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Wierd things that spook your dogs...

8K views 40 replies 32 participants last post by  pitbullforever 
#1 ·
I got this idea from another forum, but thought it would be fun to see what kind of wierd things spook your dogs and what breeds they are that get spooked! (causes them to turn tail and run, or jump back quickly in fear)
Kali is an American Pitbull Terrier...she's not spooked by anything really...Orion on the other hand....
Orion is a 75 lbs American Pitbull Terrier and the biggest CHICKEN! These are some of the wierd things that spook him!

1)Garbage Bags...when you shake them out to put them in the can.
2)Remote Control...pick one up and he jumps back startled
3)Things that don't belong...walking him the other day and somone had put an old recliner out on the curb for trash, Orion made me cross the street to get past it! He wouldn't go within 20 feet of it! Really freaked him out! :lol:
4)2 Liter Bottles...same reaction as the remote
5)Rabbit cage...won't get within 3 feet of it
6)Chinchillas...refuses to cross the doorway into the chin room...my first ever chin got out of her cage while I was refreshing her food one day and she chased Orion out of the living room! (this was back when she was my only chin and we didn't have a chin room)
7)Coats/Jackets...put one on and he freaks out running away barking...once it is on, he's fine. Just the process of putting it on!
8)Making your eyes really big and looking a him...he jumps back.
9)The bathtub...once he's in, he's usually fine, but getting him in freaks him out.
10)Being picked up...worried look on his face!
11)The hose...I guess we sprayed him one too many times
12)Pools...Shane tossed him into our friend's pool to see if he was a swimmer...nope, sunk clear to the bottom! We had to jump in and save him (just like his father, Merc)
13)Coughs...got a cold, cough and he freaks out jumping back.
14)Sneezes...same reaction
15)Dremmel Tool...Shane files his nails with it as opposed to cutting them...no sharp edges. Even when he's done with Orion's nails and he picks it up to put it away, Orion runs!

I'm sure there are more...he's such a chicken, but I can't think of them at the moment.
What are some things that freak out your dogs?
 
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#2 ·
Hmmm that's wild! Let's seee....

Rebel is freaked of the vacume cleaner
Rebel gets scared when little little children run up to him, so me out of worry never let them near, they just really scare him (to the point of he lets out this scream and releases his anal glands! Pew!)
Claire, I haven't noticed her get freaked over anything yet... hmmm let me think some more.
 
#3 ·
Good topic Mandie...

Gazoo is spooked by pretty much nothing. Rebel either. Rebel doesn't care about anything..... lol

Chewy on the other hand .. 1) HATES the crate. Get him near it and he runs fast and far. 2) he is terrified of thunder and 3) something about ANY vet clinic. It's like he knows the smell and refuses to go in. (imagine trying to drag or carry in a 90lb pup.
 
#4 ·
Cookie is a 6 1/2 year old Shihtzu/Yorkie mix.

She is terrified of thunder and fireworks. Any kind of popping sounds like gum ( I snap mine) bubbble wrap and air compresser.

She's a monster though when you shut a door on her..grrr

I forgot, she's very scared when she passes gas! She tries to run from herself!
 
#5 ·
If I put something on my head, all my dogs freak out. It can be anything at all, a hat, a shirt, my hand, a hedgehog... if its on my head, they'll freak out and bark.

Rav
 
#6 ·
good topic!! haha.

penny - not much at all. she's a little freaked out by the vacuum cleaner, but if you have the hose attached, she likes to try and bite the end of it (she gets all freaked out by the suction!). it's THE cutest thing!

chaquita - a lot more. she is kinda scared of the broom. she doesn't really like to be picked up. we couldn't pick her up without her peeing when we first got her. she doesn't like her front paws touched, but i did some touch therapy and she's okaaay now. :) hmm...let's see.....she HATES going to the vet and getting touched by the vet. haha. she also hates my vibrating back pillow. she runs so fast! :D

BOTH OF THEM - the lawn mower!! haha. they really don't like it. also if i drop something and it makes a really loud noise, but i think that's most dogs. :D
 
#7 ·
Well Biscuit doesn't seem to be scared of anything but Nacho's list was never ending!!
Strangers, trucks, cars starting up, other dogs when out on a walk and away from his territory, water, brooms, vacuum cleaners, any loud noise (except thunder storms), the list goes on and on!!! Hence one of the reaosns why he ended up on vallium!
 
#9 ·
Phoebe hates anything that sprays. We got her from a rescue, so I'm not sure if anyone abused her or over used it in discipline, but when we spray tables with 409 or my brothers' hair with water, she bolts! We got some doggy perfume for her, and she'll take some sprays, but she just shivers and her tails is way down clear between her legs :lovies:
 
#10 ·
Miss Nicki deserves some kind of award for being the biggest scardy cat!

She freaks whenever my husbands hoots and hollers at a game on tv.
She lives in constant anticipation of a cat attack (they won't, but she thinks they will) so any sudden move on their part will send her running.
Petrified of the vaccuum cleaner - even the dust buster.
Scared of the fan, the hairdryer, anything that blows air.
She is terrified of our basement steps. They are the kind that are just treads, no risers... so you can see under the steps. There has to be something incredibly interesting like a visitor to make her go to the basement.

There's more, I just know it, but can't think of them now.
 
#11 ·
NjMalta said:
DJ is only 5 months old but so far he is scared of fireworks. He runs to me and hides behind me :)
I wish Orion's dad was afraid of fireworks! Last summer he kept trying to bite them and cinged the fur on his face! Instead of having a white face, it was brown with cinged fur for more than a few months!
Therefore, we don't set them off around Orion...one, he'd either be afraid of them, or two, he would be too much like his father! :lol:
 
#12 ·
This is a great topic!

My Rolo is the biggest baby ever. :binkie: Let's see...he's scared of:

Box fan: he's knocked it over and it made a loud noise so know he won't get near it. He even runs if you touch it.

Baby gate: Same as the fan. Works well to keep him out of a room. All you have to do is set it in the door even without locking it in.

Helium Balloons: he will bark for hours if you don't take it out of the room. He doesn't like it moving on the ceiling.

Hanging light fixture: He doesn't notice it unless you touch it. Then he will bark at it until it stops moving.

Broom: It fell over and slammed on the floor, so he gives it a wide berth. :tiptoe: When I sweep he runs from room to room to stay away from me and the big bad broom.

Skunk: I used to have a descented skunk and she would attack his toes. I had to find her a new home b/c she wouldn't leave him or the rest of my zoo alone. But it was funny to see a 100+ pound dog run from a 2 pound skunk.

Vet: Only person he doesn't love. He lays down when he sees him and looks at me with scared eyes. :help:

Cell phone: Will jump and run when it rings

His dad's chair: Jumps up from a full sleep if Chris puts the feet part up on the recliner.

Hose: He wants to drink the water that comes out but if you touch it, he runs.

Deep water: Throw a stick in deep water and he will go to the deepest he can reach and pull a stick out of the mud at the bottom to bring you. He's starting to get better about this now since Lua isn't scared and will go get his stick. :rolleyes:

Only thing that Lua is scared of is the vet car rides. She is fine when she is in the back of the Jeep but if you put her in the car she shakes and whimpers. :shrug: Other than that she makes Rolo look like a big wimp. She will climb the baby gate while he runs and watchs her from behind something. :hide:
 
#15 ·
Haha, as I was looking at this thread Rocky seems to be terrified of the box of Ink Jet Labels...XD He's afraid of everything...I'll try to list some things...
The bunnies
The hamsters
The vacuum cleaner
Weed whackers
Lawn mowers
Garbage bags
Boxes that are outside
Big pieces of paper that fall down
Hats
Headphones
Cars
Trucks
The printer
Bikes

That's all I can think of right now, but I'm sure there are more XD. He's such a scaredy cat. ^_^
 
#16 ·
Garbage bags
Umbrellas (when they open, anyway)
Balloons
Anything new that I hand to the dogs - they think I'm about to teach them that it's something they can't touch. :p
 
#17 ·
I have a husky/GSD/probable wolf mix. She was not socialized to the outdoors AT ALL untill she was 3 years old. She is afraid if ANYthing that is new, or is in a spot where it shouldn't be. Some examples of common things that have spooked her are: trash cans, tarps, trucks, tractors, farm machinery, cows, cats when they are in a brightly lit windowsill, boxes, bags, mail boxes, signs, sign posts, people, bikes, boots, snakes, and wind blowing through the trees. :(

~Seij
 
#19 ·
Jersey and Nike are only afraid of the vaccuum. Now, for Serene's list...Vaccuum, coffee table, plastic bags, baby gate, large trucks(doesn't matter if they're parked and stopped, she immediately starts to turn to go down a different street), thunder and fireworks (it's just sad b/c she hides behind the couch and shakes. On Canada day, when the fireworks started, she tried to bury her head under us on the couch), bikes, motorcycles, and of course, any sound or movement coming from a new person! She's afraid of the washing machine on spin cycle, the dishwasher when the door is open, the blender, the lawn mower, some cell phone rings, my dust mop, the list goes on...
 
#20 ·
Wow, Serene sounds like she came from the same "chicken" school that Jake did. Jake is also afraid of the vacuum, the lawn mower, and iv poles. I have to have iv steroids every couple of months and he goes crazy whenever it is around. I have to hide the pole in my room in my closet and put him out to do the treatments. Weirdo pooch. I love all the weird things taht dogs are afraid of. Makes me realize mine isn't so out there.
 
#21 ·
Yeah, Serene is pretty much scared of everything new!! It is definately nice to know she's not the only neurotic nutcase out there!!! She definately has obsessive compulsive disorder, cuz when we play ball, if she doesn't drop the ball just so, she'll pick it up and drop it over and over until she's dropped it "right"! She also won't let Jersey give the ball to us, she has to pick it up after Jersey drops it to do it "right". We wonder how much of it is just the way she is, and how much of it was caused by her abused history. Either way, you just can't help but love the crazy girl to pieces!
 
#22 ·
When Mickey was with us for the first few days, he was afraid of these dancing Santa Claus and snowman puppets we had. He tried to attack them and pounce on them. :lol:

Now he's pretty good with everything. When I see he's spooked by something, I hold him to the object to he can sniff it out. I think holding him gives him the reassurance that I'm there for him and once he's smelled it.. he's alright with it. :) He really hates alluminum pans though. I guess because they make the sound of thunder? But he gets so afraid of them and just runs off.
 
#23 ·
That's funny. Those dogs sure are silly, huh? Jake has another issue that I forgot to mention until yesterday afternoon. He has a shoe fetish like you wouldn't believe. Anyone who walks in the house gets their shoes chewed on. He doesn't care about shoes, unless they are on someone's feet. But, if you're wearing them, he will bark and growl and chew on them the whole day, until you take them off. I think he was a shoe salesman in a past life. Al Bundy, where are you? LOL
 
#24 ·
Kirby is just fearless. I haven't found ANYTHING that the dog is scared of. Gun shots, fireworks ... Nope. He doesn't flinch a bit. Kirby is the kind of dog where you could say "curiosity will kill this cat ... err, dog." :lol:

I thought Seamus would be like Kirby, but we have found ONE thing that scares him: hedgehogs. They are native animals in Finland and one day Seamus found one in the bush. He SCREAMED when he saw it and tried to run off down the sidewalk (though didn't get far with that leash on :winky: )!
 
#25 ·
Lacey is afraid of the vacuum. She hides from it unless my hubby is home then she backs off and barks at it! Mandy's not really afraid of anything. Although she will stand in front of Lacey and bark at something and then keep turning around to make sure Lacey's there to back her up! Mandy does get all excited if my hubby sneezes.If I do she doesn't care :confused:
 
#26 ·
lets see:
Deja she is afraid of trash bags fire works and the floats that we put in the swimming pool this year she would go up sniff them and if they moved at all she was gone....other than that she is too old to care
Jake is not really afraid of anything he does not like anyone to touch him but me...he is a snobby cat what can I say..
Sassy we have not had her that long but she is afraid of the deja if she so much as flinches that cat is history
Piggy she is our biggest scardy cat ever:
the vacuum,deja,jake,sassy,willy and psst noise the sound the mouse makes when you click it the hair dryer her own shadow if she sees it she freaks and stands real still like it will leave her alone if she does the screen door any loud sudden sound....I am sure there is more let me think...
 
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