Dog scared of the fridge!

[Talesfromtheriverbank]

My 3 year old rescue mutt has started being scared of the fridge. The fridge has started to occasionally bleep when it switches off and it is freaking him out. He runs upstairs or under the sofa. Sometimes shakes.

No idea why. We don’t know much about this past so could be an old bad memory.

The difficulty is that he sleeps in kitchen and stays in there when we go out so his reluctance to be in there is inconvenient.

Would it be possible to desensitise him? record this random beep and feed him chicken while it beeps?! Or do I need a new fridge???

Yes, you can counter condition him with beep and then chicken, but you'll need to make sure the fridge doesn't randomly beep until he's totally fine with it. Can he sleep in a different room? Hallway for instance if you need non carpet?

Can you turn the beep off? There is usually a sequence of button presses that can do that.

Perhaps record the beep on your phone then play it while feeding him chicken? Or is that mental

Not sure I can turn it off. It’s a random thing. Not a deliberate beep.

thanks for replies . She’s really scared of the noise. Very strange.

I think it's very unlikely to be an old bad memory and much more likely to simply be a noise your dog is unfamiliar with. My dog, who I've had from a pup, is scared of TV in other people's houses. He's a very quiet dog usually but he barks at the TV. Not because he's ever had any bad experience / memories of TVs, but simply because he's not familiar with them as we don't watch one at home and I could count on one hand the number of times he's ever seen one switched on elsewhere. I'm sure you'll be able to build positive associations of the beeping noise. I reckon it's a simple case of rewarding your dog when it beeps. No fuss, no coddling, just a matter of fact good dog reward for remaining calm at sound of something that you know is 100% non-threatening.
I have every confidence the same approach will work with my dog and TV too if / when we ever decide to start watching one. Dogs are so attuned to us and our fears. Early socialisation is critical but for minor extremely safe things (like fridges and TVs) dogs can certainly overcome their fears. Good luck OP :-)

We once got a new tumble dryer - turned it on and went out, leaving the dog in the kitchen like usual. Came back to absolute carnage, she'd ripped the doorframe off, blood everywhere because there were nails in the frame. Turned out the tumble dryer made a beeping noise when the cycle finished, which she did not like at all! The sounds were able to be turned off when we looked at the manual, I wonder if you could do the same?

That sounds like an excellent idea @summergardenflowers x

What breed or mix of dog?

It sounds like your dog is pretty terrified of the fridge noise so possibly the easiest way would be to turn off the noise or get a new fridge. Not kidding!

If they hear the sound when you are not desensitising or counter conditioning them you will be back to square one very very quickly.

It will not be a quick process and you will have to have the dog out of earshot of the noise for quite a while for desensitising/counterconditiong to work

If it is random beeping, there must be a reason for the beep.

It’s a noise in the compressor and is really unpredictable. God. I don’t fancy getting a new fridge!

In that case I'd move the dog or move the fridge...

An update. Dog still being unpredictable and now hates being in the kitchen. Looking at getting a new fridge. In the meantime can anyone suggest a calming spray or herbal chews I could try to help reduce his anxiety a bit?

In my experience, no amount of calming chew will help while the noise is still ongoing and distressing him as much as he is.

The noise is really sporadic. I don’t even notice it. New fridge it is 😭

Are you certain there isn't a way to turn it off? I'd be looking at the manual and ringing the company before buying a new one.

Our old dog was terrified of electronic beeps. No idea why but it would send her into a shaking mess. Bombproof with anything else so it was weird. Your poor poochie. I hate stuff that randomly makes noises and you can't turn off!

If it helps we have a Hisense and it only beeps if you leave the door open for too long.

It’s a random noise in the compresser. Not something adjustable.

@Talesfromtheriverbank I understand that, but most fridges will have a way of turning off the sounds if you look hard enough. It would be worth speaking to the manufacturer at least before spending loads on a new fridge that could well do the same thing?