Do Some Dogs not Like People?
I have four large dogs. Two of them are friendly and
no problem in public. The other two are male
littermates (almost three years old) and dislike people.
No matter what I try they just do not like people,
especially kids. They bark but never advance. I
have taken them out in public for walks and they
are fine as long as no one stops to talk to me or
asks to pet them. Do some dogs just not like
people?
Name Withheld
Marysville, WA
Wow. Your question seems appropriate for Halloween because your situation is very scary.
Dogs evolved to live among humans. As everyone knows, most dogs are amazingly well-adapted to life in two-legged society. But there are exceptions.
Dogs that display aggressive tendencies towards humans are dangerous. Large dogs that threaten children are beyond dangerous. You need to address this situation immediately.
I recommend that you keep the two dogs in question completely isolated from people (especially children) until you have sought the advice of a veterinarian who has special training and is certified in canine behavior.
If you don’t tackle this problem immediately and aggressively, a child may be harmed. You could end up with a lifetime of guilt–and a prison sentence.
You have questions. 
I had to euthanize a dog I adopted from rescue because of aggressive tendencies. I did not wait until she did any harm — but we had two scary episodes.
I have been involved with a lawsuit. Anyone who owns a dog who has aggressive tendencies, especially a large one, would be well advised to understand the serious legal implications of ownership. Lawsuits are traumatic (in addition to the actual act that may precede them).
There is nothing “gay” or “ignorant” about it.
It is also one reason I’ve stopped doing much training. Too many people condem some of us who are cautious rather than emotional when it comes to this issue. It seems you’re only a “good” trainer if you want to fix every problem. IMO, some are “unfixable.”
I really can’t understand the previous comment. This was a good, to the point assessment of a potentially dangerous situation.
I hope it doesn’t generate hateful comments to me. I cried for a long time over the dog I had to let go. But I also know that one day we’ll be together again in a place where we will experience only joy and no fear. Eric would have been remiss to offer anything contrary to what he did.
It takes a special person and dedication to handle these kind of dogs. Eric is so right. I had such a dog and knew I was sitting on a time bomb. He was a german shepard and had been a guard. He loved me just to much and wouldn’t let anyone else close. I had to get rid of him as I had a small child and could not trust the situation. It broke my heart as I felt as if I had failed him. Good luck and act wisely. The doctor is right.
Judy, your comment has been deleted. No racism or homophobia is tolerated on this blog.
I have lived around numerous types of animals all my life and seen many peculiar personality traits. I have had several dogs that did not like people. Once when I had for dogs two of which we walked together had different personalities. The male loved all people but hated any other dogs except the female companion. The female having come from an abusive home before me got along with most any animals, loved other dogs but was scared of all people except those close to her. Walking near other dog walkers was always unique. Most recently I have a pit bull pup (11mo) who was rescued from a fight trainer. She hates everyone but my girlfriend, including me who takes care of her. She bark at everyone else, is quick to run away, and spends most of her day hiding from me. These are not the only two I have had like this. In my experience of 22 dogs so far, (im only 30) this is not uncommon. If the dog only barks and never tries to attack you are probably OK. There is a difference between barking and snarling. Some over time learn to be OK around people others never do. Subjecting them to people in an environment they feel safe like at home with people who are not scared of the barking helps. If the show violent tendencies this may need more assertive help in training the dog that this is not tolerated. This can be tough if the dog was abused as they cant tell some correctivness from random abuse. If you have a specific question about your situation I may be able to advise, please leave a comment
I had an agressive German Sheperd mix that I raised from a pup. While he was for the most part calm he would meet certain people and for what ever reason would snarl and growl at them. I always suspected he picked up on some scent or signal that triggered the aggression. At any rate whatever the reason he was a timebomb and you could never be sure how he would respond so I kept him at bay an advised children and strangers not to attempt to pet him. He was good with other animals and most people but as he aged he became less tolerant of people and more dangerous. And although I loved this animal I would advise anyone against trying to keep a dog with these tendencies in the end he had to be euthanized his aggression was eventually directed at me and I could no longer predict his behavior.
Aggression can be a result of fear as well as dislike of people. I know because I was afraid of people when my Mom first adopted me, so I would bark at them and act tough. But my Mom introduced me to people that would come to the house slowly and have them give me treats and gradually I learned that people weren’t so scary after all. I also don’t like strange dogs, so when we go walking if Mom sees a dog coming, we turn around and go the other way and she gives me treats. And now I’m doing much better on walks and I can walk past other dogs without getting upset. There are ways to work with dogs that seem aggressive. You have to work on it all the time and be consistent but in the end for a lot of dogs you can help them change their attitude.
I have three dogs, all cattle dogs, 2 red and 1 blue. All of them are aggressive. All of them are awesome guarddogs. They have never not barked and growled if someone is in their sight, whether it be a visitor or just someone walking past.
And I do not beat them up over it. I simply let them go crazy till the one leaves or walks past and is not in their sight anymore. Because who knows, the person they are barking at could be really a mean stranger. What breeds are your dogs? Some breeds are calm, some breeds are hyperactive but not mean, some breeds like to bark and guard their owners.
I think the answer to your question is yes, some dogs are more wary then others of people. I don’t like the response you received from the Dr. because it is grossly oversimplified. Some dogs take more time to warm up to strangers than others and some dogs are rightly named aggressive towards people. If the dog is just giving a warning bark like this is my human stay away I wouldn’t consider that aggressive but could still lead to a bite in an unusual circumstance so should be addressed. And friendly nonaggressive dogs can bite under certain circumstances as well. But if it is truly aggressive, agressive barking, snapping, bearing teeth, lunging, etc. then you need to muzzle as a precaution until you fully trust the dog in public. Dogs may have been bred to live and work with humans but any dog trainer knows that if a puppy isn’t socialized (term used to describe the process of familiarizing the animal with people in a variety of settings) it can’t be expected to trust strangers and of course it could become aggressive. Luckily there are many training methods available to begin the socialization process, take some time and find a trainer you’re comfortable with and over time, through a gradual process, old dogs can learn new tricks!