I posted about our rescue dog, Tara, recently re: her separation anxiety. That seems much better now and she has settled and as her fosterer reported she has been brilliant with all people and really kind and gentle with the children. However, we took her to stay with my in-laws at the weekend. We do this quite a lot so she needs to get used to it. She was fine initially. However, a bit later she started to really growl at my FiL and then bark at him. She did this several times. She then settled but did it again the next day. She was fine after I got him to give her some cheese.
The poor man had done absolutely nothing to provoke her and had been really kind to her (despite being a bit scared about dogs). I felt really bad about it.
So just wondering what you all think is going on. I thought maybe he reminds her of someone "bad" from her past. She's a rescue dog, picked up from the pound in Ireland so who knows what she has been through - he is bald with a beard so maybe brings back bad memories? Or, she seemed to be ok with him until he held my baby and only then did the growling start. But she was fine with MiL holding her so not sure about this. But could it be some kind of guarding tendency coming out? (She is part GSD) Or maybe is she just picking up on the fact he is scared of dogs and reacting?
Am hoping it won't be a problem as she was easily pacified with treats and readily took them from him but it just took me aback a bit as she is such a friendly dog and this is the first sign of any aggression I have seen from her.