Scaredy-dog

[berengaria1]

Wonder if anyone can shed light on this. My parents used to have a massive German Shepherd who wasn't scared of much (apart from black bin bags - weird hound). One day they took him out for a trip in the car and, as my dad was driving over some empty moorland, the dog suddenly went mental, acting as if he was really terrified and tried to hide under my dad's legs as he was driving (my dad, not the dog!). The dog had previously been sitting on the floor in the passenger footwell, squashing my mum's feet. They'd never seen him act like this before and there was nothing obvious that could have terrified him to the point of shaking and whimpering - no black bin bags in the vicinity, anyway. Any ideas? Some sort of sound that only dogs could hear? My mum secretly whispering "the bin bags are going to get you" into his ear??

 

[mossy_sloth]

My dog is afraid of my feet. God knows why. But she barks at them or growls...but on other occasions just ignores them. Who knows why dogs do what they do?

I gather that you are thinking maybe there would be a supernatural reason for your dog's distress? But how on earth would you be able to tell? Short of taking the dog back to the same place and seeing if he reacts in the same way. But even that would tell you very little, as whatever it was that frightened him might not be there any more.

 

[Anonymous]

Hmm. I've lived with dogs for years, and I can't recall any episodes like that. I do recall a spot in the local woods where I grew up in Scotland that horses didn't like - probably a physical thing rather than supernatural element.

I wonder if there was a noise generated by the car that sparked his panic?

 

[mossy_sloth]

I wonder if there was a noise generated by the car that sparked his panic?

That's a good suggestion. My dog (completely neurotic) has a strange reaction to white noise type sounds, and certain songs make her frantic in trying to find the source of the noise.

 

[berengaria1]

I didn't think there would be a supernatural explanation - just thought someone else might have experienced a similar thing. Unfortunately we can't repeat it cos the poor dog is long dead. I'm not sure if mum and dad ever took him out on that road again to see if he would freak out - I think dad said it nearly made him crash the car, what with a six stone mad hound trying to take over the driving. Maybe he was just terrified of dad's driving and thought he could do better. I think it was the only time he ever freaked out like this. He actually loved going out in the car - like most dogs, head out of the window getting all the smells - like getting a walk in fast-forward.

 

[Min Bannister]

Hmm. I've lived with dogs for years, and I can't recall any episodes like that. I do recall a spot in the local woods where I grew up in Scotland that horses didn't like - probably a physical thing rather than supernatural element.

I knew a path like that, made the horses nervous. A girl was once killed there when her horse threw her. I have little doubt the reason our horses didn't like it was that it made US nervous and it transmitted to them. Horses definately are NOT stupid and can pick up on what you are thinking, even through a leather saddle. Your horses may well have picked up from their human riders that "this is the spot where horse are nervous."

I'd go with car noise having frightened the dog but you could always have a rummage round and see what you can find out about the moorland Berengaria.

 

[Anonymous]

My parents know a dog that was sadly involved in a car crash - inside the affected vehicle. The sound of the car alarm clearly left a lasting impression.
Now whenever the microwave beeps etc. the dog panics should it happen to be in the room at the time.

Perhaps a similar mechanism was at work?

 

[Anonymous]

He actually loved going out in the car - like most dogs, head out of the window getting all the smells - like getting a walk in fast-forward.

What a wonderful description

 

[razorblimp]

My dog is afraid of my feet. God knows why. But she barks at them or growls...but on other occasions just ignores them. Who knows why dogs do what they do?

Not a collie is she?

 

[berengaria1]

Phoned my mum to ask her about the dog going mad thing and she said that her and dad both felt a horrible atmosphere. I asked if they were maybe picking something up from the dog when he freaked out but she said no, it was just before he went mental. Maybe the dog was picking up their feelings. The place where it happened is near Forsinard on the Caithness/Sutherland border, far north of Scotland. Me and mum thought maybe there was some sort of residual bad atmosphere from the Highland Clearances, something like that. Nothing like this has ever happened to me (thank God!!) but my mum, in particular, is very sensitive to things and can tell whether a house is a "happy" one or if there's "something" that shouldn't be there. The only bad atmosphere I ever sense is if I follow the bf into the loo

 

[Anonymous]

:lol:

I used to do some hillwalking around the Highlands - esp. the west coast.
It's odd, but yes, there are places which do have an atmosphere about them - perhaps the clearances did leave a mark in more ways than one.

The strangest atmosphere I ever experienced was in a town called Kinlochleven. It's impossible to enter the town by road without crossing water I recall. Maybe its just because I was tired, wet, and underfed - but the place had a really 'David Lynch-Twin Peaks' feel to it. I was glad when we passed through it. But strangely, I've usually only ever felt happiness when out walking, just like the places I visited liked having me there. There's only a couple of spots that made you want to keep on walking...

 

[mossy_sloth]

My dog is afraid of my feet. God knows why. But she barks at them or growls...but on other occasions just ignores them. Who knows why dogs do what they do?

Not a collie is she?

nah, staffy x ridgeback. But now I'm curious, is there something about collies and feet that I should know about?

 

[Anonymous]

Once I was going on a family trip. All the kids, wifey & dog were in the car with the caravan hitched on the back.
After a few miles my dog (who is very used to car travel & never ever a problem in the car) started going crazy in the back, barking, whining & trying to jump into the front. All the family were wondering what the hell was the matter with him as it was really out of character & I was telling him to be quiet but he wouldn't stop it.
After about 10 minutes, while whilst going up a steep hill, the caravan started to lock up & smoke came out of the caravan wheels. nearly causing me to loose control of the car
Turns out that the caravan brakes had stuck on. My dog must have heard the noise of the brakes sticking long before it became apparent to me.
Just wondering if road conditions or some other mechanical sound may have alarmed the dog without any human being able to hear the same thing.
Just a thought

 

[RainyOcean]

We have a bernese mountain dog, and she is HUGE, but she's terrified of every little noise. If my dad sneezes she scratches at the door to go outside. The other day she heard fireworks and she pushed open the front door herself and started running around the front yard.

 

[razorblimp]

My dog is afraid of my feet. God knows why. But she barks at them or growls...but on other occasions just ignores them. Who knows why dogs do what they do?

Not a collie is she?

nah, staffy x ridgeback. But now I'm curious, is there something about collies and feet that I should know about?

Collies' herding instinct often make them growl and nip at your feet if you are standing in a manner which they don't feel as uniform. They are just trying to get you to move in the direction they feel you should go to look as organised as possible. Just a thought.

As a possible answer to the German Shephard being spooked, if he got spooked by bin bags, it was probably the shape rather than the material. My dog, a whippet/boxer gets spooked by anything from bags to lawnmowers, usually just if they out of place. It could have been something as simple as a haystack that set him off and provoked his flight instinct. It's quite sweet he went under your Dads legs though, it was obviously him who was trusted the most.

 

[hokum6]

Our whippet/collie-cross doesn't like bags either. Or vacuum cleaners. Or cardboard tubes. The bloody woman.

 

[berengaria1]

It's quite sweet he went under your Dads legs though, it was obviously him who was trusted the most.

Yes, he was definitely dad's dog - although he was usually very protective of my mum - obviously on that occasion he was so scared he thought "Sod her, that tiny space under dad's legs looks just the ticket! There'll be no problem squeezing my huge, hairy carcass into there."
I think he was probably spooked by a bin bag when he was a puppy. I know they say dog's are colour-blind but, whenever I wore a black jacket and he was in the garden and I wanted to go out, I would have to run the gauntlet between the back door and the garden gate or he would catch me and throw himself at me, barking madly. If I wore any other dark colour he didn't bother.
I've also met collies who go for your feet - it must be something to do with the herding instinct cos they tend to nip at sheep's feet to get them moving.
My last dog (Dobermann) was shit scared of brooms or any sticks but that was because he'd been beaten as a puppy before we gave him a good home. Sadly he died two years ago at only 6 years old due to his ill-treatment when he was a pup. Sorry this is turning into a doggy thread. :sob:

 

[mossy_sloth]

it's nice to have a doggy thread after so many cat related ones...

I used to be a cat person, but since having two fantastic dogs and no cats for a while I've been somewhat converted...and maybe a bit taken by the whole boundless affection thing that cats are lacking.

 

[Anonymous]

Dogs are nice. But I still like cats - it's difficult to respect an animal that blindly loves everything you do. Cats are more like people - they choose to live with you, and you have to earn that to a degree.

 

[razorblimp]

We've got a dog and a cat, both rescues and completely potty in different ways.

 

[berengaria1]

Another spooky dog tale. When my mum was little, my grandmother had quite a few bits and pieces in the house that had been owned by her aunts who were spirit mediums. Mum said that her and my nana would be sitting in the kitchen and, all of a sudden, the room would become freezing cold (despite a roaring fire) and their dog would freak out, terrified, and try to crawl under a chair to hide. My nana would just say, calmly, "Ah, we've got a visitor". Mum said she was really scared when this sort of thing happened, but my nana didn't seem too bothered (maybe she was just trying to put up a front so as not to scare mum).
Years later, she gave my mum a hand-painted wall-hanging plate (picture of a blacksmith's forge). This had also belonged to the aunties and the story was that if anyone was going to die in the family the plate would turn round on the wall. I was about 10 at the time and I can remember my mum getting the plate. She certainly didn't want it in the house and tried to smash it with a hammer before she binned it but, no matter how hard she hit it, it wouldn't break, so she just chucked it anyway. I can remember her doing this and believe me, she had a good go at smashing it.

 

[Anonymous]

Dogs are nice. But I still like cats - it's difficult to respect an animal that blindly loves everything you do. Cats are more like people - they choose to live with you, and you have to earn that to a degree.

Get a Saluki & you will see that is not true!
I have a border collie & a saluki - the difference in attitude between them is like - well, cats & dogs...

 

[mossy_sloth]

I knew a saluki cross once...an amazing dog, now sadly departed though he survived into his twenties...

But I have to agree...I have never seen such expression of disdain and reproach in the eyes of any other animal...

I really miss that dog. Master manipulator he was.

Once I was sick with a fever and was looking after him. His favourite food was salmon, smoked of course, but I didn't have any for him. I was dozing and had the radio on. I woke up to hear the Shamen, Ebeneezer Goode, playing, right at the bit where the guys says "got any salmon?" and the dog was standing over me with his nose about an inch away from my face, peering intently at me. In my fevered state it freaked me right out.

 

[razorblimp]

I had a friend who had a saluki. It looked like a Jim Henson creation and used to tease the cats and older dogs by running around like an idiot. Its owner had a reasonable amount of control over it as long as it wasn't too far away. It was brilliant.

 

[carlosox]

I lived in a place once where two deaths occured within three days of each other. Both deaths were accidental. Now about three days before the first death occured all the dogs in my area started howling for some time during the night. This was repeated over the next two nights.
The old folk who lived in my area told us that the representatives of the Grim Reaper were visiting to check the candidates who will be taken in a few days' time.
I was once passing through a town at mid day. The tropical sun was really hot that day, but when I passed through the town, a chill descended over me. I later came to know that the Communists had murdered hundreds of people in that town before.

 

[carlosox]

I lived in a place once where two deaths occured within three days of each other. Both deaths were accidental. Now about three days before the first death occured all the dogs in my area started howling for some time during the night. This was repeated over the next two nights.
The old folk who lived in my area told us that the representatives of the Grim Reaper were visiting to check the candidates who will be taken in a few days' time.
I was once passing through a town at mid day. The tropical sun was really hot that day, but when I passed through the town, a chill descended over me. I later came to know that the Communists had murdered hundreds of people in that town before.

 

[carlosox]

I lived in a place once where two deaths occured within three days of each other. Both deaths were accidental. Now about three days before the first death occured all the dogs in my area started howling for some time during the night. This was repeated over the next two nights.
The old folk who lived in my area told us that the representatives of the Grim Reaper were visiting to check the candidates who will be taken in a few days' time.
I was once passing through a town at mid day. The tropical sun was really hot that day, but when I passed through the town, a chill descended over me. I later came to know that the Communists had murdered hundreds of people in that town before.

 

[gdogg1978]

Sorry I missed that can you say it again :lol: