It’s cleaning day… again. With three dogs living indoors cleaning day rolls around pretty quick in the Cook household. All is peaceful with the dogs sleeping on the couch, not even bothering to move as I fluff the pillows until… I get out the big, bad Hoover. Well, it’s actually a Dyson and on a personal note, sucks up dog hair better than any other vacuum cleaner I’ve ever owned; but I digress. As I plug in the vacuum Rosie, Rebel and Baxter switch on to full alert. As I mentally prepare to vacuum all 3000 square feet of carpet and tile, shallowly promising myself to also use the attachments on the furniture and baseboards, the dogs look at each other, lick their lips and prepare for battle. When the vacuum is turned on, Rebel runs to another room, Baxter creeps into a corner and valiant Rosie defends them both by barking and nipping at the Dyson as it rolls back and forth across the floor.

Rosie has no fear of the vacuum and thinks it’s her job to let it know she’s the boss. Rebel and Baxter, not so much, and cope with their fear by fleeing. But some dogs though have a serious vacuum cleaner phobia. A phobia is a fear that is out of proportion to the situation. Any of the senses can trigger a phobic response in a dog, but the most frequent one is noise like thunder storms and, vacuum cleaners.

I think there are several reasons why some dogs react this way to the vacuum. Dogs are very good at listening and can hear even the slightest noise. That’s why they’re good for guarding things. When a vacuum makes the loud sounds, under the same frequency of sound that a dog’s ears are specially tuned to, it annoys or as in Rosie’s case, challenges them. They may bark and bite at it or like Rebel and Baxter, move quickly away.

Just put yourself into your dog’s shoes, or paws! Nothing about a vacuum cleaner makes sense to them. It’s loud, scary and it moves. Often times it has lights and strange tubes and it’s very loud! Also, it’s on the floor where your dog spends 99% of his time. Most things your dog interacts with are not at eye level. So, here’s this very scary, loud thing that’s roaring all over his floor!

The vacuum cleaner is pushed by you all around the room in weird gestures. The concept of cleaning a floor other than by eating any food spilled on it would also be foreign to a dog’s way of thinking.

If your pup is really traumatized by the vacuum cleaner, there are steps you can take to help him overcome his phobia. First, when you prepare to vacuum, remain calm and relaxed. If you tense up, you dog will pick up on it. Never fuss over him and reward him for his fear. Instead, walk right up to the vacuum and talk to it (I know, you’ll feel silly) in a happy voice, “Good vacuum cleaner.”

Adding treats to vacuuming time can also help work through his fear. You may need to start with setting up the vacuum cleaning and giving the dog treats in the next room. Over several sessions you can move the treat-giving closer, only as fast as your dog’s comfort level grows. Begin this process with the vacuum cleaner off, next with the vacuum cleaner running and finally with the vacuum cleaner moving.

Of course, if you have a fenced in yard, you can always put your dog outside while you vacuum!

Be patient and kind with your dog and his phobia. Treat the phobia by combining gradual, controlled exposure to the object of fear with reassurance and reward. And by the way, your dog’s fear is no excuse for neglecting to vacuum your home!