Our male German Shepherd has always been a bit skittish. I guess that is what happens when you get a rescue as a puppy. I am not sure what happened to him years ago before we picked him up to be a part of our family. When we first brought him to our house, he was scared of plastic bags crinkling and the ceiling fan's rotation.

Matt Sparx
Matt Sparx
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Recently, he has become terrified over a simple light switch. When we first bought our house, we installed a Wemo light switch.

It is a smart switch that you can turn off and on through your phone, no matter where you are. The light goes off or on and he gets all sorts of skittish for about 15 minutes, then it is back to normal. Over time he has gotten used to it and didn't even care for a while. Fast forward to Christmas...

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My brother in-law bought us a Google Home for Christmas. It is a fun little thing to have in the kitchen while you are cooking. You can set timers, get information, play music and you can also turn that smart light switch off.

"OK Google" are the words that set my dog off. As soon as he hears the "OK" or even now when you say "Google" he turns around and slinks away to hide. Last night we discovered he is so scared of it, he shakes like a cracked out Chihuahua any time those two words are said. What could Google Home be doing to make him freak out so badly when we aren't home? Is Google Home telling my dog he isn't a good boy?

Either way, for the sake of our good boy, Onyx, we'll be taking Google Home out of our house. It looks like we'll be putting it in the garage so I can use it while I am out there working on something and I can have music while I am doing it. No complaints on my end for that. The most important thing is that our dog is comfortable in his own home. If that means taking Google Home out of the equation, then so be it.

 

 

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