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  1. #1
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    Dogs scared of random word?

    I know there's a thread here where I mentioned that my dogs go ga-ga over the word "diabetes" for some reason I don't know.

    But do any of your dogs have an obvious fear of a word you really wouldn't associate with them? This isn't meant to be at all political, by the way.

    Bob was in the family room and so were both dogs...I could see both dogs from where I was in the kitchen. We were talking about an article in the paper...a neutral conversation, not at all heated...and I said, "maybe Pence". Oh my gosh....you would think I'd threatened to beat both of those dogs. I'm pretty sure they've heard "Pence" before but I've never seen a reaction to it. Sunnie immediately looked freaked and actually slunk over to the door out to the deck...Dan just cowered. (He wasn't facing Sunnie, so he didn't just react to her posture like I'm pretty sure he sometimes does.)

    So I got them settled and tried an experiment. I know they've heard the word "sense" before...and sometimes, I'm sure, as part of a heated conversation. So I said, "sense". Nothing. I tried putting some minor anger into my tone. "Sense". Nothing.

    "Pence" (benign tone). Seriously, you would think I'd just hit both of them.

    Anyone else?

  2. #2
    Senior Dog Snowshoe's Avatar
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    Maybe they thought you were considering selling them and wondering how much old English money they'd bring in? Kidding, of course. Jet sneaked her tongue out and licked my just poured hot tea cup and burnt her tongue. I yelled out HOT and it was forever after my word for Leave It. She'd actually cringe. So would my sister's dog when told Vacuum. In our cases we know how the association came to be. Pence? Huh?
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    Senior Dog zd262's Avatar
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    Bubba has some weird stuff like that, but most of them I can trace back to certain situations. If he hears the word peek-a-boo or like a mouth farting noise he gets really riled up and starts to jump around (from us doing it to our niece and then everyone laughing he thinks it's great fun). He gets really upset if he hears groups of people singing together, even on tv, because one easter we left our apartment for a walk and encounter a huge singing easter processional led by monks with large banners. It was a very startling and upsetting experience for him.
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  6. #4
    Senior Dog Jeff's Avatar
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    I have only seen this in rescue dogs. Not necessarily in a dog raised from a pup. There are things Hemi has learned to be excited over that we have grown over the years. For example when Hemi was a puppy he had a lot of digestive problems. Also at that time I think it was Capital One credit cards had a huge series of funny commercials where you call in and get some foreign operator who puts you on hold. The one I remember was a Russian person keep coming back to the guy on hold and said "Your Tenatious like bull, I Like."

    Anyway, about this time hemi started having firm stools finally. Which I would say to him, "Oh You Poop Strong like bull, Daddy Like". To this day "strong like bull" always makes him smile and get frisky. Even "Like a bull" seem to work. So I can imagine if someone else were to saying something about being likable hemi may show some weird signs.

    A more odd one is the Muppet's Swedish Chef, when Hemi was a puppy the Swedish Chef came on TV once and I sang it to him, gave him the zoomies. Still does to this day the moment I reach Bork, Bork, Bork, Zoomies. I also use it to get him revved up for agility, which can really cause a lot of laughter at agility class, I start singing the song and hold off the bork bork bork and just say go. If your not familiar with the sweedish chef song, here is a compilation LOL.
    The Muppets Swedish Chef - Theme Song compilation - YouTube


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  8. #5
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    Bork. Bork. Bork. That's too funny.

    I used to sing some of the lyrics to "Louie, Louie" to Dan's brother Louie. I wonder if anything like that ever triggers a reaction in Louie. Maybe I'll remember to ask his "sister" next time we exchange emails (her mother took Louie but she ended up with him)...Louie is the only other puppy I've been able to stay in touch with.

    I used to "sing" the Dragnet tune to Danny....sort of...."Dan the man, Dan....Dan the man Dan Dan." I just tried that with him and he very calmly looked at me like I'd lost my marbles. Very astute dog, my Danny is.

    Yeah. Rescue. Sunnie was deathly afraid of the word "heel" when used in training....not casual inclusion in a sentence, though. I use "close" for these two instead.

    Sunnie's name may originally have sounded like "diabetes"...but that doesn't explain Dan's immediate reaction to the word (not like he was feeding off Sunnie). Pence may have bad connotations for her, too...but Dan wasn't even looking at her when they both had a negative reaction.

    Unless....he heard words and felt her fear when he was still part of a captive audience. You know...like playing Beethoven for your unborn baby. Hmmmm…...

  9. #6
    Senior Dog Jeff's Avatar
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    Maybe someone he was afraid of. My Neighbor few houses down is Spencer, we call him Spence for short. Maybe someone named that or another dog they didn't like named that way.

    The Heel thing, the only thing I could think of there is if there was some kind of Forced training, like training with shock collars to high or something like that and just by saying heel they were worried about getting shocked. I have seen this is in rescues as well that have been shock collar trained. What of the key words were if they didn't do or something and would have gotten shocked made them afraid. I can;t think of any command with the word Pence, but maybe Spence.

  10. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jeff View Post
    Maybe someone he was afraid of. My Neighbor few houses down is Spencer, we call him Spence for short. Maybe someone named that or another dog they didn't like named that way.

    The Heel thing, the only thing I could think of there is if there was some kind of Forced training, like training with shock collars to high or something like that and just by saying heel they were worried about getting shocked. I have seen this is in rescues as well that have been shock collar trained. What of the key words were if they didn't do or something and would have gotten shocked made them afraid. I can;t think of any command with the word Pence, but maybe Spence.
    I figured someone was heavy-handed with Sunnie...especially with "heel". The only training she's agreed to accept is following whatever Dan does when I give him a command. I have to be exceedingly gentle and passive about giving her any direction or she'll freeze (or just look at me like I have no right to be asking her to do anything different...the shelter warned me that she was easy to devastate).

    Again, though...Sunnie is an unknown. But I can account for every second of Danny's life from the time he was about 40 days along in the oven. Neither word should trigger anything in Dan...not obviously, anyhow. Unless Sunnie has been filling his little head with nightmare-type bedtime stories after we go to bed... (bad mama....)

    Oh...Dan never minded "heel". I just figured it was best to use the same word for both dogs. (especially since I normally say, "Puppies, whatever" for a command to both of them...Sunnie agrees to heed that).

  11. #8
    Senior Dog SamsonsMom's Avatar
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    Haha, I'd be in big trouble if my boys were afraid of "Pence". That's their name!

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  13. #9
    Senior Dog janedoe's Avatar
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    Fran did. I can't remember the specifics but we just acted like nothing was wrong and she grew out of it.

    Zo leaves the room now when I talk about the neighbors or politics. Not a word in particular but I'm pretty sure I have a tone in my voice that she just can't handle.

  14. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by janedoe View Post
    Fran did. I can't remember the specifics but we just acted like nothing was wrong and she grew out of it.

    Zo leaves the room now when I talk about the neighbors or politics. Not a word in particular but I'm pretty sure I have a tone in my voice that she just can't handle.
    Oh, yeah...I have to seriously watch my tones. Even a teasing tone can sometimes set Sunnie off...Dan's a little better. (I kid with my dogs.)

 



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