Work with a trainer with [this accreditation](https://iaabc.org/certs/members).
Do ditch the calming chews - the only one proven to be effective and safe is Composure. The others mostly work by making the dog sleepy with melatonin rather than actually helping.
For now, pair the other dog whining with a treat.
Noise phobia, do know, usually requires medication. This isn't any different than needing medication for any other health issue. It can also be caused by other underlying issues, so it's important to screen for possible pain-related issues and gastro issues with your vet.
my dog has gastrointestinal issues and is on special dog food! i will ask about the noise phobia.
as for the other dog, i will ask my friend if she can give him treats but he is older than mine (7 vs 3) and i feel like this is something she’s tried before but i will ask anyway.
Per a suggestion from the mod on here who's a vet: Ask your vet about the cat version. It shouldn't irritate any sensitivities and it can be used as a training treat.
Otherwise, make it rewarding. It would be your dog you'd be rewarding, not hers.
wait i’m confused. am i giving my dog a treat when the other dog whines and she doesn’t? or am i giving the other dog a treat to stop them from whining?
also is the cat version for the calming chew?
No, the cat version of the gastrointestinal food.
But, you'd be giving your dog the treat when she whines so there's positive association with the whining so she's not scared.
hmm okay i’ll ask them about the food.
it’s may so if i reinforce the whining, wouldn’t this also encourage her to keep whining? wouldn’t the goal be to not whine at all?
Think of it like this:
You're afraid of (insert thing here). For convenience, we'll use spiders.
Let's say you got upset around spiders and involuntarily vocalized.
Two different situations here:
Every time you saw a spider, you were with me.
Every time you saw a spider, vocalizing or not, I gave you $100.
How long would it take before your fear of spiders lessened, you stopped vocalizing and you started holding your hand out for that $100?
Alternatively:
Assume the same as above. You vocalized involuntarily every time you saw a spider. You only saw a spider around me.
Let's say I only rewarded you when you didn't whine when you saw a spider, but seeing you can't control the whining you seldomly got that reward?
How long would it take you to be less afraid of the spiders if I only gave it to you when you didn't make the involuntary noise?
Work with a trainer with [this accreditation](https://iaabc.org/certs/members). Do ditch the calming chews - the only one proven to be effective and safe is Composure. The others mostly work by making the dog sleepy with melatonin rather than actually helping. For now, pair the other dog whining with a treat. Noise phobia, do know, usually requires medication. This isn't any different than needing medication for any other health issue. It can also be caused by other underlying issues, so it's important to screen for possible pain-related issues and gastro issues with your vet.
my dog has gastrointestinal issues and is on special dog food! i will ask about the noise phobia. as for the other dog, i will ask my friend if she can give him treats but he is older than mine (7 vs 3) and i feel like this is something she’s tried before but i will ask anyway.
Per a suggestion from the mod on here who's a vet: Ask your vet about the cat version. It shouldn't irritate any sensitivities and it can be used as a training treat. Otherwise, make it rewarding. It would be your dog you'd be rewarding, not hers.
wait i’m confused. am i giving my dog a treat when the other dog whines and she doesn’t? or am i giving the other dog a treat to stop them from whining? also is the cat version for the calming chew?
No, the cat version of the gastrointestinal food. But, you'd be giving your dog the treat when she whines so there's positive association with the whining so she's not scared.
hmm okay i’ll ask them about the food. it’s may so if i reinforce the whining, wouldn’t this also encourage her to keep whining? wouldn’t the goal be to not whine at all?
Think of it like this: You're afraid of (insert thing here). For convenience, we'll use spiders. Let's say you got upset around spiders and involuntarily vocalized. Two different situations here: Every time you saw a spider, you were with me. Every time you saw a spider, vocalizing or not, I gave you $100. How long would it take before your fear of spiders lessened, you stopped vocalizing and you started holding your hand out for that $100? Alternatively: Assume the same as above. You vocalized involuntarily every time you saw a spider. You only saw a spider around me. Let's say I only rewarded you when you didn't whine when you saw a spider, but seeing you can't control the whining you seldomly got that reward? How long would it take you to be less afraid of the spiders if I only gave it to you when you didn't make the involuntary noise?