bullmastiff gun shy?

[janfree]

My BM freaks whenever someone is holding something big and long. i.e. umbrellas, brooms, etc. Why is this?

 

[ruby55]

Could be he had an encounter in the past with something similar in shape. I had a lab mix that took a smack to the head from my idiot husband's broadsword. Thankfully it was a flat hit, not the sharp blade. Anyways, he freaked out when the ceiling fan would either start up or slow down after that. Anything that came near or over his head would send him slinking away.

 

[AKBull]

Could be he had an encounter in the past with something similar in shape. I had a lab mix that took a smack to the head from my idiot husband's broadsword.

.... Is your husband a viking?? LOL

My wife used to freak when I was hol.... err... never mind.

How old is your pup, Jan?
Could be something like Ruth mentioned, or possibly just something the pup sees as something new that's f'ing huge and right over my head. Might just need some time to get used to those things.

 

[ruby55]

.... Is your husband a viking?? LOL

We used to work Renaissance Festivals. He thought he was a viking; more like a troll.

 

[musicdeb]

We used to work Renaissance Festivals. He thought he was a viking; more like a troll.

hahahahaha

 

[DennasMom]

New stuff is often "scary"... Denna and I worked on the "usual" stuff (umbrellas, hats, canes... no broadswords, though) when she was really little as part of her socialization practice.

Now she's 2.5 yrs old and still occasionally will 'freak' about something. When I see her flinch at something, I tell her to "go check it out" (our cue phrase from her early years) and point to the item in question... that's her cue to stop, sniff, and investigate - which she will do, cautiously. Once she's past the item the first time, we try and pass by it again, right away, to make sure that item has been added to her "don't need to freak-out about that" list.