Dog is afraid of bridges

[Oma]

Yesterday James our SIL,s father took Storm and Josh out for a walk , took them down by the river but to get there you have to cross a bridge over the water , Storm was ok till half way across and he went to the side and looked over , he then froze and couldn't move then slowly sank to the floor and lay on his side and tried to shuffle his way back across the bridge , after trying to get him to stand James had to pick him up and carry him back . Once he was off the bridge he was fine so James tried taking him across again but he dug his paws in and wasn't budging , poor dog he obviously has no head for heights so will not be crossing bridges on foot again

[Gemini]

Awwww, poor Storm!!
I wonder if other dog owners have experienced anything like this. I wonder if it's common?

[Plantaholic]

That is amazing Oma, never heard of that before

[Oma]

Josh said he looked so scared and tried to shuffle backwards on his side . That walk is off limits now , it's not water as he's fine in ponds and the sea so must have been the height looking over . He's been fine today bless him

[Clover]

Poor Storm. Who'd have thought it? It would be interesting to find out if his vet has come across this in other dogs.Has Storm walked over this bridge before?

[Shemadee]

We used to walk over a motorway bridge with no problem! Storm must have a sensitive soul!

[Nanto2girls]

Never heard of a dog having this problem, but my Gran did.She would cross them but was always a quivering wreck at the other side.
Apparently a fear of bridges in humans is called Gephyrophobia.
I just googled dogs fear of bridges, and it's surprising how common it is.There are loads of pages on Google.

[Oma]

No Clover never walked across a bridge before , Nanto I will have to have a look at Google thanks for that

[Daisy]

Oma - yes, I've experienced it. The first time was with a Lab we had when the boys were little. I was staying in Anglesey with boys and dog and took them to South Stack Lighthouse. Boys and dog were all fine going down the cliff face, over the bridge and up the other side to the lighthouse. But on the way back the dog just refused point blank to cross one section of the bridge. I really needed 2 hands to hang on to the boys, but ended up carrying a 7 stone Labrador instead!

Fast forward to our next dog - a rescue Border Collie - and our daily walk involved crossing to bridges over the river. It was month before he had enough confidence to do this. Most days I ended up paddling through the river with him!

A possible solution would be to train Storm to keep looking at you (or your SIL in this case) - probably by offering him treats as they walk. Then just take a few steps onto the bridge, offering treats and then turning back. Gradually increase the distance you're walking on the bridge (offering treats) until he can cross it ok. There's no point in trying to force him - and I'm sure he's too big and strong anyway - because that will just make his fear worse. But treats might just take his mind off the scary view!

[Oma]

Your right Daisy as he will do anything for food 😁 I will tell my DD ,

[Daisy]

Oma, don't laugh - well of course you can laugh if you want - but in our dog training class we use tubes to Primula cheese spread. Take the cap off, hold it just in front of his nose and when he goes to lick it squeeze a bit out. When the 'danger' is passed, withdraw the cheese and praise him.

We have had some funny looks at the supermarket check out buying multiple tubes of Primula!

[Oma]

He can't have Dairy Jean he goes mad for cheese and yoghurt but it upsets his bowels if you know what I mean 😲 but I'm sure I have seen something like a meat flavour in a tube at the pet shop that might work xx

[Plantaholic]

I can remember my OH carrying our, quite small dog across a shallow stream as she wouldn't cross the bridge.

[Clover]

Interesting to hear other tales of "scardey" dogs.

Sorry Daisy but I laughed out loud at your description of carrying the 7st. Labrador.

[Daisy]

Oma - doggy toothpaste comes in meat flavours, but I'm not sure if it's a good idea as a treat/bribe!