How did you do it so they don't bark or show unfriendliness toward your visitors?
My aunt has a little dog always bark at me every time he see me. I thought he'd know me by now. On the other hand, he is afraid of my aunt, and would turn and run back into the little dog house when she show up.
Is there something I can do to make him more friendly toward me?
Unfortunately, I have THE worst guard dogs/watch dogs in the world. These two wouldn't run away from a man with a gun, they'd sit and wait for the burglar to throw it so they can chase it and bring it back then expect belly rubs as a reward! So the answer is yes, they're friendly. Too friendly.
As for your predicament, that I'm not to sure of from personal experience. My dogs have always been friendly just by nature. I even have to admit, training hasn't really been the reason either. I think I just get soft dogs. I had a Pit Bull mix once who was afraid of my cat, who was afraid of him.
However, my grandparents had a little Chihuahua for quite a few years and he was very temperamental. He'd growl and yap his head off when you arrived at the door and until he really got to know you, he would continue. Even then he had his bad moods that you had to be careful not to annoy him. I never could figure out why except for the explanation that he was spoiled rotten. If fact, it's sadly what made him pass at the end...he was overweight (grossly) and had a heart attack. They never walked him in his mid-later years so he didn't get much exercise. Anyway, off topic a little. I would say maybe it's a small breed thing? I've noticed that a lot of people don't really socialize or bother to "train" toy breeds much beyond housebreaking because of their size. That, and small breeds lack the perception that they're small...hence why you'll see a Chihuahua taking on a Rottweiler in a lot of cases and not blink an eye. They truly see they're the same size.
Do you live with your aunt or does this usually happen when you're visiting?
Lady(collie) has been trained not to jump or get pushy with people, she'll come over and wiggle from head to toe once she's allowed to. She's the most gentle dog I've been around. Mut-lee was a stray we took in a few years back and we don't know his age exactly or what's in his background. He wasn't around people much because he normally will tuck his tail and go hide under the bed when we have company. I've never pushed him, and he's come out of his shell alittle when the kids come over, but thats about it. The two bouncing off the wall dachshunds(Raina and Zack) that I got last week are all over the place, and will bark like there's demons from the dark invading the house if they hear a mouse fart in the fields. They are going to need alot of work since they both were spoiled rotten and hardly any training. They both bark their heads off at people and jump all over them which is a big no no in this house. I have my hands full with those two!
Looks like everyone's dog is different. Quite some personality.
No, I don't live with my aunt. I just visit there often sometimes. The dog barks at every stranger, but I am the only one in the family being barked at. I had never shown any unfriendliness to the dog. So I have no idea why.
Everyone my dog meets is his new best friend. No problem with guests for him. But the guests better like dogs!
Try carrying a few dog treats when you see your aunts dog. If the dog is food motivated it might help. Squat down to the dogs level, call him over, scratch behind his ears and talk to him. Dogs like attention.
03-11-2012, 05:48 PM, (This post was last modified: 03-11-2012, 05:48 PM by Ram.)
I like your dog treats idea. What do you suggest? Bacon? lol
On the other hand, I have to mention that I don't think my aunt treat the dog very well. He always has a rope on him, and he can't leave more than 15 feet from the dog house. They also feed the dog table scrap instead of dog food. What can I say? My aunt won't listen to anyone and she always think she is right. She is a busy business woman. Her maid takes care of the house and the dog. My dad used to walk the dog when he is over there, yes he is friendly to my dad. I can't even attempt to walk him, because he would not only bark but also rush at me every time I go there, he couldn't reach me only because of the rope.
I have to note that the main reason for the rope on the dog is probably because of her last dog. Her last dog disappeared for a very long time (a couple of months), then he came back with a bitch, then they left again for good.
I suggest liver treats! I've yet to meet a dog who doesn't love them and won't run through a busy two-way main road to get to one. Not that I've tested that part of the theory, but still...you get the idea. If the dog likes treats, he'll melt in the palm of your hand with a liver treat.
I have to say, that really is awful for the poor dog. I can understand why he's scared. Dogs also tend to go through a little bit of trauma with certain people too. I once knew a dog who was an absolute sweetheart, but the family who owned her, (I lived with them for a while) had an employee that came around and he had a full-fledged beard. She absolutely HATED him, and we knew that as a puppy, she was found beaten and abused. It wasn't until he shaved off the beard, that she became friendly towards him. A dog I used to have also, was beaten as a puppy too, and would run and hide whenever you would bring a knife out of the drawer just to prepare a meal.
Some rescuers and trainers believe that dogs can associate "things" that remind them of their abuse and trauma, so perhaps there also (just a guess, of course) might be something about you from the dog's past that he's reminded of. Could be anything from a hair, hair color, or even cologne/after-shave scent. Perhaps maybe even shampoo or conditioner.
Bacon? Yeah, he would love that. But as it does not travel well in ones pocket I would go for something more....solid. You could get a small package of dog treats. I hate to say it but your aunt is one of the people I think should stick to pet rocks. Or stuffed dogs. Always tied up? Poor dog. If she makes him sleep out there I don't even want to hear it.Table scraps? Another no-no. She IS shortening his life. Again, poor dog. I wish you luck on making friends with the dog, Lord knows he needs a friend.
Mickey loves everyone but approches the door with barks all the time. He loves attention and will ask for it. Other than that he is not much of a watch dog.
03-23-2012, 09:20 AM, (This post was last modified: 03-23-2012, 09:21 AM by Ram.)
(03-23-2012, 09:10 AM)ez2plz Wrote: Mickey loves everyone but approches the door with barks all the time. He loves attention and will ask for it. Other than that he is not much of a watch dog.
Ha, I have a great watch dog! He would watch them come in and watch them go out. If they had treats he would hold the door for them! He barks at noises outside...some times but has NO problem with people coming in. Although there was this one time someone knocked on our back door and my dog, Bruno, went nuts barking his macho "I'm the dog" bark. Without opening the door, just looking through the window I ask,"What do you want?" This guy looked a mess, dirty, unkempt, no one I knew. He mumbled something and Bruno Kept barking his warning bark. Again without opening the door I said," Well, HE says you do not belong here and I agree. The guy went away and I never did know who the XXXX he was.
Maybe it was a homeless dude, or a lost hunter if you live near the woods.
Yeah, some dogs are good for that kind of things. Intimidate strangers. Especially if the dog is huge and can bark.
My house is on my landlords workshop so he's here a lot. (Awesome landlord by the way) and he is the only person my dog will bark until he leaves. I'm not sure why. He's an Italian greyhound/retriever. He is cautious around people but wants to be excited. He smiles at people which terrifies a lot of people but we explain afterwards.
One of our dogs would bark at guests as they walked up the garden path but would be timid and hid behind us once they entered. Thankfully all talk and no bite. The other was extremely friendly and would approach guests for a bit of attention. So I guess all dogs are different.
If I had a dog that was unfriendly to guests I would just keep it in another room until the guests had left. My home is kind of my sanctuary and I don't have people over that often anyway. I'd also look at talking to a trainer about the issue.
What I've read is that you should ignore the behavior. Don't make eye contact. Let the dog come up to you on its own terms.
My dog is unfriendly to strangers so I lock her up when an unknown person (like a repair person) comes over. However, she loves when family and friends come over. Then, it's a case of her being too happy to see them. She can get a little too excited.
Peanuts used to be friendly to strangers. She would sniff at them to a point that it makes the strangers comfortable. But when she grew up, she expected people to play with her. So every time a visitor would arrive, she would bark at them excessively and put on the play bow stance. And it's just hilarious but at times, annoying.
Anyway, if the treats doesn't work. Here's one more trick you can try. When you approach the dog, don't go full frontal on him. Approach him by walking sideways while averting your eyes away from him (your head a bit lowered). If he doesn't growl on you, then that's a good sign (make sure to check for tell-tale signs of aggression too. This link has pictures of how to determine an aggressive dog). Then allow him to sniff you. That's how dogs introduce themselves to one another. If you see him wagging his tail (without bared teeth/ raised hackles/ low growl), you can lower to his level and give him a good stroke.
Some of my dogs are and some are not. The one that's definitely totally unfriendly to strangers is Candy, my Bangkeaw. I keep her in my house. The others I keep in my shop. That's the reason I don't take guests back to my house. Whenever someone wants to meet me, I tell them to see me at my shop.
This is a huge problem with our dog right now. She barks at everyone. Literally, everyone. Whenever we have a guest, I have to hold her down, 'cause aside from barking, she'll lunge at people she doesn't like. I seriously have no idea how to go about this .
I guess spending as much time with him as you can when you are there will help. We never really trained my dog to be friendly to our guests. It is just her personality. On the other hand, if she does not know the people who come to our door and we are not present, she will show aggression. One time we had a friend stop over to let her outside while we were gone. She showed her teeth and snapped at her. She is a good guard dog, that is for sure! I think it really depends on the breed and dog's personality as well.
They would get incredibly excited any time they got to see new people, and all 3 of them would compete for their attention. Once they calmed down they were well mannered. Very rarely did they ever not get along with guests, and if they did it was usually with taller bigger men.
One of my classmates in college used to bring her Chiuaua to class in her purse. It was kind of funny because that dog didn't like anyone and would start growling if you came anywhere near her purse.
When I had my Shih Tzu, she always treated everyone of our guests with love. I always warned people, though, to not pick her up because she only liked to be picked up a certain way, which was usually only done by me.
Other than that, she'd get really excited, sniff their legs and sit by their feet. She was really friendly and everyone loved her.
Sometimes, yes, sometimes no. I have a black lab and he is pretty picky. He loves family members and relatives. He doesn't like strangers and barks at them.
I can understand why he's scared. Dogs also tend to go through a little bit of trauma with certain people too. I once knew a dog who was an absolute sweetheart, but the family who owned her, (I lived with them for a while) had an employee that came around and he had a full-fledged beard. She absolutely HATED him, and we knew that as a puppy, she was found beaten and abused. It wasn't until he shaved off the beard, that she became friendly towards him. A dog I used to have also, was beaten as a puppy too, and would run and hide whenever you would bring a knife out of the drawer just to prepare a meal. 
to the forum!
lucky me.