Hello all. I am new to dog forum, so hello.
My 13-year old yellow lab exhibited some strange behavior yesterday. I am curious to get others thoughts on this.
Quick backgound - We rescued him from a lab rescue home when he was three. We don't know much about his first three years but his overall demeanor is relatively calm, gentle and submissive.
So yesterday we were at a nearby park with a swampy, reedy area in part of the park. He is an active older guy. He happily walks about 3 miles a day with me. But he is definitely slowing down. When off leash five+ years ago, he would run around like a banshee. Now he sniffs a few trees and typically plops down in some shade.
Anyway, he has never shown an interest in water. In fact, when he was younger, if we were near water, I would carry him into shallow parts of lakes to see if he would play, swim or make a bee line for shore. He would always swim as quickly as possible toward shore. While walking on a beach, rather than splashing about, he would typically walk away from the water line to avoid getting wet. He grudgingly submits to baths but if given a choice he will jump out of a bath tub as quickly as possible. Avoids sprinklers, puddles and does not like to go out in the rain.
Back to the park. He was off leash and was sniffing quite a bit at the water line of the swamp. All of a sudden, he jumps into the water and starts heading into the middle of the swampy area. I had to use his recall word multiple time to get him to turn around and come out. I did not see anything of interest, so not sure what attracted him but something did. He has never done anything like this. And, as I said, his typical pattern is to plop down in some shady area.
Any thoughts on what was going on? He has not shown any hunting instincts (chasing smaller critters) in years. It just seemed strange given his aversion for water, age, etc.
Thanks - Patrick
My 13-year old yellow lab exhibited some strange behavior yesterday. I am curious to get others thoughts on this.
Quick backgound - We rescued him from a lab rescue home when he was three. We don't know much about his first three years but his overall demeanor is relatively calm, gentle and submissive.
So yesterday we were at a nearby park with a swampy, reedy area in part of the park. He is an active older guy. He happily walks about 3 miles a day with me. But he is definitely slowing down. When off leash five+ years ago, he would run around like a banshee. Now he sniffs a few trees and typically plops down in some shade.
Anyway, he has never shown an interest in water. In fact, when he was younger, if we were near water, I would carry him into shallow parts of lakes to see if he would play, swim or make a bee line for shore. He would always swim as quickly as possible toward shore. While walking on a beach, rather than splashing about, he would typically walk away from the water line to avoid getting wet. He grudgingly submits to baths but if given a choice he will jump out of a bath tub as quickly as possible. Avoids sprinklers, puddles and does not like to go out in the rain.
Back to the park. He was off leash and was sniffing quite a bit at the water line of the swamp. All of a sudden, he jumps into the water and starts heading into the middle of the swampy area. I had to use his recall word multiple time to get him to turn around and come out. I did not see anything of interest, so not sure what attracted him but something did. He has never done anything like this. And, as I said, his typical pattern is to plop down in some shady area.
Any thoughts on what was going on? He has not shown any hunting instincts (chasing smaller critters) in years. It just seemed strange given his aversion for water, age, etc.
Thanks - Patrick
