Post by Aussienot on Aug 15, 2010 4:04:22 GMT -5
Last Tuesday I had just arrived at work and took Cody out for a toilet. A blue Honda Civic pulled up to the curb and parked. The driver got out - a middle aged woman, average height and weight - , opened the trunk, took out a bag, and left. Average car, average person. Nothing suspicious about it that I could see.
As soon as she opened the trunk, Cody went into security mode - growling, hackles, crouching, ready to spring. I thought he was reacting to the woman, so dragged him away telling him off. I was horrified. Cody is always so friendly to everyone.
About an hour later, the Samoyeds arrived, and I took them out for a toilet break. They too reacted badly to the car, growling, hackling, barking. I realised it was the car that had set Cody off, not the woman.
Just to test, I took a toy poodle, a small terrier mix and a maltese mix puppy out, and same thing - the little dogs reacted to the car with aggression and defence.
A few days later I spotted the same car further down the street. I let Cody go near. He sniffed around the car like a trained sniffer dog, and went crazy near the trunk. He would have scratched at the car if I hadn't pulled him away. That trunk needed attacking, in Cody's opinion.
So something in or previously in the truck of the car caused all dogs to react as if it was a threat that needed to be defended against. Even the softest, least protective lap dogs reacted on an instinctive level.
What could it have been? I've been trying to think about what is a dog's natural enemy, and can only think of lions. (Trunk of car not big enough for a lion. )
Racking my brain over what it could be, a mystery. Haven't seen the car again.
As soon as she opened the trunk, Cody went into security mode - growling, hackles, crouching, ready to spring. I thought he was reacting to the woman, so dragged him away telling him off. I was horrified. Cody is always so friendly to everyone.
About an hour later, the Samoyeds arrived, and I took them out for a toilet break. They too reacted badly to the car, growling, hackling, barking. I realised it was the car that had set Cody off, not the woman.
Just to test, I took a toy poodle, a small terrier mix and a maltese mix puppy out, and same thing - the little dogs reacted to the car with aggression and defence.
A few days later I spotted the same car further down the street. I let Cody go near. He sniffed around the car like a trained sniffer dog, and went crazy near the trunk. He would have scratched at the car if I hadn't pulled him away. That trunk needed attacking, in Cody's opinion.
So something in or previously in the truck of the car caused all dogs to react as if it was a threat that needed to be defended against. Even the softest, least protective lap dogs reacted on an instinctive level.
What could it have been? I've been trying to think about what is a dog's natural enemy, and can only think of lions. (Trunk of car not big enough for a lion. )
Racking my brain over what it could be, a mystery. Haven't seen the car again.