# Dog is ok with everyone but one person o.O?



## JessCowgirl88 (Mar 15, 2011)

So it seems my dog Chisum is ok with everyone in the house but one person. when that person comes out he growls at him like he my sisters bf ( the one he growls at) is going to hurt us we cant figure out why. i have heard of dogs who been abused by males being that way but toward all males, Chisum only does it toward my sisters bf, he doesnt do it to my dad, my son or my fiance. any ideas of why he could be like this? ( chisum is from a shleter, was a owner turn in)


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## Lindbert (Dec 12, 2010)

My dog Brody who was also a shelter dog is fine with a good 99% of the population. However, he does NOT like white males in their young 20s who are heavily pierced/tattooed and/or smell of marijuana, and/or wear baggy clothes. When I adopted him, his reaction was very extreme: growling and lunging, I'm fairly sure if he was given the opportunity to, he would have bitten those people. We have desensitized him to the point where he will sit politely and accept petting from the people but he will not take food and does not appear to be happy.


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## Cracker (May 25, 2009)

Dogs are great discriminators so there may be just one thing about your sister's bf that seems hinky to the dog and frightens him. This does not mean the sister's BF is a bad person, just that something about him (age, height, mannerisms, smell) triggers the dog. The trick here is to counter condition and desensitize the dog to the BF's presence. The BF's presence should predict good things. Tell the BF to NOT approach the dog, not look at him etc and to not make fast movements around him while you are working on it. Make sure your dog is on a leash or behind a baby gate for safety while you FEED the dog something really awesome when the BF enters the room. Don't force the dog to interact with him by having BF give treats or anything, this is YOU feeding the dog. Make sure when the BF is around that the dog has somewhere he can safely retreat to (a bed a crate etc) and train him to go there on cue. Remember that if he won't take the high value food you are too close to the BF and you need to add some distance for the CC to work. Most importantly don't punish the growl, if you do the CC correctly the NEED to growl will fade as he becomes conditioned to the BFs presence. They may never be friends and that's okay, but it is important for everyone's safety and stress levels (including your dog's) that he become a "safe" person in the dog's eyes. 

Good luck.

Oh and Lindbert. I would not allow people your dog is unsure of to pet him. Period. If he is not actively LOOKING for petting, it is unsafe and puts him in a compromised position to allow it. It is your job to keep him safe and in his mind, having him "accept" petting from people he's not feeling good about is not building his sense of trust in you...many dogs put in this position eventually get overwhelmed and may snap..and then the dog gets blamed.If he appears unhappy and won't take food he is under stress. All interactions with people should be as stress free as possible.


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## eeloheel (Dec 28, 2010)

When we got our dog Polly (12 years ago now, wow.) she would very aggressively go after any thin young girl my age (12 at the time) with shoulder length brown hair. It took months to break her of it. Luckily, I had some cooperative friends; We'd put her on a leash, have my friend come in, give my friend a treat, and once Polly started calming down, they'd toss her the treat. Even then, it was three or four months before we didn't have to leash her. They pick up on such small traits sometimes.


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## Lindbert (Dec 12, 2010)

Cracker said:


> Oh and Lindbert. I would not allow people your dog is unsure of to pet him. Period. If he is not actively LOOKING for petting, it is unsafe and puts him in a compromised position to allow it. It is your job to keep him safe and in his mind, having him "accept" petting from people he's not feeling good about is not building his sense of trust in you...many dogs put in this position eventually get overwhelmed and may snap..and then the dog gets blamed.If he appears unhappy and won't take food he is under stress. All interactions with people should be as stress free as possible.


See, the odd thing is he actually does appear to be soliciting petting from my sister's housemates who fit this description when we visit. He goes up to them, places head in lap and leans against them, but when they actually do pet him he starts throwing stress signals out the wazoo and I have to call him away. When we visit now, they do not touch him and instead they throw a ball or throw food for him. (which is great and what I think he's really soliciting when he's hamming it up to them) Now happy go lucky dog stays happy go lucky dog. My goal with him was no barking and lunging, which we have achieved and surpassed IMO. If he never allows those people to touch him, that is absolutely fine with me. I'm not a big fan of strangers touching me either!


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## Cracker (May 25, 2009)

Oh, then that's great! That sounds like a great compromise for both the humans who would like to interact and for your boy. I just wanted to make sure...since so many people DO kind of force their dogs to interact and it's just not fair to the dog I wanted to make sure others reading this would understand.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

I agree with Cracker that it is most likely something tangible about him that the dog is picking up on- a scent from shampoo or aftershave, some item of clothing that is more disturbing (heavy boots, uniforms and things that change the shape of the body can be scary), or a mannerism like waving hands when talking or walking/moving in a certain way.

That said, I know my dog and since he too is friendly with the vast majority of people, when he is stand-offish or growls at a person, I take note. I am wary of that person until I am satisfied that they are not a problem. I am NOT saying that sister's BF is a bad person, just that well, he could be. Some animals are very perceptive about who turns out to be a jerk later. Is it likely that this is the issue? No. Is is something to consider if the BF is new or maybe your sister doesn't know him that well? Sure. But your dog is still so new to you (I think from another post) that you don't want to jump to conclusions when you don't yet have a strong understanding of your dog's habits and reactions to a WIDE variety of people.


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## spotted nikes (Feb 7, 2008)

I used to have a dog that was great with everyone unless they were wearing "worker" type apparel...like painter's pants/shirt/hat, or pest control/Trugreen chemlawn outfits. Then he would try to attack them. He was a stray that I found in pretty bad shape, so I figured that those people reminded him of someone who was mean to him.

One of my current dogs, Rusty, that was a stray for 3 yrs, HATES red clothing. I can wear it without a problem, because he completely trusts me, but if anyone else does, he'll charge them barking, and then slink away. My mom wore red pants one morning and Rusty was really upset. So she changed into grey pants and he was fine. I figure someone might have tried to catch him by throwing a red blanket over him or something.


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## JessCowgirl88 (Mar 15, 2011)

Thanks for the advice everyone! i noticed he is a bit skiddish around my dad and fiance as well so im betting sadly his previous owner was maybe a male or one was in the household and abusive becuase when wemove our hands he is a bit skiddish D: but he is doing better i told everyone when they lift their hands to pet him dont do it fast and to put their hand out so he could sniff it and then before they pet him and tell him they are not going to hurt him and praise him seems to be working good. I am hopeing with time it will change, its not as bad with my dad and fiance he just kinda, crouches down or runs to me. we will try out the suggestions and im thinking maybe if they just sit with a treat and wait for him to come it will help as well  i just wish i could know more about his past


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## xxxxdogdragoness (Jul 22, 2010)

Izze hates kids esp little boys to the point where if the owner of the guest ranch we work at brings kids out she has to be locked in the yard. She was dropped as a young pup by a little bratty kid. She has been well socialized & exposed to many situations but she never liked being petted by strangers & will bite if she is provoked or pestered too much. Its just her personality, so I always take that into consideration when large groups of ppl are present.


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## Cracker (May 25, 2009)

See?? EVen with an explanation they still don't get it...if the dog is uncomfortable being petted and runs to you then don't let them pet him at this point. Only YOU should reward the dog with food whenever the person is around. HAVING THEM FEED HIM TREATS BEFORE HE IS READY CREATES CONFLICT!!!!! He should NOT have to go up to the people AT ALL until he is ready, putting the food in the hand of the person he's unsure of puts him in a tough position. Many of dogs that are lured into scary situations with food react badly to it. The people he is unsure of should not be even reaching to let him sniff their hands at this point.


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## JessCowgirl88 (Mar 15, 2011)

I no longer have my fiance, dad or sister BF put treats down on the floor for Chisum ( read below for new tactics.. i guess you could say)

I have NEVER had a dog like this so its all new to me  all my dogs have never had a problem like this. Makes it hard when they walk into the room and he starts growling feel so bad  

we have been having the males ignore him but he still growls at them even though they are acting like he is not there. So I just started doing the when they coe into the room they ignore him and he gets a treat and lots of love and being told its ok noone will hurt him i am here, all the stuff like that.

Anyone know any good Special type treats i could use just for this? or something raw?


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## Cracker (May 25, 2009)

Good for you, that's a good plan. 
It depends on what your dog likes. Make sure it's high value for him...so you can try chicken, cheese, roast beef, whatever...as long as it's something special that he doesn't get too often and only for this work.


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## JessCowgirl88 (Mar 15, 2011)

i dont give my dogs any type of raw meat they gets their dog food and treats, so anything raw would be for this only which we just treid it and it worked! i had bought some small itty bitty buscuits and when my dad came into the room i asked him to sit and prasied him with love and treats and no growling!! i know it will take time but i was excited lol. So like the raw beef small chunks would work?

now would it be best to kinda buy in bulk and freeze some of it? ( sorry never used raw meats for my pets before xD )


and again thanks for the help and advice everyone  since he is not scared of my mom she will be helping ( on the occasion that i am not home or mother nature calls LOL)


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## ejmayes26 (Apr 11, 2011)

My dog loves everyone... unless they happen to ride a bike. I've never been able to figure it out.


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## waterbaby (Jan 20, 2009)

JessCowgirl88 said:


> i dont give my dogs any type of raw meat they gets their dog food and treats, so anything raw would be for this only which we just treid it and it worked! i had bought some small itty bitty buscuits and when my dad came into the room i asked him to sit and prasied him with love and treats and no growling!! i know it will take time but i was excited lol. So like the raw beef small chunks would work?
> 
> now would it be best to kinda buy in bulk and freeze some of it? ( sorry never used raw meats for my pets before xD )


You can boil or roast the chicken or beef. He'll still love it.


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## JessCowgirl88 (Mar 15, 2011)

ooooo ok ill have to go to the store tomorrow and try and WE have progress!!!!! Chisum no longer growls at my dad when he comes into the room!!! he will walk up to him on his own accord!!! though i still do the treats and MASS praise lol, i cant thank you all enough for the advice!!


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## xxxxdogdragoness (Jul 22, 2010)

Lindbert said:


> See, the odd thing is he actually does appear to be soliciting petting from my sister's housemates who fit this description when we visit. He goes up to them, places head in lap and leans against them, but when they actually do pet him he starts throwing stress signals out the wazoo and I have to call him away. When we visit now, they do not touch him and instead they throw a ball or throw food for him. (which is great and what I think he's really soliciting when he's hamming it up to them) Now happy go lucky dog stays happy go lucky dog. My goal with him was no barking and lunging, which we have achieved and surpassed IMO. If he never allows those people to touch him, that is absolutely fine with me. I'm not a big fan of strangers touching me either!


You are explaining izze as a pup. If hr doesn't like strangers petting him at this stage, then I wouldn't force it. It may be his personality because sometimes they grow out of it & sometimes they don't. I don't try to make them change their personality, I think it breeds frustration & tension.


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