This is a strange one. Our dog Shadow is nearly 11 and a half and a black lab. Over the last year or so she has become very scared of the ice cream van music - specifically Greensleeves which is the only tune it/they seem to have. She has never seen the van, it is just the music she hears and it doesn't have to be loud - far away is enough to get her scared.

She shivers and quakes and hides wherever possible. She absolutely loves her food and I have literally just put her food bowl down for her tea and at the same time I gave her the command that she could eat it the music started up and she refused to eat and has hidden under the study desk. It takes her a long time after the music has stopped to calm down.

Has anyone else got a dog that exhibits similar strange behaviour and does anyone know why she should be like that?

Just curious and Thanks.:h

Poor Shadow.My two year old lab/kelpie cross also hates the ice cream van that plays the Greensleeves music.She is a very gentle dog but rushes to the window or fence to bark at it.If only they knew what was in the van!

Don't know if it is Greensleeves she does not like as she has never heard another tune!

Yes my dog is the same age and has lost the plot a bit. She gets upset when she hears the clock tick on 60 minutes program

Its their age. I bet we'll hate greensleeves and the 60minute clock when we get to their age. I aint keen on them now

Good to its not just me the has a weird dog! She ignored the food in her bowl for over an hour before she had calmed down enough and the music had only lasted five minutes. Wouldn't be without her though - she is just gorgeous and loves us without limitation.

My totally fearless aussie cattle type dog, became terrified of a advertising blimp that was floating round in the sky above the beach. He was hiding between us, crouching down wimpering as the shadow of the blimp went over Now he is very suspicious of anything in the sky.
After that he also became scared of Christmas Beetles, maybe he thinks they are small blimps. Totally mad, and hes only 6.

I'd love a dog! my cat, Outboard, is terrified of his own dumps. He scrambles around in his litter tray until the offending item is buried before tearing to the other end of the boat, meowing and cowering until yours truly has scooped it out.

my two dogs both eat from stainless bowls, no problem, but the younger 8 year old springer will absolutely not walk past them when empty, she looks terrified and if a bowl moves and makes the metal scraping noise on the tiled floor, thats it, shes on the ceiling! The first time she saw a toddler she screamed, literally screamed with fear, it was so embarassing, poor thing is also scared of her own shadow at night from streetlights.

My border collie who lives with my parents howls when the phone rings. We have to wait for her to stop before we can start a conversation. She use to do it just with my mobile phone but in the last few years it's everything the house phone rings. She's 14 now so maybe it's an age thing.

If I don't hear her when my Mum answers then I have to ask where she is & if she's ok before I start chatting. Therefore whether she howls or not the first part of every phone call is all about Jess

Alison x

My GSP started barking at a neighbour's fountain because it looked like a person that never moved. She could see it from our house and it drove us nuts.
Now when we're walking, all statues in gardens are greeted with suspicion. If she's off leash, she'll slink in to the garden and start stalking the statue.. doesn't matter what it is, Buddah statues, animal statues... very funny to watch.
Eventually she gets up close and barks at them and when they don't react, she slinks off again. Totally surreal.

My 1 year old staffy cross is a rescue dog and is terrified of plastic and shopping bags and people shouting.

He is also not to keen on sprinklers and this morning instead of getting a little bit wet jumped on a wall to avoid one!

Well after all these responses it makes Shadow look relatively normal!! Long may our wonderful, weird, special dogs be around to make us laugh.

Have a look at "The Dog Whisperer" with Caesar Millan. He often treats dogs with anxieties. Trouble is if you fuss over the dog when it is in the anxious state, you are telling it that there IS something to fear, and the dog will get worse and become more anxious. You have to be calm assertive pack leader and snap/train the dog out of it- lots of ways, each one specific to the type of fear the dog has.

I keep on reading this thread heading as electric dog. Cripes, where's me glasses?

I am glad I am not the only one!

If two different dogs in two different locations react to the same ice cream music in the same way could it be that the frequency of the recording is acting as an irritant? You know, the same way they're sensitive to the 'silent dog whistle'. I know how they can be scared of anything they don't understand, but this Greensleeves thing seems like too much of a coinsidence not to have a scientific explanation.