Bridge phobia?
Lucy does not like walking across bridges. Does anyone know why? It can be a foot bridge or a small bridge (concrete, guard rail) over a brook or stream. On approach, she will either sit and refuse to come across or will flatten her ears, put her "tail" between her legs (or it would like like this if she had one), lower her body, and rapidly walk across. I'm partly amused, and partly concerned. Today, she quickly jumped over a snow back and into the street to avoid the bridge. I should also mention I walk her on leash. Avoiding the bridges is impossible as they are in my neighborhood where we walk. Perhaps this is one of her personality quirks, but I was wondering if other Corgis have this "issue."
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by steve smith on
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Not Dino He will cross the bridge. Moose the cocker spaniel would not but I would slowly take him across one and give a treat on the way across as to distract him and then he would look behind him and each time would be easier.
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Permalink Reply by Laura Rochette on
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Thank you, Steve. I'll try the treats. It's funy, because Lucy is otherwise pretty fearless. Even thunder doesn't faze her..
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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We have a large handicapped-accessible "tree house" as an overlook in a park by us, and Jack is terrified of it. He will balk and flatten. Funny thing is, he loves to try to go on it, but then hates it when he's there (he'll pull to get to it then gets halfway across and starts freezing). My husband thinks it's like people who love roller coasters because they scare them.
Funny thing is, we do agility and he's fine on the dogwalk and a-frame.
I believe it's probably the feeling of looking straight down and seeing the drop under your feet, and/or the hollow sound when walking on it. My husband has a similar phobia of bridges with decking or gridwork you can see through, though he's not afraid of heights very much.
I wouldn't worry too much. If you need to cross bridges a lot, bring some strong cheese or hot dogs cut into little pieces and feed her all the way across. You probably won't cure her innate fear, but you might convince her that going across any way is well worth the treats.
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Permalink Reply by Yuki & Ellie on
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Dogs generally don't like areas where they can see through to the ground. For example, many dogs are very nervous when introduced to stairs that don't have a covered back (i.e. they're essentially just horizontal boards and you can see through the back area.) My mother's dog, in her 18 years of life, has never gone down my mother's basement stairs for that exact reason. Even Ellie and Yuki don't like going up or down stairs that have the back exposed. Like Beth said, it's probably because they can see down and are worried that they'll fall.
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That makes sense to me, although neither my stairs nor the bridges we cross have that issue. The footbridge I can understand as it does shift a little when I am on it,.but the others are solid, as they are part of a road. Mind you these are not very big bridges. .
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