Fears

[milles2]

I forgot about the sneeze! Tucker will run from anypoint in the house to my side when I sneeze. He jumps up and looks at me like I have 3 heads! Without fail! It's like that scene from the Alien movie, he thinks a creature is going to opo out of me!

I think Tuck is too far gone with the fireworks too. Every 4th of July and New Year's Eve the neighbors let loose with fireworks. This year I pulled my chair off the porch, had Tuck on my lap, and the barking was a bit less. I wasn't coddling him (well, maybe a little) - he was keeping me warm!

[tandemgal]

I always have thought Emma is dyslexic in her Doggie Duties - she will let anyone walk into the house and never bark - just roll over and smile because "another person has come to pet me! ... oh and the silverware is over there - take what you want just pet me" BUT let a 2 liter make a pop sound in the kitchen and it's hair at attention and big growls and attack mode! SO if ever someone sneeks into our house and pops the top off the Coke we can depend of Emma to save us!

[disraeli]

Originally Posted by milles2@rpi.edu

I forgot about the sneeze! Tucker will run from anypoint in the house to my side when I sneeze. He jumps up and looks at me like I have 3 heads!

I thought Rhys was unique with this reaction - maybe it's a Corgi thing? I've never had another dog react to sneezes in such an extreme way.

[Jespah]

I have a friend that inherited (literally) a toy poodle that attacks her if she sneezes - she has to be very careful as he is a whacko!

[corgimom]

I don't this is classified as a fear, but on a couple of occasions, my cats have made the coughing noise as if they were trying to get rid of a hair ball and Cody has ran over to them as if he is trying to help them. When they make that "noise", he will stop what his is doing, bark, and run up to them as if to say "hey, what is wrong, can I help you"

linda

[Fluffypants]

That's cute Linda. Cody is a very concerned brother!

[milles2]

Back to the sneeze: When Tucker sneezes himself, he shakes his head and has this "what just happened" look on his face!

In the spring and summer he shoves his heads in the weeds, breathes deeply, sneezes, then wonders what happened. In the winter he does this with snow! Especially the light powder snow. He breathes it in then sneezes. Cracks me up!

Here's a picture of him breathin in the snow with his pal Sammy!

[corgimom]

It's that time of the year again and Cody decided to protect me by "barking" at the big black monster which came out of my sons closet today.

I reassured him "it's okay Cody" which in turn I was rewarded with many kisses. He even was brave enough to face the "monster" head on and give him a few nudges, still letting him know that "he was in charge".

Those "back packs" can be awfully scarey, can't they?

[bajoiner]

This is a great thread. Sassy also will run from wherever she may be in the house to my/or my husbands side if we sneeze. She used to bark but now she just jumps up and wants to cuddle as if she is making sure you are okay. She was not afraid of anything, but since we have been back from camping this last time she has developed some odd behavior which my husband nor I can figure out. Whenever I go into the kitchen to cook she will go off into another room until we are finished eating. We have never scolded her for begging (as she rarely begs unless you have a popsicle). She just started this all on her own. I have to call her to eat her dinner as I usually feed her when we are sitting down to eat. And I must admit she goes into a barking attack mode for anything with a motor (not cars) but lawn mowers, weed eaters, generators, vacuums, the list is endless as is her barking. It is nice to know that other Corgis have these quirks also. Does anyone have any idea why she has decided that she is not allowed in the room when we are eating or I am cooking? This has us puzzled.

Barbara

[Michael Romanos]

Taylor is excellent with the most noisiest of machinery and we use the hairdryer to help dry him after a bath. The only thing he doesn't like is OUR lawnmower - anyone else's is ok. But he is still very scared of thunder and lightening. We had some a few days ago whilst we were at my son's school. I had to take Taylor inside the classroom where all the kids surrounded him as a protective circle.

Barbara- only you or your husband can nut out why Sassy acts as she does re your cooking and her high tailing it. There is a reason/s but only you will know. It's very easy for someone like me to say - well recently someone told Sassy to go away because she was being a nuiance while they were in the kitchen doing something or other. And now Sassy associates food peparation etc with her not been wanted around. Here is one thing you can try. Sit her in a chair in or near the kitchen and tell her to stay and you potter around and after several minutes reward her with a little treat. Keep repeating the same thing several times a day and she'll think - this is good, I'd better stay around in future or I'll miss out and no one is threatening me as well.

[corgimom]

Barbara,

It is interesting that your Sassy has developed this since your last camping trip and I think it is confusing as to why she is afraid to be in the kitchen with you while you are cooking. Did the noise of the pots and pans or whatever you were using at the time of camping scare her and now she hears you doing that in your kitchen or Were you cooking on some type of campfire or small grill and possibly waving some utensil at her to "shoo" her away so she wouldn't come near it and ger hurt? Were you camping in a tent or trailer/motor home type thing? Sorry for all the questions, but just my thoughts.

Cody is not afraid of lawn mowers, or vacuums, but when we first got him, he would bark at the vacuum like crazy when I was using it, but now he just walks right by it with no problem. When my husband hits those plastic golf balls around in the back yard, the sound of the club goes "whoosh", and Cody hates that sound and will come running to get back into the house.

I would lure Sassy in the kitchen with you while you are cooking and reward her with some good treats and tell her she is a "good girl"; keep this up and see if she comes around.

[Colorado Eileen]

What fun reading - about the vacuums and anything with a motor.

I don't think Zak is afraid of the lawn mower or the vacuum -- he tries to herd them! He barks and tries to keep them in line. Funny thing, he only does this when the power is on, and they're making noise. It's so funny to watch. Zak nips at both the lawn mower and vacuum. He barks so loud, I'm afraid the neighbors are going to think I'm torturing my dog every time I vacuum.

[Dillydoodle]

This was an interesting thread for sure. Dillon is afraid of the following things and reacts by running away nervously- 1) the tape measure, 2) plastic soda bottles of any size and 3) Empty papertowel tube.

The things that he is not afriad of but clearly hates- and without my constant correction, feels he must nip and chase off 1) snow shovel, 2) push broom, 3) arch nemisis- the dyson vacuume cleaner, 4) swiffer wet jet and 5) the garbage bin on wheels (only when rolling)

And finally the things he sometimes barks at (when too close tothe house)and seems in protective mode: 1) fireworks, 2) loud thunder, 3) loud trucks, especially the Fed Ex truck,and garbage truck, 4) the mail truck, 5) loud planes or helicopters 6) loud motorcycles (especially hubby's but i think that is more about his excitement to see daddy) and 6) the NEIGHBOR's lawnmower ( not ours, he never barks at ours??? wierd huh?)

Emilie

[corgimom]

I think that Dillon is afraid the neighbors lawn mower is going to harm his mom.

[Michael Romanos]

Emilie - what is poison to one Corgi is caviar to another. Taylor waits for the kitchen towel to wind down to just the bare tube because he knows someone is going to throw it to him and he can make as much mess as he likes - and he does - chewing it into little jigsaw size pieces.
Taylor is no longer frightened of the plastic bag full of rubbish that comes out of the kitchen tidy. But it has taken a long time and some effort on my part to reassure him. In one 'famous' incident, he raced away for home, dead scared of a child's kite. Yet he stares in wonderment at low flying helicopters and anything that speeds along on a sea or a lake. His fear of balloons has subsided. With my immediate previous Pem, playing balloon ping pong was a favourite game.