• My dog gets really agitated when she sees that I'm about to use the coffee maker. How can I make her feel comfortable?

    This type of behavior can stem from her associating the coffee maker with an unpleasant experience. The best way to treat this is to get her used to being around the coffee maker while having a pleasant experience.

    The best way to do this is to give her a treat or toy prior to using the coffee maker. You want to distract her from being agitated. You want to make sure that you give her the treat before she gets agitated. If you give her the treat afterwards then it can reinforce the behavior. When she is distracted then you can use the coffee maker. If she gets agitated you want to ignore her as much as possible. The agitation may be a bid for attention and if you give her the attention that she is looking for then you reinforce the behavior.

    Over time this should get her acclimated to the coffee maker. If this does not work I recommend that you talk to your veterinarian about this issue. They can recommend a behavior treatment plan that is specific to your pet. 
     

Need more information or advice?

Contact your nearest Banfield Pet Hospital to schedule an appointment today.

Tags

Behavior

Back to Question List

Ask a Vet Archive

When it comes to your pet's health, there's no such thing as a dumb question. Search questions real clients have submitted to our popular Ask a Vet Q&A series, and then submit a question of your own.