Is It Possible For My Dog To Not Like Certain Breeds Of...

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Is it possible for my dog to not like certain breeds of dogs? Jump to Latest H15A5H1 So, is it possible for dogs to not like certain breeds of dogs? I am asking this question because I have noticed that recently my dog has been very irritable and sensitive when around certain breeds of dogs. Specifically dogs with a broad forehead and floppy ears. ie; pitbulls & labs . . . We used to goto dog parks a lot, but stopped going because he constantly got attacked/bullied by unruly pitbulls. Most recently, we let our dog meet our new friend's anatolian shepherd puppy (8months). Upon greeting the pup, my dog's hocks went up and the puppy was very tense. Long story short, my dog did NOT like this dog very much. We were able to have them walk together, and down next to each other peacefully, but they were unable to greet each other without a scuffle. Since anatolian shepherds physically resemble the dogs he dislikes (with the wide skull, floppy ears) . . . I was wondering if my dog was being overly defensive from his previous biases. Just for good measure, we took our dog to a local petstore and let him greet a bunch of different dogs. He did fine with all the others, but I did notice him tense up when he met a female lab. So again, is it possible for dogs to not like certain dogs based solely on their appearance? My dog is a 21month male White GSD, fixed. 21 - 34 of 34 Posts 1 2

PaddyD

· Banned Joined Jul 22, 2010 · 5,218 Posts

doggiedad said: if the pup saw your dogs "hocks" go up i can understand why he was nervous and you should have been nervous also seeing your dogs "hocks" go up. i've wondered if dogs can like or dislike according to their breed. Click to expand...

If his hocks went up then he was walking on 2 legs, I think the OP means hackles.

Chicagocanine

· Registered Joined Aug 7, 2008 · 6,233 Posts

TitonsDad said: Titon hates Huskies. No idea why. Must be the jealousy of blue eyes even though his papa (me) has blue eyes. Click to expand...

London's Mom said: All of my Shepherds have always disliked Huskies. Go figure. Click to expand...

That's funny, Bianca's best friend is a Husky mix! He was also the first dog she ever befriended while on leash. At the time she was quite leash reactive, but my friend's puppy just kept play-bowing and trying and trying to entice her to play and so finally she gave in and ever since then they were best friends!

Cassidy's Mom

· Super Moderator Cava & Harry, floofy supermodels Joined Mar 30, 2003 · 21,214 Posts It can go both ways - they can be drawn to certain breeds just like they can dislike certain breeds. It could be an experience with one particular dog that sours them on other dogs that look the same, or it could be as some have pointed out with huskies, something about the body language that rubs them the wrong way, or even the play style, like with boxers or herding breeds. Sneaker's friend Rocco eventually taught her to box, but at first when he tried to play with her with his paws she couldn't figure out what the heck he was doing. Cassidy was fascinated by Great Danes, she'd always go greet them at the park. And we've seen dogs at the park that adore GSDs or big dogs in general. One day there was the cutest all black French Bulldog that was just delighted to run around chasing my dogs while they were chasing their ball. He wasn't much bigger than their heads, but he didn't seem to notice that he wasn't one of the big dogs, lol! We were talking to the owners and they said he just loved German shepherds. My GSDs have certainly always been drawn to other GSDs. A

AgileGSD

· Registered Joined Jan 17, 2006 · 1,674 Posts Jagger hates Boxers, even girl ones. It is due to having repeated bad experiences with them when he was a puppy. IME Boxers are a common breed for none Boxers to dislike due to their very physical play style - most dogs dislike being forcefully and repeatedly jumped on, jumped over and smacked in the face. And Boxers are often very poor at heeding signals that the dog they are "playing with" isn't enjoying the game. APBTs and Labs can have similar effects on other dogs because they also have very physical play styles. What they see as a good time, other dogs see as extremely rude behavior.

Cassidy's Mom

· Super Moderator Cava & Harry, floofy supermodels Joined Mar 30, 2003 · 21,214 Posts

AgileGSD said: IME Boxers are a common breed for none Boxers to dislike due to their very physical play style - most dogs dislike being forcefully and repeatedly jumped on, jumped over and smacked in the face. And Boxers are often very poor at heeding signals that the dog they are "playing with" isn't enjoying the game. Click to expand...

^ This.

goatdude

· Registered Joined Mar 3, 2009 · 167 Posts Likes: Loves male GSDs and one GSD mix. Likes French Bulldogs. Ok with Labs. Pretty good with most "pointy eared" dogs, herding breeds, working breeds. Dislikes: Anything Terrier, Miniature Poodles, Boxers.

Davey Benson

· Registered Joined Nov 10, 2010 · 508 Posts

Cassidy's Mom said: It can go both ways - they can be drawn to certain breeds just like they can dislike certain breeds. It could be an experience with one particular dog that sours them on other dogs that look the same, or it could be as some have pointed out with huskies, something about the body language that rubs them the wrong way, or even the play style, like with boxers or herding breeds. .... Click to expand...

Ya, I don't see why not. Dogs can pick out favorite people, favorite toys, I'm sure they have the mind to be able to pick out favorite dogs as well. So I would assume if they have the ability to pick out what they like, they can probably pick out something they don't like as well. That's just my guess.

heysharon

· Registered Joined Apr 20, 2010 · 32 Posts Huskies naturally carry their tail over their backs--an assertive, dominate posture to most dogs, so easily misinterpreted. I agree with PP that other dogs react to the different eyes as well. My very alpha golden Ranger (RIP) hated every husky he ever met. My GSD, Soldier, hates small, fluffy dogs because he was attacked by small, fluffy, agressive dogs in several separate instances when he was a pup, and I mishandled it by hanging him so he couldn't defend himself (rather than taking control myself and chasing the attacking small dog away).

huskins122

· Registered Joined Aug 18, 2013 · 1 Posts well my dog for some reason hates white dogs idky

ksotto333

· Registered Joined Aug 3, 2011 · 5,930 Posts Tess has a thing about Golden Retrievers. We passed two loose standard Poodles the other day, then encountered 2 full size white ducks walking on the sidewalk. She watched all of them, the ducks really intrigued her. The Golden on a leash half a block away was a different story, hackles up, and barking. I crossed the street, and had her sit and quiet until they passed. She's never had a personal encounter with one, but there is one down the street that she sees pulling and out of control on lead frequently. That's the only reason I can think of. G

gmcwife1

· Registered Joined Apr 5, 2012 · 1,507 Posts Nita seems to dislike labs. We think it's that most of the ones she's met invade her bubble.

brebrehj

· Registered Joined Jan 18, 2013 · 176 Posts My Thor hates huskies. Boxer who is an 8month old gsd is scared of large dogs. Boxer thinks he's a teeny tiny thing....couldn't be further from the truth Sent from Petguide.com Free App

gsdsar

· Premium Member Joined May 21, 2002 · 5,079 Posts My last dog hated Pitbulls. He was a fairly dominant male, and I chalked it up to the way most pits approached him, head up ears forward, tail high. He saw them as a challenge. He was fine with all other dogs. Unless approached in this manner Sent from Petguide.com Free App A

atourya

· Registered Joined Mar 23, 2013 · 61 Posts

Larien said: Can I ask you a question, and answer honestly - do you dislike or feel anxious around pit bulls at all yourself? Because if you do, even a little bit, the dog will know, and pick up on it. So first address if that's potentially the problem, and if it's not (and I'm not saying it is, just that I've experienced it in dogs and horses) then work from there. Remi doesn't like beagles. At all. If he sees one, he lunges and barks. I personally dislike beagles very much. No particular reason, I just really do not like them. I suspect that Remi senses this when one is near (thankfully, not often at all) and the whole thing is my doing. Now - different scenario. A lot of dogs common as pets have broad heads and floppy ears like pits and labs. A LOT. So, it's my feeling with this that the issue isn't so much the dogs' appearances, but the attitudes of those particular dogs he didn't like. You mentioned he was "constantly attacked" by pitbull types at a dog park - so those dogs, and dogs with similar energy levels/attitudes combined with similar appearance make your dog nervous. You, without realizing it, may be contributing by subconsciously getting anxious at the sight of pits or broad headed floppy eared dogs because you anticipate that there will be a problem when your dog sees them. So it's important to try and remain calm and cool and normal when approaching all dogs, to let yours know it's okay. Click to expand...

I think there's a lot of wisdom to this statement... if you are a pack leader, then your pack will emulate you... that being said, I am fine with pitbulls, but my belgian shepherd wants them all dead. he is a rescue though, so he has about a year of history that I wasn't there to see. 21 - 34 of 34 Posts 1 2 Insert Quotes Post Reply

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About this Discussion 33 Replies 27 Participants Last post: atourya Aug 21, 2013 posts 2.7M members 149K Since 2002 A forum community dedicated to all German Shepherd owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about bloodlines, training, breeding, service dogs, and more! Show Less Full Forum Listing Explore Our Forums General Information Pictures! Pictures! Pictures! Health Issues General Puppy Stuff General Behavior

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