My dog is afraid of the manual air pump I use for pumping my bike's tires (when I carry it but especially when I operate it). How can I teach him that there's nothing to be afraid ? I've seen videos of dogs that love air pumps blowing at their faces.
1 Answer
My dogs are often scared of things like that - but whenever they show fear, we try to show positive reinforcement. A few things to try:
- Lure your dog to touch the air pump (when it is not blowing air) and give the dog treats/attention whenever it touches it.
- When it gets a little bit more comfortable with it, show the air that can come out. (Don't blow it in the animal's face) But show that it can be kind of fun.
- Make a little bit of a game out of using the air pump.
In general, I think dogs can love it or hate it. My dogs are tolerant but I don't think they will ever love it.