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The doghouse

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Original poster

My dog seems to hate one particular man

103 replies

listsandbudgets · 23/06/2023 19:18

She's a very friendly gentle 10 month old working cocker and generally pretty happy and pleased to see people and other dogs.

But a few times in the last couple of weeks we've been passed by a particular man on the street and she's immediately started straining on lead, her body language has become aggressive and she's growling and baring her teeth. As soon as he's gone she reverts to normal. I obviously hold her back and try to calm her but he must think I've got a seriously aggressive dog.

I've never seen him before but now we keep passing him. He seems pretty normal as far as I can tell. Any idea why she would have taken against one random individual like this? She is clearly really upset by him. I've never seen her react like this to anyone else

OP posts:
SybilWrites · 23/06/2023 19:20

I don't know OP, but my dog always barks at the same traffic warden - wherever we see him (his patch must be in our area). He's fine with other traffic wardens.

ChickenMaths · 23/06/2023 19:21

I'm willing to bet he's a wrongun.

My dog is like this- she loves people, men in particular, but there have twice been men she's really not liked- I trust her opinion!

truthhurts23 · 23/06/2023 19:23

theres a little dog that treats me like this when i walk past it , its so annoying it even tried to bite my leg once and i felt like kicking it across the road
maybe it can tell that im a cat person ?

dogs have strong senses, maybe your dogs picking up that the man is nervous or something, or maybe he doesnt like the smell of the man

Hellocatshome · 23/06/2023 19:23

There will be a reason, working out what it with might be difficult. I have known dogs take a dislike to a person for the following reasons over the years:

Hat
Glasses
High viz vest
Walking stick
Colour of their skin
Briefcase
Wheely luggage

My Romanian rescue cant deal with cricket bats or people with towels wrapped around their head for some reason. So a man in a turban would probably result in this behaviour.

truthhurts23 · 23/06/2023 19:24

ChickenMaths · 23/06/2023 19:21

I'm willing to bet he's a wrongun.

My dog is like this- she loves people, men in particular, but there have twice been men she's really not liked- I trust her opinion!

thats not really fair to say that someones a "wrongun" just because your smelly dog wants to bark at someone

MammaWeasel · 23/06/2023 19:25

We keep ferrets and find that dogs either adore us, or show behaviour such as you describe. So maybe he keeps ferrets?

Original poster
listsandbudgets · 23/06/2023 19:29

@Hellocatshome Wheely suitcases .. she's absolutely fascinated by the things... barking and wagging her tail and bouncing about so excited... totally different from her reaction to this man. Railway station are an absolute joy Grin

But sadly non of the things in your list fit - he's just a 50 something white middle class man wearing trousers and shirt - no hat, no glasses... no explanation.

OP posts:
MammaWeasel · 23/06/2023 19:32

We had a dog once who couldn't abide traffic cones......

MammaWeasel · 23/06/2023 19:33

Ps my dh would fit your description to a tee, but we still keep ferrets.....

WhineWhineWhineWINE · 23/06/2023 19:37

It'll be a trace of smell on him that she's taken exception to, maybe he's a vet his day job? Or a butcher? Or a serial killer? 🤷‍♀️

Original poster
listsandbudgets · 23/06/2023 19:40

I'm going to have to stop and ask him aren't I? Imagine the conversation...

"Excuse me Sir, I'm so sorry my dog seems to have taken a dislike to you. It's most unlike her. I was wondering if we could work out why... do you keep ferrets or are you perhaps a serial killer?"

OP posts:
Prescottdanni123 · 23/06/2023 19:48

@truthhurts23

My human loving dog only ever growled at one person in her 17 years of life. Even though we were on a busy main road in broad daylight, I crossed the road and went home via a different route. Dogs have outstanding 6th senses and many of them have saved their owner's lives by using these.

oakleaffy · 23/06/2023 19:50

my dog is very relaxed but there was a man in a field she really didn’t want to pass- she stopped a hundred metres away and actually barked a couple of times ( she is very quiet normally)

The man was standing stock still in the field like a scarecrow, staring directly ahead.

It was odd.

Dog galloped past turning her head to look at him and wouldn’t stop til well clear.

Pic of man here…

He then crashed to the ground.

Upon investigation he said he was “ Meditating “

As long as not the other “M” word…..

My dog seems to hate one particular man
Saucery · 23/06/2023 19:51

He might be scared of dogs? Smelling fear on a person can make a dog feel like there’s something to be scared of if that makes sense?

pigsDOfly · 23/06/2023 19:52

I was going to say something similar to hellocatshome.

When I took my dog to puppy classes a very long time ago the trainer gave us all a massive list of things that we needed to socialise our dogs with, the list seemed endless. Needless to say a lot of the things got missed out.

I remember my dog when she was a puppy getting very exercised over someone wearing a multicoloured jumper in the park. We saw the same person wearing the same jumper a few times and it seemed to really upset her (my dog) and she'd start barking and getting upset at some distance.

There must be something about this man that your dog is seeing but you're missing.

waterlego · 23/06/2023 19:54

@oakleaffy My rescue dog gets very freaked out about people standing very still. Even worse if they are wearing all black.

oakleaffy · 23/06/2023 19:57

waterlego · 23/06/2023 19:54

@oakleaffy My rescue dog gets very freaked out about people standing very still. Even worse if they are wearing all black.

Isn’t that interesting!
A human standing completely stock still is quite unusual- Especially in a field.

I must admit I did a double take as he looked so unusual- especially from the front.

I waited til other people came along before checking if he was ok-

Didn’t want to be suddenly grabbed.

Careerdilemma · 23/06/2023 19:59

Perhaps he is ill? Some dogs react very strongly to people with cancer for example.

Or simply he has a particular characteristic dog wasn't socialised to as a puppy.

Irridescantshimmmer · 23/06/2023 20:00

I once saw a pony called Copper who turned his back on a woman who was a battle-axe, lifted his tail and proceeded to drop big round brown turds all over her shoulder and back. I was about 11 years old at the time and I remember it like it was yesterday. The way Copper tilted his head to line his back end up with her shoulder......it was exhilirating....omg laughed my head off.

Copper aquired his name from the element copper not from police and his nature was timid, nervous around strange objects and would shy easily on roads etc.

Damn good judge of character though, saw right through the battle-axe. I trust the animals's instincts first, they can see through people and their intentions.

waterlego · 23/06/2023 20:01

@oakleaffy Yes, I suppose it is unusual to see someone standing completely motionless just staring into space! Clearly some dogs don’t like it.

I would have been unnerved at the sight of that man though. Did you say he then crashed to the ground? I mean that is weird!

oakleaffy · 23/06/2023 20:08

waterlego · 23/06/2023 20:01

@oakleaffy Yes, I suppose it is unusual to see someone standing completely motionless just staring into space! Clearly some dogs don’t like it.

I would have been unnerved at the sight of that man though. Did you say he then crashed to the ground? I mean that is weird!

Yes- as if felled !
He clear was an oddball.

But a friend’s Whippet at a show ( Before Covid lockdowns) wouldn’t go NEAR a certain man at a dog show.
She actively avoided him.
Friend thought it a little odd

Come lockdown- It transpired he’d murdered his poor Wife during lockdown in a fit of temper.

Was in news.

He so say “ Snapped “.

Did friend’s dog sense something strange about him?

Possibly.
Who knows..

Rainrainstayawaytilseptember · 23/06/2023 20:10

Our dpuppy hated 1 particular neighbour. He did indeed go on to kill a man.
*The neighbour not ddog...

Superdupes · 23/06/2023 20:33

I dog sit quite a few dogs and there are a couple that don't like one of my neighbours. He's the nicest man you could meet though and I've known him 20 years. I definitely wouldn't trust a dogs opinion on people, who knows what they're issue is. I have one who barks angrily at anyone carrying a backpack!

Superdupes · 23/06/2023 20:33

*their

Hooooping · 23/06/2023 20:35

truthhurts23 · 23/06/2023 19:23

theres a little dog that treats me like this when i walk past it , its so annoying it even tried to bite my leg once and i felt like kicking it across the road
maybe it can tell that im a cat person ?

dogs have strong senses, maybe your dogs picking up that the man is nervous or something, or maybe he doesnt like the smell of the man

If you felt like kicking it across the road it looks like the dog's judgement was right.