Is it normal for dogs to not like ALL other dogs?

[Pringle89]

Our dog is almost 18mths old, he loves 99% of dogs but occasionally he will growl/snap at a dog that I can’t see has done anything wrong. I know dogs pick up on body language that we can’t see but it does worry me!

Yesterday went to a very busy beach, must have met 60 dogs but he took a dislike to a large breed puppy (Male un-neutered puppies seem to be his trigger) the dog didn’t do anything and my dog was growling and telling him off.

It it normal for a dog to dislike a particular age/breed or do I need to consult a behaviourist? He was neutered 6 weeks ago but this doesn’t seem to have made a difference to this behaviour.

Anyone with similar experience or advice?

[Bobstergirl]

Yep but it may also be just very high stress levels. Meeting 60 dogs in one is a big ask of a dog.

Possibly just too much excitement and the one dog tipped him over threshold

[Inforthelonghaul]

Our dog disliked border collies and small dogs that jumped around a lot. No reason for either just one of those things. Also disliked men in hoodies for some reason. Not women, just men.

I think being neutered can trigger a fear thing though because I know a couple of dogs who have become fearful or aggressive after being neutered for no obvious reason. A behaviourist would be a good idea if you can find a good one.

Friends with similar issues have found that spending a day or two in doggy daycare has helped their dogs overcome their fears and made them much more sociable but again it has to be the right setting and well supervised.

[bowchicawowwow]

Sounds like he was overloaded by meeting so many dogs. Mine was an arse at Dog Fest due to all the other dogs there but fine on an average day.

[Dreamersandwishers]

It’s not unusual for male dogs to have a short time of aggression/ fear after being neutered. It’s also not unusual for neutered males to feel threatened by intact males.
I would think it’s something like that you are seeing.
Keep up the socialisation and positive reinforcement.
Similar to pp, my male dog was much calmer after going out, in a small pack which included an intact male, so if you know any friendly dog walkers perhaps ask if you can set something up.

[Pringle89]

Thanks for all replies, he does got to a dog homeboarder or twice a month and has done from a young age - I don’t think neutering has caused this as always been like this since the age of one but I was hoping it might calm him down!

I will keep an eye on it and seek advice if I need to x

[Mominatrix]

Absolutely normal. My dog has a dislike from fear of staffys. She will literally lead me across the street if she sees one ahead of her coming towards us. She had this fear/loathing prior to being spayed because she was almost attacked on several occasion by 2 different staffy type dogs when she was a pup.

[GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman]

I think it's very common. My old dog is a bit of a nervous grump and he dislikes middling and larger fluffy dogs even more than other unknown dogs. My younger dog is very social but even she sometimes meets a dog that she looks twice at and decides to avoid.

[TheFoxAndTheMole]

Do you like every human you meet?

[EnidPrunehat]

My one year old lurcher is a bit of a Cautious Clara when it comes to certain breeds. He's anxious around staffies and GSDs and doesn't 'get' flat faced little dogs like Boston Terriers and French Bulldogs. He doesn't growl but will simply outrun them which, as a sighthound, he can!

He really doesn't like large groups of dogs either and his method of dealing with the latter is to sit on my feet. I don't much like great huge groups of dogs running around while their humans tend to ignore the less desirable, bullying type of behaviours that are often demonstrated so we give this sort of group the swerve. I figure that as I don't like every human in the world, my dog should be allowed to demonstrate similar discernment!