MTFCA Forum

If it was the 1915 runabout Shorty would jump right in, but I had to help her into the 1923 touring.

https://youtu.be/e7lY4bLNBDg

Shorty is wise to be cautious of new things.
My regards.
Rich

Spent most of my life either making a living with dogs or simply having them around me and I've come to believe that they rely mainly on smell to guide them through the world. I think they use sight as simply a backup and to make sure they don't run into things.

Introduce a new Model T and its bouquet of new smells and the absence of your pup's own scents inside the car (which I'm positive a dog can smell from far away)...and it might partially explain your pup's reluctance to jump right in.

I've tested this with new cars and my dogs. Placing a blanket with their scent on it, in the car, almost always encourages them to enter.

That indicates that dogs are smarter than many of us give them credit for.

Norm

Steve, please keep us updated on Shorty's acceptance of the touring car. I know you had said before he wasn't "sold" on a ride in your '15 at first either. Nothing better than a drive in a T with your best friend !

Dogs are also creatures of habit, takes a little help to get used to anything new. Other dogs can help show them.
My pit hates his nails cut, we had a boxer a few years ago and she was fine with a nail trim. She was sitting with her paw on my lap letting me cut them one day. Afterwards, Petey came up and set putting his paw up and I cut a few before he got wise !! He thought Bella was getting something he wasn't, I guess.

I think shorty just wants you to drive it first to be sure that the brakes work before he gets in the car!

This is my dog She won't go for a ride without her Bonine (she gets car sick) so when I take her I need to stop every hour to get her legs back.
Only dog I have ever had that gets car sick!

Perhaps shorty is one of those elitist brass era only dogs.

My dog didn't hesitate to eat almost anything, in spite of having never
eaten it before. Any lack of familiarity with a hot dog, steak, apple, ....
didn't matter, she vanished it without blinking.

When you get old enough, everything reminds you of something else.

Rocky (1969-1982) loved apple cores. When I finished an apple I'd say, "Rocky, apple core!" He would bark and I'd toss it, and he'd catch it and eat it. He once demonstrated for me that dogs do indeed recognized pictures. Rocky had a thing for horses. If we were in the car and got behind a horse trailer he would go nuts barking at it. One time I parked beside a feed store in Lomita that had a horse painted on the wall, and he gave that picture a good barking.

Babe always wanted to drive. I'd have to shinny in around the column and wheel and slide her over so I could sit down.
AWWW.

I had a dog that would pick apples off the lower limbs on my apple trees then lie in the yard and eat the apples down to the core, leaving the core like a human would. I kept expecting her to want me to peel them for her , but she never did. She seemed to prefer yellow apples. She gave unconditional love but we lost her a few years ago.

Balto would absolutely drive my touring if he could.

So Steve tell us the story of your 'new' Touring.

Axlerod and I spent a good number of hours on the speedster.

Steve,

Great to see that Touring back on the road and looking good.
Many happy miles!

Gene

My last dog was the worst case of alpha female I have ever seen. Comically so, to the
point of lifting her leg to mark any spot a male had hit. She also recognized "pictures"
or images, and felt a strong drive to keep everyone "safe" from threats, ... like dogs on
TV. She did a lot of "protecting" us from a dark and sinister world she saw lurking all around
us. Had a lot of good times and laughs with/over that dog. At 14, her time was done. It
was a hard loss.

She was pretty old by the time I got my TT. She still liked to ride around on it, but could
no longer jump into the back. I made a ramp for her so we could go down to the river to
swim and chase the stick.

Do not utter the word "drive" in front of Henry the 7 inch high dog, without being prepared to fulfil the obligation!!

Our 118-lb Shepherd Tala likes to ride in the T. Unfortunately she takes up the entire back seat in our '27 touring car.

Dog's are the best thing on this earth,I could never be without one.