Be a brave boy...

My pup Chino is a bit of a "frady cat".  When he freaks out, he just gets this look.  The look is really easy to recognize.  His ears go back, his eyes get big, his tail goes down and he'll slink away from whatever it is that is threatening him.  The list of things that scare him is a little ridiculous.  Some of them are pretty obvious and understandable, and others are way beyond ridiculous.  I've been working with him, trying to curb the episodes, mostly because I think they're getting more and more off the wall and unnecessary.  Here are some examples:

• The vacuum cleaner (he runs and hides when we open the closet where its kept)
• My hair straightener
• My blow-drier - this one is recent but only because the retractable cord makes a noise that he does not like 
  
• Children - you obviously can't trust short people - but Nick and I think he's a big dummy for this one, because all they want to do is love on him, play with him and feed him
• Children on wheels - any wheels, wagons, roller-blades, skateboards and bikes
• Our big City of Delaware garbage can (also on wheels)
• Garbage trucks
• The dust buster (its the spawn of the vacuum after all)
• The lawn mower (why in the hell are you vacuuming the lawn!?!?)
• The weed wacker (obviously the lawn mower's spawn)

This morning's antics made me laugh out loud.  I have to take a bridesmaid dress to be altered after work.  The dress is on the poofy side - and is very long, so I hung it on the hinge of the front door.  Its a dark dress and its in a big plastic bag, so it looked a little menacing hanging there, illuminated in the light coming through the windows.  Chino didn't notice the dress until he dramatically got off the couch, stretched and then sauntered into the kitchen this morning while I was making my lunch.  I saw him do a double-take and then he started barking and growling at it.  

I was kind of proud that he didn't run into the great room, behind the chair, which is his favorite hiding spot from vacuums and lawn mowers.  So he continues barking at the dress (dress is ignoring him) and then runs behind our table and barks some more.  It took me a second to realize what he was barking at but when I did, I walked over to the dress and patted it - all the while telling him that its "ok" and to "be a brave boy". The "brave boy" pep talk has worked lots of times, mostly when face to face with a garbage truck.  I coaxed him up to the dress and let him sniff it, and when he did, I made a big fuss about what a good boy he was and how brave he was.  Ridiculous, I know.  He sniffed it and then backed away quickly and barked again, but this time, he didn't run.  He laid down in front of the dress and stared it down.  Again, this is ridiculous, but I was so proud of him.  I proceeded to pick up the dress, walk past him and out to the car.  The little shit stood his ground and didn't run and hide as soon as the dress was in motion.  

I know that its so crazy to be proud of a dog for not hiding from a dress, but knowing him, knowing his quirky and crazy issues, this was a giant leap for canine kind (especially in our house).  Before you know it, he'll be telling that vacuum cleaner who's boss.