We got these dogs in March, and they have been rather lumpish since. They get excited and yippy when people walk by the house, especially Pippin, but mostly just lie around sleepily waiting for food. From the porch, they have barked at the few squirrels and chipmunks that walk by, and have shown occasional tunneling behavior in the lawn for no apparent reason.
In the last week they have gone nuts. Once their little noses catch the scent of the October air they star racing around, following the paths I have seen the chipmunks on. They snort, they wheeze, they stick their noses into holes and shrubbery. I don't know how long they'd go, but I have given them a full fifteen minutes of them straining at the leash, wearing themselves out, with no letup. These are dogs for whom fifteen minutes a week was a lot of exercise.
Do chipmunks give off more scent when the temperature changes? Do dogs get a stronger desire to fatten up on small game in the fall?
Or do the scents become more apparent in cooler temperatures?
ReplyDeleteThese are the kids of oddball facts my dad would know.
I don't know, but I've e-mailed my sister, the vet and dog trainer! She owns two of those little buggers (plus a small herd of other assorted breeds).
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