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.