On Friday October 6th I had a Traumatic Setback

This is me slightly stressed, you can tell by my panting, but I'm okay.

While socializing in my handler's colleague's office (Aunt Julie), I accidentally bumped into a framed piece of art on the floor leaning up against the wall knocking it over. It fell behind me and made a very loud noise that sent me running down the hall and up the stairs toward my handler's office. This was a very traumatic experience.

My handler, came after me with one of my favorite treats, freeze-dried chicken livers. He coaxed me to return to the scene of the crime, but I couldn't make it all the way there. He rewarded me each time I didn't show any avoidance behavior and moved closer to the scene, but he never forced me to go back to that place. This would have definitely caused even more trauma for me. I got about a third of the way down the hallway back toward the scene. When my handler brought me back upstairs to our floor, my avoidance behavior was in full swing, but he kept reinforcing me with those liver treats. I exhibited much more desired behavior on our floor, but humans still tried to engage me even after my handler informed them about what had happened and told them how to engage me, by not engaging me. But we all know how you humans act--not well.

Today, my handler has brought me back to our office building, where only one other colleague is working. It's Sunday, so no one is typically here. But, I was able to return to the scene of the crime and engage that environment even though I wasn't comfortable I still did it on my terms and with the bribe of chicken liver treats. Once again, my handler didn't force me into the situation, it was my decision and I think I did pretty well, so does my handler.

The following articles come from Clinician's Brief, but I do not advocate for the utilization of medication except as a last resort. All other methods should be exhausted before turning to medicating your pet.

Clinician's Brief -- Fear of Strange and Loud Noises

Clinician's Brief -- Fearful Dogs

Clinician's Brief -- Stress in Our Dogs: Strategies for Stress Management

For Puppies -- Sit Means Sit

Some more reasoning of fearful-avoidance