# Help with barking at vacuum cleaner



## sanja68 (May 8, 2008)

All of a sudden, Tashi started barking when I run the vacuum. It has me baffled 'cause she's not afraid of anything else. The fireworks didn't bother her; she doesn't bark at motorcycles when we're out for a walk; and the sound of lightning and thunder hasn't bothered her either to give you an example. But when I start to vacuum, she goes crazy barking at it. (I've kept it out for her to see all the time by the way.) Yesterday I tried just turning it on and not moving it and kept talking to her but she still barked at it. Then I sat down with her and let her feel the handle with her mouth (vacuum still on) and kept talking to her. Then I decided to hold her in one arm while I vacuumed the carpet and that worked, she stopped barking. Before I finished, I then let her down but then she started barking at it again. What can I do?


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## Lonewolfblue (Oct 28, 2007)

Have you tried really good treats? If she will sit by the vacuum while it's on, try some good treats. Can even say Good Quiet when she's not barking, and treat some more.


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## Esther (Jul 2, 2008)

Perhaps you can try turning it on in a different room when you feed her. Turn it on before you give her the food and turn it of before she finishes. Far enough away for her not to go barking. Then slowly move it closer while she's eating, every day just a little bit, and let it on longer and longer and finally use the machine in her sight. You may need to go very slow with this and start at a point where she doesn't bark.


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## alphadoginthehouse (Jun 7, 2008)

Mine don't like it and run outside, *except *for Roxxy, who is terrified of thunder and fireworks! Go figure. 

Daja races out the doggie door with Butch not far behind.


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## ohrats9 (Dec 19, 2007)

When in the house, my method with this kind of thing is if you can't keep your mouth shut around something, go away. My dogs know "get out". It's when they are being annoying about something and I don't want to deal with it. This includes barking, begging, getting under foot, etc.. I point to the closest exit and say "get out" and they leave. I taught it by using my pressure to send them out. If I have to walk against them to get them out of the room, so be it. No kicking, no grabbing, no lunging, no chasing, no loud voice, just the pressure of my legs slowly working them out of the room while pointing after calmly telling them to "get out". After a couple of "walk outs" they get the message. Tabitha was great at working around my legs and going (running full tilt) back into the room  but I would never give in and did it until she got the picture and left. After a few of times of me staying the course, she got it and now I can often simply point to the exit. lol. 

Basically, if you can't stay calm and quiet and act normal, please leave the room. It's funny because with the vacuum issue they now stay quietly in the room until they can't take it anymore. lol. When the vacuum agitates them enough, they quickly leave the room. Oh right, I also did not shut the vacuum off when I was teaching them this. I leave it running and show them the way out. I don't want them to start thinking the best way to stop the noise is to act like total idiots. And believe me, they would.


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## alphadoginthehouse (Jun 7, 2008)

Daja is still learning "out"; the others already know what it means.


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## Erick Aguilar (Jun 9, 2008)

Even though this could be extreame, i would put the vacuum and dog in the same room, leave the vacuum on, and leave the room for 5 minutes, let the dog bark,and bark... and bark, till it will find out it's pointless ,or gets tired.
Make it get used to the vacuum.

My drever just met an Electric weeder for the first time... so she tries to haunt for it, i found it very bugging that every time i go to chop the grass my dog would constantly bark at it, and worse yet, when i came near her with the weeder she would seriously try to tackle the fence that devides my backyard from my lawn.
So... i tied my dog, and just placed the weeder beside her, my dog smelled it, touched it, poked it, and then she aproved, she would still try to go near it when i mowed near my dog, but then she didn't bark anymore!


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## sanja68 (May 8, 2008)

Lonewolfblue said:


> Have you tried really good treats? If she will sit by the vacuum while it's on, try some good treats. Can even say Good Quiet when she's not barking, and treat some more.


The reason it took so long to respond was due to my having oral surgery after the burial of my mother. Now I'm trying to catch up on things like answering email and having to retrain my 5 month old Lhasa apso.

I tried keeping the vacuum running and actually had her take treats from the vacuum. This I did several times. And then I would move it a bit while I was sitting there still talking to her, but as soon as I stood up and started to move the vacuum back and forth, she started her barking and running towards and away from it. When I'd stop pushing it, she'd stop barking.
The other day, was running the shop vac in the basement and I could hear her barking like crazy upstairs.
Thinking of buying earplugs for her!!! Do they have such an item for dogs? 



Esther said:


> Perhaps you can try turning it on in a different room when you feed her. Turn it on before you give her the food and turn it of before she finishes. Far enough away for her not to go barking. Then slowly move it closer while she's eating, every day just a little bit, and let it on longer and longer and finally use the machine in her sight. You may need to go very slow with this and start at a point where she doesn't bark.


She is still confined to one room at present, except for allowing her on the front porch at times. I keep the vacuum in the living room, where she is, so she can see it at all times. Are you suggesting that I take it out of the room? I live in a 3 story house and there are 3 rooms plus a small laundry room on the 1st floor where the pup is. [BTW, She barked like crazy the other day when the shop vac was used in the basement.]



ohrats9 said:


> When in the house, my method with this kind of thing is if you can't keep your mouth shut around something, go away. My dogs know "get out". It's when they are being annoying about something and I don't want to deal with it. This includes barking, begging, getting under foot, etc.. I point to the closest exit and say "get out" and they leave. I taught it by using my pressure to send them out. If I have to walk against them to get them out of the room, so be it. No kicking, no grabbing, no lunging, no chasing, no loud voice, just the pressure of my legs slowly working them out of the room while pointing after calmly telling them to "get out". After a couple of "walk outs" they get the message. Tabitha was great at working around my legs and going (running full tilt) back into the room  but I would never give in and did it until she got the picture and left. After a few of times of me staying the course, she got it and now I can often simply point to the exit. lol.
> 
> Basically, if you can't stay calm and quiet and act normal, please leave the room. It's funny because with the vacuum issue they now stay quietly in the room until they can't take it anymore. lol. When the vacuum agitates them enough, they quickly leave the room. Oh right, I also did not shut the vacuum off when I was teaching them this. I leave it running and show them the way out. I don't want them to start thinking the best way to stop the noise is to act like total idiots. And believe me, they would.


Tashi is just learning the basic commands and hasn't gotten to "out" yet. If I have no success with the other suggestions I certainly will keep this one in mind. Thank you.



Erick Aguilar said:


> Even though this could be extreame, i would put the vacuum and dog in the same room, leave the vacuum on, and leave the room for 5 minutes, let the dog bark,and bark... and bark, till it will find out it's pointless ,or gets tired.
> Make it get used to the vacuum.
> 
> My drever just met an Electric weeder for the first time... so she tries to haunt for it, i found it very bugging that every time i go to chop the grass my dog would constantly bark at it, and worse yet, when i came near her with the weeder she would seriously try to tackle the fence that devides my backyard from my lawn.
> So... i tied my dog, and just placed the weeder beside her, my dog smelled it, touched it, poked it, and then she aproved, she would still try to go near it when i mowed near my dog, but then she didn't bark anymore!


This I would like to try but I'm reluctant to do so right now because Tashi was just treated for gastroenteritis. Everything else was ruled out and it was suggested that it was probably due to stress. So you see why I would hold off for right now.


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## CinnamintStick (Jul 25, 2008)

This topic brings back bad memories for me. Below is a picture of my daughter dog Drake. My daughter lives here. Drake weights 2 lbs. When he was a puppy I was watching him. I was vacuming and he was barking at the vacume. My bed is low to the ground. He jumped on my bed so I thought great, he was out of the way. He aparently continued to bark on top of the bed. When I finished with that corner of the room, I turned and found him dead on my floor. My back was turned for only a minute. He fell off the bed and bumped his head. He had no heart beat and was not breathing. I have done CPR on many animals but not usualy something so small. I love Drake and was not gong to let him die. I worked on him for what seemed like forever. I breathed for him and gave him heart massage. I rubbed him all over too. When he came to he still was not right so off to the vet we went. My vet said I did a good job. The next day you could see where his head hit. There was swelling and blood under the skin where the soft spot on his skull. I never thought something like this would happen. I am so glad that I did know what to do. That was three years ago. I still think about it every time I vacume.


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## Mach1girl (Apr 17, 2006)

I personally carry a small water gun when I vacuumI normally dont need to use it, they just take notice of it. However, the ones who getting squirted hey dont mind, they lick the water as I am vacuuming and leave the vacuum alone.

I have alot of HUGE APBT, I HAVE to do something....they can destroy a vacuum


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## TripMom (Aug 8, 2008)

Our recently adopted Australian Shepherd barks and bites at the vacuum. I read the sticky about inanimate objects and combined those tips with the clicker. Basically I pet and talk lovingly to the vacuum before turning it on. When turning on the vacuum I make sure that I am between the vacuum and the dog. It seems to be less threatening. When I start the vacuum I continuously talk to my dog and reassure him that everything is okay. If he is quiet for one second I click and reward. This is making a huge difference in his relationship with the vacuum. If you don't have a clicker I would recommend giving it a try.

Lisa


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## sanja68 (May 8, 2008)

CinnamintStick said:


> This topic brings back bad memories for me. Below is a picture of my daughter dog Drake. My daughter lives here. Drake weights 2 lbs. When he was a puppy I was watching him. I was vacuming and he was barking at the vacume. My bed is low to the ground. He jumped on my bed so I thought great, he was out of the way. He aparently continued to bark on top of the bed. When I finished with that corner of the room, I turned and found him dead on my floor. My back was turned for only a minute. He fell off the bed and bumped his head. He had no heart beat and was not breathing. I have done CPR on many animals but not usualy something so small. I love Drake and was not gong to let him die. I worked on him for what seemed like forever. I breathed for him and gave him heart massage. I rubbed him all over too. When he came to he still was not right so off to the vet we went. My vet said I did a good job. The next day you could see where his head hit. There was swelling and blood under the skin where the soft spot on his skull. I never thought something like this would happen. I am so glad that I did know what to do. That was three years ago. I still think about it every time I vacume.


Dear CinnaminStick, 
I shed tears while I read your post. What an experience to have to encounter. I can only begin to imagine what you were going through. Thank you for sharing. And I too will probably think of Drake everytime that I vacuum. 
Sanja68


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## sanja68 (May 8, 2008)

mach1girl said:


> i personally carry a small water gun when i vacuumi normally dont need to use it, they just take notice of it. However, the ones who getting squirted hey dont mind, they lick the water as i am vacuuming and leave the vacuum alone.
> 
> 
> I have alot of huge apbt, i have to do something....they can destroy a vacuum


so have you used the water gun before since they know what it is? 




TripMom said:


> Our recently adopted Australian Shepherd barks and bites at the vacuum. I read the sticky about inanimate objects and combined those tips with the clicker. Basically I pet and talk lovingly to the vacuum before turning it on. "This I have done"
> When turning on the vacuum I make sure that I am between the vacuum and the dog. "This is just impossible, she just keeps running around me and the vacuum" It seems to be less threatening. When I start the vacuum I continuously talk to my dog and reassure him that everything is okay. "This I also did" If he is quiet for one second I click and reward. This is making a huge difference in his relationship with the vacuum. If you don't have a clicker I would recommend giving it a try. "Now this is what I have to try. I did try having her take treats from the vacuum while it was running and she was not barking. But when I started to move the vacuum she started barking again. Wish me luck"


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