YADT: GF's puppy is scared of grates, manholes, etc : Now with Pics!

[Cat]

My girlfriend has a miniature long-haired dachshund named Jake. He's absolutely adorable, but has lately been shying away from any metal ( and sometimes concrete ) grates and manholes. I have no idea why, as he can't tell that there's empty space underneath them. I'll take him down a sidewalk, and he'll be perfectly normal, wagging his tail, but go around any feature that looks like it could be covering something. If there's a concrete slab covering something in the grass next to the sidewalk, he'll avoid that too, even though it looks exactly like the sidewalk he's currently on. He's very emphatic about it; he'll just lay down if I try to get him to walk over these items.

Can anyone explain this behaviour? Jake is only seven months old, but hasn't always been scared of these things. I worry for the little guy.

B&W pic Jake is on the far left. I'll try to find some more. His brother Gabe is to his left.
Full stomach.

 

[Kelemvor]

Most dogs will specifically walk around things like sewer grates. Mainly because their paws can very easily fall down the holes and that'd be painful.

 

[Borracho]

pics?

 

[Linflas]

If you are in New York City you may want to encourage that behavior. Shocking grates scare residents

 

[Cat]

Originally posted by: FrankyJunior
Most dogs will specifically walk around things like sewer grates. Mainly because their paws can very easily fall down the holes and that'd be painful.

I can understand grates; but manholes and other such 'coverings' that have no holes in them? Sometimes he walks around squares in the sidewalk with a thin band of metal outlining them.

 

[Borracho]

Originally posted by: Cat

Originally posted by: FrankyJunior
Most dogs will specifically walk around things like sewer grates. Mainly because their paws can very easily fall down the holes and that'd be painful.

I can understand grates; but manholes and other such 'coverings' that have no holes in them? Sometimes he walks around squares in the sidewalk with a thin band of metal outlining them.

sounds like he is has OCD

 

[GRIFFIN1]

I know a dog just like that. He does all the stuff you are talking about, and he will also not step on the cracks in the sidewalk. He also doesn't like walking on leaves that are on the sidewalk.

 

[Red]

He probably had a bad experience with it.

 

[Kelemvor]

Maybe you just have a retarded dog...

 

[Jzero]

Originally posted by: Linflas
If you are in New York City you may want to encourage that behavior. Shocking grates scare residents

LOL that's exactly what came to my mind, too. Maybe he got shocked or hurt himself walking across a grate?
Dogs make whacky mental connections.

My ex-gf's dog got tangled in a hose once as a puppy and for the rest of her life she is afraid of ropes and cords and hoses, etc.

My other friend used to have a gate to keep his puppy out of the entryway to his house and when they took the gate down after a few months, the dog would not set foot on the tile floor.