The hilarious moment a golden retriever was intimidated by a bird in the backyard has gained viral attention.

Golden retriever Turkey had his peaceful ranch life interrupted when he was stopped from going outdoors by an unlikely adversary: a goose.

In a video shared by Australian ranch owners Katie and Matt on their Instagram account @packardranch, Turkey was clearly frightened by the aggressive goose and headed back inside after a quick warning.

With more than 300,000 views on Instagram, the encounter amused viewers. One commenter @florianishere quipped: "The goose didn't come out to play." User @kahtrinuh said: "The goose is loose!!"

Unfriendly geese are far from unheard of, but their chasing and standing their ground is a result of their territorial nature—especially during nesting season.

This behavior is amplified due to their strong family bonds and social structure, fiercely protecting eggs and goslings from threats and their environment.

"It's a tough life for Turkey," joked the poster on Instagram, but others noticed that the issue may have had more to do with the dog's own fears.

Viewer Ash pointed out the "other dog chilling at the back," suggesting that maybe Turkey is just particularly frightened by the goose.

Dogs having their fears and phobias are common—like the pooch who had a serious fear of his own toy basket. A range of factors, from genetics to lack of socialization and traumatic experiences, can mean that dogs are frightened of certain things.

Signs of fear in dogs include cowering, trembling, avoiding eye contact, tucking their tail, flattening their ears and panting or licking.

Most of the time, frightened dogs can be helped to overcome their fears. Socialization and supporting your pup can help them overcome their phobias, but sometimes the help of a pet behaviorist or a veterinarian is the best way to get to the bottom of the issue.

Other pet owners, like dog owner Cody Weishaar, come up with novel ways of overcoming their pets' fears. In a now-viral video, Weishaar revealed how he is helping his dogs overcome their fear of the vacuum—by shouting at the appliance itself in front of them.

Newsweek reached out to @packardranch via Instagram and email for comment.

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