# Social, friendly dog doesn't like ONE person...trying to understand



## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

I know there aren't going to be any solid answers on this, but I thought maybe some of you that are both more experienced, and more knowledgable about GSD behaviors, could give me some insight.

Tucker just turned 1 last week. He is intact, if that matters. He is a social, goofy boy for the most part. He's good with other dogs, although we've had some issues between him and our older female (but they've been better lately, knock on wood). He's always been good with strangers and children. As he gets older, he is less interested in meeting new adults (he still loves kids), but is always friendly with them. As an aside, he recently injured his foot and has had to go the vet 3 times in a week. The vet and staff told him me he had an incredible temperament and was a pleasure to work with. They allowed him to stay loose in the clinic most of the day.

So, the mystery:

I work for a small company in the corporate office. We have 9 employees in our office, 2 other offices on the property and some miscellaneous maintenance staff. Tucker has been coming with me to the office on and off since he was 8 weeks old. He loves everyone here...almost.

One lady I work with, I'll call her Jane, has known Tucker since Day 1. She has never been overly friendly to him, but that's okay with me. I've always assumed she wasn't overly-comfortable with him because he IS a big boy, and she doesn't have dogs. Over the past few months, Tucker has decided he either does NOT like her, or is scared of her, or both.

It began one day when I let him go upstairs on his own. Jane shares an office with another co-worker, Cindy, that Tucker adores. Part of his morning routine is to go in and get a treat from Cindy. He always minds his manners and Cindy is good about following any rules I've set up for him. This particular morning, I heard Tucker barking ferociously and I bounded up the stairs to find him barking at Jane. I scolded him and took him out. 

After that, every time he would see her he'd get a funny look on his face and if I didn't take him away immediately, he'd bark, sometimes with hair raised.

He has met new employees recently. Completely fine. We've come home to find strange repair men in the house. Completely fine. As long as I've been okay with a person, Tucker has ALWAYS been. 

This morning he again barked at Jane. But when he went into my office, there was a strange man (computer guy) IN my closet in my office and he startled me. Tucker had NEVER met him. Tucker sniffed him and was like "Okay, he's fine." No bark or raised hair. We talked for a few and I learned that the guy has NO dogs or cats, is scared of dogs, and showed me the scar from a dog bite years ago. So, my theory about Jane not smelling like pets (like everyone else does here) or Jane possibly being scared of him went out the window. And really, I almost expected Tucker to be upset about a strange man lurking in my office closet.  But he always does his "interrogation" (quick sniff) and determines a person is okay.

The owner of the company has never really paid any attention to Tucker and Tucker doesn't care about him either. 

So I'm stumped. What is it about this woman? 

To be fair, she is not a favorite employee of anyone. She's a bit weird and can be a pain in the butt, but she mostly stays to herself. No one knows much about her personally. She's extremely well-educated but can't work a staple-remover  So, the office jokes about why this may be are really getting humorous. We're thinking of including Tucker in the next interview process...


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

Jane drinks is my guess. I had a dog who hated the smell of alcohol sweating out through peoples pores the next day. Not beer or wine, hard stuff. Either that or she uses a weird detergent, maybe smells like moth balls, it's probably something odd about her the dog can smell.


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## angelas (Aug 23, 2003)

There could be something about her he doesn't like, she could have done something to him when you weren't there to see, it may be unconscious signals you and the other staff are sending about her not being a "favorite" employee, who knows.

Or he could just not like her. Even the most friendly people in the world have people they don't like. But while we can smile and still work with them, dogs can't be anything but honest about their feelings.

From now on I'd keep your pup in your office or leashed. Jane's right to a safe workplace free of intimidation trumps pup's privilege of being there.


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## tottie86 (Aug 23, 2013)

You know my boy isn't particularly fond of my mum. She has never done anything to harm him whatsoever. He doesn't bark at her and can be in the same room, but just is very wary of her. 


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## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

He has the right to choose who he likes and who he doesn't. I'd ignore it and go on, just keep him away from Jane.


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## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

SunCzarina, I think you're probably right. She lives on the property and the maintenance staff says shes a bit of a hoarder. She is usually sloppily dressed, and we affectionately refer to her as Crazy Jane. I've asked her more than once if she slept in her car the night before (she does have a sense of humor).

Angelas, no worries there. I no longer allow him off leash when she is there and I've told her exactly what you said. If she feels uncomfortable, I won't bring him. It certainly wouldnt be fair to her.

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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

jane says....


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## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

Jane says nothing. She really is a mystery to everyone. She has a PhD in Psychology and we often wonder if we are part of some experiment she's conducting lol. Her personal life stays very very guarded. Not just office-professional guarded, but as in no one knows ANYTHING at all. 

I've asked her if she feels uncomfortable around him. She says no. I haven't come right out and asked if she did anything to provoke him, and I'm not sure I should. If she did, it would ultimately be my fault for not having him in my control, and it would probably make her defensive. My objective would simply be to find out why for future reference, but I doubt she'd see it that way.

My only theory about that is this: Tucker loves to see whats in everyone's trash cans. It's a bit of an office tradition for him...he goes to the Italian's desk first  (She also has treats for him...you don't say No to an Italian about food, I've learned) He used to go around to Jane's desk to attempt to check it out. It's possible he went dumpster diving and she, not knowing what to do, went overboard. He never reacts negatively to the other girls pulling him out or telling him "Leave it."

But the drinking theory might be right too...and she does have some hygiene issues. 

It's just really weird, though. He's been exposed to so many different types of people. 

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## lennyb (Jan 1, 2014)

I know it won't help at all but I'm a firm believer that if my dogs don't like you then I probably won't either. I've seen time and time again that their judgement about someone is usually dead on..


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

belladonnalily said:


> the maintenance staff says shes a bit of a hoarder. She is usually sloppily dressed, and we affectionately refer to her as Crazy Jane. http://www.petguide.com/mobile


Maybe she has a stash of petrified squirrels in her hoard. Or she has to take medication your dog can smell and reacts to.


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## lennyb (Jan 1, 2014)

Shhhhhh... Don't say squirrels.. That sets my boys into crazy dog mode..


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

LOL Squirrel!!!


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## David Taggart (Nov 25, 2012)

Humans recognize smells subconsciously, and dogs recognize them consciously. Methane doesn't smell something dangerous to us (if smells at all), but for the dogs it does. Dogs have additional part in their olfactory system specificall designed by nature to smell their kind: by sniffing a tree with a mark put by another dog our pet knows the state of his health, his age, his size and... how much agressive he is. Adrenaline in the blood flows either naturally, or its production is stimulated by something. Alcohol and drugs make its level higher. When we are scared or feel self-protective ( in other words agressive) we have adrenaline rash. Adrenaline formula is not unique to humans, it is not much different in crocodile. And dogs can consciously recognize adrenaline as a smell.
So, your Jane, either she is genuinely scared but has a strong will to demonstrate complete composure, or - she likes cocaine. The new guy is not scared of dogs, he simply doesn't want to take chances again.


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## bill (Nov 8, 2013)

Good answer David T. Could be fear !! Or maybe some chemical imbalance. Bill

n.c.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

I would not like for "Jane" to find out how she is talked about here. I guess she comes to work to do her job and not to be bothered by some employee's dog and to be described to the entire world. Unless the OP is the CEO I cant believe any boss would let a large GSD roam through offices, garbage cans etc. What if, one day, "Jane" makes a wrong move in the eyes of your dog and he bites her? Would she get blamed for her odor? It all sounds disrespectful to me and we should stop making assumptions about her.


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## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

Wolfy Dog, no disrespect intended. I honestly want to understand. We're a very dog-friendly company and at any given time there are at least 2-3 dogs in the offices. I've been with this company almost 20 years so I am well-acquainted with the dynamics. My question wasn't job-related...but dog behavior-related. 

I would ultimately like for Tucker to accept her. Might be possible. Might not be. He has not been unleashed since the initial incident. My office is gated. I readily admitted it was my fault that the first incident happened. The rest have been barking while on the leash. She doesnt seem nearly as bothered by this as I am.

As far as my description of Jane goes, I think it's relevant to the discussion. There is another detail I left out...but I do think it would be crossing a line and wouldnt want to explain myself to her about it...so I intentionally left that out. If by some tiny chance Jane frequents GSD forums and recognizes herself, I'd have no problem explaining myself as to the details presented. 

FWIW, Tucker has only been in more frequently lately because of an injury I have to closely monitor. And today as Tuck was sitting quietly, I had Jane stand close to me talking, and hug me, hoping that somehow he would see that I'm okay with her.

My goal isnt to disparage her but to somehow make it easier on everyone. My jokes probably weren't appropriate, but everything I've said is the way she is perceived by those around her. No way around it.

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## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

And Wolfy Dog, your post made alot of assumptions about me and the situation too. Asking for advice/thoughts on the 'net almost always involves assumptions because there is no way of painting a completely accurate picture. Your post about "roaming GSDs rifling through the trash" made me laugh. He is leashed and sticks his big head into someone's trash can beside their desk, smelling a leftover bagel, as we're drinking coffee. He gets told "Leave it." And he does. That is what it looks like. 

I'm just theorizing that Jane's trashcan might have had something good in it that first day. But I'm just guessing. 

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## Gretchen (Jan 20, 2011)

I would include Tucker in the next interview process. Dogs are very intuitive.
Maybe Jane smells bad to your dog, fear smell, illness smell, poor hygiene smell, maybe as your dog is trying to read her, he can't because her brain is too scrambled.

I bring my dog to work, and she does not like one of our business neighbors, he puts up a friendly front but has a mean heart, dogs know what is inside you.
Some people she reacted badly to that had poor hygiene, we have a tow/impound yard and so some of our customers may come from jail from a DUI, some are mentally ill and don't care for themselves well.
Some people she is so calm and relaxed with, after a bit of talking to them I find they usually love dogs or have dogs, others may be mentally and physically fine, but my dog knows they have fear.


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## sparra (Jun 27, 2011)

You say she looks different.....maybe he doesn't like that.....consider it may have more to do with your dog than with Jane. Like some dogs go off at a person in a hat, or with a limp or in a baggy jacket. Maybe he is fearful of the way she looks so is putting up a big show cause he is scared of her. Sounds like she has done nothing to make him act this way toward her......just make sure he doesn't bite her cause then you will be in real trouble.
I just think we need to be careful making excuses like she smells funny or has bad hygiene....personally that is not a good reason for a dog to be barking at someone.


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## boomer11 (Jun 9, 2013)

sparra said:


> You say she looks different.....maybe he doesn't like that.....consider it may have more to do with your dog than with Jane. Like some dogs go off at a person in a hat, or with a limp or in a baggy jacket. Maybe he is fearful of the way she looks so is putting up a big show cause he is scared of her. Sounds like she has done nothing to make him act this way toward her......just make sure he doesn't bite her cause then you will be in real trouble.
> I just think we need to be careful making excuses like she smells funny or has bad hygiene....personally that is not a good reason for a dog to be barking at someone.


110% agree. Excuses like smells funny or looks funny are pathetic. You have one weak nerve dog if a weird looking hat sets it into a barking frenzy. Plain and simple. Yet people try to blame anything in the environment except the dog.


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## G-burg (Nov 10, 2002)

And maybe the dog is a good judge of character!


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## sparra (Jun 27, 2011)

So is it acceptable to have a dog barking at a woman hackles up for no reasons obvious to it's owner except she is a bit disheveled and just chalk it up to the dog being a "good judge of character"??


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## Harry and Lola (Oct 26, 2013)

Dogs have a sixth sense, in my experience I always take note of a dogs reaction to someone, I tend to trust their instincts.

He doesn't like Jane, I would listen to him. The day you found him barking at Jane when you were not there to see why, makes me wonder if she did something not nice to him to make him not trust her. He doesn't like her, never has so if it were me, I would be wary of her and not allow Tucker near her, you may have to put him on lead.


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## G-burg (Nov 10, 2002)

It's just sometimes we have to listen to our dogs.. There could be a very good reason for them to react to "some" people.. Doesn't mean the dog is weak nerved or wrong..

And of course you have to control the behavior and not let it escalate.. 

Because we don't see something as a threat or weird, doesn't mean that the dog has those same feelings.. It could be a valid reason, or not..


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## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

It could easily be fear, for whatever reason. And I'm definitely not blaming her! Quite frankly, I'm embarrassed when it happens at this point.

As far as weak-nerves, maybe this is the first sign? My trainer doesn't think so, and I believe he's more than qualified to call that. But again, maybe so.

It's just that we live in a very diverse town, and Tucker has seen some REALLY strange characters up close. He always has stayed neutral. He might watch if they are close, but never seemed particularly concerned. Anyone I purposely introduce him to, he is friendly to. 

He was fine with Jane from 8 weeks until this started around 9-10 months old.

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## sparra (Jun 27, 2011)

Harry and Lola said:


> Dogs have a sixth sense, in my experience I always take note of a dogs reaction to someone, I tend to trust their instincts.


I am genuinely confused by this.......is it acceptable because he only does it to this woman??
So this dogs instincts are to be trusted......he seems to be making the decisions here......so if he was to say bite her he would be considered justified in this situation??


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## sparra (Jun 27, 2011)

belladonnalily said:


> It could easily be fear, for whatever reason. And I'm definitely not blaming her! Quite frankly, I'm embarrassed when it happens at this point.
> 
> As far as weak-nerves, maybe this is the first sign? My trainer doesn't think so, and I believe he's more than qualified to call that. But again, maybe so.
> 
> ...


Maybe I am just playing devils advocate here  but given the number of dogs discussed on the forum due to their inability to discern a threat and their instincts being way out of whack I was just putting it out there that it might not be poor Jane


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## Blanketback (Apr 27, 2012)

GSDs are very intuitive, so if everyone is ostracizing Jane (even slightly) then your dog will react accordingly. You're making an effort to show your dog that she's ok (like the hug) and by correcting your dog for barking at her, this will help. 

None of my GSDs ever liked people who _I_ didn't like. Depending on their personalities, this was shown from general aloofness to outright hostility, and then I had to be careful. I'm talking about people who I didn't like having around me, not anyone who I'd actually feel threatened by, so I didn't want my dogs to go overboard and aloofness was what I wanted. Charging and barking is a no-no, and I'll correct them for that.


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## Sarah~ (Apr 30, 2012)

I don't know, if the dog is fine around everyone else and it's just this one person I would assume it's her and not the dog.


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## Mister C (Jan 14, 2014)

Blanketback said:


> GSDs are very intuitive, so if everyone is ostracizing Jane (even slightly) then your dog will react accordingly.


I agree. Dogs are pack animals. The pack has rejected one member and the dog picked up on it. He is just more upfront about his feelings.


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## Gretchen (Jan 20, 2011)

belladonnalily said:


> It could easily be fear, for whatever reason. And I'm definitely not blaming her! Quite frankly, I'm embarrassed when it happens at this point.
> 
> As far as weak-nerves, maybe this is the first sign? My trainer doesn't think so, and I believe he's more than qualified to call that. But again, maybe so.
> 
> ...


I do not believe it is weak nerves, as your dog matures and gets older he probably won't be so reactive, but you as his owner will know and be able to read his body language if somebody is not right by his perception. His reactions will become more subtle.


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## Abby142 (Oct 16, 2012)

Blanketback said:


> GSDs are very intuitive, so if everyone is ostracizing Jane (even slightly) then your dog will react accordingly. You're making an effort to show your dog that she's ok (like the hug) and by correcting your dog for barking at her, this will help.
> 
> None of my GSDs ever liked people who _I_ didn't like. Depending on their personalities, this was shown from general aloofness to outright hostility, and then I had to be careful. I'm talking about people who I didn't like having around me, not anyone who I'd actually feel threatened by, so I didn't want my dogs to go overboard and aloofness was what I wanted. Charging and barking is a no-no, and I'll correct them for that.


I agree, maybe your dog can sense that Jane isn't exactly your favorite person. I believe that our dogs do know who we like and who we don't. I recently had one of my husbands family members stop by unexpected and unwelcome. Jade had met this person before and never had any problems, but there has been recent family drama that has drastically changed how I view this person. Jade would not let her in the house. She barked and barked, no matter what I told her. Eventually I had to put her in her crate because she would not listen to me when I told her to hush. I had to play nice with this family member and let them in and give them a tour of our new house, but Jade knew that I did not want her there. Did Jade react the way I wanted her to? no of course not, I would have wanted her to listen when I told her to hush. But the point is she knew I didn't like this person and she let them know it. 

Also does Jane smoke? Jade never likes people who smoke and avoid them whenever possible.


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## Lark (Jan 27, 2014)

_The rest have been barking while on the leash. She doesnt seem nearly as bothered by this as I am._

Maybe it really doesn't bother her. Maybe Jane is used to dogs not liking her? How do the other dogs in the office act toward her?

For some reason dogs would bark at my ex-husband. It was actually kind of funny to him. He was a nice person but I cannot tell you how many dogs barked at him, and the owners would say they hadn't seen the dog act that way before.


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## Longfisher (Feb 28, 2013)

*No Going Back*

My Zeus is friendly enough and won't bite anyone. But he's definitely standoffish at first when he first meets people.

He stands erect, fixes his gaze on them and doesn't respond with his traditional tail-wagging. And, if I'm quiet he occasionally looks up at me for guidance.

But if the stranger simply engages in polite conversation for a minute of so and, in particular, if the stranger pays absolutely no attention to Zeus then Zeus will want to advance and sniff the stranger. Usually I have him on a long-line and he can walk all around the stranger sniffing. It's easy to see his suspicions wane if the person just goes ahead and ignores him and continues to chat with me.

Then the tail-wagging begins and Zeus will approach someone directly from the front and touch his snout to their hand or thigh, essentially, asking for them to lightly pet him. It's all good after that and Zeus most often just leaves us and them alone and sniffs about the yard or street thereafter.

BUT...

...if someone makes a quick move like bouncing a basketball (it's happened) or tossing away a water bottle (it's happened) or quickly removing a cap or hat (it's happened) or suddenly squatting and reaching out their hand so he could sniff it (it's happened) that quick movement will elicit a reaction from the dog. He'll quickly retreat and circle opposite and in front of the person and let out a low growl as his hackles rise.

Regrettably, there's no going back after that, it seems. Once Zeus is surprised he has no trust in that individual for the rest of the time we're in his presence. And, it's best to just walk on.

I've never had the opportunity to test whether or not Zeus would give someone a second chance at a relationship. Once Zeus displays his disapproval in the way I've described no one who was the recipient of that disapproval has wanted to try a second time.

I tell people who meet the dog to just completely ignore him, to not look him in the eye, to not make any sudden moves not even extending a hand for him to smell, to converse politely with me as my reaction is an important clue to the dog, to not approach the dog, but rather, to allow the dog to approach them IF HE CHOOSES TO DO SO.

There are people who Zeus just doesn't seem to like from the git go. Lawn guys seem to be high on his list of suspicious folks, but that's probably because they cut all our neighbors grass and when he sees them from inside the house he thinks they're too close to HIS property.

He's also not fond of those who I don't particularly like either. but that's probably a cue thing from me. They're remarkably sensitive to that.

My guess with Jane is that you don't really like her and that the puppy is reacting to cues you give.

LF


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

boomer11 said:


> 110% agree. Excuses like smells funny or looks funny are pathetic. You have one weak nerve dog if a weird looking hat sets it into a barking frenzy. Plain and simple. Yet people try to blame anything in the environment except the dog.


I strongly disagree. The OP has a young dog, who up to this point has always been stable. No adverse reactions to strangers popping out of closets, or workers in the home. Yet, for some reason it is reacting to one person. And the dog continues to react in the same manner to the same woman. 

The OP is no longer allowing her dog to repeat the undesired behavior (being rude to co-worker). The OP is curious as to what the 'trigger' is for the behavior. 

I would NEVER correct my stable dog for reacting to a specific person. 

What is pathetic is the inability to read your own dog. The OP obviously reads her dog very well.


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## G-burg (Nov 10, 2002)

Very well put Lilie! 

The OP may never find out why the dog reacts the way it does/did to this one person..


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## boomer11 (Jun 9, 2013)

sparra said:


> So is it acceptable to have a dog barking at a woman hackles up for no reasons obvious to it's owner except she is a bit disheveled and just chalk it up to the dog being a "good judge of character"??


Dogs can judge character now? That's hilarious. If that's the case we can just have a dog sniff every person that crosses the border for drugs. No need to sniff for the actual drugs. Just sniff the person! How can we not stop insurgents in Afghanistan when we have dogs to sniff them out from the public? I guess you guys must have special dogs. 

You people actually think your dog doesn't like every person you don't like? You honestly believe that? 

While I understand dogs can smell certain chemicals that the body gives off I certainly don't think they are mind readers. 

Kinda feels wrong to question this women's character and saying she's weird and basically just trying to justify what the dog is doing.


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## 45yearsofGSDs (Sep 19, 2013)

From everything I have ever seen with GSDs, they never forget voices, scents, actions/reactions.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

I do believe dogs sense our dislikes and likes as well. I have plenty of personal anecdotes/proof of this.
My problem here is the way Jane is being portrayed and made assumptions about.


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## G-burg (Nov 10, 2002)

boomer11 said:


> Dogs can judge character now? That's hilarious. If that's the case we can just have a dog sniff every person that crosses the border for drugs. No need to sniff for the actual drugs. Just sniff the person! How can we not stop insurgents in Afghanistan when we have dogs to sniff them out from the public? I guess you guys must have special dogs.
> 
> You people actually think your dog doesn't like every person you don't like? You honestly believe that?
> 
> ...



Actually boomer you quoted the wrong person.. 

And yes I do at times "think" a dog can judge a persons character!


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

Nobody said Jane smells funny, just different. Maybe Jane has cancer or she's diabetic, dogs can smell changes in blood chemistry that there's certainly nothing funny about. 

What if Tuck has the ability to detect cancer and never being trained an appropriate way to react, he smells something different so he barks. Since he doesn't know what else to do. That does NOT make him a nerve bag or unstable.

Otto has an amazing nose, when he's OCD about having to smell someone or the bitches, I pay attention. So far he's found a burst anal gland and a mass of necrotic tissue the bitches didn't feel the need to show me. With my kids he's found infected cuts they didn't feel the need to ask me about neosporin. 

He also alerted me to my father's issues that Dad feels he's getting along just fine with - low sodium which is very rare and low T which is not so rare. It's not like the dog walked up to me and said 'Mistress, your father needs a salt pill' I can just tell by how the dog reacts with his OCD sniffing that something is wrong.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

G-burg said:


> Actually boomer you quoted the wrong person..
> 
> And yes I do at times "think" a dog can judge a persons character!


I have to agree. If dogs can be trained to alert a person *before* they have a seizure...or if dogs can be trained to alert a diabetic *before* they have a diabetic reaction....ect...they have a greater capability to read a person than we can ever imagine. 

I don't know if Jane is a bad person. I don't think the OP's dog knows if Jane is a bad person. But, the OP's dog knows that there is something different about Jane than anybody it's ever met and it's alerting to the fact. Doesn't make Jane good or bad. 

I also agree, as the pup matures, it will alert in a more subtle manner. The OP seems like she reads her dog well, she'll be able to pick up on that subtle alert whereas, someone else might not.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

Jenn! Get out of my head!!!


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

Lilie said:


> Jenn! Get out of my head!!!


LOL I must have been in there on a couple previous posts too because you said what I would have.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

SunCzarina said:


> LOL I must have been in there on a couple previous posts too because you said what I would have.


Maybe I'm in YOUR head! Let's ask the dogs.....


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## boomer11 (Jun 9, 2013)

G-burg said:


> Actually boomer you quoted the wrong person..
> 
> And yes I do at times "think" a dog can judge a persons character!


At times? So the dog picks and chooses? Do they only pick out the murderers and rapists? If dogs could read people then shouldn't all dogs react in a similar way to a serial killer or is your dog somehow special aka it's nervy? 

My point is if my dog was barking non stop at someone I would look at my dog first before I'd look to the environment for the cause. Whether it's barking from excitement, nervousness, or a dog just being a bully I'd look there first before grasping at straws trying to find something wrong with Jane. 

The thing that rubs me the wrong way with this thread is the op just throwing out a bunch of theories of what could be wrong with Jane for her dog to react this way. It couldn't possibly be the dog! What does her being well educated but lacks Street smarts have to do with anything other than the op wanting to talk crap? 

The op says there are more than one dog at work and yet hers is the only one that barks at Jane? The op says Jane is weird and everyone at work doesn't really like her yet none of their dogs react this way. Strange huh? The op's dog must have some kind of super power....


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

boomer11 said:


> The op says there are more than one dog at work and yet hers is the only one that barks at Jane? The op says Jane is weird and everyone at work doesn't really like her yet none of their dogs react this way. Strange huh? The op's dog must have some kind of super power....


I would call it a dog that alerts. But if you want to call it a Super Power, I like that name better!!!!


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

I would've loved to have heard the bark...but the problem with calling it an alert is that a dog's bark is generally aggressive. And even if it was "friendly" most people aren't going to consider a GSD barking at them "friendly."

Dogs have different ways of alerting, the reason they bark at a door or at something new is because in general they're questioning what it is, and their first response is to say, "Hey, I'm here, don't do anything stupid." Which tends to also get the owner's attention. I won't go as far as saying its out of fear, but it is generally to let the questionable thing know that the dog is there.

My male will sometimes puke bile. When he starts to make the noise, my female doesn't bark at him, she whines and runs over to us. She starts to cry, as if she's worried about him, and she moves from where he is to where we are. That's an alert...not barking aggressively at him.

And yes, like the other poster, my dogs to tend to sniff/lick wounds. They're trying to make them feel better, its what many dogs do because they would do it to their own wounds. The part about how your dog sniffs the females a little more when they've had problems...I wouldn't consider that a special power, its a male overly interested in a female that probably just coincided with you taking them to the vet and finding something. Or it had to do with the fact that your other dog was injured, and dogs tend to pick on an injured pack member because they become the "weak link" at that point.


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

whoah down boy, way off track from the spirit of this thread. The OP just questions why her dog would react to this one person that she says all the people in the office find a bit off. Some people are off. 
I have a son who has asperger syndrome, kid is way off sometimes in his behavior. My own pets have always figured it out that kid is just different and they treat him different. Not barking or anything, just different than how they treat my other children, more patient and tolerant of the biazarro things he does.


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## sparra (Jun 27, 2011)

I guess I am not so sure to just say the dog has good instincts but the OP knows about it and hopefully will be on the ball when Jane is around.

What is appropriate GSD behaviour if a dog thinks someone is a bit off......???


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## Harry and Lola (Oct 26, 2013)

Stop humanising dogs, what is not acceptable to us, like rapists & serial killers means nothing to dogs. 

Some dogs can pick up undesirable characteristics, not only from in-breeding or bad living conditions, but from their master and other strangers as well. Emotions are absorbed in the same way, it is fairly common to see a neurotic person with a neurotic dog or a timid person with a timid dog, but emotions can manifest themselves in another way. A person who seems very calm outwardly but has a lot of suppressed emotion may have a very excitable dog because he has picked up his owners suppression of emotions

Animals are instinctive and precise judges of human character they feel their emotions so keenly. Some people feel very tense around dogs particular those who have a great fear of them for some forgotten reason or those who have been bitten as a child. This tension will naturally be sensed by the dog. 

A puppy who is unwanted by his master will sensitively pick up the negative atmosphere and can grow up to be neurotic. Our animals are constantly tuning in to us, even though an average dog can understand about 50 words he has fantastic auditory and olfactory senses and he has the ability to pick up the slightest body movement or gesture, yet he is still processing and relying on information received telepathically.

reference: 'Kindred Spirits' by Kate Wimble.

It is a true joy to have this type of relationship with your dog, being able to say nothing, display no body language but still have a mutual understanding requires patience, respect, affection, honesty, dependability and open mindedness. 

If your dog is telling you something - listen to him. By listening to your dog does not indicate you have lost control as master and he is calling the shots. By your dog telling you something does not indicate weak nerves.


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## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

Lilie said:


> I strongly disagree. The OP has a young dog, who up to this point has always been stable. No adverse reactions to strangers popping out of closets, or workers in the home. Yet, for some reason it is reacting to one person. And the dog continues to react in the same manner to the same woman.
> 
> The OP is no longer allowing her dog to repeat the undesired behavior (being rude to co-worker). The OP is curious as to what the 'trigger' is for the behavior.
> 
> ...


Thank you Lilie. The only reason I ever hesitate posting things like this is being called "pathetic" instead of being furthered questioned about the situation. As a result, I get very long-winded and wordy trying explain everything up front. But that doesnt always work either.

So, thank you for reading my posts and understanding. I'm simply trying to understand more. Dog behavior is interesting, and I have lots to learn. But I fully understand that regardless of whys and hows, it is my responsible for controlling my dog and keeping others safe. I'm not infalliable, but I believe I'm doing well so far.

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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

The fact that you can bring your dog to work should make you happy! Does Jane have any pets?


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## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

wolfy dog said:


> I do believe dogs sense our dislikes and likes as well. I have plenty of personal anecdotes/proof of this.
> My problem here is the way Jane is being portrayed and made assumptions about.


I've portrayed her as she portrays herself to me (& many others). I acknowledged that I know very little about her outside of work. Her behavior, personality, presentation IN the office is very relevant to the discussion, IMHO. 

If I had asked for thoughts on why my dog doesn't like Human A, no further details, that I work with, I doubt anyone would be able to give any feedback.

My dog has already proven meeting someone at 4mo, then not seeing them again until 8 mo, he remembers. He knows when my daughter is in the outfield instead of the dugout by smell. I can't even tell the girls apart from that distance, yet every time she goes in or out, he stands and sniffs like crazy about 10-15 seconds later. If the teams switch but she remains benched, he does nothing. His memory and senses are nothing short of amazing and forgive me for being fascinated by them.

This was not meant to be a Bash Jane discussion. Her description is what it is, and I'm only looking to understand more about my dog. Goodness knows I'll never understand people 
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## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

boomer11 said:


> At times? So the dog picks and chooses? Do they only pick out the murderers and rapists? If dogs could read people then shouldn't all dogs react in a similar way to a serial killer or is your dog somehow special aka it's nervy?
> 
> My point is if my dog was barking non stop at someone I would look at my dog first before I'd look to the environment for the cause. Whether it's barking from excitement, nervousness, or a dog just being a bully I'd look there first before grasping at straws trying to find something wrong with Jane.
> 
> ...


Excuse me?

I never said it couldn't be my dog. I feel it isn't likely, as does my trainer. But I never said it wasn't possible. And either way, his response isnt appropriate and I'll make sure thats dealt with. I'm open to theories on why this dog would display this behavior with only one person, that he was previously fine with and has been around regularly since 8 weeks old. 

As an aside, there is a newer employee, a man (but I won't share any more details about him!) that everyone strongly dislikes. Different from Jane, and where with Jane I've had no run-ins or words exchanged, the new guy has been ripped a new one by almost everyone here, myself included. Yet Tucker does fine with him too.

But the only one being rude and talking "crap" is you. Read for comprehension next time.

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## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

Oh and boomer, I never said anything about other dogs reactions to Jane. YOU inserted that, so maybe you know Jane too?

I'm apparently not supposed to share details to help clarify the situation. I'd gladly share my shortcomings, quirks, etc. if they were relevant.

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## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

onyx'girl said:


> The fact that you can bring your dog to work should make you happy! Does Jane have any pets?


Not sure I'm allowed to say, but no she doesn't.

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## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

Harry and Lola said:


> Stop humanising dogs, what is not acceptable to us, like rapists & serial killers means nothing to dogs.
> 
> Some dogs can pick up undesirable characteristics, not only from in-breeding or bad living conditions, but from their master and other strangers as well. Emotions are absorbed in the same way, it is fairly common to see a neurotic person with a neurotic dog or a timid person with a timid dog, but emotions can manifest themselves in another way. A person who seems very calm outwardly but has a lot of suppressed emotion may have a very excitable dog because he has picked up his owners suppression of emotions
> 
> ...


Nice post, and thank you. That was more in line with discussion I was looking for. I'll look and read elsewhere for more information. This thread has turned into something I didn't intend.

Thanks to all that understood what I was trying to say and gave thoughtful, kind responses. I'll leave this alone now.

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## boomer11 (Jun 9, 2013)

belladonnalily said:


> To be fair, she is not a favorite employee of anyone. She's a bit weird and can be a pain in the butt, but she mostly stays to herself. No one knows much about her personally. She's extremely well-educated but can't work a staple-remover  So, the office jokes about why this may be are really getting humorous. We're thinking of including Tucker in the next interview process...


So what relevance does this have to figuring out why your dog acted the way he did? Sounds like just taking shots at a person behind their back to me. I'm not the only person in this thread that thinks this btw. 

Who called you pathetic? Read for comprehension next time.


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## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

All of that quote is true. Maybe the last part about the office humor could have been omitted, but she is really quite the character. 

Now how about you quote me where I said other dogs do not react to her? You won't find it. So putting words in my mouth is talking crap as much as anything I've actually said.

HERE is MY response to other dogs and Jane. From what I understand, Tucker isn't the first to react strongly (by Jane's own admission), but the dogs in question have either been small, or old, and none I know of have been a breed like a GSD. The only other office dogs that spend meaningful amounts of time in her part of the office are an ancient hound mix that is pretty much scared of everything, and as of lately a 4mo Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier who loves everyone so far.

Jane has said her neighbors small dogs don't like her. She has also shared a few random dog stories about run-ins with dogs. Which is why I wondered if it was a fear issue in spite of her saying it wasn't. And now that I think about it, another employee from another office brings his Jack Russell in occassionally and barks incessantly at her. I hadn't really thought about it because Prince is always barking at men, other than his owner obviously, but I've never known him to bark at women besides Jane. I don't know that for a fact but it holds true around the office. He leans toward yippy anyway so who knows. 

Thats all I've got as far as other dogs. No way to compare apples to apples on the "other dogs" question, which is why I didn't go into it. No other large breeds similar to GSDs around. Jane remains in her office much of the day and doesn't venture into the other offices on the property much, if at all. Her job doesn't necessitate it. So I have no idea which of the other dogs she has even met.

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## boomer11 (Jun 9, 2013)

No one asked if it was true. I asked is it relevant to the discussion? Imo a back handed compliment of she's educated but too stupid to work a staple remover is not very relevant at all..... 

You should give Jane a treat to give your dog every time he visits so he can associate her with good things. 

I do believe dogs can smell all the different chemical reactions our bodies give off. Dogs can certainly smell fear/aderinalime but they certainly can't minds. 

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## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

boomer11 said:


> You should give Jane a treat to give your dog every time he visits so he can associate her with good things.
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Already did that. In the beginning before this happened. I knew she didn't know much about dogs so I did this several times. After the first "incident", I tried letting her toss him a treat. At this point I'm just not having him close to her at all.

No way am I letting her hand feed him at this point. One bad decision on his part could end badly for all of us.


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## boomer11 (Jun 9, 2013)

Well if she does end up being a serial killer I'll come back and profusely apologize 

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## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

And ok, point made. Next time I'll just describe basics and give no details about unusual behaviors, etc. My choice of words was maybe worthy of edit, but the funny part is much of what I've said Jane would acknowledge. Like I said, she does have a sense of humor and on some levels, knows she is "interesting." But anyway, since no one here knows her, no one will understand. She herself pointed out the staple-remover thing. I just borrowed it.

I just deleted the rest of my post because my sarcasm was starting take hold. I think I'll go spend time with my nervy, prejudiced dog now and see if we can come up with some new Jane jokes before tomorrow 

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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

belladonnalily said:


> I just deleted the rest of my post because my sarcasm was starting take hold. I think I'll go spend time with my nervy, prejudiced dog now and see if we can come up with some new Jane jokes before tomorrow


I was entertained by the stapler comment. It speaks to the overall person. 

I work with engineers all day. People who don't work with or know any engineers get all indignant and condescending like I don't have a clue what I'm talking about when I say 'engineers don't read the directions.' I have directions written in 24 pitch red letters on one page and still I have to ask the question 'did you read the directory considerations?' It's obvious to me who reads it. They're engineers and they 'know how to do it'. Highly educated. Can't work the stapler.


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## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

boomer11 said:


> Well if she does end up being a serial killer I'll come back and profusely apologize
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


I'll have the maintenance staff check her freezer today. I'll keep you posted.

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## Sri (Apr 25, 2013)

I just read this thread, and I did not feel you were disparaging Jane. I felt that you really wanted to understand why and you were also real but humorous.


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## Sri (Apr 25, 2013)

I have to add that we had two men working in the yard yesterday. And I took our dog to meet them, one he was friendly with, approached with a tail and butt wag and body lower, ears back. The other he was pushy with (and this was actually a much bigger bulkier man than the other). I looked at man's face and I saw that he was obvously scared. So I called Frodo back and made him sit next to me, the man then held out his hand for my dog to sniff, which he did but his(the dog's) body language was still not friendly. It was not aggressive either, but definitely felt pushy. I then engaged him in play and walking around and he ignored the men while they worked.

Oh! Have to say mine is 14 months old now, and I am beginning to see he is very friendly with some strangers, not quite so with others. But usually after meeting someone and I have been talking with them for a while he is friendly always.


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

Eh..sounds like Jane isn't one of the popular in the office. 

I agree with Sparra and Blanketback.

It would be an interesting experiment if you, OP, could adjust your perception of Jane and see if that changes how your dog reacts. It would be hard to do though....

In any case this maybe one of those situations that gets sorted out by karma, one of which could be your dog will no longer be allowed in the office.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

I am suprised by the amount of folks on this thread who are unable to read their own dogs. Kinda sad really. You won't ever be able to understand where the OP is coming from, if you've never experianced it.


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## Blanketback (Apr 27, 2012)

boomer11 said:


> You people actually think your dog doesn't like every person you don't like? You honestly believe that?


Why does this seem so incredible to you? Of course our dogs can read us, and pick up on our emotions. If everyone is thinking, "Oh no, not Jane again!" then OP's dog will know it.

Maybe you think we're anthropomorphizing, and using the word "like" is incorrect? Then I should rephrase it: my dogs have _always_ acted 'differently' around people I didn't like.


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

That's a pretty harsh assessment to make about several people who don't agree with you (and very unusual for you to make a statement like that too...  )

One thing is for sure, we can't tell what is really going on with the OP and her dog. Any one of the ideas mentioned here could be correct, or wrong.

Even top notch trainers 'misread' dogs too.

All I know for sure is, if I allowed an employee to bring a dog to my place of business and it started causing trouble like that, I wouldn't give a flip whether someone was misreading the dog or not. More important things to worry about like being profitable....just sayin'.








Lilie said:


> I am suprised by the amount of folks on this thread who are unable to read their own dogs. Kinda sad really. You won't ever be able to understand where the OP is coming from, if you've never experianced it.


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

Agreed. When speaking with a K-9 handler he said when tracking the dog could smell the stress hormones of a suspect that is on the run. He said it helps the dog track actually.

Also, seizure alert dogs, they pick up on subtle changes in body chemistry that occur prior to a person having a seizure.

For these reasons I think your statements have validity and are far from 'incredible' given there's actually dogs out there utilizing those senses for their work. They're proven.

Though in this case it's hard to say for sure but it's a fair possibility.



Blanketback said:


> Why does this seem so incredible to you? Of course our dogs can read us, and pick up on our emotions. If everyone is thinking, "Oh no, not Jane again!" then OP's dog will know it.
> 
> Maybe you think we're anthropomorphizing, and using the word "like" is incorrect? Then I should rephrase it: my dogs have _always_ acted 'differently' around people I didn't like.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

Gwenhwyfair said:


> That's a pretty harsh assessment to make about several people who don't agree with you (and very unusual for you to make a statement like that too...  )


I suppose I'm just weary. 

The OP expressed her desire to find out why her (young) dog reacted to a specific person. The dog has never reacted to anybody else. I find that behavior very interesting. I'd like to have heard a more mature discussion on that specific behavior. 

Instead the focus remained on the OP's co-worker's abilty to utilize a stapler. And the reasons why the OP should never have made specific statements about her co-worker. 

To me, that means those folks have no idea how to answer the OP's initial question. I find that sad.


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

I wouldn't be sad about it, happens all the time here! We can't even have a debate without someone accusing a person explaining their position as 'bashing' or 'browbeating' even when it's not personal.  So I guess it's a matter of being consistent....or not. 

BUT....one of your recent stories got me thinking and more on topic.... 

I was thinking about your Hondo running your hubby's friend up to the gate. He hadn't done that before, when he was younger.

I think with some of the dogs they go through these stages, like the puppy landshark phase. Ilda went through something similar. As a puppy she liked everybody. Then as she got to be about 10 months old that started changing.

At first it seemed like it was just one person but then it started happening more often. There didn't seem to be a rhyme or reason to it. So we went to a trainer (GSD/IPO/protection trainer) who said she's going through a phase of looking for challenges. He told me what to do about it.

So she went from a puppy who 'liked' everyone to a dog that is now aloof with strangers (as she was bred to be) but that inbetween phase was a little flakey. 

I believe had I been a more experienced trainer/owner that phase would have indeed been shorter and less noticeable too. 

So that may be what's going on here as well, some food for thought. 



Lilie said:


> I suppose I'm just weary.
> 
> The OP expressed her desire to find out why her (young) dog reacted to a specific person. The dog has never reacted to anybody else. I find that behavior very interesting. I'd like to have heard a more mature discussion on that specific behavior.
> 
> ...


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

At the end of the day, it doesn't matter WHY the dog is doing this. It's reaction is completely unnecessary and improper. I know that some of you don't care if your dog barks and bites everything that moves, probably think it’s the greatest guard dog on the planet because it flips its lid over anything that moves outside of your house. But this is a terrible reaction.

The dog more than likely reacted to something physical rather than chemical. OP wasn’t in the room, has no idea why, and in the process of getting a hold of the dog probably missed something that Jane was wearing or doing at the time that freaked the dog out. Not a big deal, even balanced dogs get freaked out once in a while by something new.

This whole thread is a perfect example of normal human behavior:

1) When we don’t like someone, we tend to notice funny/different things more. We pick on the things they do and remember them. If someone that we liked did them, we wouldn’t even notice.

2) We get upset when negative things are said about things we have raised. A dog, a kid, anything that we think we’ve been doing right by. When the blame is placed on “us” rather than the object that isn’t under our control, we get upset and defensive.

3) We don’t like to be confrontational. This happens all the time on threads. The majority of people will agree with the OP, and many times with whatever side the GSD is on because we hold this breed in such high esteem. We don’t like to go against the response that OP is looking for, and so most people will appease that, they put themselves in the shoes of the OP and think of how they’d react (then go back to 1 and 2).

If you’ve been on this site for long enough…#3 gets really apparent. I can’t remember the number of threads where a GSD is “attacked” by a small dog and everyone blames the off-leash small dog. Once there was a thread about how a small dog came onto a GSD’s yard, the GSD then protected its yard, and even chased the dog back into their yard where it proceeded to kill said dog. Everyone was in agreement…GSD was in the right, small dog was in the wrong, should’ve been on leash, contained, blah blah blah. There was also a thread about some guy who shot a GSD that “attacked” him and his small dogs when he was walking. Owner and neighbors of course said the GSD was the sweetest dog in the world and was just trying to play. The majority of the forum again sided with the GSD…how could that guy shoot the dog? It wasn’t attacking! It was playing! Didn’t matter at that point that the dog had left its yard, wasn’t on lead, wasn’t under control…

Back to the thread though…the reason most people placed blame on the employee is because of the picture OP painted. Jane is all these “weird/different” things…my dog is an angel that has never done anything wrong before. Is that believable? Maybe OP is missing signs that the dog does react negatively towards others? Or does have anxiety in other situations? Maybe the reaction isn’t as forward as this one was, but there was still some sort of stress in that reaction? I’ve learned that many times, a dog’s reaction is never a “first time” thing. I know this because I used to think I had a perfect, submissive, little angel of a dog. Then the first time he didn’t submit and decided to stand up for himself, I thought, well it’s just the first time, THAT dog must have something wrong with it. Then it kind of kept happening again and again. I then thought back about other signs I’d seen before, I spoke with people I trained with, who all pointed out things that they saw in my dog that spelled that something like this was going to develop.


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## Sri (Apr 25, 2013)

Gwenhwyfair said:


> . More important things to worry about like being profitable....just sayin'.


and liability.


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

I snipped out only what I want to address (as for the rest, you're on your own there! )

I meant to say earlier that it could also be subtle body language.

I noticed in protection body language is used to help train dogs to differentiate between no-threat and threat. 

Dogs are reading our body language, even facial expressions. There's been some research done on how in tune dogs can be with humans (due probably to modern dogs and modern humans actually co-evolving).

So yeah, it could be reading physical signals too. 



martemchik said:


> At the end of the day, it doesn't matter WHY the dog is doing this. It's reaction is completely unnecessary and improper.
> 
> The dog more than likely reacted to something physical rather than chemical<snipped ...>


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

I think that is why I find dog behavior so interesting. You can have two dogs in your home. Your rules are the same for both dogs, but you have to train each one differently. 

If you tried to train both dogs the exact same way, you'd fail both. How you learn to train each dog is by being able to read your dog. Some of your dog's 'language' is easy to read. Some 'language' you have to be open to look for. But it's there. You just have to respect your dog (as a dog) enough to listen.


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

So true that too!




Sri said:


> and liability.


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

Oh and this in blue too!

Yup, that's been my experience as well....and if you are around other people's dogs enough you're going to witness this first hand many more times too. 

Well my dog has never done THAT before but upon further discussion, and questioning, oh well actually he has done this and this and that....



martemchik said:


> <snipped>
> 
> Back to the thread though…the reason most people placed blame on the employee is because of the picture OP painted. Jane is all these “weird/different” things…my dog is an angel that has never done anything wrong before. Is that believable? Maybe OP is missing signs that the dog does react negatively towards others? Or does have anxiety in other situations? Maybe the reaction isn’t as forward as this one was, but there was still some sort of stress in that reaction? I’ve learned that many times, a dog’s reaction is never a “first time” thing. I know this because I used to think I had a perfect, submissive, little angel of a dog. Then the first time he didn’t submit and decided to stand up for himself, I thought, well it’s just the first time, THAT dog must have something wrong with it. Then it kind of kept happening again and again. I then thought back about other signs I’d seen before, I spoke with people I trained with, who all pointed out things that they saw in my dog that spelled that something like this was going to develop.


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## Sri (Apr 25, 2013)

martemchik said:


> At the end of the day, it doesn't matter WHY the dog is doing this. It's reaction is completely unnecessary and improper. *I know that some of you don't care if your dog barks and bites everything that moves, probably think it’s the greatest guard dog on the planet because it flips its lid over anything that moves outside of your house.* But this is a terrible reaction.
> 
> The dog more than likely reacted to something physical rather than chemical. OP wasn’t in the room, has no idea why, and in the process of getting a hold of the dog probably missed something that Jane was wearing or doing at the time that freaked the dog out. Not a big deal, even balanced dogs get freaked out once in a while by something new.
> 
> ...


Now that's hyperbole. I dont recall reading even ONE person feeling their dog doing this is awesome. Most people are concernedm wanting to find out whats wrong, what they can do, etc.. 

Perhaps the OP's tone is more conversational than concerned. But in a post its hard to judge.

Certainly when emotions are involved (as you say about thethings we have raised) its very hard to think clearly. In most cases we are trying to look at every angle, our mind is a blur going ...but this... but that,

You yourself said that you went through incidents that you didn't quite connect till you had cause for real concern. It takes a good deal of experience with dogs, and a mind that is open to learning new things to get better in this field (dog behavior and training). And by that I mean to say so people post here to learn from the ones more experienced, to try and make sense of whats happening.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

martemchik said:


> At the end of the day, it doesn't matter WHY the dog is doing this. It's reaction is completely unnecessary and improper.


This ^^ is exactly my point. You should want to know WHY your dog is exhibiting a specific behavior. Therefore, it does matter. That is what makes you a better handler. That certainly doesn't mean that you allow your dog to continue the behavior. (In this case, the OP is no longer allowing her dog to roam freely throughout the building.) 

There are times where you'll never know why. But you should never stop wanting to learn more about your dog.


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

Agreed!

In my story earlier with Ilda's situation that's what the trainer helped me with as well, understanding the 'why' and what to do about it. 






Lilie said:


> This ^^ is exactly my point. You should want to know WHY your dog is exhibiting a specific behavior. Therefore, it does matter. That is what makes you a better handler. That certainly doesn't mean that you allow your dog to continue the behavior. (In this case, the OP is no longer allowing her dog to roam freely throughout the building.)
> 
> There are times why you'll never know why. But you should never stop wanting to learn more about your dog.


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

Sri said:


> Now that's hyperbole. I dont recall reading even ONE person feeling their dog doing this is awesome. Most people are concernedm wanting to find out whats wrong, what they can do, etc..


I know no one said it, but the fact is that people are trying to figure out a way to make it “alright” that the dog reacted in this fashion. IMO…unless the person is threatening YOU or the DOG either verbally or physically, the dog should not react in this way. So it doesn’t matter what they smell like, or what their history is like with dogs or with you, a dog should not react in an aggressive way unless there is a threat presented.

Threats are presented physically. Sure, testosterone and other chemicals might spike that we’ve learned the dog might pick up on and react, but those other chemicals can also spike if a person is fearful of a dog and only get compounded by the dog reacting aggressively.

Fearful, or less-confident, or young dogs (not saying OP’s is all these things) gain confidence when they get the reaction they want/expect after they test the person. For example…a dog isn’t confident around men, it barks, or presents a body language that a person gets “weirded out” by and moves back away from the dog. The dog has gained some power over the person, it keeps going, and going, and eventually the dog has a lot of power over that thing that it was originally freaked out by.

This is really seen when working in IPO, you don’t challenge young dogs, you let them win, you build their confidence. A helper doesn’t present himself fully, you work the dog in prey. Everything is a game. This is all to build confidence and show the dog that it does have power over a decoy.

I think there are definitely better reasons and answers than, “you don’t like Jane, dog doesn’t like Jane.” And I don’t believe that the dog is unbalanced or broken or whatever else was said about it. There is probably a more concrete, physical reason why the dog reacted the way it did.


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

Lilie said:


> This ^^ is exactly my point. You should want to know WHY your dog is exhibiting a specific behavior. Therefore, it does matter. That is what makes you a better handler. That certainly doesn't mean that you allow your dog to continue the behavior. (In this case, the OP is no longer allowing her dog to roam freely throughout the building.)
> 
> There are times where you'll never know why. But you should never stop wanting to learn more about your dog.


But Lillie, weren't you the person that said that you would not correct your dog for growling or barking at anyone? Even when you have no idea why they're doing it?

Education is great, but if your goal isn't to raise a guard dog or a dog that does have tons of suspicion, you should correct any behavior that isn't PC (for lack of a better term). If all you want is a good pet, that doesn't present any liability to the public, this should be corrected.


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## Blanketback (Apr 27, 2012)

martemchik said:


> I think there are definitely better reasons and answers than, “you don’t like Jane, dog doesn’t like Jane.”


Why are you so ready to dismiss this? Not to say that this is _exactly_ the reason, since we have no idea and are only offering our opinions. But I've had enough experiences with my own dogs to know that this could be what's going on. So I wouldn't rule it out myself.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

martemchik said:


> But Lillie, weren't you the person that said that you would not correct your dog for growling or barking at anyone? Even when you have no idea why they're doing it?


EXACTLY right! My STABLE dog. My dog who doesn't bark or growl at anyone while he visits everyone in the building. Correcting and removing him would be two different things.


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

Blanketback said:


> Why are you so ready to dismiss this? Not to say that this is _exactly_ the reason, since we have no idea and are only offering our opinions. But I've had enough experiences with my own dogs to know that this could be what's going on. So I wouldn't rule it out myself.


You must've missed the part where the OP wrote how there is a new guy no one likes and the dog doesn't seem to mind him.

In any case...a dog should not react aggressively at someone YOU don't like. If that someone is threatening you, and you reflect a level of fear or worry at a particular moment towards a person, the dog can react. Even if a dog picks up on a feeling of dislike towards a person, that is not a reason to react in the way the dog did. I would definitely correct that kind of behavior as that is not the "right" feeling for the dog to be reacting to.


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## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

Gwenhwyfair said:


> Eh..sounds like Jane isn't one of the popular in the office.
> 
> I agree with Sparra and Blanketback.
> 
> ...


I don't hate Jane. I'm the friendliest to her already. I've bailed her out of problems (work-related). 

Unless I let my dog bites her, he won't be banned. Jane's employment with us is something of a mission of mercy.

I'll stop bringing him by my own choice if it gets uncomfortable for her, or doesn't seem to be getting better on Tucker's end. No point in stressing either of them out.

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## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

Ok, I used to take Sabi on city transit all the time, like several times a week. She was fine. One day out of the blue, this guy gets on the bus and Sabi goes ballistic. Obviously we got off at the next stop. But my perfectly stable, sane dog chose one person out of hundreds to dislike, and I should disregard that? 
Trust your dog, they know things we never will. In all her years working with me, Sabi was never wrong and on at least one occasion her seemingly senseless actions saved my life. 
Jane may be ill, may have substance abuse issues, may be mentally unbalanced or may be an alien in human form. Who knows. But for some reason your dog has singled her out and that bears watching.


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## Blanketback (Apr 27, 2012)

Martemchik, I already said that I correct for this behavior, so I agree with you on that point. I'm careful not to allow my feelings towards people influence my dogs' actions, and when it does my dogs aren't encourage to take matters into their own paws. Lol. 

Maybe the animosity just hasn't built up around the "new guy" yet, and that's why OP's dog isn't reacting the same way? We're only guessing. Maybe Jane does taxidermy in her spare time and is admiring OP's dog?


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

Where did *I* say you hate Jane?  I said "isn't popular" and you've left no shadow of a doubt about that.....

BTW- as an aside really, that's a very unusual situation you have at your work, that you can call the shots like that without being an owner/upper manager? 

*Not* questioning you, I believe you so no explanation is needed, but just being able to bring a dog to work is pretty rare, then if problems arise...you're very fortunate in that respect.





belladonnalily said:


> I don't hate Jane. I'm the friendliest to her already. I've bailed her out of problems (work-related).
> 
> Unless I let my dog bites her, he won't be banned. Jane's employment with us is something of a mission of mercy.
> 
> ...


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

:spittingcoffee::wild:



Blanketback said:


> Martemchik, I already said that I correct for this behavior, so I agree with you on that point. I'm careful not to allow my feelings towards people influence my dogs' actions, and when it does my dogs aren't encourage to take matters into their own paws. Lol.
> 
> Maybe the animosity just hasn't built up around the "new guy" yet, and that's why OP's dog isn't reacting the same way? We're only guessing. Maybe Jane does taxidermy in her spare time and is admiring OP's dog?


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

Blanket, I know you would, I'm not saying anyone here is handling their dogs incorrectly or would react incorrectly in that situation. I believe OP corrected her dog, which IMO was the right thing to do. At this point, my advice would be to redirect the dog to a toy or something and teach it to ignore Jane completely...for everyone's safety.

To assume that Jane is a crack head, alcoholic, or has some other disease is the dumbest stretch of imagination I've ever heard. Instead of looking for physical evidence, people want to chalk it up to a chemical imbalance, that somehow, out of all the people the dog has met though out its life, this one is the only one with the imbalance...come on.

Although it would be nice to know why the dog is reacting, without being there for the reaction, no one can tell. The best thing to do is to teach the dog that this type of reaction is not good and should not be allowed. Whatever the dog is reacting to, be it physical or chemical, the dog needs to learn that it shouldn't do this when it sees this or smells it since the thing is not a threat and is actually turning the dog into a liability.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

My honest theory in this situation is that Jane doesn't like dogs. She doesn't want to be a stick in the mud as the entire office seems to be dog people, so she tolerates the dogs. 

Day one, Jane wasn't over attentive with the new pup. Who doesn't love puppies? People who don't care for dogs. 

Then came the day in question. Tucker was off wandering on his own. He went into Jane's office. He was going to say hello, just as he does everyone else. 

Jane doesn't want Tucker in her office. She doesn't care for any of the dogs in the office, but the other dogs aren't as pushy as a year old GSD. She doesn't care to be social with Tucker. So she made a jerky 'get -out' gesture at him to scare him off. After all, nobody will see her and it is her office. And she isn't a dog person. She thinks the dog will turn tail and run off. 

Tucker is used to being invited. He's never been uninvited. So he reacts. Tucker is a year old. Still pretty much a puppy. This has never happend. She scares him and he reacts. 

Jane, pretends she has no idea why he is barking at her. After all, it is HER office and he doesn't belong there. She shouldn't have to explain herself, but she doesn't want to make enemies with everyone in the building. She hopes Tucker never returns. 

The End.


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

Lilie said:


> My honest theory in this situation is that Jane doesn't like dogs. She doesn't want to be a stick in the mud as the entire office seems to be dog people, so she tolerates the dogs.
> 
> Day one, Jane wasn't over attentive with the new pup. Who doesn't love puppies? People who don't care for dogs.
> 
> ...


Dog leaves, Jane takes a swig of vodka and snorts a line of coke.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

martemchik said:


> Dog leaves, Jane takes a swig of vodka and snorts a line of coke.


After she finishes the last touches on the wall mount of a squirrel she has hidden in her desk. Right behind the secret monitor that she uses to communicate with the mother ship.


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## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

Gwenhwyfair said:


> Where did *I* say you hate Jane?  I said "isn't popular" and you've left no shadow of a doubt about that.....
> 
> BTW- as an aside really, that's a very unusual situation you have at your work, that you can call the shots like that without being an owner/upper manager?
> 
> *Not* questioning you, I believe you so no explanation is needed, but just being able to bring a dog to work is pretty rare, then if problems arise...you're very fortunate in that respect.


Why do you assume I'm not an "upper manager"? 

It's an unusual company. Sometimes that's good, sometimes not so much. It is what it is.

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## Daisy&Lucky's Mom (Apr 24, 2011)

Lilie said:


> My honest theory in this situation is that Jane doesn't like dogs. She doesn't want to be a stick in the mud as the entire office seems to be dog people, so she tolerates the dogs.
> 
> Day one, Jane wasn't over attentive with the new pup. Who doesn't love puppies? People who don't care for dogs.
> 
> ...


Lilie that actually makes alot of sense. Is Jane evil, a serial killer ,taxidermist or meth manufacturer? Probably not she just doesnt like dogs in an office where alot of full time folks love dogs and have them in the office. Is Jane fulltime ? If she's a contractor who works part time why would she rock the boat in an obvious dog lovers work culture . Kind of like wanting to clean my house but hates dogs probably not the cleaning job you want. in Tucker's world everybody is happy to see him at the office and most people redirect according to the OP's direction. Jane may not have any inkling of how to redirect or care. I spent alot of time in the prison dog program helping inmates who hd never been around dogs learn some basics of how to interact. some guys just wanted to stay as far from the dogs as possible. Sounds like the OP redirected and addressed this issue and discussed it with her trainer.OP sounds like you handled everything in a responsible manner. Your question about why Tuck would react this way is one I would have, 

As I was writing this I thought about a great schutzhund dog who was stolen from his yard in a matter of minutes and was later killed.The question was asked why didnt he react? I think part of the answer is because in order to be in the public our dogs have to show no aggression towards people ,no matter what. Perhaps there was a physical threat to Tucker and he barked. Dont get me wrong Im not saying that dogs should be aggressive or bite or behave in a threatening manner however there is the chance that people treat dogs w/ aggression .just a thought.


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## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

Lilie said:


> My honest theory in this situation is that Jane doesn't like dogs. She doesn't want to be a stick in the mud as the entire office seems to be dog people, so she tolerates the dogs.
> 
> Day one, Jane wasn't over attentive with the new pup. Who doesn't love puppies? People who don't care for dogs.
> 
> ...


Lilie, my gut feeling is this is what happened. It makes more sense than the other options.

And I feel bad that I put her in that position...if that is what happened. Tucker's going to have to get over himself, either way.



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## DaniFani (Jan 24, 2013)

Putting poor Jane aside (and my thoughts about how she was described...which tend to line up with Gwen's thoughts), the question "why does my seemingly stable dog, react sometimes to random people?" Is an interesting question.

My personal theory is that the person is giving off *body language* that is confusing the dog (easily done with a young dog, no matter how stable, imo). Think about it, if you are fearful of dogs, you are fearful for a reason...probably because you think the dog may attack/bite. Fearful you is probably displaying your fear more than you ever imagined, especially to a dog, who's primary language is body language. 

Have you ever watched someone who is fearful of dogs (or anything for that matter)? Usually said person's movements are awkward, either really slow or jerky and quick, they maintain serious eye contact with the dog, may subconsciously posture themselves(subtly), preparing for an attack....it makes sense, when you are scared of something you automatically start getting into a defensive mindset (even if you aren't actively deciding to do this) and I really think it's much more apparent in body language than we'd think. 

So then along comes puppy, used to everyone loving him and being excited and here's this person that is obviously preparing for something bad to happen (obvious in the dog's eye, not the human's). So puppy thinks, "what the heck is wrong, why are they scared? I should be upset, if they're upset, I should be ready"...leading to whatever behavior that manifests itself in (ie barking, growling, avoidance, running away, etc).

Is it possible Jane is some cancer infected, psychopath with seven heads in her freezer? Sure....it's also possible that I can win the lottery tomorrow and buy that island I've been eyeing....Is it possible your dog knows the guy walking down the street wants to chop your body up into seven pieces, or the guy on the bus wants to steal your iphone? Sure...However, I'm willing to bet that 99% of the time it's probably someone who's scared of the dog, and sending crazy signals preparing for a confrontation and the dog feels it needs to match it or at the very least is inquisitively trying to figure out what's up.

My dog and the other young dogs at my club don't want to bite the decoy because he has a black heart (at least I don't think so), it's because he sends body language signals to the dog that says, "hey...I'm going to be a problem...you better neutralize me." 

In the beginning, at our club, this is literally done with body posturing, maybe a little eye contact (some dogs literally can't take that and they lose the grip or get chewy...that's how much pressure just eye contact can put on the dog), a little frontal body pressure, and then teach the dog to work through all that pressure (that to most humans wouldn't look like pressure at all).

It's easy to attribute a dog's outburst to some sixth sense, some doggy intuition. Don't get me wrong, it is definitely possible, I've been on the end of the leash when the dog was right....only it was a lab. I just don't think most of the time the person the dog might be reacting to is really an alcoholic, killer, probably just inadvertently sending some not-so-nice or "rude" body language signals to the dog. 

Personally, I'll correct for that, my dog is stable. I'll correct, because even if the dog is right, he's already let bad guy know he means business. Just his presence and intense stare (seriously, my dog is 7 months old and he has had a stare that could kill since he was 10 weeks, see below...it's only getting more intimidating with age and his bigger head lol) will be enough to deter most would-be-killers. I think most of us have that with our dogs, and I'd say 99.9% of the time, that'd be enough.

ETA: I also don't think a dog really reads us "not liking someone." Scared of someone? Absolutely, but just general annoyance?? Nah. Not imho.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

belladonnalily said:


> Lilie, my gut feeling is this is what happened. It makes more sense than the other options.
> 
> And I feel bad that I put her in that position...if that is what happened. Tucker's going to have to get over himself, either way.
> 
> ...


I wouldn't lose any sleep over it. What's done is done. You know now to keep Tucker from her office. I don't think I'd avoid her altogether, she might take that personally. 

Maybe you could teach Tucker some cool trick, like to carry a present to Jane. 

Personally, I wouldn't over think what happened with Tucker. So far, what ever you've been doing is working very well with him. He's social and friendly. He is showing confidence with strangers. If you start over thinking, he'll pick up on it. The only thing I'd do a bit differently is I wouldn't let him wander your office building on his own. Trust yourself, trust your dog.


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

martemchik said:


> To assume that Jane is a crack head, alcoholic, or has some other disease is the dumbest stretch of imagination I've ever heard. Instead of looking for physical evidence, people want to chalk it up to a chemical imbalance, that somehow, out of all the people the dog has met though out its life, this one is the only one with the imbalance...come on.


Actually I ws the first to suggest alcohol and if you're calling me dumb, we're going to have a serious issue going forward.

My reason for suggesting it was the very stable dog I had who would react to people who were sweating out alcohol. The first few times it was like whoah why no knock it off. Then the person would pass me and I could smell that stale booze smell. Obviously my dog had a nose 6000x better than mine and he smelled it before me. We spent a long time fixing and managing that issue...

The OP just wants insight into her young dog. Asking about other hadlers experiences. To wrap this all up into 'You people think' blah blah 'you're wrong' is just arrogant. I see a great deal of that here.


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

Ah good and fair point!  

So are you? 



belladonnalily said:


> *Why do you assume I'm not an "upper manager"?
> *
> It's an unusual company. Sometimes that's good, sometimes not so much. It is what it is.
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

SunCzarina said:


> Actually I ws the first to suggest alcohol and if you're calling me dumb, we're going to have a serious issue going forward.
> 
> My reason for suggesting it was the very stable dog I had who would react to people who were sweating out alcohol. The first few times it was like whoah why no knock it off. Then the person would pass me and I could smell that stale booze smell. Obviously my dog had a nose 6000x better than mine and he smelled it before me. We spent a long time fixing and managing that issue...
> 
> The OP just wants insight into her young dog. Asking about other hadlers experiences. To wrap this all up into 'You people think' blah blah 'you're wrong' is just arrogant. I see a great deal of that here.


Oooo we have a serious issue going forward...scary. See the quote, I didn't call someone dumb, I called the action of assuming those things dumb.

Why do we expect the worst of people? OP said Jane had an advanced degree, works with OP (I'll assume is then a fairly successful person as it sounds like they work in an office setting). Your first assumption was that the dog is magical and that the person has issues. Instead of something concrete, like what DaniFani just explained or what I have been posting about.

If you truly believe your explanation is the more "rational" one, I'm happy for you. But it just screams to me that you haven't had enough time to properly learn what it is that dogs tend to react to.

Like in your situation with the alcoholic, it was probably not the smell of alcohol as there is no reason for a dog to equate that smell to something bad or dangerous unless it was taught to the dog...it was more than likely that the person wasn't acting normal. If the smell of alcohol was that strong that YOU were able to pick it up, likely the person was under the influence...probably stumbling a bit, or presenting some other physical issue that didn't sit right with the dog. That is what the dog reacted to...but you chose to think it was the smell. And yes, maybe at some point the dog did make the connection between the smell and the physical issues and was reacting to the smell, but the first few times, I'll guarantee it wasn't just the smell that the dog was reacting to.

By your thought process, it would be so much easier to teach a dog to sniff out drugs or bombs since they inherently have the same values you do about certain substances being bad. So your dog would've smelled weed and known it was a bad substance and easily found it to tell you that its there.


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

:thumbup:

I agree with Dani and Lilie, that makes a lot of sense as to the possible cause of the dog's reaction.


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## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

Gwenhwyfair said:


> Ah good and fair point!
> 
> So are you?


Yes as a matter of factor I am. I'm in a pretty cozy spot on the food chain.

Does that somehow change anyone's thoughts about my dogs behavior? Maybe he's upset that I didn't give him an internship? Or wait, fiscal bonuses were just distributed and...

I feel like I've been put through an inquisition. Is my mother posting here under an alias? Jane must have called and told on me...

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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

Well congrats then. . When I was in corp world not even the director of our division was allowed to bring a dog. Only dogs allowed would be service dogs.

As far as the inquisition, may I welcome you to this little ole site known as germanshepherds.com? 

I think just about every regular poster has been through the wringer a time or two.

I do believe we could print up some t shirts along those lines. Lol....



belladonnalily said:


> Yes as a matter of factor I am. I'm in a pretty cozy spot on the food chain.
> 
> Does that somehow change anyone's thoughts about my dogs behavior? Maybe he's upset that I didn't give him an internship? Or wait, fiscal bonuses were just distributed and...
> 
> ...


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## Blanketback (Apr 27, 2012)

DaniFani said:


> I also don't think a dog really reads us "not liking someone." Scared of someone? Absolutely, but just general annoyance?? Nah. Not imho.


I've said it. I've said it again. I'll say it a hundred times if I have to: our dogs *DO* know when we don't like someone! Why is that surprising? You need to have more experience before you can dismiss this, because it's something that happens *all* the time. Sorry, but it's true.


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## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

Ok guys time for the REAL story. Too many have seen thru me.

One of my shortcomings is that I am always late. Always. I survived the early days in my company only because the owner of the company is also always late and he thought I was smart and approachable ( as apparently my dog is not). He also thought I looked good in a short skirt and heels.

On the day in question I once again arrived at work late and Tucker, being frustrated and grumpy about this, headed upstairs to our office to get his day started while I remain downstairs drinking coffee and eating donuts with the girls. Still being somewhat new to the company he accidentally entered the wrong office and and seeing Jane at what he thought was his desk proceeded to get upset with her and tell her to get the heck out of his office so he could get to work. Jane, being in a foul mood herself after having found her collection of taxidermied opossums destroyed by a marauding pack of Cocker Spaniels with Rage Syndrome, after leaving them on her patio overnight (cocaine makes her forgetful), retaliated in kind telling him his mother was a bitch. Words continued to be exchanged until I entered the office and told Tucker he needed back off and get his butt to work. But the damage was done. Neither will apologize or admit to any wrongdoing.

I tried to speak to both of them and this is what Jane's face looks like when I bring his name up now:









No wait. That's Tucker I think...

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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

I am getting the feeling that it is not Tucker who has a problem..... Or the attention the OP is getting is being rewarded with all our responses and so the behavior (gossiping, ridiculing Jane etc) is increasing.
Earlier the OP said she felt bad about it, not so much today. 
And all this in office hours?


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## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

wolfy dog said:


> I am getting the feeling that it is not Tucker who has a problem..... Or the attention the OP is getting is being rewarded with all our responses and so the behavior (gossiping, ridiculing Jane etc) is increasing.
> Earlier the OP said she felt bad about it, not so much today.
> And all this in office hours?


Yep, that's it. This is all about attention. Jane doesn't even exist. Heck, I don't even have a dog.

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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

Blanketback said:


> I've said it. I've said it again. I'll say it a hundred times if I have to: our dogs *DO* know when we don't like someone! Why is that surprising? You need to have more experience before you can dismiss this, because it's something that happens *all* the time. Sorry, but it's true.


No it doesn't. I really dislike more than a few people at my dog club. I've actually been pretty angry and pissed at them in the presence of my dog, and he didn't do anything about it. He didn't react, alert, stare them down, anything. If that person had threatened me in any way (they wouldn't have as they just like to put you down with words being 60+ year old women) my dog would've reacted appropriately. He has yet to react negatively to anyone that I personally have a dislike for.


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

LOL! 

Are ready for that t shirt yet BDL?


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

martemchik said:


> No it doesn't. I really dislike more than a few people at my dog club. I've actually been pretty angry and pissed at them in the presence of my dog, and he didn't do anything about it. He didn't react, alert, stare them down, anything. If that person had threatened me in any way (they wouldn't have as they just like to put you down with words being 60+ year old women) my dog would've reacted appropriately. He has yet to react negatively to anyone that I personally have a dislike for.


Sounds like a stable, well trained dog that doesn't have to take the initiative as he relies on you.


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

There's some research out there indicating dogs do 'read' humans, therefore it would follow they can and will interpret their owners. I have an anecdotal story along those lines myself...

Maybe this should be a different thread about how dogs sense or interpret the humans around them.



martemchik said:


> No it doesn't. I really dislike more than a few people at my dog club. I've actually been pretty angry and pissed at them in the presence of my dog, and he didn't do anything about it. He didn't react, alert, stare them down, anything. If that person had threatened me in any way (they wouldn't have as they just like to put you down with words being 60+ year old women) my dog would've reacted appropriately. He has yet to react negatively to anyone that I personally have a dislike for.


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

I'm confused as to why OP is getting any flack, or feels like they're getting flack. I don't think any of this is the OP's fault. OP posted a story, the first poster after that assumed Jane was an alcoholic, the rest of the next few pages were people posting stories of how their dogs reacted negatively to people that were on drugs or that they didn't like. So it just spiraled downhill from there.

When the first assumption is irrational and made by someone that clearly also didn't get the whole picture when their dog did what it did in their story...the rest of the people are going to jump on the bandwagon as well.

Instead of looking for reasons why the dog reacted that have been proven by replication, people started trying to find reasons why Jane is a bad guy and the dog was in the right. Like I said in an earlier post, making the GSD a hero, or in the right, is very popular around here. Most of the really negative things that were stated about the fellow employee were made by people that don't know the employee but were just reaching for reasons as to why the GSD was correct in his decision to react the way he did.


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

I’m not saying dogs don’t read humans. Like…if I went towards a person, in anger, and in a very threatening posture…I’m 100% certain my dog would not just back me up, but be at that person’s face way before I got there. The fact that some of you believe that a dislike (which is probably more a thought than an actual chemical reaction/change in your body), can be picked up by a dog is unlikely. It’s likely that your actions/tone of voice towards that person might elicit a response from the dog, but it’s not just thinking that you don’t like someone. If you do truly really hate someone, maybe your blood pressure does go up, or your heart beat rises, and the dog can pick up on that. But the fact that you like a coworker less than another coworker? Come on...I'm assuming OP doesn't come to work, see Jane, and wants to rip her throat out because she can't use a staple remover.

Just follow my thought process on the dog that sniffed out the alcohol filled person…dog smelled the alcohol before the human did, but dog also saw the person. Person was so intoxicated that they were moving differently than any person the dog had ever seen before. So dog reacted. After a few incidents with people like that, dog realized that if it smells that smell, it means a person that acts weird will be coming from somewhere, so dog reacts in that same way. If you are to believe that the dog reacts negatively to the smell of alcohol on the first time, you’re placing your own knowledge that alcohol is bad and alcohol makes for an unpredictable and possibly dangerous person (that is something as humans we have learned from experience). To assume that a dog, without any knowledge of what alcohol is, how it effects humans, and how it smells, will react in an aggressive way to protect its handler is completely crazy…follow my thought process?


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

My favorite song..... 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43iW8oB20Ps


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

IMO what a dog is 'reading' is a broad concept.

It could be any number of things.

Tone of voice(s), body language, odors, breathing patterns, movements and so forth. 

It would also make sense that the level of proficiency varies from dog to dog and training too.

If the dogs owner dislikes someone enough that they show some sort of physical change that the dog picks up on they could alter their behavior.

One thing a lot of people do subconsciously is hold their breath and their muscles get tense.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

belladonnalily said:


> Ok guys time for the REAL story. Too many have seen thru me.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


 
I knew it! I knew it! I want to change all of my advice to you and tell you the best way to move foward at this time is to get Jane an e-collar, Tucker a prong collar and you a Timex watch. They take a lickin' and keep on tickin'.


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## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

Gwenhwyfair said:


> LOL!
> 
> Are ready for that t shirt yet BDL?


I feel like I've been hazed lol.

No worries, I can take it. I like a good discussion with opposing views. And when I'm wrong, I'll own it. Sometimes my sense of humor is misplaced and/or poorly timed.And then there are always a few that no matter what you say, you're going to be misread. Can't win 'em all. That's life. 



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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

Gwenhwyfair said:


> There's some research out there indicating dogs do 'read' humans, therefore it would follow they can and will interpret their owners. I have an anecdotal story along those lines myself...
> 
> Maybe this should be a different thread about how dogs sense or interpret the humans around them.


It is a difficult concept to explain to folks who've never witnessed it. Once they do, if ever, they'll understand.


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## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

onyx'girl said:


> My favorite song.....
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43iW8oB20Ps


12 pages later, I get it 

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## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

Lilie said:


> I knew it! I knew it! I want to change all of my advice to you and tell you the best way to move foward at this time is to get Jane an e-collar, Tucker a prong collar and you a Timex watch. They take a lickin' and keep on tickin'.


Great idea!

I've already ordered a leerburg video on pack structure, and am going to require Jane and Tucker watch it together. Afterward, we'll circle the campfire and sing Kumbaya together. 

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## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

Martemchik, you're right. There's no animosity between Jane and I. She can be frustrating to work with, but thats all. Now, the person she shares an office and her HAVE had some issues. That person is her superior and it has been warranted, IMHO. But between her and I, none.

I have no idea where the idea came from that I switched gears today and was blaming Jane. Is someone posting as me, and then deleting them before I see them? I'm going to beat Tucker if he got ahold of my phone again....

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## boomer11 (Jun 9, 2013)

Gwenhwyfair said:


> There's some research out there indicating dogs do 'read' humans, therefore it would follow they can and will interpret their owners. I have an anecdotal story along those lines myself...
> 
> Maybe this should be a different thread about how dogs sense or interpret the humans around them.


So if you lined up 3 people, one was someone who you hated, the dog would start barking/act weary of that person without you ever saying a word? 

Video tape it and let us see the results! I hate everyone and my dog doesn't bark so I don't have one of those special dogs the majority of this thread seems to have.


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

maybe Tucker was better at working the stapler...


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## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

belladonnalily said:


> Lilie, my gut feeling is this is what happened. It makes more sense than the other options.
> 
> And I feel bad that I put her in that position...if that is what happened. Tucker's going to have to get over himself, either way.
> 
> ...


Wolfy Dog, I posted this 4 hours ago. Like, today.


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## DaniFani (Jan 24, 2013)

Blanketback said:


> I've said it. I've said it again. I'll say it a hundred times if I have to: our dogs *DO* know when we don't like someone! Why is that surprising? You need to have more experience before you can dismiss this, because it's something that happens *all* the time. Sorry, but it's true.


I should have been more clear. I don't think a dog "just knows" that I don't like someone. I used me being scared as an example because I would be exhibiting physiological changes that the dog's sensitive senses will pick up. As Martem and Gwen pointed out, it's always a physiological change (imo) that the dog picks up on. I don't think there is a romantic, cerebral, connection between me and my dog that let's him know what I'm feeling (that was my point, I should have clarified that). 

99% of the time there is a pretty simple, logical, explanation, for an animal's action or behavior. Like Martem pointed out, a LOT of people would jump to the conclusion that a dog doesn't like someone because it smells alcohol. In reality it probably went the way Martem described it. The dog LEARNED that alcohol smell indicates the behaviors it's uncomfortable with. It didn't just intuitively, not like alcohol.

I'm a born skeptic though. I have a hard time believing in romantic notions, it's just who I am. I don't think there is anything wrong if you believe there is some higher connection beyond what I described. I just believe, for the most part, a lot of people perceive a dog's reaction to its heightened senses, as some sixth sense....when in my opinion, it's just reacting to it's senses....which is really cool, in and of itself, to me! It's incredible that they can detect a diabetic attack coming...I don't think it's a "power" I just think they smell changes we can't. And that's neat!!


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## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

SunCzarina said:


> maybe Tucker was better at working the stapler...




I'd love to post a funny reply to this, but I fear I'd start receiving hate mail.

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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

belladonnalily said:


> Wolfy Dog, I posted this 4 hours ago. Like, today.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Was it today? Are you sure? Were you wearing your spiffy Timex watch?


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## boomer11 (Jun 9, 2013)

belladonnalily said:


> Tucker is almost 11mo. He likes people and other dogs, but we are working on not being so vocal with his excitement. I have drastically curbed his greeting new people and honestly he doesn't seem to care so much any more about meeting them, but just gets excited around groups of people and new experiences.
> 
> Today after hiking we stopped at a general store and walked across to a small public trout pond. Lots of people fishing. Lots of young children. But pretty quiet as they WERE fishing.
> 
> ...


You posted this just last month. Sounds like an incredibly well behaved dog. 

Like I said, instead of looking at their own dog people are so quick to try to blame anything else. 

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## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

There is probably a simple explanation for the behavior.

As a hypothetical: Dog meets Jane for the first time. It's obvious to people that there is something different about Jane, so the dog picks up on this and doesn't know how to respond or becomes uncomfortable. In an effort to make the experience a good one for the dog, it is rewarded during a wary emotional state. Inadvertently, through soft petting, praise type voice, giving food rewards, the dog is rewarded for being wary of this person.

Next time they meet, he goes into the wary state and is rewarded further. Rinse and repeat and you have trained the behavior that only manifests itself with this person because of how they are different physiologically.

Experienced LE and MIL patrol dogs do this. They get rewarded (bite) for chasing down a person that has a particular smell. This happens several times, not in training but real street bites. The dog begins to indicate on that odor even if the person doesn't outwardly respond by fleeing. If a person goes into fight / flight and has that hormone dump, they will smell like a bad guy and some dogs respond to this.


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

belladonnalily said:


> I'd love to post a funny reply to this, but I fear I'd start receiving hate mail.


oh go ahead, there's another thread about shepherd being serious people. That has never been my experience, just that some of them take themselves too seriously.


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## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

To wrap this up, I stayed home with Tucker today and will tomorrow and worked from here. Hopefully by Monday he'll be healed enough to stay on his own. Nothing like having a dog that can chew a bandage off thru a muzzle, with a cone on, while sedated. It's been a fun week, and we're both ready to get back to training and playing.

Going forward, I'll continue to be cautious with him when he does go to the office. 

Whatever the reason, I'll probably never know and so I'll just have to manage accordingly. 

I'll apologize for offending anyone with my off-humor and unintended disparagements.

Thanks again to all of those who responded without malice, whatever your opinion was. 

Off to wrestle my dog to change his bandage now...

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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

Well, if I were to model an objective scientific experiment I sure wouldn't do it that way. 

In blue or maybe because you hate so many people your dog has become desensitized to it.

Ever think of that way. Huh? LOL!

I'm not sure if you're one of those black and white kind of people or not, I get the feeling you are. So if I were to explain a more nuanced take on it, based on evidence which is weighted to support my and Blanketback's theory, I don't know that you would appreciate or accept it?

eta - P.S. your argument to popularity just took a shot too, see David's post below.



boomer11 said:


> So if you lined up 3 people, one was someone who you hated, the dog would start barking/act weary of that person without you ever saying a word?
> 
> Video tape it and let us see the results! I hate everyone and my dog doesn't bark so I don't have one of those special dogs the majority of this thread seems to have.


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

belladonnalily said:


> Off to wrestle my dog to change his bandage now...



Best of luck. I had one years ago who had a broken leg. He couldn't be left alone or he'd eat the cast. With a cone on. When the vet had to recast him, he put steel rods all around the outside so the dog clunked along but he still tried to eat that cast!


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

David, with police dogs is there any evidence that they learn to detect and respond to stress hormone related scent a suspect may be releasing?




David Winners said:


> There is probably a simple explanation for the behavior.
> 
> As a hypothetical: Dog meets Jane for the first time. It's obvious to people that there is something different about Jane, so the dog picks up on this and doesn't know how to respond or becomes uncomfortable. In an effort to make the experience a good one for the dog, it is rewarded during a wary emotional state. Inadvertently, through soft petting, praise type voice, giving food rewards, the dog is rewarded for being wary of this person.
> 
> ...


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## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

boomer11 said:


> You posted this just last month. Sounds like an incredibly well behaved dog.
> 
> Like I said, instead of looking at their own dog people are so quick to try to blame anything else.
> 
> ...


Really? He got excited at a trout pond with a zillion people casting fishing lines and acted stupid. He is incredibly vocal when excited and at 115lbs, people notice. A maltese puppy would have been easier to stuff in my backpack. 

I asked a training question. He just turned 1 last Friday. Should I assume your dogs were ejected from the womb perfectly trained?

Ok, you know what? You got me. If we're going to start analyzing past posts to make me out as a villian and a liar, fine. Let's all be childish. I'll take my marbles and go home.

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## sparra (Jun 27, 2011)

Lilie said:


> I am suprised by the amount of folks on this thread who are unable to read their own dogs. Kinda sad really. You won't ever be able to understand where the OP is coming from, if you've never experianced it.


I don't understand this post at all.......sighs.......


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## boomer11 (Jun 9, 2013)

Gwenhwyfair said:


> Well, if I were to model an objective scientific experiment I sure wouldn't do it that way.
> 
> In blue or maybe because you hate so many people your dog has become desensitized to it.
> 
> Ever think of that way. Huh?


Hahaha good point. If I was super nice to someone my dog probably won't know what's going on and freak out on that person. Not sure if you were trying to be humorous but I found your reply pretty clever and funny. 

I might not agree with your theory but I'd love to hear it. I just like facts leading from one place to another . I don't like a beginning and then suddenly you jump to the end and get this amazing theory. Btw I'm a chemist by trade so science is my niche. And I would say most scientific people do tend to think more in black and white.


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

belladonnalily said:


> Ok, you know what? You got me. If we're going to start analyzing past posts to make me out as a villian and a liar, fine. Let's all be childish. I'll take my marbles and go home.http://www.petguide.com/mobile


Never mind him. It's just more nonsense bullying that needs to stop on this forum.


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

David Winners just validated it.

I think it's a really interesting topic though, we should start a separate thread on it, really.

I've gotta run so if you've got time start one and let's see what information or data we can gather. 




boomer11 said:


> Hahaha good point. If I was super nice to someone my dog probably won't know what's going on and freak out on that person. Not sure if you were trying to be humorous but I found your reply pretty clever and funny.
> 
> I might not agree with your theory but I'd love to hear it. I just like facts leading from one place to another . I don't like a beginning and then suddenly you jump to the end and get this amazing theory. Btw I'm a chemist by trade so science is my niche. And I would say most scientific people do tend to think more in black and white.


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## boomer11 (Jun 9, 2013)

Wait what did he validate? A dog can be more weary of people who smell like weed? A dog can be TRAINED to be more suspicious of a certain race. Doesn't mean it's reading off anyone's emotion. 

If you are petting the dog for barking at someone then the dog isn't reading you. Thats not reading, that's training. 

David do you know the protocol for sending a dog after a suspect? Would a dog be allowed to chase a suspect down in public with bystanders around or is it usually a closed off area before a dog is let loose?


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## boomer11 (Jun 9, 2013)

SunCzarina said:


> Never mind him. It's just more nonsense bullying that needs to stop on this forum.


Bullying? I'd call it giving more clarity to the situation. I'd imagine a lot of the replies to this thread would be different if people knew this wasn't the first time the dog has been in a barking frenzy.


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## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

It's not about weed or explosive odor. This was explained in my first post rather clearly.

The dog smells the dump of hormones present when a person goes into fight / flight because of what they are feeling. Fear and or aggression.

Yes I know when a dog is allowed to be sent. Kind of a strange question. I'm a handler and trainer of working dogs and handlers. I'll get into it later when I have time.


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## boomer11 (Jun 9, 2013)

David Winners said:


> It's not about weed or explosive odor. This was explained in my first post rather clearly.
> 
> The dog smells the dump of hormones present when a person goes into fight / flight because of what they are feeling. Fear and or aggression.
> 
> Yes I know when a dog is allowed to be sent. Kind of a strange question. I'm a handler and trainer of working dogs and handlers. I'll get into it later when I have time.


I know you know. I was asking if you could explain the protocol. Is fear from running away because you know you're guilty the same as fear from a small kid running away because an 80 pound police dog is running full speed in his direction? I have no doubt dogs can smell fear but a lot of people in a room can be fearful of a dog. How would the dog know who the bad guy is in a room full of people without being told? Or can it? My opinion is the dog can't.


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## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

boomer11 said:


> Bullying? I'd call it giving more clarity to the situation. I'd imagine a lot of the replies to this thread would be different if people knew this wasn't the first time the dog has been in a barking frenzy.



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It wasn't a barking frenzy. It was a whiny awful sound he makes like a temper tantrum when he sees something that excites him. He used to do it when my daughters came home from school and he saw them from through the kitchen door. Took some training to teach him to wait. He still wiggles and whines (much lower) now, but he stays down until I release him. He also jumped on cars in the driveway from excitement and made this sound until we got that issue resolved, at around 6 months old (to the best of my recollection).

His excitement sounds are much louder and more annoying than his bark, actually. And they always indicate he's wanting to join in on the fun (something that wouldn't be appreciated at a quiet trout pond). If I'd turned him loose, I have no doubt he'd have plowed a few children over, licked a few others, peed on a tackle box then jumped in the pond. There was no display of aggression, just a big obnoxious pup. For the record, no one fishes inside the office.

Way different than a barking frenzy. We had a little of that with cattle but thats good now too. 

The only issue, besides the one on this thread, is some aggression between him and our older food aggressive female dog (there's also a thread on that if you want to fact check). It's getting better, but I'll label that one as still an issue.

The only other thing was when I pushed him hard with my foot when he was a few months old and going through a terrible landshark phase, and he got me on the bare ankle. I cried over that one because I felt like I'd scarred him for life.

If I missed one, let me know. Just trying to save you some time.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

Thanks for the entertaining discussion today. Jane called and asked what was going on at a certain GSD Forum. 
It's always good to get so many takes on issues.


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## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

boomer11 said:


> I know you know. I was asking if you could explain the protocol. Is fear from running away because you know you're guilty the same as fear from a small kid running away because an 80 pound police dog is running full speed in his direction? I have no doubt dogs can smell fear but a lot of people in a room can be fearful of a dog. How would the dog know who the bad guy is in a room full of people without being told? Or can it? My opinion is the dog can't.


You asked me if I knew. I thought this was a strange question. 

I don't know exactly what a dog is smelling, seeing or reacting to. I do know that in a crowd of people that are terrified of the dog, it can happen that the dog will alert to a particular person by showing an inordinate amount of interest. It has been my experience that this is a piece of information that the handler should pay attention to.

Fama would gladly chase a running pack of kids off without biting one of them. If you feel your dog can't tell the difference in the complex physiological stimulus that humans present, that's your opinion and perhaps lack of experience. 

It's important to point out that many studies have been done regarding dog's ability to do just this, and they are resoundingly positive in the fact that dogs can and do understand the complex emotional state that humans present, and they are unique in their ability to understand our body language.

That is of course a very brief summarization that doesn't address any of the specifics.

David Winners


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## boomer11 (Jun 9, 2013)

Right but what about emotions coming from you? In your opinion can your dog read you and dislike who you dislike? 

And are military/police dogs allowed to be sent towards a suspect in a crowded area? If they are so good at discerning these smells then they should correct? 

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## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

wolfy dog said:


> Thanks for the entertaining discussion today. Jane called and asked what was going on at a certain GSD Forum.
> It's always good to get so many takes on issues.


That explains Jane's newer, weirder behavior today. She wouldn't even share her vodka with me in the ladies restroom. At least we've cleared that part up.

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## sparra (Jun 27, 2011)

Of course dogs can sense things we can't.....I guess it is more about the degree in which they react to that......no body should be exusing this type of behaviour.....then you have threads about why our breed is so disliked, feared even.......it is not good for the breed to have dogs in work places behaving this way.
It may have seemed funny to some that the dog hates the weird chick......but if he had of bitten her.....not so funny.


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## Harry and Lola (Oct 26, 2013)

onyx'girl said:


> Wonder what they smell when I'm having a hot flash? Maybe Jane is in menopause and emoting old hormones every half hour


LOL, does make you wonder

Belladonnalily he is 1 year old and not quite cooked yet. He is slowly maturing and with your guidance and help he will mature into a stable, confident GSD boy. From what you have said, imo he is not partaking in a 'barking fenzy'. He sounds like a normal 1yo GSD male trying to grow up. And from the sounds of it, you are aware of his size and powerful breed, so I have every confidence in your ability to handle and control him.

PS, love your real story


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## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

Thanks Harry and Lola. I've worked hard to make sure he is a good representative of the breed. In my line of work, I see lots of breed restrictions in force. We've had training stuff to work on, more my inexperience than his temperament, but this has been the only serious concern I've had with him. I chose him because I knew I wasn't ready for a "harder" dog. So it worried me and I came here for additional thoughts and advice. I don't want him scaring anyone, and I thought understanding it would help me.

And just last week, my vet and his staff raved about how he handled himself with his first real injury. I was told he was the best-tempered GSD that he'd ever treated. It was a really proud moment for me, as I honestly didn't know how he'd react to everything. 

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## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

boomer11 said:


> Right but what about emotions coming from you? In your opinion can your dog read you and dislike who you dislike?
> 
> And are military/police dogs allowed to be sent towards a suspect in a crowded area? If they are so good at discerning these smells then they should correct?
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


There is no black and white answer to this. It's situational, depends on the dog, what the target is doing, risk versus reward. You're asking for an answer that would fill a book.

If you are asking if a dog can be sent into a crowd with the command to only bite the bad guy using only scent discrimination. No. Another question I don't understand. A dog being sent to bite is sent on a specific target, for a specific reason that warrants the use of force.

If you are going to try to discredit something, choosing logical arguments would be a good place to start. Reading responses and considering them is also helpful. Like where I said a response from the dog is something the handler should pay attention to, not send the dog. It is information. That's all.

If you send a dog on a bite, it's not looking for a target with its nose. That's pretty obvious, even in YouTube videos.

As far as a dog reading your emotions, a dog will react differently if you are happy, sad, angry, whatever. Different dogs are going to react differently. If I'm feeling aggressive towards a person, Fama will pick up on that and will be cocked and locked. This takes time to develop, and different dogs are going to be different.



David Winners


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

Harry and Lola said:


> Belladonnalily he is 1 year old and not quite cooked yet. He is slowly maturing and with your guidance and help he will mature into a stable, confident GSD boy. From what you have said, imo he is not partaking in a 'barking fenzy'. He sounds like a normal 1yo GSD male trying to grow up. And from the sounds of it, you are aware of his size and powerful breed, so I have every confidence in your ability to handle and control him.
> 
> PS, love your real story


^this. He'll grow up to be a fine dog since you're vigilant about getting to the bottom of every behavior.


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## belladonnalily (May 24, 2013)

Thanks SunCzarina 

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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

You're welcome and don't take any aggravation for posting about everything. When Otto was coming into his manhood, I posted all the time about his behaviors. I have a great dog now.


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## boomer11 (Jun 9, 2013)

David Winners said:


> As far as a dog reading your emotions, a dog will react differently if you are happy, sad, angry, whatever. Different dogs are going to react differently. If I'm feeling aggressive towards a person, Fama will pick up on that and will be cocked and locked. This takes time to develop, and different dogs are going to be different.
> 
> 
> 
> David Winners


If I'm understanding you correctly you're saying if you felt angry/aggressive towards a person in a crowded room your dog would feel the same way towards that person? We're talking emotions and not visual cues right? I can be angry without huffing and puffing and flailing my arms everywhere.


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## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

Yes.

To avoid further derailing of the OPs thread, please start another one or PM me.


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

Brain chemistry. Dogs can smell fear (adrenaline?), we all know that. 

Brain Chemicals Involved In Aggression Identified: May Lead To New Treatments -- ScienceDaily
'Stressful events have a profound influence on the neuroendocrine and neurochemical systems, causing chemical changes in many areas of the brain, including several that are strongly involved in emotions: the prefrontal cortex, the hippocampus, and the amygdala. Among the neurotransmitters and hormones altered by stress are dopamine, serotonin, noradrenalin, and corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) (which affects blood levels of corticosterone). '

It's an old quasi joke that someone reacted poorly because 'they were off their meds' but fact remains if taking chemicals can regulate brain function, a dog would be able to smell the difference in a persons brain chemistry being off.


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

a person who has a hospital visitation dog , certified , had said their dog had difficulty with patients who wore colostomy bags.


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

Shouldn't it also be noted that "disliking" someone is probably not enough of an emotional response to bring about a chemical change that the dog would pick up on.

Like...there are people on this forum I disagree with, I don't particularly "like" them, but that doesn't mean if I meet them my blood will be boiling. IMO liking/disliking a person is a very neurological process, not really an emotional one. Now, if at the time of interaction with the person, your "dislike" of them does have a way of making you more emotional when you disagree with them or whatever, that's different.


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## Blanketback (Apr 27, 2012)

It could be that we all have our own versions of "dislike" too. For me, I'm pretty friendly IRL. I don't have very many people that I openly dislike - but when I do, these people aren't welcome around me. I mean, _seriously_ stay away from me. This has nothing to do with differing viewpoints or disagreements - more like people who have done me wrong in a big way, like stealing from me, or lying to cause me harm. Toxic people. I'm sure I'm giving off bad vibes around them, and my dogs can sense this.


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

Blanketback said:


> Toxic people. I'm sure I'm giving off bad vibes around them, and my dogs can sense this.


Yes. I don't have too many of them in my life anymore to say how Otto or Venus would react but Morgan and Luther, oh yeah they're reacted to people I couldn't stand but had to put up with. First that comes to mind is my husband's brother's xwife, they hated her. We all did but were nice to her because she was Bill's wife and she's not a jerk, she's jsut one of those annoyingly negative people.


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