What's in the air tonight? Pup smells something

Hey folks have a question for yah.

I have a pup just a few months old. He is a labradoodle and he goes out a multiple times a day to do his business and sniff around. Tonight its a first in unfamiliar territory for pup ownership. This evening I take him out for his late night walk around the yard. At first he get does his business right away and begins to sniff the air. He puts his snout into the air and immediately makes a b-line to the door and has stayed by my wifes side going no where near the door. I walked the outside with my light and I found nothing. However, he is having nothing of the door or outside where typically he is excited about the sniffer for a quick walk about.

Ok so now your asking so my dog smelled something funky whats weird about that?

a couple mins before the pup experienced the above I was on the porch sipping me a decantur of cognac and every hair on my body stood.

So any folks experience any odd stuff like this?

a reply to: tinktinktink

A lot of weird things happen in this world. No explanation and no solution to it.

a reply to: tinktinktink
Probably a Skunk sprayed in the neighborhood. Dogs have really good snouts.

a reply to: tinktinktink

Live in bear country? Any predatory wildlife that your dogs wolf instincts would be apprehensive of nearby? That sounds like an innate superior predator reaction.

a reply to: tinktinktink

Not knowing your environment, hard to say.

Large pine tree or other cluster of trees nearby? Great Horned owl watching you both. Been hearing one in my area the past few nights. Think its a juvie, confused about when to mate.

Country/low ridge area? Possum, skunk, raccoon, fox, porcupine, badger, coyote passed through the area?

Suburban? Possum, skunk, raccoon, fox.

Urban? Possum, skunk, raccoon, rat.

Any new scent might trigger fear for a pup, especially at night when vision is decreased. With your own hair-shivers, my guess would be a Great Horned owl, studying you... studying the pup.... unless no nearby trees, then has to be... El Chupacabra!

Its possible, but bears spotted here once every few years. we ar in a larger town at the foothills of apalachia.Although wouldn't surprise me neighbor has has a crippled coon living on her porch for years.Just he is not typically the scaredy cat type dog and has gotten himself in trouble bucking up to several different neighbors dogs.

a reply to: EightAhoy

Dont like the prospects of owls at all. Superstitious beliefs about things could be viewed as ignorance but too many coincidences for me to discount them as the bearers of bad news death and such.

BTW hours later he still right by wifes side. She is his favorite although she is meaner than a snake lol

originally posted by: tinktinktink
BTW hours later he still right by wifes side. She is his favorite although she is meaner than a snake lol

You think he'll agree to go out to the bathroom again before bedtime?

a reply to: tinktinktink

Awww, shucks. Didn't intend for my comment to invoke unease. Regrets. Superstitions are often tied to intuition, not ignorance, and I never discount intuition. Could an owl also portend only the end of summer, nothing more?

Might be a good weekend to burn a smudge.

I'm leaning towards a bear now knowing your environment. That would make a pup go "Yikes!"

Maybe tomorrow in the light of day pup will meander around, lead you to animal scat and you'll solve the mystery. Keep us posted.

Watch your wife. My mom's cat and one of her dogs glued themselves to her out of the blue like that one night and she had a stroke the next day. If the pup wasn't spooked by something outside he might be sensing something weird with her. There's dogs trained to alert on seizures, diabetic issues and other stuff, some just do it naturally. Hope all is well for you guys either way!

Perhaps a predator In the area, coyote, bobcat, or panther. I live in East Tennessee and have seen all three.

he has stayed near us throiughout the night. A few mins ago he began growling a lot guttural toward the door. nothing I can see on the yard cam tho.

a reply to: tinktinktink

Dunno, been noticing weird things with my dogs and the dogs i see regularly lately. They've been barking at nothing a lot and just been behaving oddly. The female's been humping the # out of the male the last few days, but was in heat a couple months ago so nothing to do with that.

There's a male i see at work every day that's been acting strange and overly submissive the last few days and not barking at things he usually does. His usually docile mom's been acting up running around acting like a puppy. Cat's been odd, hasn't wanted to go outside for the last week or so, just chills on the cabinet all day and night until breakfast or dinner but seems alright otherwise, just doesn't seem interested in anything lately.

Something's seemed off the last few days, but we had the first storm of the season last weekend so could be that. But, i've had a few people i know say somethings felt off the last few days and other people, myself include, just seem a little more snappy and not in the best of moods.

a reply to: tinktinktink

Sasquatch
The hairs on the back of your neck
The dogs reaction

a reply to: Nickn3

He has calmed down now. There has been reports of coyotes alot lately in my neighbohood so that could be an explanation. But I thought it a bit strange with my skin crawling just a min or two before the pup began this.

We live in the woods. Myself and the neighbors have off and on coyote visitors. My Tamar did what yours did one night, not long ago.

She went out and while out doing her buisness she stopped mid stream, nose to the air. I walked over to her to discourage anything that may have been in the area, and we have plenty, coyote are just the most emboldened.

I soothed her into finishing what she was doing. It did not take much encouragement. When she was done, she bolted back to the house.

I didn't see anything, but if they don't want to be seen, you won't usually see them.

All was back to normal by morning.

Mine does this when foxes or coyotes are near.

I don't know, mine has been acting strange for about the past week. Once the sun goes down, he'll have nothing to do with outside.

Jack russel mix, normally have coyotes running around, use to that smell. It's gotten to the point where he won't even step outside after dark to pee.

Wondering if something spooked him.

a reply to: tinktinktink

I would guess skunks - even if its not a recent spray, dogs will pick up on the smell of the skunks without and spraying involved. Mine is so reactive to it that I've learned to key in on the smell of skunks from a pretty good distance myself.

I say praise your pup for making a beeline for the door and encourage that behaior. Mine makes a beeline for the skunks. She's not allowed in the yard after dusk anymore. I have to take her for a walk on the leash every night around 11-12, armed with a flashlight, keeping eyes - and noses - peeled for the stinky effers.

When she got skunked for the second time this month about a week ago, I started tweeting "#sku" and immediately, Twitter came up with "#Skunktember."

My wife has informed me, thanks to Facebook "memories", that between her and our previous generation of 3 dogs, about 80% of skunkings were in September, the rest were all mid-Feb to mid-March.

No more after dusk during those timeframes, except on a leash, armed with a powerful flashlight, avoiding bushes and tall grass areas.