Faces From A Previous Life?

[Guest Giselle]

We took Missy to an obedience trainer when we first got her (for general things like sit, stay, etc.) and one of the first things he told the class was that when a dog displays fear or aggression towards something or someone, it is because the dog has never been exposed to it - NOT because it was ever hurt by it.

^This.

 

All animals have sensitive periods where they learn what is good and safe and what is not. If they were not exposed to something during this period, their first reaction will be fear. It's normal. All creatures do it. People do it. Do you remember the first time you ever saw a novel or exotic animal? You probably had some element of fear then, too.

 

And remember - unless your dog has true phobias (which I consider a true psychological disorder), please be sure that it isn't you creating these fears. Does your dog REALLY dislike all gardeners or is it a simple confirmation bias (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias)? Does your dog see 10 gardeners and freak out at all 10, or does he really only dislike 1 in particular? The human brain likes to create patterns, even when they don't exist

[sobesmom]

I wouldn't read too much into it.

 

Here's my advice : greys are quirky. They will do goofy things, for unknown reasons, and while you're pondering it, the behavior will change.

 

Don't overanalyze anything. Your dog might not like the sound the gardener's truck makes. Or - the first time the gardener showed up - a fire siren went off, and that was scary so there's some totally unrelated thing the dog relates to the person's appearance.

 

Don't make assumptions on the dog's behavior based on the way a human would react. You can't get inside that brain.

[cleptogrey]

I wouldn't read too much into it.

 

Here's my advice : greys are quirky. They will do goofy things, for unknown reasons, and while you're pondering it, the behavior will change.

 

Don't overanalyze anything. Your dog might not like the sound the gardener's truck makes. Or - the first time the gardener showed up - a fire siren went off, and that was scary so there's some totally unrelated thing the dog relates to the person's appearance.

 

Don't make assumptions on the dog's behavior based on the way a human would react. You can't get inside that brain.

YUP! well said

[Guest psdirector]

One of our boys, Hutch, came to us terrified of crates. So terrified, in fact, that his prison "moms" told us that he had broken teeth trying to gnaw his way out of a crate and we were advised to never crate him. The vet confirmed this. Even trying to confine him (out of the crate) in a kitchen was awful. He raced until he was almost four, so we know that he was crated quite a bit. What happened between the track and our home with regard to his being crated remains a mystery. His litter mate, Tibbs, is ok in or out of the crate, but that's pretty much true of his personality - wherever you put him, he's content and laid back. Hutch can get wound up about most everything - when he's excited, he's really really excited and when he's upset, he's really really upset. So is it something awful that happened at the track or on the way from the track to turn him off to the crate? Did he realize at the prison that there was an alternative to being in the crate? OR is it just Hutch deciding that he's over the crate. Who knows?

[Gryffenne]

I've known of a few dogs, including one while I was growing up, that detested sunglasses. In fact, when I meet a new dog, the first thing I do is remove my sunglasses before approaching.

[EnzaFerrari]

My friends jokingly call Enza the racial profiling hussy because she much prefers dark skinned men to any other living creature on this planet - including me.

 

She is terrified of ducks, umbrellas, and mockingbirds. The mockingbirds I can understand as they dive bomb her if we walk past nests - the other two just amuse me.

[a_daerr]

She is terrified of ducks, umbrellas, and mockingbirds. The mockingbirds I can understand as they dive bomb her if we walk past nests - the other two just amuse me.

 

Let me guess, you beat her with an umbrella while the ducks and mockingbirds watched?