Trying new things can be a scary endeavor! Whether that “new thing” is a new food at some hip Mexican-Japanese-fusion-buffet (what?) or just a different brand of shoes than you are used to, it takes time to get over your initial fears.
Humans are notorious for being anxious when it comes to new things.
Unless you are one of those strange people that “loves change and wants adventure constantly,” you have probably felt some anxiety about “the new and changing”! Funny enough, dogs can feel the same way about things.
When a dog goes through a change, it often needs help to adjust.
Today.com brought in Laura Garber, a professional dog trainer, to explain how dogs can get anxious from new things.
Dogs can be sensitive to changes in their lives, just as humans can be. A family member going off to college, the arrival of a new baby, a change in the family’s work or school schedule — all of these can upset a dog’s routine and trigger troubling behavior changes. A dog who has been comfortable with human absence in the family’s old schedule may start to whine or bark upon departure, be destructive when no one is around, even to the point of self-injury, or even break housetraining.
It takes a creative mind and some will-power to overcome.
When you do finally conquer that fear, it’s time for celebration. Overcoming fears and anxiety is some of the toughest yet most rewarding things we can do. That’s what makes this video so funny!
One dog had a strange fear – of carpet.
This golden retriever went viral because of his hilarious antics, namely, trying to walk through a threshold! He was terrified to step over the divide between the hardwood floor and carpet for some odd reason. The small crack between the two different floorings presented itself as a challenge that the golden almost didn’t overcome!
As the video opens, we see Arnie patiently waiting for someone to carry him over.
The easiest thing to do would have been to have someone carry him over the edge. Like any good family, they decided not to go with the easiest path here and allow Arnie a chance to overcome his fear.
Looking a bit panicked, he backs away from the divide a few times.
Who knows what Arnie is perceiving! It could appear to be a drop-off that doesn’t have a bottom. Maybe the carpet itself looks strange, and he feels uncomfortable? We may never know. We do know that it would require a creative solution to get Arnie into that room.
Suddenly, Arnie moves to action.
In a stroke of genius, Arnie enacted a foolproof plan. Scared to walk into the room? Go backward! Spinning around tail first, Arnie walks into the room completely turned around! He must have recognized that it was all a mental game and he just needed to find a way to get over it. Obviously, the funny move had the entire room in tears when they saw a golden retriever walking backward into the room that he was terrified of moments ago.
The moral of the story?
Fear sometimes needs a creative solution – especially if you get to go on a walk after! Who knows if Arnie will ever be able to walk into a room without spinning around first.
Check out the hilarious video below!
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