Why does my dog love some dogs and hate others?
Top trainers answer your questions
Ask Jean Donaldson
Q: My dog, Luella, has the strangest reaction to dogs on the street. From a block away, she can tell if she likes the approaching dog or not and will either try and drag me over there, all wiggles, or will instantly have her hackles up, barking at the other dog. Other times she'll brake, and when forced along will give wide berth, almost refusing to pass the other dog, skirting the dog as though scared. This judgment takes place at such a great distance, often before the other dog seems to have taken any notice of her whatsoever, that I wonder what it is she's reacting to and what her judgment is based on. Any insight? -Tracey, Boston, MA
A: Dogs, even those who are properly socialized to other dogs, don't like every individual they meet. If you think about it, this isn't the least bit surprising. Most people who are socially competent do not like every single person they meet either. In fact, many people who function okay in society like only a select few people. Dogs do seem to make rasher, faster calls than people do, which brings up the "at a distance" thing. Sometimes the approaching kid is clearly upwind, so Luella is getting a whiff loaded with information- sort of an olfactory personal ad: "spayed female, chicken for breakfast, come too close and I'll hand you your head."
There may also be body language going on of the welcoming or dissing variety. Dogs don't see detail or colour as well as we do, but they're really good at movement and at reading "Dog," even in very small fonts.
If I had to bet, I'd say some of her snap judgments are also based on profiling: a certain category of dog bugs her and her prejudice causes the pre-emptive reaction. I had a Border Collie, perfectly nice to most dogs and tolerant to virtually all, that hated Standard Poodles. At a distance. In silhouette. In any haircut. Extrapolated from one slightly irritating individual on one occasion.
I also suspect from Luella's brakes and berth that she may be fearful of certain dogs, which is something you may want to seek help for. ■
Jean Donaldson is the founder of the San Francisco SPCA Academy for Dog Trainers and author of several books on dog training and behaviour, including Dogs are from Neptune and The Culture Clash.
I have a dog aggression problem too. My Pitbull was fine with dogs on/off leash until he became an adult. We used to take him to the dog park all the time so he could meet other dogs. I didn't want him to be the monsterous sterotypical pitbull so I socialized him as much as I could. He gets along fine with my 7 pound ash colored chihuahua who actually bullies him. Plus, my parents two pitbulls who are brindle and tan. Any new dog he meets he doesn't seem to like especially if I have him restrained in any way or form. Now, I don't even want to try taking him to the dog park in case something happened. The only thing I can think of that happened during his "change" was we were at the dog park one day when this bulky boxer came in and my dogs personality changed completely he whined/whimpered so loud i could hear him from all the way across the dog park and he was started licking the dogs chops/cowarding/wagging his tail like crazy at the boxer. After a minute the boxer lunged at my dog pinning him to the ground. We had to rip him off of my dog and we soon left because the owners started we're blaming us for their dog attacking mine. Ever since then he hasn't liked a single new dog except a silver pitbull unaltered male, but he just tolerated him.
Does anyone have any answers to my problem? I want my dog to be friendly so he can have some doggie friends and I don't have to worry about him fighting with anyone. fallenfromgrace1991@yahoo.com
@Anonymous i had that problem with my yorkie....and i got a "bark box" from petsmart (they are cheaper online) it basically emits a buzz that dogs dont like the sound of (but people cant hear) when she gets into a barking tizzy... i like it because it doesnt go off if she just barks once or is "talking" only when she is going crazy (which is a problem if you live in the city in a building!) the reviews on it were mixed ..i guess it doesnt really work with all dogs...but petsmart said i could return it if i didnt like it...so i paid the bit extra for the "insurance" and it works like a charm...
good luck!
ps..i also bought one for my office and i take it with us when we are traveling and stay in hotels etc..
I have the same issue with my dog. We've sort of narrowed it down to a general dislike of small, white dogs (like herself - maybe she sees them as competition), but she has a particularly rampant "hate" (for lack of a better word) for these two Shih-tzus that live in our building. It's one thing when we run into each other on the sidewalk, but from inside our apartment (4th floor), she can smell them walking outside, across the street and goes absolutely BERZERK without even seeing them.
Is there anything we can try doing with her to prevent or at least reduce this behavior when she sees these two dogs? These dogs also bark back, but it seems more as a defensive reaction. Their owner and I have tried to get them used to each other, but they look like they have bloody murder in their eyes!
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Our dog is so sweet otherwise, but this is sometimes really overwhelming and a bit worrisome.
Thanks in advance. :)
Dogs have feelings as well. They like something or somebody or not. My dog had a few friends from neighborhood. When she went on holiday with my wife they kept coming and checking our home everyday. cheap auto insurance quotes
Rate this story