I did a search of the forum and got some ideas, but looking for some more thoughts.

I've had 4-yr-old Nettie since getting her from GSD rescue when she was 18 mos. We worked through her initial fears - passing cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles, and other loud noises - over a period of 6-12 months without any real difficulty. I've never noticed any fear of fireworks or thunderstorms (yeah, we actually have a couple every decade here in So. Calif )

If she's had this fear all along, I either don't recall it as any big problem, or it was nothing like it is now. She is terrified of the sound of "riipppping" that 2" clear packing tape off of a dispenser, the kind with a pistol-type grip and a serrated blade. I can be in the house with her outside and if I pull some tape, she'll head for the furthest corner of the yard. If she's inside, she run upstairs into a closet. It's at the point now that she recognizes the sound (probably location, too) of just picking up the dispenser from its place in the closet. If she's in the house, she'll take off upstairs and hide. Although it doesn't really matter, I wondered if this fear is somehow connected to a couple snake avoidance training sessions over a year ago. Maybe the tape noise and a rattler somehow sound similar???

In any event, it's time for some serious de-sensitization, and I'm looking for ideas. I suppose the closest equivalent situation to this would be to work with her with an approach similar to gun fire. At first, I had thought that I would separate the two - sight of dispenser vs. tape noise - and work on them separately, and then later combine them. But that may just be making it more complicated. I also considered doing something like with a thunder problem - record the tape noise and play it back, starting off at very low volume. Any suggestions?

Mike

I would probably start by doing it from far enough away that the response is not elicited and slowly move closer. I would back up if the reponse was triggered.

I'd probably also give very high-value treats at the time of the noise.

If you were doing marker sessions of basic ob at the time, upbeat and fun, again with high-value treats (I mean something like bits of seared steak or cooked bacon .... that high in value ), while someone else did the noise from another room, that might work great.

I had to help a service dog who was petrified of the motorized wheelchair, and that general method worked well. Bob Scott mentioned that I should start with the chair OFF and in another room, and I did. Then it was turned on, but far away, and so on. During this, I did basic ob with him as described above, paying no attention to the chair.