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Make a tape! Go to an outdoor coffeehouse or set the
player on your front porch, or anywhere else cars
frequently pass. Fill up the tape a half-hour or an hour
of traffic noises. Bring the tape inside, and play it
with the volume turned down low, for your dog. Watch his
reaction: does he growl, bark, or act uneasy? Does he
try to approach the noise, or to get away from it? If he
ignores it totally, turn the volume up a bit. If the
sound has no effect on him, go back to Ordinary
Desensitization.
If the sound does appear to bother him, you can work
with him in the house first. Start with the tape playing
fairly low, at a volume your dog barely notices. When
the tape is done, rewind , turn it up a little, and play
it again. Whenever the tape finishes, turn it up a bit
more. You can take this one of two ways. Some dogs will
get used to the sound just by hearing it over and over,
and a little louder each time. Don’t let it get too
loud: if it seems loud to you, it’s plenty loud for your
dog. It doesn’t have to be extremely noisy to get the
job done, just about as loud as an actual car driving
down the street.
If your dog becomes agitated at the tape’s sound, you’ll
want to do more than just play the tape. Put your dog on
his leash, and set the tape volume at the level where it
had first seemed to bother him. Make eye contact with
your dog, have your hand on his leash, and turn on the
tape. As soon as the noise starts, immediately give your
dog a small treat, and talk to him while the tape plays
for a minute or two. When your dog seems calm, stop the
tape, wait a minute or two, then turn it back on and
give him another treat while talking to him. Do this for
up to ten minutes at a time, at least once a day (and
twice is better). You’re teaching your dog to look
forward to the sound of the car, rather than dreading
it. You’re also teaching him a new response; rather than
attacking the car, he’s having a snack.
Once your dog can tolerate the tape played at a
noise-level that matches what he’d hear on the street,
put him on his leash, and take him outside. Now, work
with him on Ordinary Desensitization (see above).
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