the more we’re able to do the same things the same way every day - food time, nap time, walk time, play time, bed time - the easier it is for him to roll with it when we have to change it up for some reason.
Hey it’s a long process. Take it very very slowly but it’s training like anything else. Have her look at the elevator. Treat everytime she looks at it… For days. Take a step closer days later and treat. Eventually go in the elevator but don’t take it, go back out to a safe distance and treat treat treat. Repeat for weeks. Practice the same thing other places with elevators in different environments. Eventually you’ll be fine, but it will take a lot of patience.
Gotta just reinforce around that threshold. If she can’t hold it together getting into the elevator, then lots of treats and praise just in sight of the elevator. If that’s too much, then just around the corner or through the lobby door or whatever.
If you can get some low traffic time at night or very early in the morning for some easy in-and-outs without the door closing, you can start to bridge that gap just in baby steps… So you can reward for every cue: Press the button, treat. Car arrives, treat. Chime sounds, treat… etc. But it’s hard, and pushing too far too fast can cause a significant setback.
And then you still gotta be super careful about encountering other dogs, or people who might trigger her… Which of course you don’t know about until the door opens.
My dog had a really hard time living in a building with an elevator… I will go to extreme lengths to avoid needing to do that again, lol.
reinforce around that threshold
Who wrote this, my CBT therapist??
Why? Have you been bad?
If I was, I would not be able to divulge that information for patient confidentiality reasons.
…yeah. that’s what I’m doing, LOL
Nice work! The other thing we found that helped is super high value treats. Our dog was terrified of cars and she still doesn’t like them but will get in and out by herself. Her normal training treats weren’t enough to even allow her to get close enough to start desensitization but some cheese was the ticket.
Perfect lol. You will get there then… Might still take some serious management, but it sounds like you’re on the right track.
If your dog does not freak out when picked up, you can hold him in the elevator while giving snacks, it can help get there faster.
P.S peanut butter can distract them as it is stuck on their tongue, you can try to give peanut butter right before reaching the lobby
