Building Confidence in Sound Sensitive Dogs

Very few us enjoy being scared or startled when we’re least expecting it. Dogs who have fear-based behaviors feel exactly the same way. That’s why it’s so important to build confidence in shy pups by giving them some kind of control over their environment and showing them the life isn’t unpredictable.

Alisa, a mixed-breed dog with a sweet face and huge ears, came from Taiwan two years ago. Sadly, she had a traumatic start to life after being hit by a car and developing a fear of strange noises and movement. But things began to look up when she was adopted by Phillip Sun, a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner.

Phillip has been working to build Alisa’s confidence through humane training methods and tools like the Pet Tutor automatic feeder. But they ran into a snag when Phillip realized that Alisa was scared and cautious of the feeder. After all, there was no way she could predict when the treats would come out.

That all changed when Phillip connected the PupPod toy to the feeder via Bluetooth. Alisa suddenly had a way to control the treat dispenser all on her own. According to Phillip, she had a sudden realization that she controlled the pet feeder with her own behavior. Touch the toy and a treat comes out! Almost immediately, the fear and confusion went away.

In Philip's own words, "The problem was control. Despite my initial best efforts to counter-condition, Alisa couldn't figure out what was triggering the Pet Tutor to dispense.  With the PupPod, Alisa had full control, instantly removing all confusion and related hesitation/fear."

Because the PupPod is a high-tech dog toy with numerous levels and controls, Phillip was able to set it at the lowest level with the sound off. He also placed the PupPod on carpet in order to manage her fears of noises. Over time, she has moved up to Level 3 where she is practicing listening for a doorbell sound effect as a cue to touch the PupPod and earn her treats. Best of all, she’s having fun, learning new skills, and becoming more confident every day.

"Being able to setup the PupPod & Pet Tutor combo, I'm able to work on Alisa's separation anxiety in the form of mealtime game play away from me."

If you’ve been looking for a fun way to help your shy dog gain confidence or overcome a fear of scary noises and objects, PupPod can help them learn to control and predict their environment.

If you want to learn more about Alisa and follow her and Phillip’s progress, find them on Instagram @alisa.fmd