Help needed... spooky owner. I don't know what to do.

Caol Ila

Caol Ila

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I've hijacked my owner's HHO account to write this post. I hope no one minds.

My owner is normally sane and sensible. She hacks out in traffic and is usually no bother, although she sometimes gets grumpy about small children approaching us and wanting to feed me treats. But cars, trucks, tractors, etc. do not faze her. However, every time she sees a cranefly buzzing around, she freaks out and spooks. She has run out of my stall and refused to go back in. She just stands there and looks distressed and swears a lot. I have tried remaining calm and ignoring the cranefly, but this hasn't made any difference. I have also tried turning her out with a male human who is not afraid of craneflies. However, I am thinking this has made the problem worse as whenever she gets spooked by one, he responds by catching it and removing it from the premises. Does this reinforce the behaviour? I'm concerned as I know she likes camping and I can't imagine how she must react when one flies into her very small tent. It must be like a horse panicking a trailer! I am at my wit's end with this and we are coming to the part of the summer where the huge ones have started to appear.

And you humans think WE have irrational, ridiculous fears. My neighbour has told me that his owner has panic bolted at the sight of a spider. Jeezo.

Any advice would be welcome.

Gypsum
 
Have you had her teeth, back, etc. checked? First things first, it could be a pain reaction. How are her feet? Is she wearing shoes?

Failing that, try a sedative. I believe alcohol works well for humans, you could find she is alcohol deficient. It's all about the diet with humans, apparently.
 
Sorry to say this Gypsum... but it sounds like a lost cause to me. :( You can either carry on doing your best to ignore your owner's spooky behaviour or join in - which is much more fun! :D
 
I forgot to ask, do you think clicker training would work?

I am thinking that if I click and treat with drams of her favourite single malt, it might make a difference in her behaviour?
 
I would second going down the sedative route. Vodka is particularly useful as you can easily hide it in her bucket without her tasting it.
 
Hmmm and she seemed like such a calm one when I knew her :D

Well Gypsum I think you just have to start by reminding her of all the horse flies and creepy crawlies at your old yard in Airdrie where you used to live.

Next time she is on board and you see one, you have to immediately start behaving like a total drama queen, spin, buck, prance for all you are worth - this will take her mind off it and she will be so busy trying to keep you calm she will forget it :D Same in the stable, have a meltdown and keep her busy and occupied - that way she will forget all about the cranefly - eventually she wont even notice them :D
 
I think by putting her in with a non crane fly phobic you are reinforcing her fear. She's now learnt that someone else will step in and save her if one appears. Really advise you to try shutting her in an enclosed space with LOTS of crane flies. ;)

PS. I also have a friend with Crane fly phobia. One second we are sitting chatting and then she's up and rushing screaming from the room until the offending insect is killed or removed.
 
She sounds over sensitive. I'd try blinkers,sunglasses and stuffing the ears with some ear blocks. All at once if necessary.
Then try to de sensitise her to being confident around them by introducing one gradually, at a distance, and over a period of time ask her to move closer, still within her comfort zone.
If that fails, you may have to ask yourself some hard questions.
I'm not familiar with clicker training, although some swear by it. A swift slap around the face from a stick disguised as a cake is also a training method.. Personally, I prefer a more traditional approach.
 
This must be a perfectly rational reaction to such a very dangerous thing, itmust be dangerous to humans as my owner does just the same. Whereas she is normally 100% in ever way.
 
She sounds irrational and downright dangerous. Have you thought about selling her on, preferably to somewhere without craneflies...Iceland springs to mind......
 
I don't think selling is an option, as I get the impression that 30-year olds with PhDs in historical geography don't go for very much in this market. I clearly should have been bought by a banker or someone who works for Google! Or maybe Mark Zuckerburg. But she is good with everything else, especially now that we have found her a suitable male human companion who is not a total loser and gets her all upset and stressed out. I am sure with the right sort of training, we can resolve this issue. Does anyone know of a Monty Roberts-type of person for human training?

BTW, I keep trying to move her feet but every time I try, she makes ME back up a few steps. I must be doing something wrong.
 
If you could turn her out in a small room full of crane flies I'm sure she'd soon get over herself.
 
Kissing spine? maybe she gets a twinge dodging said cranefly (must loo them up as ive never heard of them!)

I think the pts suggestions are extreme to be honest, she's given up lots of her time and if you cant solve this maybe you owe it to her to give her a happy retirement, in a field where she will never be trapped in with this cranefly object.
 
Dear Gypsum

In my opinion, your human suffers from Acarophobia or Entomophobia or Insectophobia - they all mean the same; humans just seem to like the way Greek etymological roots roll off the tongue. And it sounds a lot more serious when they say 'I have acarophobia' as opposed to 'crane flies give me the willies' (oops, will I get a warning? It's an old English saying and has nothing to do with the dangly bits between male humans' hind legs). There is indeed a Monty Roberts type person for humans with such conditions...probably cost as much as well... but you could send her to one for a few sessions: http://www.harleytherapy.co.uk/phobia-counselling-london.htm (I think that place is particularly expensive) but there are others.

Alternatively, you could try a little bit of conditioning yourself - gradual introduction, starting with the severed legs, working slowly towards the severed head over a period of days. If nothing else it could be revenge for all the times she has waved strange objects in your face in hope that you don't react.

Best regards,

Larry Longlegs
 
Mine is the same.
I would try Bombproofing. We got her walking under them a work, she did really well! Though one flew at her face and probably set her back slightly. How is she with spiders? Mine sees them as flying spiders, so that makes it worse.
I think the call to PTS is slightly early, give her a chance!!
Let us know how you get on and if you come up with anything that would help my lass :)

Love, Ned.
 
Have you tried cutting all sugars and artificial additives from her diet, that could make her spooky. Also make sure she isn't getting hold of any caffeine when you aren't watching. You could also start off by introducing her to small pieces of crane fly, maybe in some tasty food, and working up to a full one.
 
Gloi said:
Have you tried cutting all sugars and artificial additives from her diet, that could make her spooky. Also make sure she isn't getting hold of any caffeine when you aren't watching. You could also start off by introducing her to small pieces of crane fly, maybe in some tasty food, and working up to a full one.
Click to expand...

I'm afraid she would get really cranky if I cut out chocolate and caffeine. Maybe some cranefly legs in a chocolate cake or floating around in a beer would help. Not my cup of tea, but then, I am a herbivore!
 
Aha, A cranefly is a daddy long legs- My advice is to explain gently that they are not flying spiders jut big flies. I too used to mistakenly react in this silly manner until I understood what they were.
Im now trying to understand that moths are not flying caterpillars (now that is scary)
 
Hmm, your human may be a lost cause. My human is also deathly afraid of these creatures (she calls them 'biggies'). She cannot remain in a room where one is dragging it's legs across the ceiling (shudder), and will not sleep anywhere if she has seen one and it has not been .... eradicated. If your human is 100% in every other way it is probably worth hanging on to her. On another note - my human also used to be afraid of woodlice - until she found out they are also called Melvin by some people. It's so much more difficult to step on something if you know it's first name ;) Maybe if your human started calling them by a name with a pleasant association? Oh .. it didn't work for my human, but best of luck anyway.

Dancer
 
This is a clear management issue. What's happened is that at some point, your human has had a crane fly trapped in their mane, and not been able to get it out. They get panic stricken when this happens. The easiest way to deal with the issue is to get a set of clippers and clip all the hair off your human. She won't mind, humans don't actually need the hair - they get obsessive with it and are always washing, trimming and tweezing it, so she'll actually be better off without it. Once it's all gone, you'll find she's much better with the crane flies, and her head won't be too hot under that hat she insists on wearing. See, not just one problem, but three or four all solved at one :D
 
Brightbay said:
This is a clear management issue. What's happened is that at some point, your human has had a crane fly trapped in their mane, and not been able to get it out. They get panic stricken when this happens. The easiest way to deal with the issue is to get a set of clippers and clip all the hair off your human. She won't mind, humans don't actually need the hair - they get obsessive with it and are always washing, trimming and tweezing it, so she'll actually be better off without it. Once it's all gone, you'll find she's much better with the crane flies, and her head won't be too hot under that hat she insists on wearing. See, not just one problem, but three or four all solved at one :D
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An excellent suggestion - I presume you will have access to clippers around your yard?
 
you cant let her win the battle you MUST make her stay in the stable with them, i advise you stand across the doorway and if she trys to leave when a crane fly enters a short sharp tap on her side with your foot accompanied by a loud neigh in her ear should stop her in her tracks, if it does not you need to kick harder and neigh louder, keep this up till when she sees one in the stable she does not try to exit.
then proceed to a no nonsense approach when out and about you must take her mind of the crane fly and pay attention to you, so if she is on the ground kick or bite her if she is in the saddle you need to adopt bronking mode to make her focus on you.

if non of this works have her shot or sell her on in the middle of winter when there are no crane flys about so the buyer is not aware of the issue.

good luck
 
I was told by the dealer that if she got a Master's and a PhD in history, that she would be worth something in spite of her issues. However, I am finding out that this might not be the case. Has the dealer been less than truthful with me? Should she have been trained in a more practical skill?
 
Caol Ila said:
I was told by the dealer that if she got a Master's and a PhD in history, that she would be worth something in spite of her issues. However, I am finding out that this might not be the case. Has the dealer been less than truthful with me? Should she have been trained in a more practical skill?
Click to expand...

Did you get her vetted at all? If not you will have no comeback on the dealer.
If you don't find her talent's particularly suit your needs have you considered using her as a brood(human)mare??
 
I think 24 hr turnout would help her get used to all manner of bugs.

Have you tried a fly mask? Humans can't see too well through them.

Alcohol supplementation is always useful unless you plan to breed from her.
The potential sire sounds promising and motherhood is great for de- sensitising.....
 
Given her reaction to the human children we encounter out hacking, I am doubtful that she would make great broodmare material.

I know she really likes an alcohol supplement called Lagavulin. I suppose it's like the Magnesium calmers half my neurotic barnmates get. I wonder where you get it.

I do like the bucking like a rodeo bronc suggestion. it's true -- nothing gets a human's attention faster than you reminding them that you are 1200s of muscle and power and they are not.
 
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