If you have used a vacuum cleaner even just once before, chances are you already have an idea of its real value.
It would be a shame to cut down on these benefits on account of your dog’s quirky behavior around this appliance.
There are a variety of vacuum cleaners available now, including vacuums for pet owners.
Having your dog around while you are vacuum cleaning can sometimes get frustrating especially when your dog keeps chasing the it while you are cleaning.
The good news is that there are steps you can take to teach your dog to behave while you are using the vacuum.
Before getting to it, though, you must first understand why the dog behaves in such a way around vacuum cleaners.
Being man’s best friend as dogs are known to be, the dog may view the vacuum as potential danger for its master. Consider the following scenarios:
- In cases where you are not using a silent vacuum cleaner, the loud sound from the appliance will frighten the dog and induce it to be on a defensive state.
- While you are using a handheld vacuum cleaner, your movements will seem to your dog as if the appliance is attacking you.
These scenarios tell us how your dog may view the vacuum cleaner. Therefore, the logical thing to do is to desensitize your pet to the vacuum.
Step By Step Guide To Stop Your Dog Chasing The Vacuum
Teach your dog that vacuum cleaners are there to help, not harm you. Yelling at your dog over the noise will not help at all.These following steps will take time and require patience, but in the long run, you will reap rewards.
Step 1: Introduce your dog to the vacuum cleaner.
Let your pet see you pull the appliance out from where you keep it, and place it near your dog or in an open room where it remains within the view of your dog.
Scatter treats around the vacuum cleaner and allow your pet to sniff around and enjoy the treats. Let your dog “experience the vacuum” while it is turned off.
Step 2: Expose your dog to the movements of using a vacuum cleaner.
While the vacuum is turned off, take the vacuum and move around your house in the same way like you would when you are vacuuming. The dog will become familiar with these movements.
Step 3: Introduce your dog to the noise of the vacuum cleaner.
Bring the vacuum into another room. Ask someone to turn it on while you play with your dog and its toys.
This way, you are letting your pup get used to the noise of the vacuum from a distance where it can hear the noise from the vacuum but still feel secure enough to play around with you in spite of the noise.
Step 4: Cut the distance between your dog and the vacuum cleaner slowly but surely.
Keep doing Step 3 but slowly move closer to the vacuum while it is turned on. Your aim is to get your dog in the same room with the vacuum cleaner.
Feel your dog and gauge how closely you get to the vacuum. It doesn’t have to be abrupt.
Step 5: Your dog and your vacuum cleaner are now “friends!”
By this time, you shall have already desensitized your dog to the noise of the vacuum cleaner.
Your dog is now so used to the noise and the appliance itself that it will not even think about chasing after it any longer. It already knows that the vacuum cleaner is there to help, not harm you.
Conclusion
Along the course of doing these steps, it will not hurt to praise your dog and give it a treat or two for behaving.
As in most other dog-training methods, the reward system will have clear-cut benefits.
There is the long-term benefit of having a well-behaved dog as well as the real-time benefit of bonding with your pup during training.
Just be patient and keep in mind that the ultimate goal will benefit not only you but your dog as well.
Last Updated on February 23, 2021 by Gemma Tyler
Gemma Tyler is a freelance journalist with 15 years of experience writing for consumer publications. She has tested and reviewed a wide range of household items from vacuum cleaners to washing machines and dehumidifiers to steam irons. Her attention to detail and exhaustive testing certainly makes her an expert in her field.
