I have a large fire pit in my backyard that I use for burning leaves, dead cut up trees, and fallen tree branches etc. I also have a 6 month old puppy that is very inquisitive.
When I light a fire I have to watch to make sure the dog is not around for fear he might be attracted to the fire and get hurt in the process.
So far this hasn’t been too much of a problem, but are dogs instinctively afraid of fire or is this something that needs to be taught? I realize that all dogs are different, but is there a general canine fear of fire I can rely on?
I would think that having a fear of fire would come handy in the wild, but dogs have been domesticated for thousands of years, hence my question.
My only knowledge about dogs and their fear (or lack thereof) of fire comes from The Bionic Woman. Max the bionic dog lost all 4 of his legs and his jaw in a lab fire, and continued to be afraid of fire for the rest of his life.
We’ve had many dogs, and many bonfires over the years. Also attended many similar events, with other dogs and puppies. I’ve never seen a dog or puppy mess with a fire. If you’re worried, just keep him on a leash the first time he’s exposed, but I seriously doubt this is going to be an issue.
Perhaps I’ve just always had inquisitive dogs, but they’re not above exploring fire. They usually will just kind of poke at it, though. They’re not stupid enough to jump in and set themselves on fire.
Puppies, just like toddlers, have to learn that fire burns & hurts. They don’t just know it. Sometimes they learn from observing how careful others are, and often they have adults (human or canine) watching over them. Or they learn by getting burnt. Puppies learn from that just as well as toddlers do.
Dogs do have a much better sense of smell than humans – a wood fire can smell good to humans, it might smell much better to them. I know many dogs like to roll in the ashes left from a fire (it’s one of the less objectionable things dogs roll in!).
Usually, they see it for the first time, approach close enough to notice that it’s really damn hot, then turn away and go back to looking for poop to eat.
I think it depends exactly what you mean by a “fire pit”. A fire at ground level or in a shallow depression, I would say your puppy is not in danger. The heat will keep the dog at a distance, and if it does get uncomfortably close, it will move away.
A steep-sided hole that the dog can fall into, I would consider extremely dangerous.