There's a boy in my school with Tourettes and my dog is absolutely terrified of him. He doesn't react the same way to children who yell, babies, sudden noises, or anything. Any tips on how to desensitize him? Also: I don't know the boy personally, so I feel weird going up and talking to him about it since he seems to be very embarrassed by his condition
I just recently answered an ask that had some of the same questions, so hopefully the information there will be able to help.
For your specific information I would see if you can find a soundtrack or video of someone with Tourrettes to use to desensitize your dog. You also might be able to see if someone in your family might be willing to help you by ‘acting’ as if they are someone with Tourrettes. While it might not elicit the same reaction it could be helpful to get your dog to perform a less negative association with the boy. Since this is something that happens while you are at school, you could try talking to whoever is in charge about being moved out of the class(es) that you have with him since it is interfering with your dogs ability to work. Another option if you are able would be to give your dog high value rewards when he exhibits less fearful behavior around the boy so that your SD can start to make a positive association between him and food.
~Katie
Please Note: I do not support the imitation of disabled people for sport, unkind, or any other nefarious purposes. This is a different situation and the handler would be using the suggested imitation to help teach their SD.
