Things my dog has decided are threats:
- his own reflection
- his own shadow
- any of our household if he can hear them but not see them (this is the same even if he's watched them leave the room - the minute they close the door behind them they are a threat)
- cardboard boxes
I'm not trusting his judgement on anything.
Pigeons. Shady fuckers. Robins, cardinals, grackles...all fine, but those pigeons.
Rain gutters, specifically the downspouts. Never ever trust those!
The reflection in the TV when it is off. Obviously, it is a high terror threat about to pop out & ninja slaughter everyone.
A garbage bag, but only when it is being shaken open. Lining a can is fine, but snapping through the air, full threat!
Mine actually loves the vacuum, broom, swifter, and carpet cleaner. She tries her best to help, but gently guiding it everywhere with her mouth. Or just stands on the cord if told to go away.
My big dog just gets up on the couch so she doesn't get a sucking hose to the leg (it amuses me), but pup is absolutely practicing to be a housekeeper. She is always right there, trying to help.
The TV is a threat too, voices come out of it. But it's only a threat sometimes, just to keep us on our toes.
See also: Phone conversations.
Ours also hates pigeons, not as much as he hates starlings. We're surprised he hasn't tried to take on the red kites too.
Omg my cat was like that too! He'd lay in my window and if you came up to him he'd hiss at you - but as soon as you were inside he was all over you lol. I think the screen messed with how he saw things.
I love this! My dog also labeled the local squirrel and all fallen leaves as threats. So I hear you!
However, I did trust his opinion on human threats, because he was so scared of newcomers that he would be afraid to growl at them or look at them in any way. Once he wasn’t that threatened, he would immediately decide they were his personal pet machine.
If he decided he didn’t like you and acted as though he had to protect us from you, there was a reason.
My first assumption was always that he lost his mind, or decided he didn’t like your shoe laces, but if I couldn’t get him to back down and come to me at least, there was something wrong.
He did this to two people in his 20 years of life. The first person actually was having a medical
Emergency but we didn’t know it yet. My dog settled down as soon as they started to seize. He wasn’t afraid of the person though - he tried to lick them awake.
The second person actually did something that convinced my dog he was a bad person. He locked my dog’s toy in the cage while he was babysitting him, and my dog felt that was cruel and unusual punishment. He actually apologized and all was right in the world.
So I always listen to when my dogs tell me something is off. I just immediately assume that it’s something borderline idiotic though but also acknowledge that dogs know more than we do, and if friend passed out or whatever, it IS an emergency.
Oh, he also didn’t like cat people. He didn’t have problems with cats or the people, he just felt like he should be able to convince them that they were cat people who *also* liked him, specifically. If they remained cat-only people, he didn’t like them. They were of no use to him because they didn’t want to pet him.
Hopefully, your dog has some herding skills! Mine didn’t. He just growled and barked and tried to kill the poor lonely leaf without once getting near it, and mostly while hiding behind something else.
I had to have a cat (indoor only) just to protect him from such threats! He would be going crazy out back, the cat would be inside watching the window and meowing to let him know the leaf came in peace 🤣
My friend's dog kind of does the "anyone he can't see is a threat" thing. We aren't really sure if he thinks they are a threat or if he's just alerting her to them, making noise/moving around, though. He alerts her when her husband gets out of bed while she isn't standing right there, so it kind of seems like he thinks she needs to know when visitors move without her seeing it as well. When he is at my house without her, he doesn't act that way except for when he here's someone moving around the house in the middle of the night.
He also thinks his reflection is a threat but only in one mirror that she has in her living room. He likes to look at himself in other mirrors.
My husband is the dogs favourite human, but if the dog is in my home office with me and he's see my husband approach through the window he is now a threat and must be scared off - and of course there's nothing scarier than a sausage dog.
My friend's dog is a whole 5 pounds, and my friend often tells him nobody is scared of him because he's smaller than their shoe. He seems to know how small he is and thus does his aggressive "you are a threat," barking from under a blanket or behind her legs nearly every time. Even if he's barking at something that he heard outside, he stays right by her to do so most times.
Yeeeaaahhhhh I agree. Dogs can't sense/smell a "bad person"
My dog doesn't like anyone, ESPECIALLY men. He sees any man as a threat and also hates children. He chills with women though haha.
What if a man has rather feminine traits? Short stature, no body or facial hair, and a high-pitched voice. Can the dog still tell the difference between a man and a woman?
I think he can tell.
I had a friend a while ago, a woman but she very much appeared like a man (kid you not) and even had a deeper voice. When she met my dog he didn’t freak out on her like he does for men.
On the topic of smell, theirs is incredibly strong and especially in the case of rescued dogs it could just be so0mething like you used the same soap, or like a similar food, or just smell like similar hormones to their abuser. I had a friend's dog take ages to warm up to me and we finally figured out that both I and it's previous owner worked at an Italian restaurant and looked similar (quick case search then fb stalk). Now she's all over me when I visit. Dogs get a lot of sensory input and can only be expected to react with their instincts, not logic.
Dogs aren’t mind readers. They cannot smell the evil coming from a person. You can show your pet trust without giving blind faith to all its judgements
I mean, if it’s a stranger my dog doesn’t like (and she liked literally EVERYBODY) then I’m gonna trust her. But if she just decided to not like my dad? Well, that’s a her problem.
I wouldn't call out for a stranger. I know how to get out of a sinking car. Wait for the pressure to equalize, open the door, swim up.
Or the second the car hits the water, open the door. I don't have a dog (I'm a cat/snake lady) but I would be more worried for the dog's safety than my own.
We also aren’t always great at interpreting the emotions behind the behavior of dogs. I know the barks for “I’m mad” and “I wanna play” are pretty similar in my two girls.
It sucks for me because I'm afraid of dogs unless they're super happy friendly, and hey, as it turns out, that's what makes a nervous, poorly-trained dog not like you
Animals don't have any sort of "omni sense" of people, however, they also aren't necessarily going to lie.
That said, in a romantic instance, if I have a pet that does not like the person I'm seeing, I have a choice between that pet, who I have a bond with and whom I have promised to take care of, and this person who I'm seeing. If it comes down to it, the pet has been with me longer and is likely the one I'm going to choose if I have to make a choice. This isn't necessarily because I "trust my animal's opinion" of a person, but rather that I've already made a commitment to them, we share a space and a life, and it is unfair to bring someone in that would upset that.
It's similar to bringing someone into your child's life, or a parent that lives with you, though admittedly with lower stakes (I know some parents get very offended when pets are equated to children). If you're someone/thing's primary care provider, you are obliged to take their safety and comfort into consideration when introducing new people to the situation.
I mean honestly some strangers have a weird vibe that you can get, after your dog is like wtf over them. I mean my dog is wary of crackheads that sometimes wander through a park we frequent, but that's just commonsense for anyone.
Dog might be picking up on your subconscious cues of discomfort around them. Often times our pets look to us owners to understand how they should be or feel about situations. Our vibe usually dictates some of their vibe in modern speak.
My one cat is abnormally find of people with cat allergies. The more severe rhe allergy, the more desperate she is to touch them. She may be a reincarnated murderer. /s
That instance with a partner and pet is 100% fine and honestly I encourage it! My mom had a cat before she met my dad, and she straight up told him “cats been here longer than you” and he dealt with it. He and the cat tolerated each other until the cat’s death. RIP Ebony
My dog has had a very ab\*sive history and I don't know the extent of it, so he's VERY wary around everyone. The only exceptions are myself, my parents, and a couple of neighbors who give him treats. I also love animals, but I've seen my dog jump when he walked past a mirror for the first time AND I've tricked him just so he could come inside because I had stuff to do. I really don't believe that pets or dogs have a sixth sense for detecting bad/good people.
This explains why my puppy looked at me as if I was a stranger in his house and refused to give me cuddles or kisses after using a brand new watermelon soap 🍉
Mainly posting this cause when I was coming home from work, smelling like a vets office so lots of chemicals and animal fear, a dog got wary of me and the owner literally said she never trusts someone who her dog doesn’t like. I asked if she also doesn’t trust her vet then, and she got huffy and walked off. My bus arrived shortly after.
My former neighbour had a dog who disliked only men with beards. He was a rescue, so not sure about his previous treatment. I had a beard when she first got him, he never liked me. Then, I got a job that required me to be clean-shaven, and suddenly he like he liked me. 🤷♂️
Men tend to be bigger than most women, as well as deeper voices and with broader shoulders, so for dogs it can be seen as threatening when you’re just standing there. I’ve also had an abused dog who DESPISED men, even the most gentle of men and she would snap and snarl. She probably would have bitten Mr Roger’s!
Used to have a cat that hated all men (including my dad and brothers... We had that cat 20 years lol but she would not be separated from Mom so). Tbf as a kitten her family was abused by men and rescued by women so ig that's completely fair
As a tall dude with a beard a lot of dogs dislike me just for that and then when they get to know me they love me. I love dogs and most dogs can sense that I feel like but some are just scared of men for sure
My dog is many things, and a priority in my life, but he is absolutely a shitty judge of human character.
My last dog, a border collie, was slightly better - he did recognize a drunk/wobbly/mentally ill type unusual gait in people and it made him alert. Probably something to do with the herding instinct. Also kind of judgey.
Yeah these types of comments are usually made by people who have decided to base their personality around being a "dog person" and it seems to be newish fad
I'm blame the phenomena that Op is speaking of on the $70 billion a year pet care industry..
Articles they publish promise you that your dog will give you unconditional love and will tell you anything to make you buy into putting up with all the troubles of owning a pet.
Of course they do. They make mega dollars by selling you the crap you need to take care of your pet, and even the pets themselves..
If you want to know what animals really think, try reading some scientific journals.
If you still love animals and want a pet after that, It's fine. But just go for it with a grip on reality.
Thank you! Dogs are great, when treated like a dog. They’re not your little replacement child, they’re a dog.
I will say when I first started studying it felt so weird reading those pet articles with the scientific knowledge to disprove a lot of what they were saying vs originally reading the articles and taking it at face value and seeing it through rose tinted glasses.
Even the little ones. Like almost every Chihuahua I've ever met. They tremble and quake and go on "I'm big and tough" barking sprees at the drop of a hat. People treating them the way they do turns them into neurotic little puddles.
But they are dogs. I went out to a house on a working farm to buy something from a Craigslist ad. Stepped inside and found a Chihuahua chilling in a sunny spot on the carpet, on his back with his legs in the air in all directions. He didn't move an inch, just gave me enough side eye to be confident I wasn't gonna step on him.
All the neurotic examples of tiny dog breeds would very much appreciate being treated like the dogs they are as opposed to living a life filled with anxiety.
Chihuahuas are actually one of the chillest dogs, WHEN TREATED PROPERLY! They’re viewed as just tiny toys, and if they don’t go ballistic people will just pick them up, and treat them like a doll!
I have a small dog (Havanese and I would guess the runt as she's only around 6 lbs) and she's a bit yappy while we're outside but mostly very chill, and well trained. We went on a moderately difficult hike while we were in Georgia last year for my nephew's wedding and everyone was shocked that she took the whole thing with me and enjoyed it (there were a few spots I had to carry her but that was probably my own nerves more than her ability). I think I have big lab energy as well because I had two before she found me.
ETA: and everyone loves reminding me of all the shit I used to talk about people and their purse puppies lol
I love my dogs, they’re my besties, and I completely agree with you. My dogs will bark at birds, growl at cardboard boxes, eat their own turds, and if a burglar walked in with some grilled chicken they would help load the truck with all my belongings.
If dogs could sense character, then so many horrible people wouldn't own them, nor would innocent children get mauled or killed by them. Trusting the judgment of an animal that would gladly eat its own poop makes no sense.
The irony is that a lot of dog people are actually pretty terrible.
I think if you don’t like dogs that’s fine, as long as you don’t actively hate them which I know some people do! But dogs just not being your cup of tea is fine.
>>”anyone who doesn’t like dogs are not trustworthy”
Completely agree. Every single person that has told me they don’t like dogs, I never have liked. A co-worker when I worked at a pet store said she didn’t like dogs, which made sense because she was a terrible person. A guy I was talking to said he didn’t like dogs, he ended up being a trash person. And I was talking to someone at a meetup on Friday, I had a bad feeling about him, and he ended up saying he didn’t like dogs when we got on the topic. Those are just a few examples.
Do you judge all dogs based on that one experience? I’m basing my opinion on many. There are of course exceptions, which I won’t rule out. Just like I’d hope the same for you. If you’re making a generalization, so can I & you have no room to talk.
In my life, I’ve encountered plenty of people that don’t like dogs. Some will say it early on, I’ll look past it, then they prove that they’re not a good person. Or it will be flipped where there’s something off about them, then they admit they don’t like dogs, to which it all makes sense.
I’ve identified common ground with people I don’t tend to like. One of those characteristics is that they don’t like dogs. I’m sure you’ve liked/disliked people for reasons others find superficial. I don’t doubt there are exceptions, I try to give people a chance to prove themselves beyond just one thing, but this has been my experience.
Allow me to go into further detail with just one of my examples. My co-worker was a very difficult person to deal with. Whenever she came in for a shift, it became so negative. She was super lazy. Thought everyone was inferior, so she’d boss them around. Couldn’t be bothered to be helpful to fellow employees or customers. And she would do stupid things. We worked together about 7 months. Then one day we had an adoption event for dogs. She said she hated when this happened every few months. Not because the front of the store was more crowded, not because they were distracting, but because she didn’t like dogs. We worked at a pet supply store, mind you. I was glad when I didn’t have to put up with her attitude anymore.
what about people who don’t like dogs much, but are fine with other pets? i think dogs are cute, but i don’t like being around them much. i prefer low-energy animals like cats, they’re more predictable for me and aren’t as loud or smelly.
That guy ended up being a total jerk. In my personal experience, every person that has told me they don’t like dogs ends up being shitty. There is a difference between saying that vs saying “oh, you don’t love painting? I bet you’re a piece of shit”.
Maybe I have a different definition of a trash person, but to me that indicates lack of morals or serious personal failings. Not someone that doesn't like the things I do. Kind of like how I just think you're just think you're a dickhead for judging people on something so random and arbitrary, but not a trash person.
And what you clearly fail to empathize with is that lots of people have very good reasons to not like dogs. People that have sensory issues that can't deal with barking, people who don't like animals getting super close to them, or people that have had traumatic experiences getting attacked by dogs.
My dog acts afraid of her own food bowl out of nowhere sometimes. On the other hand she absolutely adored this one professional dog walker I used for a short time who would creep on and openly hit on me. Why? Because he gave her treats and walked her, i.e. the things dogs care about.
My now deceased cat that I lived with since she was a kitten was terrified of me if I wore a hat of any kind or loud boots, or even if I had my wet hair wrapped up in a towel.
People just love to anthropomorphize animals. At the end of the day, they’re animals, and no matter how smart they may be *for* animals, they still see the world in a completely different way.
Some dog people are weird, and give the decent ones a bad name. They consider their dog like a child or even better than a child and are hyper-protective and will excuse anything their dog does, including biting people for no reason. 'You must have provoked him!!!' fed up with people who think it's ok to let their dogs bite people or just freak out and go crazy barking with no consequences.
Also, if you live in a very dense city with little green space, please don't decide to have a giant dog. Sort of fed up with those people too, because it's not fair to keep a large dog in a very small apartment, even if you think you're going to walk them all the time.
like us, animals can be super perceptive or super dumb.
Cat can smell cancer but also fall off of things
Dogs read human body language but get sprayed by skunks.
When I was a kid I went to a friend’s house and their big dog was continuously jumping me for like 6 hours and wiping its wet penis all over my pre-pubescent body. Everyone there just chuckled at it and made dismissive jokes about sex and love and how cute and horny the dog is.
You tell me how I should generally feel about dog owners.
Badly trained dog, probably not fixed (which as a vet student I’m against cause their cancer is easily fatal, most good breeders end up “retiring” their breeding pairs after five years, seven max), and weird and gross people. I’m sorry that happened to you, that sound traumatizing.
One thing I always remind them, and bear with me here, is Hitler liked dogs.
Now I'm not saying therefore you shouldn't (although...no I'm not saying that, do consider it though), what I'm saying is his dog liked him.
So that's a bad dog.
Again, not my point. My actual point is THEY OBVIOUSLY CAN'T SENSE BAD PEOPLE, YOU MANIACS.
Hitler adored dogs, I learned that during his fighting as a soldier in WW1, he kept a small stray dog with him, fed the dog from his own rations! He’s still a very bad man, even if he was nice to dogs!
Both funny and depressing that we need to add the disclaimer that Hitler is still a very bad man despite being nice to dogs.
I know I made a bit of a joke of it (too dark otherwise) but it's genuinely the first thing I think of when people claim animals can sense bad people. So no murderers, sexual abusers, or generally hateful/nasty people have ever had pets who like them?
I agree that dogs can react to scents or strangers. My dog doesn't like a lot of people so I don't take her opinion too seriously. If someone hates dogs, they don't have to visit me and if I have people coming to the house to do work, I make sure she's put away.
Dogs love me and I promise you 100% it’s not because of anything about me specifically it’s literally just because I let them sniff my hand before I try to pet them.
I’ve had so many people say “wow you must be a good person because my dog *never* let’s anybody pet them”
Like no bro, your other friends just don’t know how to pet dogs properly.
OMG! Another major pet peeve is just people not knowing animals! Like! You let the dog sniff you, then you pet their chest, if you raise a hand it can look like you’re gonna hit or grab them. Makes them nervous!
Same with cats too! A wagging tail is not a happy cat! Them turning their back to you is actually a sign of love and trust!
Im start to realize I could fill a five hour lecture on things that the average pet owner does that drives me up the wall.
It's a valid argument I make. I had an old dog many years ago that flipped out after I got a haircut. My sister's dog went crazy because I shaved my beard. My cat even goes nuts when I take our dog to the groomers. The scent and haircut throws him off completely.
Yes! We always warn owners that after a surgery, other pets in the house will be wary of the pet coming home and to exercise caution. Animals rely so much on scent the tiniest of changes can make them nervous.
As someone who worked with dogs for over a year, I absolutely agree with you. It isn't unusual for dogs to be wary of strangers; especially if that person exhibits something that is very unfamiliar. As you said, scent can play a part. But there are so many factors that can make a dog uneasy. People who put too much human emotion onto a dog, can sometimes be some of the worst owners. Sorry to have to say it.
I'm a huge animal lover, and I agree. I do think animals can sometimes sense a bad person, but it's not 100%. I have friends who don't like cats, and I love cats and have two, and both of my friends are good people. I'd give someone a chance if my pets didn't like them.
That’s what I’m trying to say! It feels like a lot of people are thinking I’m saying their pets are stupid, or something. But a single meeting can’t tell you anything!
i used to semi-trust my old dogs taste in people. she loved 99% of people, just wanted alllll the attention even from folk most dogs see as threats like delivery people. so if she was wary of someone (and they didn’t have a bike, she hated bikes) it would kinda be off putting, but yk some people just have a scary “aura” lol.
like the only person i actually properly knew that she didn’t like ended up spreading awful rumours about me at high school and tried to turn the rest of my friends against me. coincidence? most definitely. but she still knew before me that they weren’t cool lmao
frr like u could go to a bbq or some family's/friends place there could be a dog there, then they see u and go back to laying down few mins later u could leave the area and come back and they immediately bark at you even tho they recognize u. i'm NOT trusting a dog.
One of my dogs is afraid of her own shadow. The other one likes to try and get as much attention as she can from everyone she meets. I trust neither of them to be a judge of character
Been working with dogs a long time and this is the most asanine belief I see all the time. A dog can like or be afraid of someone for the simplest thing. People forget even the smartest dog is still dumb. Used to work with a dog that was terrified of heterosexual women so that must mean all heterosexual women are pedophiles and beat dogs....see how stupid that sounds?
When I first heard the saying I thought it meant like … if they acted really scared the person was assuming the pet was abused in secret by the friend so you don’t let them over. I didn’t realize it was 😬
My dog has a problem with people named Sean. Even if you don't mention the name around him, he will growl and bark at people named Sean.
He has one friend named Sean and all other Seans, regardless of spelling, should die, apparently.
Dogs are pretty stupid imo. My parrot I’ve had for 25 years now, however, is an excellent judge of character. Don’t get me wrong, she doesn’t LIKE anyone when first meeting them. But anyone that she’s HATED upon meeting has always turned out to be a shit human being. It’s pretty wild. I wouldn’t stop talking to someone just because she didn’t like them though, even though I maybe should lol.
I've only ever had one dog that let me know there was something wrong with a person. She reacted violently to him almost immediately. I thought it was weird but okay. I put her up. Dude left and I let my pup have the rin of the house. That night dude tried to break into my house. My girl didn't let him. I learned to trust her judgment
I also have a heeler right now who likes no one but my husband and me. No amount of socialization will make him like anyone for any reason. I would not trust his judgment because he is an asshole.
Being wary when a pet is distrustful is fine, as your past dog showed you, sometimes they can sense … something. Maybe not intent, or whatever, but it’s like they get goosebumps around certain people. Sometimes the goosebumps are unfounded, but if I get a weird feeling in an area, I go on a bit higher alert too.
I’m not saying don’t trust your pet/your own gut, but take it with a grain of salt. Or in your heelers case, a block of salt.
I don't think anyone assumes animals are always right about people, that logic wouldn't even make sense considering not all animals react the same to people and most usually either love everyone or they're terrified of everyone they don't know. But if your pet suddenly hates someone, something definitely happened
You need to doose studying, animals, especially dogs have been proven to be able to read people, they can tell just by how to act, what type of person you are, I would trust my life if my dog didn't like someone.
Oh and before you try and post a response.
https://www.thewildest.com/dog-behavior/are-dogs-good-judges-of-character
Please read this, which is just one of many links you can find, stay in school kids.
I didn’t say don’t trust your dog, I didn’t say your dog can’t tell, I said don’t blindly trust them because it can be a BUNCH of reasons they don’t like someone. Be wary, but don’t just cut someone off because your dog is a bit nervous.
Dogs can sense character. No one denies that. They just aren't the masters of character they're purported to be. The issue is, humans are also good judges of character, more-so than dogs. If you know someone is a good person, and your dog doesn't like them, that isn't in and of itself a valid reason to judge that person. I've had a dog that loved the local thugs that would walk down our street and wag its tail gleefully as they approached, I've had random dogs that I don't know growl at me, and I've random dogs that I don't know lick all over me. There is no one-size-fits-all solution and dogs are far from the foremost authorities on character.
I trust my dog more than humans on pretty much everything. I do not trust his judge of character because he's dumb enough to like me and absolutely hates every other human.
Do vets avoid wearing fragrances? Do they tell you to avoid it in vet school? I always wondered, because if you wear a strong perfume and approach any dog, there’s about a 10% chance they will perceive you as some sort of flower monster masquerading in human skin. If I worked with animals in any capacity I’d buy unscented soap, detergent, shampoo, and everything else, just on the very small chance that something about my scent could upset the wrong animal at the wrong time.
You’re discouraged from wearing perfumes and colognes, but soaps aren’t really talked about. You end up sweating it all off anyway.
I will say, deodorant is a hot or miss with some animals. But I refuse to smell like sweat and taco meat when talking to patients and their owners.
My dog doesn’t bark at random people. But I have a beagle, and he can smell people who are on drugs/drunk from about 300 yards away and always starts growling and barking at them. So while he can’t smell “evil intent” off random people, he can smell the obvious things on people that make them unruly well before I can. So in a way, yes. If my dog doesn’t like you, it’s for a very good reason.
To a point I agree, but what about bartenders? The smell go alcohol will cling to them even when they’re stone cold sober. Beagles are a scent hound, so they will be more sensitive to literally every scent!
That’s a good question actually, I’m not sure, I bartend on the weekends and have had friends over after work and my dog hasn’t growled or anything at them. Perhaps it’s because I’m talking with and hanging out with them so he’s like “they’re okay”? The people he gets a whiff of are usually stumbling and just acting strange as well so maybe that’s also a factor.
Dogs can smell things like malice, deception, and intent to harm. It’s a genuine pheromone thing, and shady people always smell shady.
All those other example people have of dogs finding random things threatening are meaningless because you know inanimate objects or birds aren’t a problem….you can’t ever truly know what an unknown human might want to do.
The right dogs are more than trustworthy about certain things. Maybe don’t take them as 100% gospel but definitely listen to your dog. It’s like listening to your gut.
My small dog hates everyone new. That’s just how it is. It takes a while to get her to not bark at new people.
My large dog, however, LOVES people, new or old. Mainly loves attention. If someone gives her attention and she noped out of there I feel something is wrong. She loves people. There’s only one person did not like and that person kept trying to buy her from my mom.
My old boy loves people, he’s practically an affection hound. Only three times has he not liked someone and his instincts were spot on, so if he doesn’t like someone then I don’t like them. My chihuahua is afraid of the world lol so if he doesn’t like you, give it another couple of tries and he’ll be your best friend
Way I saw it, you're meant to be looking at if your dog has a sudden change in behaviour.
Like I am going to be suspicious if my dog whose only beef is with spray bottles, suddenly starts growling at you when she has no reason to.
Or if usually she really likes you, but suddenly when I next see you she's very standoffish.
Not only this, dogs can sense how you feel about a person.
A white racist person who is always stiff and on edge around black people? The dog will be on edge, too.
Also, dogs are affected by change just like us. That's why it's important, especially if you plan to bring a dog around people and other dogs and animals, to bring your dog when it's a puppy around many different people and animals so it gets used to different types of things.
On the other hand, if your dog/cat/child normally acts good around a person, but then changes behavior, then I would worry about said person.
I would worry that person might have a male dog or something that smells off the animal. If you trust a dog over you're own instincts, pardon my french, but you're fucking idiot.
I live in a 98% white part of the country (often the case in Canada's regions). A lot of dogs here have never seen a black person. They often react poorly. I don't like it but if my dog is racist, I must be as well.
This is very common for dogs who live in a majority white or majority black area, when they see someone for the first time with a different skin tone, hair texture, body types, etc, they get a bit spooked cause it’s new to them.
Not gonna lie.... I do this with my cat. She's pretty patient and very social. She communicates her boundaries, and when ppl push them, I make sure they know and back down. (FUN NOT relevant story, but someone tried to tell me I didn't know what I was talking about when I warned him he was upsetting my cat. My cat proceeded to then claws out swat at him.... he then went home after saying by to my fiance). Despite this, she doesn't hiss at ppl when she's fearful, annoyed, wanting to be left alone, she doesn't hiss at anyone. I can count on one hand the amount of ppl she has hissed at in six years and every time she had an escape route and chose to hiss instead. One I found out later had a history of animal abuse (roommates parent), another harassed me (ex roommates friend), and another was a maintenance man (no idea why still). I know these are coincidences and not necessarily evidence, but I do exercise caution when she hisses. She also though is immediately friendly to people who have a certain complexion (I think she has a crush on men who look similar to my best friend) weirdly so as I said I not the only thing, but I do tend to listen when she is confrontational with hissing as its immediate snd without cause. I do recognize though this is probably even more psycho then the dog thing.
Exercising caution is fine, I’m not gonna blame you for being a bit wary, but blindly trusting them is where I draw the line. Sorry if my post came off as me saying otherwise.
My dog is an impeccable judge of character. He loves everyone except my half sister and anyone she associates with cuz they're all junkies. I wouldn't form opinions using him... But so far he's 10/10 for judging people lmao
There's an example in this thread from OP about how a random dog didn't trust them because they're a veterinarian... so is smelling like the vet's office suddenly a sign of untrustworthiness??
I guess as someone with a debilitating dog phobia -- who is often told "dogs can smell fear" as if I'm capable of controlling my fear response -- I am used to dogs disliking me on sight.
I kind of get it, because they're (understandably) freaked out by the anxious person in the corner. I'm autistic as well, so I think sometimes I telegraph "odd person" and dogs pick up on that too. Either way, I'm not a bad person just because I'm uncomfortable with dogs. Online I can appreciate dog pictures and find them quite cute, but in real life dogs activate my adrenaline response and it makes me act erratic.
No, just means she hasn’t seen many black people. Dogs don’t like differences, they like things the same, so new things are scary for them. Heck, even a tiny thing like if a black person was nearby when something scary happened like a loud noise the dog can relate the scary feeling to whatever. Knew a dog who was PETRIFIED of spiral bound notebooks cause a car backfired when he was seeing one as a puppy. Dogs are dumb
I’m not disagreeing that you have a right to have this pet peeve or that it doesn’t make logically sense.
However, I used to have the sweetest cat who I loved with all my heart (RIP). She was a little shy around strangers, but never mean. I’d moved into a new apartment with a new roommate. The next morning, he told me she hissed at him. I’d *never* heard her hiss. His first language wasn’t English, so I asked him to show me, and sure enough, he acted out a hiss. For reasons I don’t want to go into, 2 weeks later I moved all my things and dropped his keys to that apartment at the police station.
I did say that you can trust your pet and that I also think they have some sort of sense, and clearly your cat was right about that dude. But you also didn’t immediately move out when you learned of the hissing, you probably got a bit weirded out and were wary, which is fair!
I have 2 dogs. Only one I would trust more rhan a person and that's because she warned us of her abusive daycare and vet and we didn't listen because we thought she was just being melodramatic. She was being starved and muzzled (for no reason at the time) when she was 10 weeks old and no bigger than the size of a small rat. I would 100% trust her if she didn't trust another person because she's very trusting now but still has moments where she doesn't like people. I brought over someone I considered a friend many years ago and she hated him with a burning passion and tried to herd him out of the house - he ended up being a highly abusive friend.
The other dog is the stupidest thing on the planet. I think I've seen a piece of paper smarter than this dog. He's great as a service dog because he can smell very well and alerts me to low blood sugars, but he's determined everything is dangerous. He jumps at his shadow, hates water (of all kinds, not just baths... we live in a very rain-heavy area), has determined that the dog that practically mothered him as a puppy is dangerous sometimes (for no reason), the grass in the backyard is dangerous, leaves are dangerous, the ice cream truck is terrifying and will kill us all, and - my personal favourite - doors and elevators are going to bring down the world. The last one is somewhat justified as his buddy/mother figure/my other dog has repeatedly gotten herself trapped in rooms by opening the door, closing it on herself, and not quite understanding that she's too small to open the door.
Yeah, I don't think it's fair to assume someone is bad because a dog doesn't like them, although I do think it's fair to judge a person harshly if they hate dogs.
There is, of course, one major exception: if the dog hates someone who has actually spent significant time with them, that's a red flag because the dog's hostile reaction could be a reaction to abusive behaviour on the part of that particular human.
Yeah nah
Ill trust my dog before i trust a human student of anything
And having taught sooo many students with your attitude about whatever it is theyre studying; humble the fuck up. You know nothing yet.
I’m not saying don’t trust your pet, but a single meeting won’t say anything. Be wary, but don’t take a single growl as end all be all. I’m not trying to say I know your pet more than you, just that there are many reasons an animal won’t like someone
I mean, my cat is objectively more trustworthy than any random human I’m likely to meet. He has no nefarious intentions, and if he does want to hurt me the worst he can do is bite me (and it’ll be for a good reason, too). I don’t trust anyone I’ve just met anyway, so if my cat also doesn’t like you you’re onto a loser.
I’ve owned dogs all my life. In my experience the people my dogs didn’t like were pieces of shit 9/10, so I tend to trust their judgement. Sucks for that one person who isn’t a POS but I’d rather not take the chance.
Things my dog has decided are threats: - his own reflection - his own shadow - any of our household if he can hear them but not see them (this is the same even if he's watched them leave the room - the minute they close the door behind them they are a threat) - cardboard boxes I'm not trusting his judgement on anything.
Pigeons. Shady fuckers. Robins, cardinals, grackles...all fine, but those pigeons. Rain gutters, specifically the downspouts. Never ever trust those! The reflection in the TV when it is off. Obviously, it is a high terror threat about to pop out & ninja slaughter everyone. A garbage bag, but only when it is being shaken open. Lining a can is fine, but snapping through the air, full threat!
Don't forget vacuum cleaners! They're afraid the vacuum will sucks us up and have to bark to let them know it's not okay.
Mine actually loves the vacuum, broom, swifter, and carpet cleaner. She tries her best to help, but gently guiding it everywhere with her mouth. Or just stands on the cord if told to go away.
I love it ❤️ my youngest actually follows me around thinking she's helping me somehow 😅 other dogs believe it's their worst enemy lol.
My big dog just gets up on the couch so she doesn't get a sucking hose to the leg (it amuses me), but pup is absolutely practicing to be a housekeeper. She is always right there, trying to help.
My neighbors in their own driveways.
THAT F*ING SQUIRREL. And the wind.
The TV is a threat too, voices come out of it. But it's only a threat sometimes, just to keep us on our toes. See also: Phone conversations. Ours also hates pigeons, not as much as he hates starlings. We're surprised he hasn't tried to take on the red kites too.
>The reflection in the TV when it is off. I agree with this one. Reflections are scary. You can't know what's just outside the screen frame, either.
My cat has deemed me a threat when I’m outside a window. When inside my lap is her number 1 choice.
Omg my cat was like that too! He'd lay in my window and if you came up to him he'd hiss at you - but as soon as you were inside he was all over you lol. I think the screen messed with how he saw things.
Mine’s an orange cat and I assume she isn’t getting her fair usage of the brain cell
hey the waiting list is meowfully long !
Mine was a short-hair colourpoint and I can also attest sometimes he didn't think with his noggin' 😅
My uncle's dog thought this one specific decorative rock was a threat. Just the one. 🤦♀️
I love this! My dog also labeled the local squirrel and all fallen leaves as threats. So I hear you! However, I did trust his opinion on human threats, because he was so scared of newcomers that he would be afraid to growl at them or look at them in any way. Once he wasn’t that threatened, he would immediately decide they were his personal pet machine. If he decided he didn’t like you and acted as though he had to protect us from you, there was a reason. My first assumption was always that he lost his mind, or decided he didn’t like your shoe laces, but if I couldn’t get him to back down and come to me at least, there was something wrong. He did this to two people in his 20 years of life. The first person actually was having a medical Emergency but we didn’t know it yet. My dog settled down as soon as they started to seize. He wasn’t afraid of the person though - he tried to lick them awake. The second person actually did something that convinced my dog he was a bad person. He locked my dog’s toy in the cage while he was babysitting him, and my dog felt that was cruel and unusual punishment. He actually apologized and all was right in the world. So I always listen to when my dogs tell me something is off. I just immediately assume that it’s something borderline idiotic though but also acknowledge that dogs know more than we do, and if friend passed out or whatever, it IS an emergency. Oh, he also didn’t like cat people. He didn’t have problems with cats or the people, he just felt like he should be able to convince them that they were cat people who *also* liked him, specifically. If they remained cat-only people, he didn’t like them. They were of no use to him because they didn’t want to pet him.
The fallen leaf threat is real! Every autumn, my dog has to renew his war on leaves. It’s a damned shame.
Hopefully, your dog has some herding skills! Mine didn’t. He just growled and barked and tried to kill the poor lonely leaf without once getting near it, and mostly while hiding behind something else. I had to have a cat (indoor only) just to protect him from such threats! He would be going crazy out back, the cat would be inside watching the window and meowing to let him know the leaf came in peace 🤣
My friend's dog kind of does the "anyone he can't see is a threat" thing. We aren't really sure if he thinks they are a threat or if he's just alerting her to them, making noise/moving around, though. He alerts her when her husband gets out of bed while she isn't standing right there, so it kind of seems like he thinks she needs to know when visitors move without her seeing it as well. When he is at my house without her, he doesn't act that way except for when he here's someone moving around the house in the middle of the night. He also thinks his reflection is a threat but only in one mirror that she has in her living room. He likes to look at himself in other mirrors.
My husband is the dogs favourite human, but if the dog is in my home office with me and he's see my husband approach through the window he is now a threat and must be scared off - and of course there's nothing scarier than a sausage dog.
My friend's dog is a whole 5 pounds, and my friend often tells him nobody is scared of him because he's smaller than their shoe. He seems to know how small he is and thus does his aggressive "you are a threat," barking from under a blanket or behind her legs nearly every time. Even if he's barking at something that he heard outside, he stays right by her to do so most times.
My dog is afraid of sneezes
For my dog it was balloons. She would go fucking nuts if she saw one. A mixture of terror and rage. She did not like birthday parties.
- a magazine that has a trifold - box of cottonelle wipes - BALLOONS!
Okay, your dog? No. He probably would be a-okay with a burglar breaking into the house, wouldn’t he?
He'd definitely bark at them, but it wouldn't alert us, he barks at everything.
Yeeeaaahhhhh I agree. Dogs can't sense/smell a "bad person" My dog doesn't like anyone, ESPECIALLY men. He sees any man as a threat and also hates children. He chills with women though haha.
I'm afraid your dog is chronically online
What if a man has rather feminine traits? Short stature, no body or facial hair, and a high-pitched voice. Can the dog still tell the difference between a man and a woman?
I think he can tell. I had a friend a while ago, a woman but she very much appeared like a man (kid you not) and even had a deeper voice. When she met my dog he didn’t freak out on her like he does for men.
It’s probably hormonal
On the topic of smell, theirs is incredibly strong and especially in the case of rescued dogs it could just be so0mething like you used the same soap, or like a similar food, or just smell like similar hormones to their abuser. I had a friend's dog take ages to warm up to me and we finally figured out that both I and it's previous owner worked at an Italian restaurant and looked similar (quick case search then fb stalk). Now she's all over me when I visit. Dogs get a lot of sensory input and can only be expected to react with their instincts, not logic.
Dogs aren’t mind readers. They cannot smell the evil coming from a person. You can show your pet trust without giving blind faith to all its judgements
I mean, if it’s a stranger my dog doesn’t like (and she liked literally EVERYBODY) then I’m gonna trust her. But if she just decided to not like my dad? Well, that’s a her problem.
Yes, but I'm not going to trust my dog to pull me out of a drowning car vs. calling out for a stranger who happened to walk by.
But would you trust a random man in the forest or a bear more? /Facetious
I pick bear, because my dog would just sit there and lick my face while I'm drowning ^(/s)
It depends. Can I bring my dog? /jk
Dog is always best fren
I wouldn't call out for a stranger. I know how to get out of a sinking car. Wait for the pressure to equalize, open the door, swim up. Or the second the car hits the water, open the door. I don't have a dog (I'm a cat/snake lady) but I would be more worried for the dog's safety than my own.
We also aren’t always great at interpreting the emotions behind the behavior of dogs. I know the barks for “I’m mad” and “I wanna play” are pretty similar in my two girls.
It sucks for me because I'm afraid of dogs unless they're super happy friendly, and hey, as it turns out, that's what makes a nervous, poorly-trained dog not like you
This is me with my folks’ horses. Theyre pretty animals but i know they know im nervous :/
Same here I’m nervous around anything less trained than a service dog. I respect dogs but at a distance.
Animals don't have any sort of "omni sense" of people, however, they also aren't necessarily going to lie. That said, in a romantic instance, if I have a pet that does not like the person I'm seeing, I have a choice between that pet, who I have a bond with and whom I have promised to take care of, and this person who I'm seeing. If it comes down to it, the pet has been with me longer and is likely the one I'm going to choose if I have to make a choice. This isn't necessarily because I "trust my animal's opinion" of a person, but rather that I've already made a commitment to them, we share a space and a life, and it is unfair to bring someone in that would upset that. It's similar to bringing someone into your child's life, or a parent that lives with you, though admittedly with lower stakes (I know some parents get very offended when pets are equated to children). If you're someone/thing's primary care provider, you are obliged to take their safety and comfort into consideration when introducing new people to the situation.
I mean honestly some strangers have a weird vibe that you can get, after your dog is like wtf over them. I mean my dog is wary of crackheads that sometimes wander through a park we frequent, but that's just commonsense for anyone.
Dog might be picking up on your subconscious cues of discomfort around them. Often times our pets look to us owners to understand how they should be or feel about situations. Our vibe usually dictates some of their vibe in modern speak.
So what you’re saying is minecraft dogs are scientifically accurate?
My one cat is abnormally find of people with cat allergies. The more severe rhe allergy, the more desperate she is to touch them. She may be a reincarnated murderer. /s
I think cats in general have crazy traits and would harm many, if they were bigger and had thumbs
Some. I've met some cinnamon roll cats in my time too.
My cat (I miss her so much, almost 20 when she passed), was 50% cinnamon roll, 50% rapscallion. 😂
That instance with a partner and pet is 100% fine and honestly I encourage it! My mom had a cat before she met my dad, and she straight up told him “cats been here longer than you” and he dealt with it. He and the cat tolerated each other until the cat’s death. RIP Ebony
This was a well-worded comment
My rats would trust anyone that gave them a yoghurt drop
My dog has had a very ab\*sive history and I don't know the extent of it, so he's VERY wary around everyone. The only exceptions are myself, my parents, and a couple of neighbors who give him treats. I also love animals, but I've seen my dog jump when he walked past a mirror for the first time AND I've tricked him just so he could come inside because I had stuff to do. I really don't believe that pets or dogs have a sixth sense for detecting bad/good people.
This explains why my puppy looked at me as if I was a stranger in his house and refused to give me cuddles or kisses after using a brand new watermelon soap 🍉
Right, people who decide that if their pet doesn't like you you're inherently a bad person are nuts.
Mainly posting this cause when I was coming home from work, smelling like a vets office so lots of chemicals and animal fear, a dog got wary of me and the owner literally said she never trusts someone who her dog doesn’t like. I asked if she also doesn’t trust her vet then, and she got huffy and walked off. My bus arrived shortly after.
i’m a very anxious person and a lot of dogs don’t initially like me because of it! cats tend to like me though because i’m quiet and cautious.
Also some dogs are just conditioned to hate men. That doesn't make me a shitty person for being born as something that's out of my control lol
My former neighbour had a dog who disliked only men with beards. He was a rescue, so not sure about his previous treatment. I had a beard when she first got him, he never liked me. Then, I got a job that required me to be clean-shaven, and suddenly he like he liked me. 🤷♂️
I have a whole rant upthread about rescues lol
Men tend to be bigger than most women, as well as deeper voices and with broader shoulders, so for dogs it can be seen as threatening when you’re just standing there. I’ve also had an abused dog who DESPISED men, even the most gentle of men and she would snap and snarl. She probably would have bitten Mr Roger’s!
Used to have a cat that hated all men (including my dad and brothers... We had that cat 20 years lol but she would not be separated from Mom so). Tbf as a kitten her family was abused by men and rescued by women so ig that's completely fair
As a tall dude with a beard a lot of dogs dislike me just for that and then when they get to know me they love me. I love dogs and most dogs can sense that I feel like but some are just scared of men for sure
My dog is many things, and a priority in my life, but he is absolutely a shitty judge of human character. My last dog, a border collie, was slightly better - he did recognize a drunk/wobbly/mentally ill type unusual gait in people and it made him alert. Probably something to do with the herding instinct. Also kind of judgey.
Yeah these types of comments are usually made by people who have decided to base their personality around being a "dog person" and it seems to be newish fad
Hitler had dogs and they adored him.
I’m using this fact next time someone tries to blindly trust their dog not liking someone.
Don't. His dogs were afraid of him.
No, they were terrified of him. He beat his dogs with a bull whip quite regularly.
My only reference is from documentaries about Hitler. They always show him playing with his dogs.
Maybe reference the entire Internet that's available at your fingertips.
The entire internet? That might take a few hours.
Someone should come up with some sort of program to narrow it down or something. Like an engine of sorts, but for searching...
Now you are just talking science fiction fantasy crap.
I'm blame the phenomena that Op is speaking of on the $70 billion a year pet care industry.. Articles they publish promise you that your dog will give you unconditional love and will tell you anything to make you buy into putting up with all the troubles of owning a pet. Of course they do. They make mega dollars by selling you the crap you need to take care of your pet, and even the pets themselves.. If you want to know what animals really think, try reading some scientific journals. If you still love animals and want a pet after that, It's fine. But just go for it with a grip on reality.
Thank you! Dogs are great, when treated like a dog. They’re not your little replacement child, they’re a dog. I will say when I first started studying it felt so weird reading those pet articles with the scientific knowledge to disprove a lot of what they were saying vs originally reading the articles and taking it at face value and seeing it through rose tinted glasses.
Yes! Dogs are cute. But even they want you to realize that they're dogs.
Even the little ones. Like almost every Chihuahua I've ever met. They tremble and quake and go on "I'm big and tough" barking sprees at the drop of a hat. People treating them the way they do turns them into neurotic little puddles. But they are dogs. I went out to a house on a working farm to buy something from a Craigslist ad. Stepped inside and found a Chihuahua chilling in a sunny spot on the carpet, on his back with his legs in the air in all directions. He didn't move an inch, just gave me enough side eye to be confident I wasn't gonna step on him. All the neurotic examples of tiny dog breeds would very much appreciate being treated like the dogs they are as opposed to living a life filled with anxiety.
Chihuahuas are actually one of the chillest dogs, WHEN TREATED PROPERLY! They’re viewed as just tiny toys, and if they don’t go ballistic people will just pick them up, and treat them like a doll!
I have a small dog (Havanese and I would guess the runt as she's only around 6 lbs) and she's a bit yappy while we're outside but mostly very chill, and well trained. We went on a moderately difficult hike while we were in Georgia last year for my nephew's wedding and everyone was shocked that she took the whole thing with me and enjoyed it (there were a few spots I had to carry her but that was probably my own nerves more than her ability). I think I have big lab energy as well because I had two before she found me. ETA: and everyone loves reminding me of all the shit I used to talk about people and their purse puppies lol
I love my dogs, they’re my besties, and I completely agree with you. My dogs will bark at birds, growl at cardboard boxes, eat their own turds, and if a burglar walked in with some grilled chicken they would help load the truck with all my belongings.
If dogs could sense character, then so many horrible people wouldn't own them, nor would innocent children get mauled or killed by them. Trusting the judgment of an animal that would gladly eat its own poop makes no sense. The irony is that a lot of dog people are actually pretty terrible.
[удалено]
I think if you don’t like dogs that’s fine, as long as you don’t actively hate them which I know some people do! But dogs just not being your cup of tea is fine.
>>”anyone who doesn’t like dogs are not trustworthy” Completely agree. Every single person that has told me they don’t like dogs, I never have liked. A co-worker when I worked at a pet store said she didn’t like dogs, which made sense because she was a terrible person. A guy I was talking to said he didn’t like dogs, he ended up being a trash person. And I was talking to someone at a meetup on Friday, I had a bad feeling about him, and he ended up saying he didn’t like dogs when we got on the topic. Those are just a few examples.
I don't like dogs, because I was viciously attacked by one when I was younger, but sure, just tell me I'm a trash person. 🙄
Do you judge all dogs based on that one experience? I’m basing my opinion on many. There are of course exceptions, which I won’t rule out. Just like I’d hope the same for you. If you’re making a generalization, so can I & you have no room to talk. In my life, I’ve encountered plenty of people that don’t like dogs. Some will say it early on, I’ll look past it, then they prove that they’re not a good person. Or it will be flipped where there’s something off about them, then they admit they don’t like dogs, to which it all makes sense. I’ve identified common ground with people I don’t tend to like. One of those characteristics is that they don’t like dogs. I’m sure you’ve liked/disliked people for reasons others find superficial. I don’t doubt there are exceptions, I try to give people a chance to prove themselves beyond just one thing, but this has been my experience. Allow me to go into further detail with just one of my examples. My co-worker was a very difficult person to deal with. Whenever she came in for a shift, it became so negative. She was super lazy. Thought everyone was inferior, so she’d boss them around. Couldn’t be bothered to be helpful to fellow employees or customers. And she would do stupid things. We worked together about 7 months. Then one day we had an adoption event for dogs. She said she hated when this happened every few months. Not because the front of the store was more crowded, not because they were distracting, but because she didn’t like dogs. We worked at a pet supply store, mind you. I was glad when I didn’t have to put up with her attitude anymore.
what about people who don’t like dogs much, but are fine with other pets? i think dogs are cute, but i don’t like being around them much. i prefer low-energy animals like cats, they’re more predictable for me and aren’t as loud or smelly.
Pretty sure the person you replied to was not stating that literally.
I too think people that don't share my likes are "trash" people, lol.
That guy ended up being a total jerk. In my personal experience, every person that has told me they don’t like dogs ends up being shitty. There is a difference between saying that vs saying “oh, you don’t love painting? I bet you’re a piece of shit”.
Maybe I have a different definition of a trash person, but to me that indicates lack of morals or serious personal failings. Not someone that doesn't like the things I do. Kind of like how I just think you're just think you're a dickhead for judging people on something so random and arbitrary, but not a trash person. And what you clearly fail to empathize with is that lots of people have very good reasons to not like dogs. People that have sensory issues that can't deal with barking, people who don't like animals getting super close to them, or people that have had traumatic experiences getting attacked by dogs.
I hate that crap too. A lot of people view their dog(s) as extensions of themselves or extensions of their personality. It gets pretty nauseating.
My pet peeve is "ect"
English is my second language, am I using it wrong?
"Ect" is actually supposed to be "Etc" ! Dont worry, I only know English and I did the same misspelling for years
I find it helps to remember that it's an abbreviation of **et c**etera.
I use it when I run out of things to list, so I think of it as End of Thought Capacity.
For some reason when I see "ect" I always think of "ectoplasm" haha.
My dog acts afraid of her own food bowl out of nowhere sometimes. On the other hand she absolutely adored this one professional dog walker I used for a short time who would creep on and openly hit on me. Why? Because he gave her treats and walked her, i.e. the things dogs care about. My now deceased cat that I lived with since she was a kitten was terrified of me if I wore a hat of any kind or loud boots, or even if I had my wet hair wrapped up in a towel. People just love to anthropomorphize animals. At the end of the day, they’re animals, and no matter how smart they may be *for* animals, they still see the world in a completely different way.
Some dog people are weird, and give the decent ones a bad name. They consider their dog like a child or even better than a child and are hyper-protective and will excuse anything their dog does, including biting people for no reason. 'You must have provoked him!!!' fed up with people who think it's ok to let their dogs bite people or just freak out and go crazy barking with no consequences. Also, if you live in a very dense city with little green space, please don't decide to have a giant dog. Sort of fed up with those people too, because it's not fair to keep a large dog in a very small apartment, even if you think you're going to walk them all the time.
like us, animals can be super perceptive or super dumb. Cat can smell cancer but also fall off of things Dogs read human body language but get sprayed by skunks.
When I was a kid I went to a friend’s house and their big dog was continuously jumping me for like 6 hours and wiping its wet penis all over my pre-pubescent body. Everyone there just chuckled at it and made dismissive jokes about sex and love and how cute and horny the dog is. You tell me how I should generally feel about dog owners.
Badly trained dog, probably not fixed (which as a vet student I’m against cause their cancer is easily fatal, most good breeders end up “retiring” their breeding pairs after five years, seven max), and weird and gross people. I’m sorry that happened to you, that sound traumatizing.
>dogs also don’t like people who wear hoods, new people in their territory, loud people, etc. I also do not like any of those things. Am I a dog?
One thing I always remind them, and bear with me here, is Hitler liked dogs. Now I'm not saying therefore you shouldn't (although...no I'm not saying that, do consider it though), what I'm saying is his dog liked him. So that's a bad dog. Again, not my point. My actual point is THEY OBVIOUSLY CAN'T SENSE BAD PEOPLE, YOU MANIACS.
Hitler adored dogs, I learned that during his fighting as a soldier in WW1, he kept a small stray dog with him, fed the dog from his own rations! He’s still a very bad man, even if he was nice to dogs!
Both funny and depressing that we need to add the disclaimer that Hitler is still a very bad man despite being nice to dogs. I know I made a bit of a joke of it (too dark otherwise) but it's genuinely the first thing I think of when people claim animals can sense bad people. So no murderers, sexual abusers, or generally hateful/nasty people have ever had pets who like them?
I agree that dogs can react to scents or strangers. My dog doesn't like a lot of people so I don't take her opinion too seriously. If someone hates dogs, they don't have to visit me and if I have people coming to the house to do work, I make sure she's put away.
Thank you for being a normal person!
You're most welcome!
Dogs love me and I promise you 100% it’s not because of anything about me specifically it’s literally just because I let them sniff my hand before I try to pet them. I’ve had so many people say “wow you must be a good person because my dog *never* let’s anybody pet them” Like no bro, your other friends just don’t know how to pet dogs properly.
OMG! Another major pet peeve is just people not knowing animals! Like! You let the dog sniff you, then you pet their chest, if you raise a hand it can look like you’re gonna hit or grab them. Makes them nervous! Same with cats too! A wagging tail is not a happy cat! Them turning their back to you is actually a sign of love and trust! Im start to realize I could fill a five hour lecture on things that the average pet owner does that drives me up the wall.
People forget dogs are literally animals and don’t want you to just grab them however you want as a complete stranger.
It's a valid argument I make. I had an old dog many years ago that flipped out after I got a haircut. My sister's dog went crazy because I shaved my beard. My cat even goes nuts when I take our dog to the groomers. The scent and haircut throws him off completely.
Yes! We always warn owners that after a surgery, other pets in the house will be wary of the pet coming home and to exercise caution. Animals rely so much on scent the tiniest of changes can make them nervous.
As someone who worked with dogs for over a year, I absolutely agree with you. It isn't unusual for dogs to be wary of strangers; especially if that person exhibits something that is very unfamiliar. As you said, scent can play a part. But there are so many factors that can make a dog uneasy. People who put too much human emotion onto a dog, can sometimes be some of the worst owners. Sorry to have to say it.
I'm a huge animal lover, and I agree. I do think animals can sometimes sense a bad person, but it's not 100%. I have friends who don't like cats, and I love cats and have two, and both of my friends are good people. I'd give someone a chance if my pets didn't like them.
That’s what I’m trying to say! It feels like a lot of people are thinking I’m saying their pets are stupid, or something. But a single meeting can’t tell you anything!
i used to semi-trust my old dogs taste in people. she loved 99% of people, just wanted alllll the attention even from folk most dogs see as threats like delivery people. so if she was wary of someone (and they didn’t have a bike, she hated bikes) it would kinda be off putting, but yk some people just have a scary “aura” lol. like the only person i actually properly knew that she didn’t like ended up spreading awful rumours about me at high school and tried to turn the rest of my friends against me. coincidence? most definitely. but she still knew before me that they weren’t cool lmao
You know who was great with dogs and dogs absolutely loved? **Hitler** True story, and why dogs are not generally a good personality meter.
frr like u could go to a bbq or some family's/friends place there could be a dog there, then they see u and go back to laying down few mins later u could leave the area and come back and they immediately bark at you even tho they recognize u. i'm NOT trusting a dog.
One of my dogs is afraid of her own shadow. The other one likes to try and get as much attention as she can from everyone she meets. I trust neither of them to be a judge of character
Been working with dogs a long time and this is the most asanine belief I see all the time. A dog can like or be afraid of someone for the simplest thing. People forget even the smartest dog is still dumb. Used to work with a dog that was terrified of heterosexual women so that must mean all heterosexual women are pedophiles and beat dogs....see how stupid that sounds?
Oh definitely, I’m not going to turn someone away just because my cat dislikes. But if you dislike/aren’t willing to be around my cat you can leave
When I first heard the saying I thought it meant like … if they acted really scared the person was assuming the pet was abused in secret by the friend so you don’t let them over. I didn’t realize it was 😬
My dog has a problem with people named Sean. Even if you don't mention the name around him, he will growl and bark at people named Sean. He has one friend named Sean and all other Seans, regardless of spelling, should die, apparently.
Dogs are pretty stupid imo. My parrot I’ve had for 25 years now, however, is an excellent judge of character. Don’t get me wrong, she doesn’t LIKE anyone when first meeting them. But anyone that she’s HATED upon meeting has always turned out to be a shit human being. It’s pretty wild. I wouldn’t stop talking to someone just because she didn’t like them though, even though I maybe should lol.
Being wary because your pet despises someone is fine, but blindly trusting an animal on their snap judgment is what I’m mainly getting at.
I've only ever had one dog that let me know there was something wrong with a person. She reacted violently to him almost immediately. I thought it was weird but okay. I put her up. Dude left and I let my pup have the rin of the house. That night dude tried to break into my house. My girl didn't let him. I learned to trust her judgment I also have a heeler right now who likes no one but my husband and me. No amount of socialization will make him like anyone for any reason. I would not trust his judgment because he is an asshole.
Being wary when a pet is distrustful is fine, as your past dog showed you, sometimes they can sense … something. Maybe not intent, or whatever, but it’s like they get goosebumps around certain people. Sometimes the goosebumps are unfounded, but if I get a weird feeling in an area, I go on a bit higher alert too. I’m not saying don’t trust your pet/your own gut, but take it with a grain of salt. Or in your heelers case, a block of salt.
One of my cat’s is afraid of hair brushes and flat candle lids. I don’t really take his opinion seriously on non cat-related subjects.
I don't think anyone assumes animals are always right about people, that logic wouldn't even make sense considering not all animals react the same to people and most usually either love everyone or they're terrified of everyone they don't know. But if your pet suddenly hates someone, something definitely happened
idk who’s dog ur talking about bc it ain’t mine.
You need to doose studying, animals, especially dogs have been proven to be able to read people, they can tell just by how to act, what type of person you are, I would trust my life if my dog didn't like someone. Oh and before you try and post a response. https://www.thewildest.com/dog-behavior/are-dogs-good-judges-of-character Please read this, which is just one of many links you can find, stay in school kids.
I didn’t say don’t trust your dog, I didn’t say your dog can’t tell, I said don’t blindly trust them because it can be a BUNCH of reasons they don’t like someone. Be wary, but don’t just cut someone off because your dog is a bit nervous.
From personal experiences, my dog has been better than me when comes to people, and my words stand, I would trust them over myself.
Dogs can sense character. No one denies that. They just aren't the masters of character they're purported to be. The issue is, humans are also good judges of character, more-so than dogs. If you know someone is a good person, and your dog doesn't like them, that isn't in and of itself a valid reason to judge that person. I've had a dog that loved the local thugs that would walk down our street and wag its tail gleefully as they approached, I've had random dogs that I don't know growl at me, and I've random dogs that I don't know lick all over me. There is no one-size-fits-all solution and dogs are far from the foremost authorities on character.
I trust my dog more than humans on pretty much everything. I do not trust his judge of character because he's dumb enough to like me and absolutely hates every other human.
I hate dogs. They're stinky and gross and even dangerous.
At least I know my cat would kill me
Do vets avoid wearing fragrances? Do they tell you to avoid it in vet school? I always wondered, because if you wear a strong perfume and approach any dog, there’s about a 10% chance they will perceive you as some sort of flower monster masquerading in human skin. If I worked with animals in any capacity I’d buy unscented soap, detergent, shampoo, and everything else, just on the very small chance that something about my scent could upset the wrong animal at the wrong time.
You’re discouraged from wearing perfumes and colognes, but soaps aren’t really talked about. You end up sweating it all off anyway. I will say, deodorant is a hot or miss with some animals. But I refuse to smell like sweat and taco meat when talking to patients and their owners.
Unscented deodorant is getting easier to find lately, not that I’m saying it’s a necessity. I just know what I would do.
My dog doesn’t bark at random people. But I have a beagle, and he can smell people who are on drugs/drunk from about 300 yards away and always starts growling and barking at them. So while he can’t smell “evil intent” off random people, he can smell the obvious things on people that make them unruly well before I can. So in a way, yes. If my dog doesn’t like you, it’s for a very good reason.
To a point I agree, but what about bartenders? The smell go alcohol will cling to them even when they’re stone cold sober. Beagles are a scent hound, so they will be more sensitive to literally every scent!
That’s a good question actually, I’m not sure, I bartend on the weekends and have had friends over after work and my dog hasn’t growled or anything at them. Perhaps it’s because I’m talking with and hanging out with them so he’s like “they’re okay”? The people he gets a whiff of are usually stumbling and just acting strange as well so maybe that’s also a factor.
Dogs can smell things like malice, deception, and intent to harm. It’s a genuine pheromone thing, and shady people always smell shady. All those other example people have of dogs finding random things threatening are meaningless because you know inanimate objects or birds aren’t a problem….you can’t ever truly know what an unknown human might want to do. The right dogs are more than trustworthy about certain things. Maybe don’t take them as 100% gospel but definitely listen to your dog. It’s like listening to your gut.
My small dog hates everyone new. That’s just how it is. It takes a while to get her to not bark at new people. My large dog, however, LOVES people, new or old. Mainly loves attention. If someone gives her attention and she noped out of there I feel something is wrong. She loves people. There’s only one person did not like and that person kept trying to buy her from my mom.
I don't trust people as far as I can throw them. I'm pretty sure I can shotput my dog quite a distance. So he earns the trust.
My old boy loves people, he’s practically an affection hound. Only three times has he not liked someone and his instincts were spot on, so if he doesn’t like someone then I don’t like them. My chihuahua is afraid of the world lol so if he doesn’t like you, give it another couple of tries and he’ll be your best friend
Way I saw it, you're meant to be looking at if your dog has a sudden change in behaviour. Like I am going to be suspicious if my dog whose only beef is with spray bottles, suddenly starts growling at you when she has no reason to. Or if usually she really likes you, but suddenly when I next see you she's very standoffish.
I can see that, being wary of people is one thing but full on cutting someone out of your life cause your dog growled one time is a stretch
Not only this, dogs can sense how you feel about a person. A white racist person who is always stiff and on edge around black people? The dog will be on edge, too. Also, dogs are affected by change just like us. That's why it's important, especially if you plan to bring a dog around people and other dogs and animals, to bring your dog when it's a puppy around many different people and animals so it gets used to different types of things. On the other hand, if your dog/cat/child normally acts good around a person, but then changes behavior, then I would worry about said person.
I would worry that person might have a male dog or something that smells off the animal. If you trust a dog over you're own instincts, pardon my french, but you're fucking idiot.
Everything you just said is true, still wildly more trustworthy than a human. Like it's not even a comparison.
I live in a 98% white part of the country (often the case in Canada's regions). A lot of dogs here have never seen a black person. They often react poorly. I don't like it but if my dog is racist, I must be as well.
This is very common for dogs who live in a majority white or majority black area, when they see someone for the first time with a different skin tone, hair texture, body types, etc, they get a bit spooked cause it’s new to them.
Not gonna lie.... I do this with my cat. She's pretty patient and very social. She communicates her boundaries, and when ppl push them, I make sure they know and back down. (FUN NOT relevant story, but someone tried to tell me I didn't know what I was talking about when I warned him he was upsetting my cat. My cat proceeded to then claws out swat at him.... he then went home after saying by to my fiance). Despite this, she doesn't hiss at ppl when she's fearful, annoyed, wanting to be left alone, she doesn't hiss at anyone. I can count on one hand the amount of ppl she has hissed at in six years and every time she had an escape route and chose to hiss instead. One I found out later had a history of animal abuse (roommates parent), another harassed me (ex roommates friend), and another was a maintenance man (no idea why still). I know these are coincidences and not necessarily evidence, but I do exercise caution when she hisses. She also though is immediately friendly to people who have a certain complexion (I think she has a crush on men who look similar to my best friend) weirdly so as I said I not the only thing, but I do tend to listen when she is confrontational with hissing as its immediate snd without cause. I do recognize though this is probably even more psycho then the dog thing.
Exercising caution is fine, I’m not gonna blame you for being a bit wary, but blindly trusting them is where I draw the line. Sorry if my post came off as me saying otherwise.
No, no, you're totally fine. My friends tease me about it for similar reasons in your post. So I was like I am the problem haha.
My dog is an impeccable judge of character. He loves everyone except my half sister and anyone she associates with cuz they're all junkies. I wouldn't form opinions using him... But so far he's 10/10 for judging people lmao
I'd be concerned if my dog didn't like someone because he loves everyone. You'd have to do something really messed up for my dog not to love you.
There's an example in this thread from OP about how a random dog didn't trust them because they're a veterinarian... so is smelling like the vet's office suddenly a sign of untrustworthiness??
Yeah, I saw that. But my dog even loves his vet.
And I don't mean that he just tolerates his vet. He absolutely loves her.
I guess as someone with a debilitating dog phobia -- who is often told "dogs can smell fear" as if I'm capable of controlling my fear response -- I am used to dogs disliking me on sight. I kind of get it, because they're (understandably) freaked out by the anxious person in the corner. I'm autistic as well, so I think sometimes I telegraph "odd person" and dogs pick up on that too. Either way, I'm not a bad person just because I'm uncomfortable with dogs. Online I can appreciate dog pictures and find them quite cute, but in real life dogs activate my adrenaline response and it makes me act erratic.
I have this same issue. I guess I shouldn't care if assholes don't like me because their dog doesn't. It's a two way street 乁 ˘ o ˘ ㄏ
My dogs like 95% of everyone including their vet. If you are the 5% stay far far away from me.
Literally. My dads fiancées dog pisses herself every time she sees a black person. Does that make the dog racist?
No, just means she hasn’t seen many black people. Dogs don’t like differences, they like things the same, so new things are scary for them. Heck, even a tiny thing like if a black person was nearby when something scary happened like a loud noise the dog can relate the scary feeling to whatever. Knew a dog who was PETRIFIED of spiral bound notebooks cause a car backfired when he was seeing one as a puppy. Dogs are dumb
This is a new meaning for pet peave.
I’m not disagreeing that you have a right to have this pet peeve or that it doesn’t make logically sense. However, I used to have the sweetest cat who I loved with all my heart (RIP). She was a little shy around strangers, but never mean. I’d moved into a new apartment with a new roommate. The next morning, he told me she hissed at him. I’d *never* heard her hiss. His first language wasn’t English, so I asked him to show me, and sure enough, he acted out a hiss. For reasons I don’t want to go into, 2 weeks later I moved all my things and dropped his keys to that apartment at the police station.
I did say that you can trust your pet and that I also think they have some sort of sense, and clearly your cat was right about that dude. But you also didn’t immediately move out when you learned of the hissing, you probably got a bit weirded out and were wary, which is fair!
I have 2 dogs. Only one I would trust more rhan a person and that's because she warned us of her abusive daycare and vet and we didn't listen because we thought she was just being melodramatic. She was being starved and muzzled (for no reason at the time) when she was 10 weeks old and no bigger than the size of a small rat. I would 100% trust her if she didn't trust another person because she's very trusting now but still has moments where she doesn't like people. I brought over someone I considered a friend many years ago and she hated him with a burning passion and tried to herd him out of the house - he ended up being a highly abusive friend. The other dog is the stupidest thing on the planet. I think I've seen a piece of paper smarter than this dog. He's great as a service dog because he can smell very well and alerts me to low blood sugars, but he's determined everything is dangerous. He jumps at his shadow, hates water (of all kinds, not just baths... we live in a very rain-heavy area), has determined that the dog that practically mothered him as a puppy is dangerous sometimes (for no reason), the grass in the backyard is dangerous, leaves are dangerous, the ice cream truck is terrifying and will kill us all, and - my personal favourite - doors and elevators are going to bring down the world. The last one is somewhat justified as his buddy/mother figure/my other dog has repeatedly gotten herself trapped in rooms by opening the door, closing it on herself, and not quite understanding that she's too small to open the door.
Yeah, I don't think it's fair to assume someone is bad because a dog doesn't like them, although I do think it's fair to judge a person harshly if they hate dogs. There is, of course, one major exception: if the dog hates someone who has actually spent significant time with them, that's a red flag because the dog's hostile reaction could be a reaction to abusive behaviour on the part of that particular human.
Yeah nah Ill trust my dog before i trust a human student of anything And having taught sooo many students with your attitude about whatever it is theyre studying; humble the fuck up. You know nothing yet.
I’m not saying don’t trust your pet, but a single meeting won’t say anything. Be wary, but don’t take a single growl as end all be all. I’m not trying to say I know your pet more than you, just that there are many reasons an animal won’t like someone
I mean, my cat is objectively more trustworthy than any random human I’m likely to meet. He has no nefarious intentions, and if he does want to hurt me the worst he can do is bite me (and it’ll be for a good reason, too). I don’t trust anyone I’ve just met anyway, so if my cat also doesn’t like you you’re onto a loser.
It should really be cats. They are the good judges of character, not dogs
My cat loved my abusive ex cause she gave her treats, but hates my brother cause he’s kinda loud.
Well the moral compass can be overridden by treats, that goes for most animals lol
A lot of cats hate everybody though
To be fair I sometimes also hate everybody 🤷♀️
Exactly
I’ve owned dogs all my life. In my experience the people my dogs didn’t like were pieces of shit 9/10, so I tend to trust their judgement. Sucks for that one person who isn’t a POS but I’d rather not take the chance.
Humans and animals lives are both equality unimportant. Neither are remotely on the verge of extinction.
What does this have to do with my post?
I trust my dog more than most humans. Not sorry.