Why Is My Dog Scared of the Vacuum?

One thing most pet owners do not realize is that when they are going to meet the vacuum for the first time, they are going to be very frightened. There are many kinds of reactions that happen when a pet is going to see a vacuum for, the first time. The first reaction is going to be running away and hiding. Vacuums are very necessary to daily life and there is no way to get around them. So it is important to make sure that you can create a sort of positive experience as much as possible for your pet when it comes to the dirt and the way that he or she is trying to become familiar with the situation.

 

Why Are Dogs Afraid of Vacuums?

Dogs are afraid of vacuums, that much is clear. They are loud and they are very disruptive. All the vacuums out there are going to be scary to pets because they are going to seem like a foe to the pet. One thing that seems very scary to the pet is that they seem to pop out of closets as well as other locations without any warning. Although there are many other pieces of equipment that do similar things, it is important to see that there are many ways that these are very loud and difficult for a pet. There are many other kinds of vacuums as well that are self-propelled that are going to appear and make noise as well as move very unexpectedly in a way that is going to make them seem like they are living creatures to the pet.

 

Trying a Management Technique with Your Pet

One way to ensure that you can cope with cleaning day is to set up an environment for your pet while you are at work. You want to make sure that your pet does not have to confront their fears in a way that will keep them afraid. Instead, when you are going to be pulling out the vacuum, put your pet in another part of the house where it will not be so loud and you can ensure that you are going to be able to have a distance and a barrier.

Another thing you can do is ensure that you have a toy that will keep him or her active as well and that will allow you to know that you can camouflage the noise for the pet. That could come in the form of a television or a white noise machine. These are all ways to see how you might be able to not make things so loud.

 

Ensure That You Can Train Your Pet to Not Be Afraid of Vacuums

Another option is to work on your pet and their perception of the vacuum. The best way to do this is to train your pet to not be afraid of standing near the vacuum. If your pet learns to have no fear of it, it is going to ensure that things are not so scary.

 

How to Train Your Pet:

1. Get a Positive Association with the Sound: One thing you can do that will ensure that you are going to improve the sound for the pet is to fill your pockets with treats. That is one way to ensure that you are going to win your pet over a bit at a time. You will want to bring them into the room and then you want to ensure that you give him or her treats when they hear the sound. You are going to need to repeat this several times as they are going to have a hard time at the beginning with building that positive association. So, although it may take a minute if you focus on it you will be able to get him or her to be comfortable with the sound.
2. Make Your Dog Understand the Movement of the Vacuum: Another thing that is going to be very important is making sure that your pet knows and understands the movement of the vacuum cleaner. You want to make sure that you are going to let it see the way that it moves and feel comfortable with the way that it moves. The goal here is for your pet to see and to realize that the vacuum is not a living being but is instead something that does not react in the same way that it does.