We live in town. My dog, Pepper, is a 7 year smooth collie/husky. She's an awesome dog. So well behaved. Stays in the yard, no signs of agression towards people or other dogs. Loves other people and other dogs.
We have bears come through our yard fairly frequently in the summer. Pepper can smell the bear from quite a distance away. She will all of the sudden perk up, start smelling around, her hackles will go up, and she knows there's a bear around. A couple of years ago my hubby and kids (age 2 and 4 at the time) were outside with the dog. All of the sudden Peppers hackles went up, and she started making laps of the yard. Hubby brought the kids and dog in and within a minute 2 very young cubs walked through the back yard closely followed by the mama.
We were living with my inlaws for 1 1/2 months while our house got fixed. They live on a lot that has crown land on two sides. So the kids and I were outside and Pepper was sleeping beside me. All of the sudden she jumps up, hackles go up, and she tears off into the bushes. We heard lots of clawing and banging around, and DH heard the noise from inside and ran out. He ran to the back of the property and our dog had ran a bear up into the tree.
Last night from about 9 pm - 10 pm she was running around inside the house whimpering, with her hackles up, smelling the air. Just after 10 she started barking and barking and barking. I look out the window and there's a HUUUUUGE bear in our front yard carrying the neighbours garbage. She kept nudging her nose against the door knob (which she does if she wants out), but I didn't let her out knowing she'd chase the bear away.
She won't even walk past a filled up black garbage bag. If she see's a black garbage bag her hackles go up and she just kind of slinks around it.
Is this normal for a dog? I can't think of anything that would've triggered a response like this from her. If she's outside, we are always with her so we know that she's never been chased or anything by a bear. I'm actually quite thankful for her because in the situation with my hubby and kids outside, I don't know what would've happened if they'd have been out when the sow and cubs walked through our yard.
We have bears come through our yard fairly frequently in the summer. Pepper can smell the bear from quite a distance away. She will all of the sudden perk up, start smelling around, her hackles will go up, and she knows there's a bear around. A couple of years ago my hubby and kids (age 2 and 4 at the time) were outside with the dog. All of the sudden Peppers hackles went up, and she started making laps of the yard. Hubby brought the kids and dog in and within a minute 2 very young cubs walked through the back yard closely followed by the mama.
We were living with my inlaws for 1 1/2 months while our house got fixed. They live on a lot that has crown land on two sides. So the kids and I were outside and Pepper was sleeping beside me. All of the sudden she jumps up, hackles go up, and she tears off into the bushes. We heard lots of clawing and banging around, and DH heard the noise from inside and ran out. He ran to the back of the property and our dog had ran a bear up into the tree.
Last night from about 9 pm - 10 pm she was running around inside the house whimpering, with her hackles up, smelling the air. Just after 10 she started barking and barking and barking. I look out the window and there's a HUUUUUGE bear in our front yard carrying the neighbours garbage. She kept nudging her nose against the door knob (which she does if she wants out), but I didn't let her out knowing she'd chase the bear away.
She won't even walk past a filled up black garbage bag. If she see's a black garbage bag her hackles go up and she just kind of slinks around it.
Is this normal for a dog? I can't think of anything that would've triggered a response like this from her. If she's outside, we are always with her so we know that she's never been chased or anything by a bear. I'm actually quite thankful for her because in the situation with my hubby and kids outside, I don't know what would've happened if they'd have been out when the sow and cubs walked through our yard.
: i've never had a chance for my dogs to be around bears so i have no idea if it's normal or not but if i lived in bear country it'd be awesome to have one that would warn you like that!
