I am constantly seeing reference made to a persons dog/pet responding to a BF vocalization or smell or encounter. Is this really significant? It seems that it is mentioned, most of the time, as proof that something happened and, of course, we can't question the dog to find what he reacted to.

I play a harmonica. If a dog is around when I play, they will always respond. Usually with a howl and sometimes with a whimper. Cats will usually leave the room, blinking their eyes. I have always assumed that there were sounds I couldn't hear that the dog could. I also play a guitar and sing badly. I never get a response from the guitar or my voice.

So the point is, why are we always stating how our dog acted when they hear a vocalization. Maybe just another example of us trying to personify or intelligencize an animal.

Mick

i'm not sure either, and its not something i've personally experienced, but it seems that people mention it because it really adds to their own fear that something IS out there. you know? you're strolling in the woods, woods you've walked in for years or whatever, in your comfort zone so to speak, and your totally fearless dog begins whimpering and crawling or hiding under your legs, well, THAT'd freak me out when i'm hearing sounds in the bush and i've walked comfortably in the area before and i'm counting on my dog to be brave and defend me. it feeds my fear, because if my fearless dog is terrified it MUST be something horrible out there. i bet the dogs reactions really intensifies the situation.

it can also be used by the person to make the sighting more valid...to the person at least...if my aggressive bear-killing fearless dog is scared out of its wits, then there was something for me to be scared of too. something unusual, as my fearless dog would never DO that. so it'd validate the persons sense of terror.

OR i'm just rambling cuz i cant sleep

yeah, thats probably it. but in the reports i read, when people mention their fearless dog being frightened, it makes me more of a believer.....then again, i'm me.


gael

Personally, I discount the importance of a pets reaction. I interviewed an individual last year that had a dog that was "terrified" for months over an encounter. Yet, when we were in the woods at the same location the next spring, the dog did not react in any way that I would call abnormal. I don't think dogs, in particular, forget terrifying or stressful situations.

My dad had a large male St. Bernard. One day he lifted his leg and peed on an electric fence. Sadly, for the next ten years, that big male would squat like a female whenever he peed. He wasn't taking any chances.

Dogs are trainable by both reward and punishment. If a dog has a terrifying experience in a particular location, I would expect him to react later in that same location.

Are there any dog trainers out there?

well that is curious if the dog was showing no signs of trauma after a supposed traumatic event.

but i swear, if my dog were an aggressive breed and got spooked by somthing in the woods, it'd freak me out

my own dog is a big baby...a male st bernard...lol

gael

Just a couple of thoughts on this...
Dogs of course have much better sense of smell and hearing than humans. If they act strange it might be because they can sense something out of the ordinary in the environment and the witness is using the dog's behavior to validate or cooberate his/her own responses.
Dogs often take their behavioral cues from their owners. So if the dog is acting frightened it might be a reflection of the owner's emotions on encountering something unknown.
Lastly, I don't think it would be unusual for an dog to go back to the scene of a previous encounter - and if the sensory stimulus that caused the initial reaction is absent - act completely normally.
Jan

i forgot to give you the sheldrake reference. it's something to do with "dogs who know when their owners are coming hiome." i think it was published in 99. his theory is called "morphic resonance" he's published quite a few other things since but i've yet to read any of them.

Here's a link to the page on Sheldrake's website that discusses his Dog book. Type "Dogs" into his site's search box and you'll get 12 hits to explore. You can also go to Amazon & order the book, or other of his books.

Hi, guys, i wanted to weigh in here with some thoughts on the subject, since dogs are my thing. After writing those thoughts down, i, unfortunately, i zapped the post to the wrong dogs+bf thread. I'm embarassed to say that. And i don't know enough about computers to pick it up and move it to this thread. So, i had alot to say and i'd sure appreciate it if yall would hop over there and read it. Thanks--doglady

Doglady, what is the name of the other thread? I will try to find it but if I don't, please list it.

Roger, thankyou for the link to Sheldrake's site. Me thinks I will be going to Barnes and Noble today/tomorrow (9 degrees out right now, brrr) and buy/order book.

My thoughts on the subject are kind of negative, not giving to much credence to "My dog acted terrified...." statements. I see these as coming from what I call the 'Lassie' syndrome, many people suffer from. The idea that Lassie may be the smartest mammal in the room at any given time, may have some validity in certain circles, but generally I don't give dogs as much credit as many people do for some sort of 6th sense capabililty.

Mick

hey, mick--

i found the other thread on the 1st page of the general discussion list of topics. It's called Dogs and BF/why the fear. Thanks for asking and for reading it. Also, i found sheldrake's theory of morphic resonance fascinating.

maryhelen