Golden Retriever’s Adorable Fear Over ‘Scary’ Baby Gate Is Cracking People Up
Many pet parents decide to put up baby gates to keep their dog in - or out - of certain parts of the house. Most dogs are not fans of these gates since they can't get past them to go wherever they want. Some dogs, like this Golden Retriever named Tucker, are even afraid of the gates!
Tucker's mom shared a video on Sunday, September 15th of what happened when she tried to put a baby gate up in the hallway. It wasn't installed, and instead, just leaning against the wall. Watch as Tucker notices the terrifying thing and decides that he wants no part of it!
Walking past that gate was definitely a hard NO for Tucker! He wanted nothing to do with it as long as it was standing up. As soon as mom laid it down on the ground, he was fine with it! Tucker's mom said in the caption that the baby gate is the only thing scarier than the 'tree of doom' (AKA broccoli)!
Commenters also got a kick out of the Golden's reaction to the gate. @Sarahbarah shared, "My 100lb dog trying to walk past my 8lb cat LOL!" @J pointed out, "Those things are so loud when they fall over. I don’t blame him for being scared!" and @mindsetlife.nl said, "He is like, "Mom you gotta make me feel comfortable and safe!"" and Tucker's mom replied, "We have tried for years to train him through this fear, but nothing works."
Related: Huge Cane Corso’s Annoyance Over Parents Putting up a Baby Gate Is Priceless
Why Are Dogs Afraid of Baby Gates?
Commenter @Karen Broge shared, "My Husky is terrified of the baby gate!" When my kids were babies, we had two West Highland Terriers. I had twins, so having two of them crawling and walking around while trying to keep an eye on the dogs as well was a lot. So we put up baby gates to keep the dogs out - and the kids in - certain parts of the house. Our dogs never minded the gates (the babies didn't like them!) but it seems that many dogs do have a fear of these kinds of gates.
According to Dog Breeds Experts, it's not uncommon for dogs to be afraid of baby gates, "A dog may knock down baby or dog gates due to separation anxiety, loneliness, seeking the owner’s attention, rebelliousness, playfulness, curiosity, or illness." Separation anxiety seems the most obvious to me, although the others also make sense, especially if you have an older dog that didn't grow up having the gates in the house.
How do you get your dog used to the baby gates being up? Like with any kind of training, it starts with positive reinforcement. If they're fearful, any time they try to go around the scary gate make sure to give them treats and lots of praise. You may need to do it with them to show them there's no reason to be afraid. Keep the door open while you aren't using it, and consider teaching them a cue word, like "wait" or "go" when you want them to walk through it.
If you have hardwood floors, it may be worth putting a rug under the gate so that if it does fall over, it doesn't make a loud, scary sound. It may take a while, but hopefully your dog will eventually get used to having the gates up. With plenty of positive reinforcement and praise, your dog will learn to conquer their fear eventually!
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