Dog has become skittish of skateboarders Discussions

Hi I'm new to this forum and I have a Belgian a Groenendael and she is a great dog and extremely smart, she has a canine good citizen award and I take her everywhere I go to get her accustomed to people and kids as I would like to have her as a therapy dog for children to read to her in our library. but I have a real problem that I hope I can get resolved, the past several months she has become increasingly skittish of skateboarders to the point of taking flight. she has never been hurt by them it's something she just acquired, just hearing the skate boards makes her want to flee are there any methods that can be done to get her used to these things? has anyone here had similar problems ?

Have you tried just walking her by a skateboard without rider on it.
My 6 JRT's use to be scared of pushbikes they would growl & arch their backs up hiding behind my legs, so I used an old bike leaning it on a fence I walked my dogs pass it letting them sniff at it, then I laid bike on floor again walking my dogs pass it , finally I walked my dogs at same time as pushing the bike, my dogs are still wary of pushbikes but not scared of them anymore.

If there is a skate park nearby, id try taking her there but keep at distance she’s happy with and just play around or do some training with her, to divert her attention, then gradually work up to moving closer, if she gets upset move further away and start again.

OR You could get a cheap skateboard from car boot or somewhere, just leave it lying around the house till she gets used to it, then occasionally put your foot on to move it again gradually work up, then do same in the garden as it will be a different noise .

Phoebe is like this with most things with wheels. But only on solid ground, when we see bikes on the park it doesnt bother her but does on the road/pavement. i think its the noise the wheels make on the ground. As we only walk early morning and late night now due to her nerves its not an issue for me so i havnt bothered with it. Hope you manage to resolve it. I have used the cd's of scary noises and its helped alot with things like lorry air breaks, crow scarers so maybe listening the sound a lot would be a good starting point. i just have the cd on repeat in kitchen when im out

This is what I'd do, familiarity breeds contempt.

I sympathise as Eddie also has problems with skateboards - and he has one of his own which he does use occasionally.
I think the difference is that they are used differently in public areas by youths (and adults). These boards travel a lot faster, producing a different sound, and often do flips and spins. They are frequently found in pairs and are usually accompanied by clattering, whoops and shouts. I haven't found an answer - we have a local skatepark, but it is too scary for him, and he just panics. It is hard to set up a controlled exposure programme as we don't have many kids round here. An occasional encounter in the park just makes him scared of the park, especially if they have come up from behind him, he spends the next couple of weeks constantly looking over his shoulder.