# Jasper is terrified of skateboards. Help with his confidence?



## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

Jasper is what people imagine when the get a golden. He is gentle, sweet, easy and would never, ever dream of showing any signs of aggressions towards anyone or anything.

The flip side is, he either missed out on really good human interactions at that critical puppy age (he was 4 1/2 months old when he and his litter were dumped at the shelter and he was almost dead from starvation), or he was not treated very nicely. He is pretty timid about new things, doesn't like his routine changed (gets stressed) and can be pretty reserved until he gets to know someone.

He is certified as a Therapy Dog. During and before class, he was terrified of riding in the elevator and walking on tile floors (the floor thing because he had a "bad" vet experience and the vet had tile floors). I have been taking him to work a couple of times a month on Friday afternoons. He has to ride the elevator up with me, and if I need to use the restroom, he has to go with me, and it has tile floors. He has totally gotten over his fears there because he loves so many of the people I work with and he enjoys his one-on-one time with me.

Anyhow. He had a very bad experience, in his mind, with a skateboarder. We were finishing a walk and a young man who was about 8-9 had his skateboard. We passed by him (I had all three dogs) and then he started flipping his board, spinning it around and rolling on it. Jasper freaked out and tried to run away. I basically ignored his reaction and kept on walking. Unfortunately, the kid stayed behind us and kept moving in the same direction as we were going. I stopped twice, and the kid would stop to wait for his mom to catch up. Finally, I pulled the dogs to the side and said to the kid "I am going to wait until you get past because my dog is afraid of your skateboard". He went past and finally we could walk without Jasper having a heart attack.

Yesterday we went to the park to walk and at our entrance there were three teenagers with skateboards. I thought they were just playing at the top of the hill that we have to walk down, so we walked past them. Then they all slammed their skateboards down and came flying past us. I thought Jasper would have a heart attack. I said to him, "you are fine, let's go". The other dogs didn't even notice them.

For the entire walk, Jasper kept spooking. At first, everyone who came towards us made him cringe until he realized that they didn't have a skateboard. Then someone with a stroller came up behind us, and he got spooked. Then the marching band at the school about 1/2 mile away started practicing and he jumped every time they hit the drums. Then we had three teens that were playing around and pushing each other, and their feet would scuff on the path, and he would spook. Then we passed a kid throwing rocks down a hill and Jasper moved on to my other side to be as far away from the kid as he could get.

Needless to say, it was a stressful walk for him. Overall, I ignored his spooking and when it got bad, I pulled his leash up so that he was walking next to me instead of up with the other dogs. I don't carry treats on the walks, so I couldn't give him a treat when he was relaxed around strange sounds.

I will be talking with my trainer about it, but thought I would try to get some suggestions here. I have him enrolled in Agility 1 because I am hoping it will help him with his confidence some. He starts class in 10 days.

He is my boy who was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and is on meds for that. The poor boy was not only lame, but so depressed before his diagnosis. He is happy a lot of the time, but so many sounds really freak him out, I just feel badly for him. Weird thing is, he is not afraid of fireworks or thunder.

Here he is last night after the walk. He was feeling pretty good and playing with Danny. Jasper is on the top.


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## Finn's Fan (Dec 22, 2007)

You might try setting him up with a skateboarder, but of course, that would only address that specific fear. If you know a teenager to enlist, how about doing the desensitizing thing with him, first just seeing the kid carrying the skateboard, then treat (or better yet, have the skateboarder treat him). I know the desensitization can take a while. Agility class will hopefully boost his confidence, but you also might try taking him to as many oddball places as you can think of where he'll experience new sights and sounds. It took Finn almost two years, but now there's not much that freaks him. We did garbage truck lessons on the lawn for a solid two months (treat when he hears it, treat when he sees it, and the mother lode when the monster was actually in front of our house!), but it was all worth it for his peace of mind and soul.


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## Oaklys Dad (Dec 28, 2005)

If I were in your shoes I would locate a skate park and take your pup there with a large pocketful of treats. Start by stopping 100' or so away from the action. Put your pup through his paces with sits, stays and downs giving lots of treats. Very slowly start moving closer to the action doing the same thing. Never try to calm your dog by coddling. If the dog becomes agitated move farther away and start again. Good luck to you.


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## Thalie (Jan 20, 2008)

I'd go for a skateboard desensitization process too since it seems from your description that the skateboard event is the one that caused the other fears to appear. He is usually OK with strollers and some other stuff, right ?

However, if he is that terrified, I would take it very slow. I'd go as far as getting a used (or cheap) skateboard, get him used to it unmoving home until it becomes an object like any other, get him used to it rolling by itself (short distances, pehaps on a patio), get used to it moving in a familiar place with a trusted person on it (on your driveway), then enroll a skateboarding kid as a prop like Finn's Fan said, then move to a more a skateboard park and proceed like Oakly's Dad suggested. The only problem with such a multiple steps process is that it can take a while to complete and if he encounters other skateboarders while in training, all the previous work can get undone. If there is any way to walk him where skateboards encounters are very improbable, it would be best until he stops seeing skateboards as the ultimate monsters. Keeping treats on hand just in case would perhaps be a good idea. 

You did right not coddling him and trying to keep his focus on the walk at the park.


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

Yes, he didn't used to be afraid of strollers, because he adores kids and he would hear babies talking and/or crying in them and would perk right up.

I thought I would try to take him to the park this coming weekend with lots of treats and just sit where people come and go to see if I could desensitize him a bit. He likes his one on one time with me. 

I walk them at at the park because traffic is so heavy in our neighborhood that I feel like it borderlines on being unsafe to walk there. They do love walking at the park, and they get a lot of exposure to different things, which I know is important. Heck, one time we passed by a guy walking on stilts! Jasmine didn't like him all that much. LOL


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## tino4ever (May 12, 2008)

i would also go for the introducing a skateboard at a very slow pace. My doggie was terrified of wheel chairs. he was so scared of the m movign so he would be totally off while working. (mine is a guide dog). at first i borowed a friends wheel chair when he wasnt using it, and told Tino to search chair. little by little i took him closer. then i was somewhere with a person sitting in a wheel chair, and i asked her if her wheel chair could give tino a treet, i placed ssome dog treats on the footrest of her wheel chair and told tino to go get them . she would sit still. (a pararalel can be made with skateboard.., just let treats lay on the skateboard, give him his food wile its placed on a skateboard .. then introduse someoen standing o nthe skateboard and you can hend him the treats . i dont let anyone give my guide dog treats, due to that's not a smart thing to do for us .. since we cant reward with eyes.  )
my doggie was off duty while i started itnrodusing him to electric wheelchairs. he used to be terified of those too. finaly, a guy in an electric wheelchair,agreed wit hme he'd ride passsed us on a very long distance.. i ran home to get tino, and we started havign some fun training. at the end, he stood still, i took tino and let his wheelchair give him a treet. same thign i did with my sisters kids small movable cars .. u know those with radio--stuff on them . 

but i am glad he has learned they are abit dangerous, will keep me safe, hopefully 

i wish you al lthe best with your jasper  he sounds like a lovely doggie.


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## goldensmum (Oct 23, 2007)

I would go with the suggestion of buying a cheap skateboard yourself, and let him get used to it just being in the house. Once he is relaxed with that take it outside and very slowly just move it a few paces, at the same time tell Jasper what fun you are having, lots of smiles and laughing. If he seems ok with that lots of praise and yummy treats. Advance from there. It may take a week, or a month or longer - it depends on Jasper himself.

Good luck


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