Would you trust your dog if he indicated he didn't like some one?
My husband’s best friend died a year and a half ago. His wife just came by to deliver some chairs I bought from her. We invited her in to sit a spell.
Cato barked and barked at her and kept backing away from her. It was weird! But I guess he sensed something something about her that I don’t see.
What’s REALLY weird is after she left I opened up Facebook and front and center was an article that said it had been scientifically proven that dogs can sense bad people!
What are your thoughts?
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That is not my dog.
I would be interested, anyway. I don’t tend to dismiss animal behavior, but I also don’t leap to fixed conclusions about what they mean, unless it seems very clear to me. I might ask her if she often sees dogs react that way.
What is your intuitive read about her?
What were the circumstances of her husband’s death?
Or maybe she just smells bad to him.
I saw a video recently of someone bringing home a life-sized cardboard cutout of Adam Sandler.
The dog went absolutely nuts.
He died of liver cancer @Zaku. He fought it for 3 years.
Well she is selfish, thoughtless and rude AND she charged me $45 for the chairs even though I have created, and posted, a slew of ads for her on Facebook over the years for things she had for sale, including a pair of horses. I created a page for her business on Facebook. Most recently I advertised.for about $2000 in furniture she’s trying to get sold before closing on their house on the 18th. And never charged her a dime.
The dog could have sensed your feelings, too.
Yes, I’d trust my dog’s instincts when it comes to others!!! When I was single, if my dog didn’t like my date, it was our only date…that dog had better instincts than I did when it came to shady people!!! My current dog despises a guy that walks down my street every so often. In watching the guy as he walks by, he seemed to be an OK person just minding his own business. I was out on the porch one day & was behind the shrubs that surrounds my porch. He was walking up the street & my dog simply weny insane with his gums turning a bright red as he barked. The guy couldn’t see me & he picked up some rocks & was throwing them at both my dogs…only ONE dog was barking. As I stepped out to where he could see me, he dropped his hand down by his side allowing the rocks to slide out. After that I knew why the dog hated him so I didn’t discourage him from barking at this guy. The dog I had when I divorced my ex purely hated him. It kept the ex from even wanting to stop by for a visit!!!
In the case of your friend, maybe it was her fear that he was sensing or maybe visiting your home brought back some sad memories. Or maybe she was wearing some distasteful perfume. And it might even be that there was a stranger in your home. I’d still invite her back without hesitation, but I think I’d keep my eyes on her IF the dog reacts the same on the next visit!!!
Yeah @KNOWITALL, which is why I didn’t put that.in the details. But on the other hand, did he just pick up on my dislike or did he independantly confirm that I have good reason to dislike her?
When we owned thenshop we had a lab who alerted on a couple of people (strangers to me) who walked in.
Dakota’s way of alerting was to very conspicuously sit down between us and the bad guy and stare at him, unblinking, unmoving and silent. If any bad guy had intentions of making a move he changed his mind, LOL!
on Caesar 911 Dog show he states that animals can sense tension from its owner and because he is there to protect will do so.
On his show he has to train the owners to remain calmer, like breathing exercises etc.
After a training session the owner and the animal are much relaxed.
I would tend to expect that the dog is probably picking up both on your feelings and hers, and other behavior cues the dog is reading and reacting to. If the dog doesn’t react that way to anyone else, I would tend to take it as a sign of something. Though it could also be a scent she has on her.
That is, I tend to think dogs are very sensitive and perceptive, but they also have their own body language and meanings about things, and each dog is different. Some dogs are really territorial and will bark at anyone they think isn’t respecting their space the way they like. Others don’t like cats or rodents and will react to people with cat or rodent smells, etc.
But if a dog is sweet and generally likes everyone but reacted like you described, I would tend to at least wonder if there’s not something to be disturbed about.
So far he seems pretty cool with “strangers” coming in. He may bark a couple of times then stop. But this was a little different…she was sitting in our living room and Cato just kept barking and barking.
He could have picked up on my feelings but, as I said, we had a dog who alerted on a couple of people who came in the shop who were strangers to me so I had no feelings about them one way or the other. Dog just didn’t like them.
I just wonder what dogs can see that we can’t.
~Dog no, but cat hell yeah!
Cats don’t like anyone. If a cat seems to like someone I would be suspicious of them!
My cat only likes people who hate cats!!! He snubs those who love cats & is in the face of those who hate cats.
@LadyMarissa So the cat equivalent to a crazy chick? Who is into bad boys?
My husband, the Dog Whisperer, hates Caesar 911. But I have to note he is consistent and I think that’s the most important thing, whether it’s raising kid’s or animals.
@RedDeerGuy1 Yep except he’s a male cat so he’s the equivalent of a guy who loves crazy chicks!!! ;]
What is Cato’s original story? Where did he come from before the shelter? Maybe for some reasons she reminds him of someone that hurt him?
My mom used to tell us that the dead linger near their loved ones shortly after death. And that animals can see spirits.
My agnostic brain would guess your dog is reading your cues or perhaps smells death on her.
Maybe the chairs upset the dog. In my experience, whenever someone carrying something big or bulky walks by, the dogs go crazy. If the same person goes by not carrying anything big then the dogs are calm.
I don’t have a definite answer for this, but my friend have a dog and she recently adopted two more. When I first came to her house there was only one dog. She was quite an aggressive dog, but she didn’t bark when she saw me. My friend explained that the dog never barks at her friends, but this was the first time it had seen me! Then the second dog came and it barked at me anyway. It only calmed down when it grew up. The third dog also did the same thing. All three dogs are notorious for their barking and fighting tendency.
So it looks to me like there is no fixed rule whether dogs can sense anything. For a dog to bark out of the blue, it could be anything.
Cats do not hate everyone. They have standards.
Dogs are just sluts!
Dog trainer here, so I’ve had a lot of experience with dogs barking at people ~
A five-month old? No way. At that age, dogs are prone to fearfulness and simply lack experience. I wouldn’t trust my preschooler, either.
If this lady came in with the chairs, @ZEPHYRA is probably right. Young dogs don’t understand where the human ends and whatever he is carrying begins. That’s why inexperienced dogs often freak out at people wearing hats. Putting the chairs down just turned that lady into a shapeshifter – first scary monster, than human. I would bark, too.
An older dog, I might trust. It depends on the dog’s character and history.
Cesar Millan does not relax dogs. He just says they are when they’re frozen in fear and completely exhausted by the pain/stress they experienced. A dog who is licking his lips, squinting, and ducking is not relaxed. While consistency is helpful, consistent abuse is not. Here is a video of Cesar Millan kicking and choking some dogs. Now, imagine him doing that with your kids and telling you “consistency is best”.
So Cesar isn’t really a dog whisperer, he’s more of a dog whipper.
@Brian I think many of his methods are quite good. I’ve used several, and they work, especially ‘claiming space’.
PS:
Millan’s methods do “work” in the short term, if you’re willing to create a relationship based on fear and don’t feel the need to resolve your dog’s problem, too. Dog owners have been using "his" techniques for centuries – none of what Millan says is new. The science he cites is outragously outdated (or simply made up).
It’s a personal choice, because (unfortunately) it’s not illegal to cause another being pain. It just makes me sad that so many dog lovers are being presented with these horribly old-fashioned ideas, when there are gentle methods that create trust, not fear (while actually resolving behaviour issues).
I do not go by Cesar’s training methods. I think he is cruel and I believe in positive reinforcement.
It was something about her scent that set the dog off not something in her personality.
People say animals “sense” things, and we all start thinking extrasensory perception.
The fact is, they sense moods with their noses. We all have body chemistry.
This chemistry changes and evolves with our moods, and health.
A dog might bark at a stranger because of their scent, or because of yours.
@anniereborn Well the story is he and his littermates were found in a cardboard box beside the road. That’s all we know.
Actually he didn’t bark when she carried the chairs in. He only started barking after she sat down to visit with us. Cato kept barking at her and backing away…..I think he just recognized that she isn’t a dog person. She isn’t a people person, either.
He did finally quit, though he refused to go to her when she called him.
After he quit barking and started acting like himself she commented on how happy he is. :D. And he is a happy puppy.
His favorite time of the day is bedtime. I got to bed, he jumps on the bed and I pull the covers over my head to protect my face from his sharp puppy claws and he just pounces and bounces all over the bed and me. When I poke my head out he grabs a mouthful of hair and tugs on it until I make him stop. Then he sticks his nose in my face and starts licking me. Then he collapses on the bed with a contented sigh. Then he goes to sleep.
I wish I could go to sleep like that.
I would probably have my guard up somewhat.
No! But it does sound familiar doesn’t it. :D
So…I guess I’m confused about your comment. Can you explain?
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