Guest greyhound_in_LA Posted September 24, 2014 Share Posted September 24, 2014 For the second time since Coe has been with us, he has led me on a nighttime wild goose chase. I don't know what gets into him. Same weird pattern only 4-6 weeks apart. Coe is restless in the house at 8pm when he's usually asleep. Coe goes to the living room and lies near the front door. I think he needs to pee or poop really bad, so I get him leashed and we walk out. Coe beelines to our only intersection and fixates on a scent. He walks up a hilly street, which he never does in the evening, smelling everything, nose to ground. Coe stops at weird intersection and keeps staring off into distance. Will. Not. Budge. Statues for what seems like 15 minutes to me? I take his collar and turn him by going forward then 180, but he turns back and leans forward in the obsessed direction! I have to use his collar to get him home, and this took 15 minutes of repositioning him, trying to trick him by turning him, etc. I hate having to use his collar like that because I can see it is tight. It's past 8:45 now, and we are not on our street yet. What in the world is going on?! Why does he get a bee in his bonnet like this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest normaandburrell Posted September 24, 2014 Share Posted September 24, 2014 Wow. Could he be hearing/smelling another animal? I guess I think of this because we have possums and raccoons that come out at night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeofNE Posted September 24, 2014 Share Posted September 24, 2014 I bet there is a nocturnal beast roaming your neighborhood! In terms of the "training" part of this particular forum, I decide where my dog walks. I would be totally creeped out to have my dog dragging me around in the dark after some unknown scent! And if you continue to give in to these "I gotta go out" when he doesn't really, he's just going to keep doing it. I would take him to a spot in my yard where he's allowed to pee, give him a couple minutes, and then go back inside. Unless you don't mind the nighttime adventures! Quote Susan, Hamish, Mister Bigglesworth and Nikita Stanislav. Missing Ming, George, and Buck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
socalgreys Posted September 24, 2014 Share Posted September 24, 2014 Perhaps another animal, even possibly a predator? Coyotes, occasionally, show up around here between 1 am and 5 am. In early summer, one ran out of the bushes about 25 to 30 feet from where we were standing. Thankfully, it ran in the opposite direction. Therefore, last pee is no later than 10:30 pm anymore, and I bring a whistle with me. I only saw one once, during the day. It was passing through the wash, which is up on a hill that is covered with brush, shrubs and trees. It's just a thought, especially since the coyotes are becoming so urbanized. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeedlenoseJake Posted September 24, 2014 Share Posted September 24, 2014 I second the other animal theory. Jake did this- all night long!- when we stayed in a cabin one night. There was a javalina in the woods. Quote Photographer in Phoenix, AZ www.northmountainphoto.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greyhound_in_LA Posted September 24, 2014 Share Posted September 24, 2014 I thought it was about a raccoon scent trail, as we have raccoons that get in our trash sometimes and in our neighbors' cans, but this walk took me from the end of our street to the LA city border where there is a bus stop and basically the Hermon part of LA. Coe didn't drag me there. We walked, but he went out the door with a purpose to get to the street that goes toward the LA city border. I think you guys are right. It has to be coyote smells although last time we had a coyote encounter, it was 10:30pm and there were three at the other end of our street just two houses down from ours. There was no interest that time in sniffing their path or following them! It must be coyotes. Raccoons don't take the streets whereas the coyotes just use the streets and sidewalks . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
socalgreys Posted September 24, 2014 Share Posted September 24, 2014 I usually check a local "patch" on line when I see or even hear something "weird". One night, a really strange sound woke me up, and I knew it wasn't a coyote. Went back to sleep. The next morning I was wondering what it could have been, and tried to recall the sound. Honestly, I thought it sounded like a big cat call. I checked the local (Diamond Bar-Walnut Patch) and luckily, there had been no recent sightings of Mountain Lions. I did see that a few years back, they found a Mountain Lion wandering around during the day, in front of City Hall. The local wildlife department has recommendations on line, what to do in case of an encounter. I hope that you never get into that position while walking your beautiful doggie, or even by yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.