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Question
Hi I have a wonderful 8 year old male beagle named Scout. I recently bought a new house which he seems to have acclimated to perfectly. However, I purchased a CO alarm that went off when I plugged it in to alert me to put back up batteries in in and Scout understandably freaked out (trembling, scared). Now the little sound of my pager, which he has heard all of his life with no problem, creates the same response (no ear infection, no history of trauma etc..)I need to have my pager on for my job as a therapist and the vibrate option doesn't work for me...any way to desensitize him?
Hi Robin, Are you an MFT or a LCSW? I am a therapist also.
I have sort of the same issue with one of my dogs, he has been sensitized by the battery warning beep on the fire alarms. They turn him into a quivering mass of jello for the rest of the day even when we make it stop. Thankfully they only go off a couple times a year.
You can certainly use desensitization techniques however I do not have a real good structure to give you to achieve this. I havent personally done it with a dog. I would think it is somewhat similar to how we do it with humans but of course there are most likely some different nuances. I CAN direct you to Dr. Nicholas Dodson at Tufts University Veterinary School of Medicine who is known for his desensitization techniques with dogs. He has written many books and I know there is some info in at least a few of them but you may be able to contact the school or him and ask for consise info.
I hope that this is helpful and wish you good luck!
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Answers by Expert:
Have4Paws
Expertise
I am happy to answer BEAGLE BREED SPECIFIC behavioral questions. Please DO NOT ask CRATE TRAINING OR MEDICAL questions! I am not a vet nor an expert in the use of crates.
Experience
I currently have one beagle, a male age 5, an 12 month old Pit Bull, and a 8 year old min. poodle. I have had to let go of three of my dogs, 2 beagles and 1 whippet/rat terrier mix in the past 5 years, most recently my whippet mix. The two beagles lived to 15 and the whippet mix to 13.5, it has been hard to say goodbye to them. I have done rescue work on and off for years as well as fund-raising for the local animal shelter. I worked for a dog magazine in the past (Southern California Dog Magazine). Being a psychotherapist has encouraged me to do in depth studying of animal behavior as well. I have worked with many people to help curb undesirable behaviors in their dogs (or them!) or to form good behaviors. My life is devoted to and surrounded by my dogs........The picture you see here is Zeppelin but we also call him the "miracle dog". He was hit by a car April 2010 while out with the dog walker and had very serious injuries... 4 surgeries and $17,000 later my boy is whole again and back to loving life. He is so special to me and he weathered a lot of pain and trauma yet is still the sweet boy he always was! I also work to stop Breed Specific Legislation and help to get pit bulls adopted.
Organizations
HSUS, PETA, SPCA
DONT SHOP...ADOPT!!
Publications
Dog Fancy
Education/Credentials
I am a Marriage and Family Therapist licensed in the state of CA and am also credentialed as a Certified Addiction Treatment Specialist
Awards and Honors
Honored by the Agoura Animal Shelter for my volunteer work.
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