Dogs Terrified of New Mounts

[lhbackcountry]

We have a 5 year old purebred lab that is some what of a half ass bird dog and mostly the best friend to my kids. Ever since she was a pup she has been terrified of new mounts when they come back from the taxidermist. Something about the smell makes her crazy as she cowers before she even sees or enters the room with a new mount. We live on 40 acres with deer around the house daily and she could give a crap less about a live deer. She scouts and hikes with me all summer and has no fear or interest in moose or elk. Last year I was even able to call her off a momma black bear and cub very quickly, which was great because that could have ended badly had she stuck around momma and cub much longer.

Not sure what the smell is that gets her but she knows as soon as she comes in the door that a new mount is in the house. She will growl and cower from it for a week and then give up and go about being a dumb lab again. She has the same behavior whether its a mammal or bird too. We also have a corgi that has never once reacted to a new mount coming home. Funny how one dog reacts instantly and the other cant even tell that there is a new 350" bull elk staring at her in the living room.

Anyone else experience dogs weird behavior with taxidermy?

Have you tried putting a mount next to her food bowl? Will get rid of this pretty quick knowing my labs are basically hungry lions

 

[RS_Non-Res]

As a kid, my siblings and I were forced to sleep under the moose that had been exiled to grandma's basement. Double spooky under a low ceiling too. I would go sleep in the woodshop next room over. My dog tries to stare down the oryx pedestal but always looses. It smells like a leather jacket to me. The coyote pelt recently wrapped in the horns has renewed her interest.

 

[bigmoose]

We had a male Shih Tzu that went nuts over my sheep mount when I bought it home. He didn't mind the deer or antelope but that ram was bad news.

My mother in law would not sleep in the guest bedroom because of a deer mount. She hated the thought that the buck was staring at her. I never did take that head out of the bedroom ... LOL

 

[*zap*]

poor lil doggie....

 

[awbowhunter]

This is my daughters dog tryimg to get to my mounts. Think she either wants to eat it, or play. First time her dog has been to my new house. Interesting how differently dogs can or do act to taxidermy..

 

[*zap*]

get that doggie a ladder....

 

[WCB]

My dogs just smell it and search for new mounts then just dance around smelling it while looking at it up on the wall. My full body Tahr was a little different story took about a week until my one dog wouldn't circle out and around it.

Weird thing is our 6yr old French Brit will just randomly circle out around a head on the wall that has been there for years. He even growls at it. Not one specific one but just a random one like it moved or he is keeping on eye on it. We have like 13 heads on the wall not like it is one or two in rooms he is never in. Most of them are in the living room upstairs or living room downstairs.

Also if I take them down to clean them I always get a growl or two out of the dogs...but they run when I lunge at them with the head.

 

[mi650]

My dogs just smell it and search for new mounts then just dance around smelling it while looking at it up on the wall. My full body Tahr was a little different story took about a week until my one dog wouldn't circle out and around it.

Weird thing is our 6yr old French Brit will just randomly circle out around a head on the wall that has been there for years. He even growls at it. Not one specific one but just a random one like it moved or he is keeping on eye on it. We have like 13 heads on the wall not like it is one or two in rooms he is never in. Most of them are in the living room upstairs or living room downstairs.

Also if I take them down to clean them I always get a growl or two out of the dogs...but they run when I lunge at them with the head.

This is what our Dane does, for no apparent reason. Ours are in the living room and master bedroom. Dumbass just did it again last night. While we were watching a movie, he went into our bedroom and started barking at one of them. My newest mounts are 2 years old.

 

[WV Mountaineer]

We have a 5 year old purebred lab that is some what of a half ass bird dog and mostly the best friend to my kids. Ever since she was a pup she has been terrified of new mounts when they come back from the taxidermist. Something about the smell makes her crazy as she cowers before she even sees or enters the room with a new mount. We live on 40 acres with deer around the house daily and she could give a crap less about a live deer. She scouts and hikes with me all summer and has no fear or interest in moose or elk. Last year I was even able to call her off a momma black bear and cub very quickly, which was great because that could have ended badly had she stuck around momma and cub much longer.

Not sure what the smell is that gets her but she knows as soon as she comes in the door that a new mount is in the house. She will growl and cower from it for a week and then give up and go about being a dumb lab again. She has the same behavior whether its a mammal or bird too. We also have a corgi that has never once reacted to a new mount coming home. Funny how one dog reacts instantly and the other cant even tell that there is a new 350" bull elk staring at her in the living room.

Anyone else experience dogs weird behavior with taxidermy?

She’s got PETA bloodlines in her.

 

[chasewild]

All I know, is that someone needs to start posting some videos of dogs going apeshit on mounts . . . like the cats afraid of cucumbers videos.

 

[Jack321]

This thread is cracking me up!

Not just some of the comments, but my dog does the same thing at my parents. I have a bear and antelope on the wall at my place and she doesn't do a thing. My 10pt buck is still at the taxidermist.

My dad shot a nice 12pt 164" buck and we put it on the wall a few months back.

She came in to my parents and started growling at it. Lots of times she'll be prancing around the house and just randomly stop and side-eye it. Then go back to playing. She'll stand under it oblivious and then randomly look up and be like "Oh $hit!" and jump back as if it startled her, then growl at it.

Dumb@ss it's been there for several months!

But she just gets real skiddish.

She's an idiot.

So now it's got me thinking about what's going to happen when I get my buck!

Great thread!

 

[CMP70306]

All I know, is that someone needs to start posting some videos of dogs going apeshit on mounts . . . like the cats afraid of cucumbers videos.

Mine imitated a dinosaur and gave my new mount kisses.

 

[weekender7]

No, our bulls are smaller than that.

 

[Marshfly]

We don't have that problem.

 

[def90]

Just ignore it and act like nothing is going on, last thing you want to do is reinforce the dogs response.

 

[Yoder]

Mine only got terrified after I chased her around the house with it. It was pretty funny. She sat looking up at it growling for a day or two after that. Now she doesn't care.

 

[Amos Keeto]

My service dog Rotweiller was about 2 years old. Took him to a gun show.
Off to the side of the main show, a guy had set up his taxidermy booth.
Just as you step in the door, you were greeted with a shoulder mount of about a 200 pound boar with mouth wide open!
Next thing I feel is my Rotty moving between me and the mount, growling and pushing me aside, away from the mount.
There was a seat just inside the door. I sat down and made the dog "Sit".
A few minutes talking him, I could feel him relax.
Then I took him over and let him sniff the mount.
The rest of the day, he never paid the mount any attention.

Funny to begin with though!

The old man today. He will be 13 this summer.
He's "retired" these days and spends his time doing this.

In his day, he was an awesome creature.
He would mind every command.
Gentle as a lamb.
He was tackled in a drug store by a special needs kid one morning! Never fazed him!
Tell him, "Give." and you can still take his food bowl....while he's eating.

 

[chasewild]

Just ignore it and act like nothing is going on, last thing you want to do is reinforce the dogs response.

Disagree. Embrace it, torment them for sheer entertainment.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JRS3]

My uncle has a black wolf sitting down with its lips snarled showing the teeth in his living room. His lab at the time took months to get used to it. It’s an impressive mount and definitely grabs your attention.

 

[505Wapiti]

My lab and corgi are kind of like cornfed whitetail, and my mounts are like hunters sitting in a tree stand. The dogs never melt down util they finally decide to look up that high which usually results in a meltdown a couple times a year. The rest of the time its business as usual and mainly sniffing the floor looking for some remanent of a snack one of my boys dropped on the floor.