As you may have guessed from desensitizing your dog to water, the next step will be desensitizing the sound of the dryer. This is one situation where even if you have access to a velocity dryer, you should start out with an audio recording.
Velocity dryers are loud. According to one study, velocity dryers range from 105.5 to 108.3 dB. At just 85dB, long term exposure to the dryer can cause hearing damage. While desensitizing to the sound of the dryer, you will start out with the sound playing softly. When using a real blow dryer, hearing protection should be used. (See: The two things I recommend you bring to the groomer for more information.)
Here is a recording of a velocity dryer:
Start out without the hose present. Simply play the sound softly, and while the sound is being played offer a succession of treats to your dog. Once the sound stops, the treats stop. This allows your dog to connect that it’s the sound that decides whether there will be treats, or no treats.
Do this at a very low volume for the first session. At the next session repeat this, but have the sound a little bit louder. If your pup ever loses interest in the treats and would rather escape the sound than eagerly anticipate treats, back off to a lower setting.
When your pup is happy to accept treats even when it is playing loudly, you can move on to the next step. (Please note: Playing loudly doesn’t have to be 100dB+. Just playing it so it’s not on low is fine. No need to risk hearing damage for a training exercise.)
Add the Hose
Once your pup clearly anticipates treats when they hear the sound of the dryer, and the dryer sounds can be played quite loudly without the dog leaving, you can challenge the behavior by adding the hose.
The volume should be turned down to a lower level at first, since you are combining two things, the sight of the hose and the sound of the blow dryer.
For the first session, leave the hose on the floor and don’t touch it at all while doing your sound exercise. At the next session, you can have your hand touching it. At the third session, pick the hose up and hold it while the sound is playing, and finally, move the hose slowly back and forth.
If your pup ever leaves or shows disinterest, go back to an ‘easier’ session and try again. Keep working towards your dog being comfortable with you holding the dryer and moving it slowly, while it is moving back and forth. (Don’t worry, there’s a homework with suggested session progress if you’re not sure what this may look like!)
Once your pup has mastered both the sound and the hose, it’s time to add real challenge: wind.
Homework:
Similar Posts:
- Desensitization to Dryers
- Let’s Talk Dryers
- Desensitization to Water, Part 1
- Water Desensitization, Part 4
- Pre-Training Checklist: All Tools Needed
