We've all heard the "tails" of the age-old rivalries between dogs and loud household appliances, but the one to beat them all must be Dog vs. Vacuum Cleaner.
Depending on the dog and their temperament, some will attack the vacuum cleaner like it's an assailant, and there have been many an infuriated dog owner who had to replace their already-expensive appliances because of their overzealous dogs.
But there are others who are pointedly afraid and anxiety-ridden by the floor cleaner. Think of it this way: It's this relatively large (larger than many dogs!) and loud "animal" with no face that moves close to the floor, very much at their eye level, loudly and aggressively approaching them while their loving owners apparently "clean" their home.
TikTokers @weishaarfam felt for their dogs and crippling anxiety every time they vacuumed, so after they read a study about how scolding the vacuum can make dogs feel less stressed, they decided to try it out.
In front of their two dogs, with tails tentatively starting to wag, the dog owner said things like:
"Bad vacuum! You're scaring my dogs! Bad!"
You can watch the original video here:
Everyone was rooting for the dogs who were clearly getting their revenge fantasies fulfilled by this.
@weishaarfam/TikTok
@weishaarfam/TikTok
@weishaarfam/TikTok
@weishaarfam/TikTok
@weishaarfam/TikTok
@weishaarfam/TikTok
@weishaarfam/TikTok
@weishaarfam/TikTok
@weishaarfam/TikTok
@weishaarfam/TikTok
@weishaarfam/TikTok
@weishaarfam/TikTok
@weishaarfam/TikTok
Some TikTokers also suggested that the couple try easing their dogs' anxiety by lying on the floor with the vacuum cleaner. So the TikToker laid on the floor on his back while his wife vacuumed, acting totally unbothered by the vacuum working its way around him.
Needless to say, their dogs' reaction was not the one they were hoping for!
You can watch that video here:
Of course, everyone needed to know if chastising the vacuum cleaner made a positive change in the dogs' lives.
It was clear that it had helped with one dog, who slowly but steadily walked past the vacuum cleaner, only giving it a second look and nothing else. But their other dog clearly needed more convincing, as they chased the vacuum, barked at it, and tried to bite it.
Like any other kind of dog training, sometimes attempts like this need more than one trial. That, or the dog owner gave his dog new confidence to attack the vacuum, since it was willing to be scolded in the first place!
Let us know if this trick works for you!
