# Surprised by his snarl!



## lgnutah (Feb 26, 2007)

Brooks is a very easy going dog. In his 3 1/2 years, twice he has growled at someone. 
The first time, as 6 months when he was in obedience class at Petsmart, a really smelly (cigarette) dirty man came up to the ring and reached out for Brooks and he freaked out.
The second time, I took my car to get the oil changed, and the mechanic (who had oil on his hands and clothes) approached my window and Brooks came up off the back seat, growling and lunging at the guy.
Then this weekend, we went to a street festival where people were in Dickensonian costumes. We were unloading Brooks from the car and a group of the costumed people was walking by. A man held out his hand to Brooks (who my husband had on leash). I saw Brooks approach the man in a friendly way and I commented that Brooks' hair might get on his costume and the man said Oh, that's Ok. I then turned back to close the car door, when I heard Brooks growl, and turned back to see my husband pulling Brooks away from the man.
What on earth?


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## Debles (Sep 6, 2007)

Sometimes I think dogs sense things about people that we don't. I believe they have a 6th sense that way.
We had a weird neighbor who was renting our neighbor's basement. My dogs would bark at him and growl if he approached me, if I was out in the yard or getting the mail. (it's actually the ONLY person these two boys have EVER growled at) He teased them by barking and growling back at them!
He also was sleazy looking and actually gave me the creeps. I think the dogs were right on in their assessment of this guy. I would have NEVER let him in my house even if he needed to use the phone!


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## Tanyac (Jun 18, 2008)

I'm not a behavioural expert, but both of mine barked and growled at a man carrying his small child on his shoulders the other day. He came walking towards us while we were in the middle of nowhere and I can only guess that the outline confused them (with the child on the shoulders) and they couldn't work it out. Thankfully the man was totally relaxed because I couldn't believe it happened! Izzie has hardly ever barked let alone at someone, but she followed Obi on this occasion (who I had held by the collar). They were going forward and then back, as if they were unsure, thus the defensive reaction.

I think it might go back to the flight or fight response in your situation. He hasn't been able to escape in the situations you've described so he's resorted in the defensive reaction.

When I took mine to puppy training classes, we had to work really hard to socialise our pups with many different situations. One week we had to bring strange hats, umbrellas etc to the class and walk about the room all together. This was fun but was a really good lesson for the pups.

You may need to try and expose him to more situations and specifically people. Avoid the people coming forward or touching him, thus lessening the challenge to him.

The help of a good behaviourist may be beneficial as this has happened 3 times so far, you don't want it turning into a real problem. Worst case scenario is that he bites someone, and that would be truly awful.

Good luck.


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

I so agree that dogs have a sense about people. My sweet ole Apache ( a black lab/springer mix) loved EVERYONE. However, we had a family friend who had a son that was nothing but trouble. At one point, he was, supposedly, trying to get back on track and DH had him detail one of our cars. When he brought it back (UNdetailed and full of empty beer bottles,etc), Apache would NOT let him thru the back gate. She got between me and him and there was no way he was coming onto her turf. The only person she ever, in her 15 years, reacted to in that manner. While not acceptable behavior, I think I would have a tendency to remove the dog from the situation while keeping in mind their intuition.


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## Debles (Sep 6, 2007)

I agree that dogs need to be socialized to different people and situations. Selka is a certified therapy dog and had to be trained around wheelchairs, walkers with tennis balls(!) on the legs, and all kinds of people shrieking and swinging toys around. Maybe your pup does need more training around people in strange clothing etc.

But why do we expect dogs and children to like everyone they are forced to be around?
In fact, that is how alot of kids get molested because they are afraid to say NO or trust their gut around people who give them a weird vibe. Instead people say "Give Uncle Frank a hug!" etc. and expect them to be nice and polite to everyone!

I may be taking this thread to an extreme but when my dogs don't like some one, I trust their judgement.


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

debles said:


> i agree that dogs need to be socialized to different people and situations. Selka is a certified therapy dog and had to be trained around wheelchairs, walkers with tennis balls(!) on the legs, and all kinds of people shrieking and swinging toys around. Maybe your pup does need more training around people in strange clothing etc.
> 
> But why do we expect dogs and children to like everyone they are forced to be around?
> In fact, that is how alot of kids get molested because they are afraid to say no or trust their gut around people who give them a weird vibe. Instead people say "give uncle frank a hug!" etc. And expect them to be nice and polite to everyone!
> ...


amen !!!!!!!


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## dogluver04 (Jul 5, 2008)

It could be just that he is unfamiliar with these people and they frighten him a bit!
When Chloe was young we had to put her in a Kennel while we were away on vacation! My mom and I went around to different places to check them out! We took Chloe with us to one after her Obedience school class was over.. We spook to the lady out front, she was very kind. Then her husband came from the back kennel area, and Chloe instantly was backing away growling at this man. and Chloe never growls at anyone! Needless to say, we did not put the dogs in that Kennel! They do sense something!


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## Chelsea's Mom (Nov 8, 2008)

I had a similar situation with Chelsea over Thanksgiving. She loves everyone that walks my door, until my dad showed up. She wanted nothing to do with him. She wouldn't even go near him. It was wierd. He has a beard and maybe that scared her? I don't know??


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## Chelsea's Mom (Nov 8, 2008)

I forgot... my previous GR only snarled and growled at ME!! Guess she didn't like me LOL!


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## lgnutah (Feb 26, 2007)

Chelsea's Mom said:


> I forgot... my previous GR only snarled and growled at ME!! Guess she didn't like me LOL!


Pretty funny


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

If it's incredibly rare, I'm tempted to think it's the dog's judgment about a person who smells iffy. I remember LJilly's oldest golden becoming suddenly and loudly defensive of her in a park at dusk when a _very_ odd man approached her all alone. This is a dog who _never_ showed aggression. She can tell that story better than I can, though.

It could also simply be that the person smells, looks, or acts in a way that is unfamiliar to the dog and he's a little scared. If it becomes a regular thing, it's worth looking into. The dog's body language will communicate whether he's being fearful-aggressive or more defensively aggressive. Fear aggression would more be due to the unfamiliarity of the situation, and is something you can work on with training. Defensiveness could be the dog's being possessive of you (in which case he'd probably do it frequently), and that's not great either.

But if the dog is showing defensive aggression once in a very long while, I'm inclined to trust his judgment.


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## lgnutah (Feb 26, 2007)

The three incidents have occurred about once a year. I think the unfamiliarity of the people's smell, dirtiness and costume were triggers, but perhaps Brooks was sensing something about them as well.
However, my husband did comment that one should never be complacent and think one's dog would never bite anyone.


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## Debles (Sep 6, 2007)

lgnutah said:


> The three incidents have occurred about once a year. I think the unfamiliarity of the people's smell, dirtiness and costume were triggers, but perhaps Brooks was sensing something about them as well.
> However, my husband did comment that one should never be complacent and think one's dog would never bite anyone.


That's true. Our dogs should always be trained and under our control. I still think they can sense things we don't sometimes about people.


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

tippykayak said:


> If it's incredibly rare, I'm tempted to think it's the dog's judgment about a person who smells iffy. I remember LJilly's oldest golden becoming suddenly and loudly defensive of her in a park at dusk when a _very_ odd man approached her all alone. This is a dog who _never_ showed aggression. She can tell that story better than I can, though.


That was an amazing thing.My 10 year old golden Joplin, the friendliest, most well-travelled and social boy, was playing and hanging out with younger pup Raleigh while I ran laps on the high school track in Durham, CT. It was set back from the road and very isolated, getting dark outside. Suddenly, a car drove up and parked right at the only exit from the track, and a weird creepy guy just kept staring and watching me. I got more and more scared, not knowing how to get out of the track and to my car, so finally I called the goldens to me and made a break for it. The instant I passed through the gate, the guy opened his car door and lunged for me, and my old golden Joplin, who had shown zero aggression before or after(he lived so long), went after the man like an attack dog and I ran down the fields out to the main road, leaving my car behind. Later that night, the police said he was wanted for attacking two other area women. Eventually, a nice guy teaching his teenage daughter how to drive gave me and the two dogs a lift back to the car and the guy was gone. I really had a faithful dog that day, and I am very lucky.

HOWEVER, several years later, in The Edge Of The Woods grocery store parking lotin New Haven, Raleigh and Acadia were snoozig in the car when some drug-addled creep actually opened the passenger door of my car and demanded my wallet and money(which I gave him). The goldens didnt even open one eye between them.


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