What freaks your dog out?

A month ago we adopted a shelter mutt, a big rowdy guy about a year old. Walking him around early yesterday morning, before anyone else was out, we came across a big white balloon. There was just enough breeze to keep the balloon slowly tumbling across the lawns. My dog acted like he was seeing the devil himself; his hackles raised like I had never seen them raise, and he was frozen stiff. I calmly picked the balloon up and flicked it away to show him it was harmless, but for the next two blocks he walked sideways, not wanting to turn his back on the Thing from Hell.

Later I took him for a walk down by the lake shore. He had been there before, but not down to the water’s edge. I led him down a gently sloping concrete boat ramp to where some little tiny waves were sloshing up. He stepped close to the water to investigate, but he seemed to think these waves were weird watery beasts trying to mess with him. He started snapping at the crest of each wave as it splashed in, getting only a mouthful of water. It was hilarious at first, but he worked himself into such a frenzy that I had to haul him out and spend several minutes poking treats at him to calm him down.

Aside from these incidents, he’s not a particularly high-strung or timid dog. These just seemed to be, for him, encounters with the uncanny that he was unable to make any sense of, so he freaked out.

What’s on your dog’s freak-out list?