Can't visit friend as her dog is racist

[CaliforniaCookie]

I was making plans to visit one of my best friends.
She is white and I'm mixed race.

She told me she was concerned as her new dog who i haven't met, is racist.

Anytime he sees a person who is not white he goes mental.

This is honestly not a fake post.

Not sure how to respond. Advice welcome.

I love this!

My friends dog is sexist and ageist, she barks at old males! 😬

One of our rescue dogs has a problem with black men. So yeah, clearly came from a former home with racist leanings. We have done all we can to discourage it and she is a million times better than she was. I think it's weird your friend has already decided their dog will have a problem with you. I would recommend that you meet them somewhere outside of their home with the dog, so you're not in the dog's territory and then if the dog's ok with you there, walk back to their home together. Do this a few times until the dog gets used to you and your scent and then you'll probably be ok. The dog will follow their owner's lead to a certain extent, so if your friend is getting stressed whenever they see a person of colour when with their dog they may be aggravating the situation.

Also the owner of a racist dog.

My Dog is a 'transpobe' as she barked at a man in a dress.
🤷

One of my dogs was racist. It sounds absolutely ridiculous but it is a thing with dogs who aren't use to lots of different types of people. He also was terrified of ginger men. We were in a very white area and the occasional coloured person we had encountered had been petrified (even though he is small, calm and friendly) usually shouting or screaming at him even when he was on lead.

I actually would ask people in the park if they could help him with positive reinforcement training. Just walk passed and say hi and throw him a treat I gave them. I would ask if they could just do it a few times then they could go about their business and they didn't actually have to have contact with him unless they wanted to. It worked. He has no issues with anyone now. It also helps that our area is a lot less white now too. He just loves everyone.

I would suggest some positive reinforcement training with you and the dog outside of the dogs home, then go home with the dog. Coming into the dogs home when the dog is already defensive will be a disaster. Meet in the park, go armed with treats and toys. If the dog shows any signs of being unhappy take steps back until they are calm and start again. Always allow the dog to choose to come closer and reward every positive move it makes with praise and treats.

It may take multiple visits, it might resolve in one visit. It will depend on how receptive the dog is and why it has the problem. Could be because they just aren't use to people of different colours in which case positive interactions will teach them very quickly that everything is fine. If they have had a previous bad experience then it may take longer. If it is a rescue that had an owner that caused it trauma who was a particular colour then it could take a long time to resolve, if at all.

My late old girl hated men in high viz jackets and rigger ( builders' ) boots. I suspect she had been kicked

As to the barking:

Lack of socialisation

Flappy clothing

Can't distinguish faces properly if human is wearing veils etc

Negative associations- has been hurt or abused by someone the dog perceives to look similar

All mentioned previously.

But also traditional Muslim culture regards dogs as dirty and many Muslim women I know are truly scared of dogs. Dog will pick up on the scent and body language , and this coupled with unfamiliarity could trigger the behaviour, which of course escalates the fear factor and so the situation intensifies.

Doesn't sound like an issue in OP's case happily, but OP please heed advice of not using the spray. It's the worst thing you could do. Treats all the way.

The neighbourhood I live in is very mixed but the pets are all very divided on which ethinicities they are confortable with. Most of the cats belong to a black family opposite us and won’t come over for attention when called. I thought my dog was racist but she actually only got her hackles up and threw herself in front of us when certain specific people walked by, not all people of colour. We watched carefully and realised it was just anybody heading to the crack house on the corner. So she must have smelled something about them. But sometimes it can seem racist.

our friends dog was absolutely awful though. Asian people were the victim of choice, and elderly people and those who walked with limps or canes. She was a cocker spaniel and her eyes bulged at the sight of these people and she would start snarling. I think maybe she was trodden on when she was younger by that demographic.

Postmen/women are the baddies though. They are constantly trying to creep into your house. Luckily every time the dog realises what's up and barks and barks until they retreat having done no more than rattle the letterbox. Until they try again the next time.

We did encounter such an individual once and the dog totally lost her shit. Luckily DH knew the old, fat lesbian quite well and was able to explain the dog's (ridiculously specific) prejudices. She found it hysterical.

The pet corrector will make the issue worse. Take high value treats - chicken or steak in small chunks or cocktail sausages. Best if you meet your friend outside the house, fall into step with her and walk back together. Dont look the dog in the eye to start or show any dominant behaviour. Praise everything, reward everything.

How did it know if people were lesbians though?

You tell me! One of life's great mysteries.... But she could definitely tell.

My old Great dane used to go nuts up the window every time a lady in a burka walked past. I used to joke to my mates saying I think my dogs racist, didn’t know it was actually a thing. It was only this lady, everyone else he seemed fine with

Because it’s a form of punishment / is unpleasant !

you want to return the dog to find people from other races a pleasant experience… walk in with a toy and have lots of treats in your pockets….

Before your arrival your friend needs to put a program on with mixed race people and make it pleasurable for the dog by stroking and giving treats (when it’s not barking !…. Give it a toy stuffed with peanut butter then put the channel on for example…. Don’t treat while it’s barking though as you’re treating it for bad behaviour then

I knew a Bichon Frisé that was the same.

The cat which has adopted my mum is sexist. He likes women but not men.

He makes an exception for DH and DS as he is now used to them. But my mum says if a man comes into the house he runs away.

I can well believe that animals react in a similar way to other people or things that they perceive as a threat or different.

We had a dog that used to bark at men with mustaches.

I had never heard of it but just watched a video and don’t see the big problem, either. It just sounds like a short burst of noice to get their attention?

That being said, I think your friend should be the one to figure out how to correct the issue. I would offer to come around and introduce yourself in a controlled environment, bring a toy and a few approved treats and keep the first visit short.

My puppy is a nut when people come to visit. She can manage if they don’t give her attention when she’s behaving poorly, but most of them end up encouraging her with high pitched voices telling her she’s cute or whatever. Drives me mad! She pees all over the place when she’s especially excited.

Because if a dog reacts to certain characteristics like race or sex or beards etc, it's because they're wary and unsure. A pet corrector emits a noise dogs don't like, so if you use one when a dog is already wary all you're doing is reinforcing that yes that person is scary, you're right to be afraid and react. It'll increase the problem not solve it. Giving the dog lots of super yummy treats is far better because then the dog will associate whatever characteristic with good things.

That makes sense. It’s fear rather than bad behavior. I’ve never had a dog responding out of fear.

@CaliforniaCookie @AliceOlive as noctilucentcloud says... it adds more fear.

You view the compressed air spray as what it really is, a harmless can of air that makes a hissing sound.

The dog doesn't know that. For the dog it is a sudden unexpected and startling sound, it gives the dog a jump-scare.

Now think how many times you'd need a jump-scare, unexpected startle, before you started to feel quite jumpy, on edge, tense etc etc? Even though you were not physically harmed at any point.

We do not need any physical contact or pain to have an aversive experience - I usually use the analogy of being in a bank during an armed robbery - just the sight of a balaclava'd person pointing a gun at you would cause you extreme distress, fear, potentially causing all sorts of responses from you that you'd not be in control of, and possibly leaving you with lasting trauma. Even though at no point were you actually caused any physical pain nor was there any contact.

So back to the dog - they're feeling unsure, insecure, anxious, fearful.. and then something even MORE scary happens - it might stop the dog barking for a moment, which might lead you to think it has worked, but the barking/lunging/growling etc.. they're a symptom of the fear itself. That fear still remains, the corrector can hasn't done anything to change that.

There is of course a chance that the dog may then realise, for some other reason, that this person is not in fact scary. If so, great... but it is a chance. It is not a guarantee.

There is a much higher chance that you have made that fear worse to the point the dog no longer dares bark - so they may now bite without warning (dogs very frequently forget they can move away, and get 'stuck' as the scary thing approaches. People do this too!).

You may also have caused (via single event learning in some cases, just 1 aversive experience) a lasting fear of that particular noise, of the sight of a spray can, of similar noises or other events closely linked to this aversive event.

This is the problem with aversive methods.

you cannot know the damage it may do, until it is done.

Fixing things like a phobia of hissing/air noises that is quickly linked to similar sounds is a lengthy and difficult process. Figuring out that your dog has linked the aversive to some other event or person and now fears them as a result, could take a long time to resolve. Your dog could now bite people without any warning.

But hey... its just compressed air, it's harmless...

The pet corrector is a useful tool to get rid of unwanted dogs surrounding it on walks trying to get yours it shouldn’t be used in other contexts.

lol definitely not.
my Nan used to have a Chihuahua and he would bark at non white people walking past the garden gate and my cousins friend who is black, well the dog would go for his ankles and hang off the guys trousers

My dog is also like this. And he hates people with babies in carriers. Really embarrassing