# Barking at Ceiling Fans



## teddysteatime (Jan 19, 2007)

My dog is about a year old we rescued him the end of December he is a polish sheep dog mix. The problem is he barks uncontrollably at the ceiling fan.....We have tried to ignore it and even remove ourselves but he will continue to bark for 30mins even with the fan off. I have tried putting a towel over his head for a distraction......Nothing works, I really don't want to call attention to it, and reinforce the negative behavior but the barking will just continue and when it finally stops if he hears a dog bark on the TV he looks up at the fan and begins the whole barking process again.

He does the same thing when we play acoustic guitar..... Would love to hear from you all, as I know after reading these posts it is a similar problem....Another thought he did freak out in the convertible when my husband accidently put the motorized roof up, he was barking and stress peeing in the car, so I am hoping he was not abused in anyway which involved things on his head...Don't know, just looking for some answers.
Thanks so much
Teddysteatime.


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## settermom (May 27, 2007)

It Doesn't really sound like your pup was abused, probably he's never seen a ceiling fan before, or heard a guitar.... Sometimes if a pup has not had enough early experience to alot of different things, he will react to new things the way you discribe. He just does'nt know WHAT is that thing, and or does he need to be afraid of it. Does he know any commands, such as "leave it" ? If he barks when entering the room, after looking at the fan, give him the request to leave it, if he stops barking, even if only for a secound, pop a REALLY GOOD treat into his mouth. The idea is not to allow him to become overstimulated and selfrewarded by his barking. It will take awhile for him to figure out , but he'll learn that the fan means good things, If he doesn't know the command for leave it , I would start out teaching him in another room, with fewer distractions, To start, leave a couple of food treats on the floor, then leash the dog, Keep a couple of treats in your pocket, and then walk the dog into the room, when he shows interest in the treats on the floor, say leave it in a firm, but not loud voice, if he looks up at you-SUPER- Pop the treat from your pocket into his mouth, praise him let him know he has done well. If he doesn't look at you, try snapping your fingers, use his name, jiggle the leash, when he looks at you, not the treat, praise him for that . Walk with him to the next treat, repeat the leave it, and so on. He will get the idea that the leave it command means you are in charge, and good things happen. You can teach him to leave anything alone,that you don't want him to have,or focus on, such as the ceiling fan. Once he is consistant at following your direction, you can start him in the room with the fan, Same procedure, leash, treats in pocket, Don't be suprised if it feels like you have to start over, when you are in the room with the fan, thats normal, just be consistant, and very, very patient. I have three dogs, and the first things I teach them, is the come on recall, leave it, and no jump. It's all about being a benevolent leader, if the pup knows he can look to you for direction, and YOUR not scared, he won't be either, at least not for long. Hope this helps.....

Deb


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## teddysteatime (Jan 19, 2007)

WoW, so well said, I will definitely try this technique. Of course, I don't think of the "haven't seen it before" mode, but what you say makes sense. He really doesn't know the "leave it", and I will begin working on that...I will let you know how it turns out and I really appreciate the advice.
Thanks so much.


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