Can this phobia be overcome?

SaddlePsych'D

SaddlePsych'D

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Hot air balloons...

I know, I've posted about this before! We've overcome so many things with Ivy to build her confidence and help her be a happy, social dog who enjoys life. But hot air balloons are the big one we don't know how to tackle. The problem has followed us to our new home and just based on our first fortnight here I'd say this could be a regular occurrence.

I can't work out if it's the sight or sound bothering her. I think just the sight given once we saw some while in the car and she spent the whole ride trembling, surely she couldn't have heard them from a distance and inside a car with closed windows?! I've played hot air balloon sounds on the computer but it doesn't get any reaction from her though I know that's not creating the same sound really.

The challenge is that she goes straight over threshold and stays there for a good while. We've just seen some when heading out the front door and she's still not happy indoors where she can't see them. I've just had to tell her not to dig at the carpet which is one of her stress signs. When we're outside with them, she's immediately trembling, she can't hear me, and won't take food. So my usual strategies of increasing distance and using 'watch me' aren't much use! Even if she spots them from indoors she will go and hide from them.

Can this be overcome or do we just have to try to manage it by avoiding where possible? My big worry is getting caught out far from home and having to carry 28kg of panicking Greyhound dog over a great distance.
 
bonny said:
How often do you see hot air balloons ? I literally can’t remember ever seeing one.
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Before moving, most days in the Spring/Summer when good weather. It was a built up area so we could sometimes sneak over to a different street on our walk routes to prevent them from being spotted.

Since moving, three times in the last two weeks.
 
Possibly, not definitely, but either way, not over the internet but via a good trainer.
What you've tried already probably isn't working as they just appear and you don't have time to prepare yourself, never mind the dog.

If it were me, because it's such a niche thing, I'd deliberately try and get to somewhere where I know they would be but with enough room to start from far away and get closer and do some pretty prolonged desensitisation training, in your case I would employ a good trainer/spotter to help you.

Is there a local hot air balloon club you could contact? At least even to find out when they might be in the area so you can avoid them.

Whether other people see them often or not seeing isn't really important ;) I used to see military helicopters several times on a daily basis and other people probably didn't. Doesn't mean it isn't an issue for you.
 
CorvusCorax said:
Possibly, not definitely, but either way, not over the internet but via a good trainer.
What you've tried already probably isn't working as they just appear and you don't have time to prepare yourself, never mind the dog.

If it were me, because it's such a niche thing, I'd deliberately try and get to somewhere where I know they would be but with enough room to start from far away and get closer and do some pretty prolonged desensitisation training, in your case I would employ a good trainer/spotter to help you.

Is there a local hot air balloon club you could contact? At least even to find out when they might be in the area so you can avoid them.

Whether other people see them often or not seeing isn't really important ;) I used to see military helicopters several times on a daily basis and other people probably didn't. Doesn't mean it isn't an issue for you.
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It means it would be possible to live somewhere else where they are not a problem. Bit drastic but solves the problem 😀
 
CorvusCorax said:
Possibly, not definitely, but either way, not over the internet but via a good trainer.
What you've tried already probably isn't working as they just appear and you don't have time to prepare yourself, never mind the dog.

If it were me, because it's such a niche thing, I'd deliberately try and get to somewhere where I know they would be but with enough room to start from far away and get closer and do some pretty prolonged desensitisation training, in your case I would employ a good trainer/spotter to help you.

Is there a local hot air balloon club you could contact? At least even to find out when they might be in the area so you can avoid them.

Whether other people see them often or not seeing isn't really important ;) I used to see military helicopters several times on a daily basis and other people probably didn't. Doesn't mean it isn't an issue for you.
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On that topic Pen is terrified of chinooks and we see them regularly enough.
I’m not planning to move to avoid them.
 
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CorvusCorax said:
Possibly, not definitely, but either way, not over the internet but via a good trainer.
What you've tried already probably isn't working as they just appear and you don't have time to prepare yourself, never mind the dog.

If it were me, because it's such a niche thing, I'd deliberately try and get to somewhere where I know they would be but with enough room to start from far away and get closer and do some pretty prolonged desensitisation training, in your case I would employ a good trainer/spotter to help you.

Is there a local hot air balloon club you could contact? At least even to find out when they might be in the area so you can avoid them.

Whether other people see them often or not seeing isn't really important ;) I used to see military helicopters several times on a daily basis and other people probably didn't. Doesn't mean it isn't an issue for you.
Click to expand...

I'd take it even further back and start with videos with no noise, then videos with noise, then move onto a physical location. As CC said, I'd get someone kind and with impeccable timing in to help get you on the right path. It can be fixed but it will be a long process and take work.
 
I'm Dun said:
I'd take it even further back and start with videos with no noise, then videos with noise, then move onto a physical location. As CC said, I'd get someone kind and with impeccable timing in to help get you on the right path. It can be fixed but it will be a long process and take work.
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IME as a generalisation, videos and recordings don't work as well. Their senses are far superior to ours and they know the difference.
 
Mine like to watch youtube videos of rabbits bobbing about, so maybe sight hounds are more susceptible, or maybe mine are just odd 😂Its more for the noise though as I'll bet that's what triggered this. They make an awful weird noise when they are going up or down. I had a pony who didn't care at all, but then lost her mind when they made the noise the first few times
 
I'm Dun said:
Mine like to watch youtube videos of rabbits bobbing about, so maybe sight hounds are more susceptible, or maybe mine are just odd 😂Its more for the noise though as I'll bet that's what triggered this. They make an awful weird noise when they are going up or down. I had a pony who didn't care at all, but then lost her mind when they made the noise the first few times
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Yes get where you're coming from but having worked with a few dogs with noise sensitivity, very often there is a discrimination between recordings and the real thing. Even with the real thing, for example with a gunshot, when the wind blows in a different direction to normal, the accoustics are completely different.
 
CorvusCorax said:
Yes get where you're coming from but having worked with a few dogs with noise sensitivity, very often there is a discrimination between recordings and the real thing. Even with the real thing, for example with a gunshot, when the wind blows in a different direction to normal, the accoustics are completely different.
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I guess even more so with a dogs hearing.
 
When we went up in a hot air balloon, we were told that the burners give out a sound that humans can’t pick up but many animals are sensitive to it. In fact they had some woman who tried to ban them from flying over her land as it upset the horses. They tried to explain that they were dependent on the wind direction but she was not having it. So it may be that the pitch is uncomfortable to your dog.
 
CorvusCorax said:
Yes get where you're coming from but having worked with a few dogs with noise sensitivity, very often there is a discrimination between recordings and the real thing. Even with the real thing, for example with a gunshot, when the wind blows in a different direction to normal, the accoustics are completely different.
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Yep we tried fireworks sounds and she can tell the difference.

At least with fireworks we are usually home when they happen and as long as her crate is there she'll settle enough.
 
CorvusCorax said:
Possibly, not definitely, but either way, not over the internet but via a good trainer.
What you've tried already probably isn't working as they just appear and you don't have time to prepare yourself, never mind the dog.

If it were me, because it's such a niche thing, I'd deliberately try and get to somewhere where I know they would be but with enough room to start from far away and get closer and do some pretty prolonged desensitisation training, in your case I would employ a good trainer/spotter to help you.

Is there a local hot air balloon club you could contact? At least even to find out when they might be in the area so you can avoid them.

Whether other people see them often or not seeing isn't really important ;) I used to see military helicopters several times on a daily basis and other people probably didn't. Doesn't mean it isn't an issue for you.
Click to expand...

Clodagh said:
On that topic Pen is terrified of chinooks and we see them regularly enough.
I’m not planning to move to avoid them.
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Weirdly she's coping alright with the military helicopters. We had a Chinook fly low right over us last week and she was understandably frightened but didn't panic and as soon as it was gone she was absolutely fine again.

I will see what I can find in terms of trainers over this way. I know before when I've looked at trainers I haven't found anyone who makes me think 'yes!' and tbh we haven't really had severe training issues so muddled through without*. This might be one thing to invest in though!

*And with the excellent guidance of HHO AAD!
 
SaddlePsych'D said:
Weirdly she's coping alright with the military helicopters. We had a Chinook fly low right over us last week and she was understandably frightened but didn't panic and as soon as it was gone she was absolutely fine again.

I will see what I can find in terms of trainers over this way. I know before when I've looked at trainers I haven't found anyone who makes me think 'yes!' and tbh we haven't really had severe training issues so muddled through without*. This might be one thing to invest in though!

*And with the excellent guidance of HHO AAD!
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What's your rough area? PM if you prefer.
 
I’m pretty sure Kelly Marks or someone like that worked with a horse that was scared of them. I remember watching it (as a video) but can’t remember when or where I saw it to find out what they did!
 
If you are Wiltshire, then you are very lucky to have the amazing Dr Amber Batson not that far away. She is a vet behaviourist and very up to date on training techniques, but also any drugs available to help with noise sensitivity. Her FB page is Understand Animals.

I would also have a thorough vet check, as maybe the pitch of the burners on the balloons is causing ear pain etc ??
 
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