Why does my dog freak out from high-pitched noises and squeaky toys?

Question

My shar pei pitbull coco was a stray before we got her. She is between the age of 4-6 years old. She hates squeaky toys and whenever a high pitch noise is sounded she freaks out and runs to me or my mom. What could possibly be causing her fear? Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Large (61lb +) | Female | spayed

Bette Isacoff · Accepted Answer

tSince Coco was a stray, there is no way to know for sure what caused her to be afraid of high-pitched noises. You can work on easing that fear, however. Buy a high-pitched dog whistle that you cannot hear. Start by having someone at the far end of the house or yard give a short blast of the whistle. While this is happening (and you have to coordinate it exactly, by using hand signals or the word "Now!" for example), give Coco a treat and praise her. Don't reassure her, as that will give her the idea that there really is something to be afraid of! Just act your normal self, and every time she is relaxed as the whistle is sounded, praise and treat. When she is very comfortable with the sound at a considerable distance, have the person with the whistle move a bit closer . . . say two or three steps. This must happen over a period of days or weeks (depending on how fearful she is and how she is responding to the whistle). You can try it several times a day, for only for a few trials each session. If at some point as the whistler moves closer Coco shows fear again, have the person go back to the distance at which Coco was last okay, and proceed more slowly from there. If you need additional help with this, you can click on the prompt and initiate a consult, where we can discuss what is going on and what changes might need to be made. Good luck!

Why does my dog freak out from high-pitched noises and squeaky toys?

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