My Chihuahua fears water bowls & thresholds. How can I help him?

I certainly sympathize with your situation. My own 2 year old dog is the same way. The key to training him is to expose him to situations that are not too scary for him, but improve his confidence. This is not a quick or easy process, and will need to be continued long term. I have found the best method to be a desensitization and counter-conditioning system. When Max encounters something that is slightly scary for him (not too overhelming at first), ask him to sit or lie down for a treat. The goal is to get him to do something that he is comfortable with and receive a treat (positive reinforcement) for doing that behavior instead of being afraid. Do not give him any reinforcement (verbal or otherwise) for fearful behavior, but try to ignore it. Instead reward the behavior you want to see. It would be a great idea to have a trainer try to help you start this type of training program, so you might ask your vet for a recommendation on a trainer. I have been using this on my dog, and it works well, but requires a lot of work. I hope that was helpful! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sometimes dogs can get scared even when there does not appear to be anything scary in sight. Remember that they can hear and sense much better than us so he may be perceiving something that is near which you may not. This can improve but it can certainly become a bit difficult at times. I recommend that you start taking him out for longer periods but very slowly over the next several weeks. Encourage him to stay out with treats and positive words. Also, in the beginning just take him out without walking initially just to get him used to his surroundings. Eventually little by little he will learn that going outside equals getting treats and attention and will improve with time but it does require time and patience. You can consider using the Thunder shirt for him which you may find online and can help a lot in these cases. Good luck and have a great day!

Hi, this is Dr. Johnson. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Rudy! You didn't indicate how old Rudy is or if this is a new change. Some dogs always have a hard time on hard, shiny surfaces while others develops this as they get older. Either from fear of slipping, orthopedic pain or even poor eye sight. If this is a sudden change and Rudy is older having him checked by your Veterinarian for vision issues or arthritis may help him. Things to try at home: buy more rugs for the floor and make a trail of carpet runners. I know that you may not want to but it will make things easier. There are also booties you can buy to place on their feet. Just be careful to not keep them on all the time because they can get foot infections. Also some dogs are scared of the booties and walk worse with them on. I hope Rudy does ok!

This will be challenging to correct as Copper has developed an unhealthy fear of coming inside. So you will need to be very patient and try to avoid any negative energy as that will only feed into Copper. This is an instance when clicker training can really help pets. First you will want a very high value treat. Once Copper knows what the clicker means, you will gradually move closer to the door. Make sure to click and reward him for any motion that he makes to move towards the door. Eventually you will work through the door. You should also utilize the area for play with any favorite toys. With holding these toys at all times except in that area will further the positive experience with the area. Lastly, slowly moving his food bowl toward the door can also help. The idea is to make the area positive. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Some dogs just do not enjoy going outside too much and it takes some encouragement to get them to go outside. Most of the time this is something that happens when they are scared or nervous about their surroundings. This is certainly not uncommon. A few things that you can try are going very slowly and reward progress. As your dog makes progress going outside, go ahead and reward Petrus with praise and also treats. Try to find fun things to do outside that your dog may like such as playing ball so that he associates going outside with something good. Before you know it he will get used to being outside. Good luck!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I find that dogs will drink what they need. If you feed him canned food that has more water and moisture in it thus they drink less water. In warmer weather and with exercise I bet that Toby will drink more to compensate. Always having fresh waster available will allow him to drink when he is ready and needs to. You can add water gradually to his dry food to trick him in to taking in more water. If you find that this doesn't work and he doesn't drink when hot and over heats then I would have your Vet do an exam. Here are a few other tips! You can try different types of bowels and have multiple down, raise the water bowl up since he is a big dog, make sure the bowls are clean, add ice cubes to the water, purchase a water fountain, add low sodium chicken broth or bone broth to the water. Have a great day!

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! This us unfortunate! I would first watch out for your safety, I do not want you to get bit. I would try wiping peanut butter on the tile or the bath tub and see if turning the water on and spraying around him (not one him at first) eliminates the growling. Gradually over time, if this works, try wetting him then bathing him. If this doesn't work I would ask your Vet for a short acting sedative like Trazadone to give 2 hours before the bath to help calm him some. Then last option is to muzzle him so you can bath him safely. I wish you the best! https://www.simplemost.com/peanut-butter-on-wall-makes-dog-sit-still-bath/