Last night the dogs were barking at something towards a creek that runs near our house.
What is strange, they were not charging whatever it was. Usually the dogs charge a strange animal. The dogs were not having any of whatever it was.
Only when I went outside with a flashlight and rifle were they willing to go in the direction of whatever it was.
It is not like the dogs to stay so close to the house and bark.
While looking around last night I did not hear, see or smell anything. We have skunks around here, but I did not smell one last night.
I wonder if there were some hogs across the creek?
A couple of months ago I saw a opossum walking along the creek. The dogs are going to charge a small opossum the size of a cat. They chance stray cats all the time.
Our dogs react like that to coyotes. They'll blindly chase just about anything else but they get up on the porch and bark like idiots if there's a coyote near.
We don't have any wild hogs right around us so I don't know how they'd react to them. The deer they just co-exist with now, don't ever bark at them at all. Everything else they chase, except coyotes.
****, fox maybe. Don't forget bears are out now. I get those pretty regular this time of year. Hungry bears and not much foraging in the forest yet, they come looking for the easy meals.
Was leaving for work at 4am this morning, and had similar experience. Heard what I thought was a person under my neighbors car across the street. Ended up being a very large raccoon! Had a fox 20 ft from me last week early in the morning. If your dogs have ever tangled with a raccoon, they probably have learned to stay away.
chupacabra... it was cinco de mayo yesterday... he was probably out looking for some libations near the creek, or a place to hydrate after a huge goat sucking bender.
could have been a skunk, & your dogs have just learned that they don't want to get close to them... ( I had a female that ended up having babies in the building site ) & she didn't smell at all, even if chased under a building... the males stink, even if they haven't sprayed lately...
also could have been a big cat ( bob cat, or cougar if you have them around ) dogs a lot of times won't mess with them
or the yotes was a good suggestion... especially with the chickens close by...
BTW... my outside doggie hasn't learned about raccoons, in fact, he often trees 4-5 in the same tree to make things easier for his poppa
Or a larger cat, maybe. They are pretty rare, but they do have huge areas that they roam over.
My dogs will be trying to climb over each other if there are hogs out there, but the fence holds them in. The same with coyotes. I was leaving right at daylight one morning and my dogs had been running up and down the fence line for about 15 minutes. I have a young donkey that runs on the other side that they chase. This time the donkeys were all standing together. It was a coyote running the dogs back and forth as if they were playing. It was a frosty morning. I figured they were all working up some body heat, but my shepherd might have been in heat, too.
plus 1 on the bobcat...we have numerous trail cams all over our property so we have confirmed that we have several bobcats..distinct markings and size.
also have red and grey foxes, beavers, otters, too many yotes, etc...all of this on camera..
that said...there is a marked difference in the way the dogs react when a big cat is coming through
Around here, it'd be the deer, elk and moose.
About once a week, I get woken between 4-6am be my and the neighbors dogs.
Fresh "sign" in the front yard.
I suggest building very secure fencing surrounding the house, the chicken coop, the garden, and the other buildings. Something tall enough to keep out deer and tight enough that coyotes can not dig into. Add a hot wire near the top to keep out bobcats, *****, and grinners.
Keep the gate closed at night.
Buy much bigger dogs.
I am raising California red sheep in an area infested by bobcats, coyotes, stray dogs, and the occasional mountain lion.
Anatolian Shepards will protect you are your livestock against anything on four legs.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Survivalist Forum
11.6M posts
167.1K members
Since 2007
A forum community dedicated to survivalists and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about collections, gear, DIY projects, hobbies, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more!