Dog taking a dislike to particular people

[Sleighfarer]

I have a dog behaviour question on behalf of my sister. She has a four-year-old husky/GSD cross, whom she rehomed at about 18 months. We in the immediate family are all completely charmed by her. She's very beautiful, super smart, easy to live with, and is excellent with the grandchildren. However, every so often she takes a dislike to somebody and we can never really figure out why or what is triggering it.

My lovely aunt and uncle came over on Boxing Day. Dog was out on a walk when they arrived and when she got back Auntie was ensconced on the sofa with my mum. Dog went straight to the sofa and said hello to Auntie, all waggy and happy. We all settled down and chatted for a bit. Dog was in her bed opposite Auntie and just suddenly started barking at her. She has a bark that could wake the dead, so it is quite alarming for the nice person being barked at, and horribly embarrassing. We couldn't figure out what caused it, but my sister thought Auntie had been staring at the dog. Last Boxing Day she barked and growled at both my auntie and uncle when they came in. She also barks at one of my mother's friends and took a while to come round to my sister's MIL.

My sister is very sociable and has a busy household. Dog accepts most people straightaway. When a couple of workmen were in for a few days she couldn't get enough of them, and when a chap came round to measure up for windows she lay down and had a snooze. Is it fanciful to suggest that she has a dislike of women of a certain age who wear glasses? I'd say it is, but those are the people she seems to have a problem with!

She's a very sensitive dog and if anything is amiss in her world (sister goes away for a couple of days, we go to a holiday cottage) she goes on hunger strike. I'd say she is high-drive but not particularly confident. She is very reactive to other dogs, but can be pals with them if introduced properly. Before my sister rehomed her she lived with six other dogs.

I'm just wondering what people make of this behaviour and what is the best way to deal with it? My BIL thinks it's a protection thing, but I suspect it's more of a confidence thing. Also, we'd be interested in any books about dog behaviour that people rate.

 

[AmyMay]

Some people just give off a certain ‘vibe’ be it positive or (for whatever reason) negative.

There are some people that Daisy has no interest in at all, and some she’s immediately all over like a rash.

 

[CorvusCorax]

I keep my dogs in their kennels, crates or pop them in the van if I have visitors round so as not to put them or visitors in an uncomfortable position. I have had social butterflies in the past, but my current dogs are naturally suspicious and it's not worth something awful happening because I gave them the benefit of the doubt.
I know the behaviour, I understand it, but I don't feel I have to force them into being something they're not and they're more comfortable in their quiet place than being forced into interactions.

 

[Clodagh]

I keep my dogs in their kennels, crates or pop them in the van if I have visitors round so as not to put them or visitors in an uncomfortable position. I have had social butterflies in the past, but my current dogs are naturally suspicious and it's not worth something awful happening because I gave them the benefit of the doubt.
I know the behaviour, I understand it, but I don't feel I have to force them into being something they're not.

I was going to reply along these lines but I suspect your sister wants the dog to like everyone? Maybe get your aunt to feed the dog, but not in a forced way or one that means she approaches it.

 

[PurBee]

my huskyXGSD had very accurate intuition about folk. It was really rare she showed any dislike to people, she loved mostly everyone. I noted the 2 people she was really wary of and years later these people caused grief in our lives. Out of the blue really wacky behaviour that you’d never expect or guess could happen! Chainsaw-wielding mad man scenario! The dog knew they had quirky energy somehow. Neither wore glasses.

But as your sisters dog seems to have a thing about people wearing glasses (?) - and reacts only to them(?) - it is more likely the reflections of light off the glasses bother her - maybe dogs sense a lot more from our faces than we realise and people wearing glasses confuse their ability to ‘read’ us?

 

[CorvusCorax]

I was going to reply along these lines but I suspect your sister wants the dog to like everyone? Maybe get your aunt to feed the dog, but not in a forced way or one that means she approaches it.

IME that works great until the dog expects every person it meets to feed it and then someone has no food

Also if the dog doesn't eat when stressed (which is pretty common) it might not be enough.
Someone my young dog dislikes has fed her raw mince. She'll come and take it and leave again, she doesn't love him for it. And she's a real grubber.

 

[skinnydipper]

It is better not to try and win the dog over with food or treats, the dog may want the treat but not want to be in close proximity to the person.

Tbh if she (the dog) isn't comfortable I wouldn't push it. My dog is very sociable but there have been a couple of people I know she didn't want to go forward to meet, she stuck close to my side. That's fine, we humans don't always take to everyone either.


ETA. Your sister's dog is not protecting anyone else, only herself.

 

[FinnishLapphund]

If it's women wearing glasses that makes the dog uncomfortable, can your sister buy fake glasses, and wear occasionally to try to desensitising the dog a little to it?

About books, it's old, but I would still recommend Turid Rugaas book On Talking Terms with Dogs: Calming Signals (https://www.amazon.com/Talking-Terms-Dogs-Calming-Signals/dp/1929242360). But most important is for your sister to remember to keep her own breathing slow, and steady, shoulders down to relax her own body language, and be aware about the tone of her voice. She can tell her dog to e.g. "Relax it's nothing" until she gets blue in her face, if her breathing, body language, and/or tone of voice contradicts whatever words she says, the dog will listen to all the other signals, and ignore whatever words comes out of your sister's mouth.

That said, if a dog that is part or full Spitz wants to bark about something, some of them can be very insistent on not stopping until they've said what they feel needs saying, so it might be a steep uphill battle.

 

[BigRedDog]

As you say she was rehomed at 18 months it is possible she had a bad experience with women of a certain age wearing glasses in her early life.
I have a Lurcher who I got from a rescue at about the same age. She initially was very nervous of people in general, then fine with women but still very nervous of all men. Now, 10 years later, she is not a confident dog but fine around people EXCEPT middle aged men with grey hair, she is terrified and will hide behind me if we meet someone of this description out walking, they don’t even to be near her just seeing them in the distance will get this reaction.

 

[twiggy2]

I have always found my dogs intuitive in the past, 3 of my previous dogs has let me know their feelings about people quietly with body language or a grumble, never by being loud, aggressive or forward.
Lil my lurcher only told me once and that was by standing across in front of my knees growling at someone when I was speaking to them at a distance of about 25 ft, he wouldn't have heard her.
I would want to rule out the glasses as being the issue, maybe it is a reflection glinting off them as it will prevent the dog reading or seeing the persons eyes maybe.
I would do that so I could better anticipate an issue.
I would however just remove the dog from the situation when this person is about.

 

[Moobli]

I used to want my dogs to interact positively with visitors to my home or at the very least to just ignore them. This is sometimes challenging for particular breeds/individuals. It is far less stressful for all concerned if they are just kept separate.
If someone is coming to visit for a longer period then I try to make all interactions positive but without the visitor being too hands on so no feeding, stroking or giving treats. My dogs love to play tug and with a ball so I sometimes encourage the visitor to play with them for a while outdoors and then completely ignore them afterwards and that has worked well.
However, If I was at all worried my dogs were uncomfortable with someone then I would shut them away (kennel, other room, car) until the visitor had left.

 

[SAujla]

Clover went through a period where she barked or reacted badly to black people, very embarrassing but I looked it up and it was to do with not being able to read their facial features as easily, it passed quickly enough. Could there be something distinctive like the glasses making her anxious

 

[ArklePig]

I actually don't think the glasses thing is fanciful at all. My friend turned up one day wearing a hat and my dog noped out of there and took herself to bed. Same friend came back another day without a hat and my dog was all over her like a rash. She's actually now probably my dog's favourite person outside of us. We have since desensitised to hats/hoods as per FL's suggestion above.

 

[Kunoichi73]

I actually don't think the glasses thing is fanciful at all. My friend turned up one day wearing a hat and my dog noped out of there and took herself to bed. Same friend came back another day without a hat and my dog was all over her like a rash. She's actually now probably my dog's favourite person outside of us. We have since desensitised to hats/hoods as per FL's suggestion above.

I've had a similar experience. When out for a run wearing a baseball cap, I've had a few dogs react badly to me going past (at walk) - barking and growling. When I've not been wearing a hat and met the same dogs they've been fine with me.

 

[HopOnTrot]

One of my dogs can read a relatives mental health, when they’re fine he’s all over them but when they have an episode the dog is calm to the point of ignoring them. Dog hasn’t been wrong in 10 years!

 

[Skib]

My OH doesnt like dogs but dogs make straight for him - always, both visiting our house and when watching polo.
Could it be that his scent has always attracted dogs and thus when he was a small child, dogs always made straight for him and frightened him?

He doesnt want me to have a dog, so I dont. The understanding being that when I have to give up riding horses, I can downgrade to a dog.

 

[FinnishLapphund]

My OH doesnt like dogs but dogs make straight for him - always, both visiting our house and when watching polo.
Could it be that his scent has always attracted dogs and thus when he was a small child, dogs always made straight for him and frightened him?

He doesnt want me to have a dog, so I dont. The understanding being that when I have to give up riding horses, I can downgrade to a dog.

There could of course be something with his scent, but my first guess would've been that there is something unconscious in his body language which simply appeals to dogs. But who knows, perhaps it could be a combination between something in his scent + body language?

Whatever it is, if you're both serious about you being allowed to get a dog once the time comes that you need to give up riding, maybe start looking into a course or similar that hopefully can help your OH do something about being frightened by dogs sooner rather than later. Something that covers both a bit of basic dog body language, and his own body language etc.
Although, if it is something about his smell which makes dogs gravitate towards him, I doubt there there's something in his body language which would suddenly start to repel dogs away from him, but it might still calm down the situations a bit.

 

[Sleighfarer]

Thanks, everyone. I agree about just not putting the dog and the visitors in a potentially difficult situation, and am glad people don't think the glasses thing is crazy. Thanks for the book recommendation FinnishLapphund.