Source
r/dogs•
NSFWIssue

[Help] Has a dog ever turned against you out of the blue?

I have a small problem. My friend has a smallish dog who used to love me. When I entered his house his dog would go crazy and we would play for a few minutes and he would jump up in chairs to sit with me. I'm not really special, he does this with everyone, but still he is generally a very friendly dog.

But one day he just turned against me. I came in the house and he wouldn't stop barking at me. Eventually after a lot of insistence from my friend, he will stop barking at me, but after that he just skulks around me and acts like everything I do is a threat. He looks scared to death of everything I do, and any sudden movement I make is met with a startled jolt from him.

I do, though, remember exactly when this started. It was very odd. I was sitting in a chair and my friend's dog was standing in a doorway a few feet away. The way the chair was positioned we were facing each other. I moved to get out of the chair (in a way that I could see as being intimidating/challenging to an animal - I puffed my chest out and sort of lurched forward quite suddenly while looking at the dog) and immediately I could see fear in his eyes. He sort of jumped and took a few steps back. Ever since that exact moment he has seemingly hated me.

I've tried giving him treats each time I see him - he takes them and runs off and looks to anyone else but me for more. Sometimes he will still jump up in the chair and sit with me! I love on him, scratch his back/ears etc just like I used to and he is fine with it - then he will suddenly jump out of the chair and continue acting like I'm a monster.

Almost constantly he is giving me the side-eye with a forlorn look and hunkered shoulders, and as I said every movement I make seems to intimidate him.

I have never shown anything but kindness to this dog. I grew up with many animals and this has never ever happened to me. I am so perplexed, and it makes it difficult to be with my friend sometimes when his dog won't stop barking at me.

Does anyone have any experience with something like this? Any advice?

Posted Feb 24, 2016, 4:26 PM UTC

84
DioxycyclonePit Bull, Blue Lacy, Doberman and Bull Terrier•

Were you wearing a hat or sunglasses? A jacket or did you change your hair color?

Dogs often spook for odd visual changes, especially when someone usually wears tight clothes normally and then dons a huge jacket, or only wears a hat once or whatever.

Like others said, time will heal.

5
edgepatrol•

Give him time and space. I would totally ignore him...don't even look at him. Seeking his attention makes it worse, for multiple reasons. When he gets over his fear, he will come to you on his own.

2
netpuppyDraco the Schipperke•

How old is he? This sounds like a typical adolessence behaviour. When he was in that stage, my dog suddenly found umbrellas terrifying. He were used to them and there were never any problems and then bam! Terrified of all umbrellas!

Just ignore him, don't look at him or engage him at all unless he comes to you to seek attention (if he just want to sniff you, let him without engaging) and maybe throw some treats his way, still without making eyecontact. He'll come around :)

1
CyberEye2•

When I was about 15 years old, I looked after my neighbours Rotty for a week while they were on vacation. I was over there everyday feeding, walking, and playing with him. The day they got back I was out in my yard with my sister, he came over to the fence all happy and what not, so I reached over to pet him (like I always did). For whatever reason, he latched onto my forearm and started trying to pull me over the fence. Luckily my sister was there and she grabbed onto me. He hit someone at the beach a few weeks later and they had him put down. Still makes me sad thinking about it.

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