Hello,
I wonder if you could help me understand exactly what's going on?!!! I am a very experienced dog owner having had dogs all my life. I currently own a nearly 4 year old rottie x American akita bitch. She is the goodest girl, and naturally she is self assured, calm and fearless. I've had her since she was 8 weeks old. HOWEVER, I have just got back from our walk, took the normal route everything was fine until she's randomly sniffing the air and completely freaking out. Whatever she could smell or hear (I couldn't see or hear or smell anything unusual/out of the ordinary) but I'm assuming it's a smell but maybe wrong as she had her nose in the air sniffing....and immediately her tail was down her ears pulled back and she literally starts running away. She was on a lead and is dragging me I was running at full speed but whatever it was scaring her I couldn't calm her down and she was choking herself dragging me along. She is usually obedient and listens to me immediately but she was so freaked out she ran all the way back home dragging me along. I just cannot work out what it is. The dogs out and about as we passed where all acting normal so what has happened to my girl? She's sat at my feet now at home panting which I can tell is because she's stressed. It is so odd. I wish I knew what was up. This behaviour has happened when we have been at parks and people had bbq. The smell.of the fire/smoke freaked her out. I've been into our town centre and it's happened she wouldn't let me walk her through the town and she was sniffing the air and whatever it was was stressing her out enough to make her drag me.out of town with her. Has anyone any experience with this? Ideas? It's It's upsetting to see my brave courageous girl being so scared and stressed out especially when I don't even know what's happening for her to be that way :( thanks xx