I recently fostered a dog who first greeted me at the shelter that I sprung her from by jumping up on me. Front or back, it made no difference to her what side of the human was presented to her, she was just delirious with joy that someone opened her kennel gate and was paying attention to her. I spent the first two days with her almost exclusively working on preventing her from jumping (by standing on her leash at a length that did not prevent her from standing and moving, but wouldn’t allow her to leap up at me) and generously reinforcing her for not jumping (by quickly putting my hands on her and giving her massive amounts of petting and attention when she remained calm and had all four paws on the floor, and by tossing treats on the ground to direct more of her attention to lower altitudes).
However, when I introduced her to a friend, and my friend immediately held her arms out and greeted the dog’s enthusiastic jump up with a big hug, petting, and cooing, I was reminded once again that everyone likes different things about dogs!
I really, really, dislike it when big dogs jump on people! And while I feel like small dogs who jump up on people have a better excuse for doing so, I’m not a fan of sharp little nails scratching my legs, either! But I have lots of friends who not only don’t mind when dogs jump up on them, they encourage it! Ack!
However, I have to admit that my dog Woody has a behavior quirk that has always amused me, and is very much not appreciated by many other people: He likes to walk straight up to people and walk though their legs. He’ll stop halfway through, wagging his tail furiously, hoping that the person will reach down and scratch his butt. It’s his favorite way to greet people—but not many people appreciate being greeted by having a big old Pit Bull head coming straight at their crotch! And he’s nearly knocked over a few shorter people, and taken a few kids for a short ride!
Of course, when we’re in public, I prevent Woody from greeting people in this way. And when folks come to my house, I have to judge whether they are capable of either telling Woody “Off!” or if I need to put him on a leash or behind a gate. I would never let him near my beloved 94-year-old neighbor, for example, but the guy who came to trim some of our trees was sturdy enough and seemed comfortable with the dogs; I just told him he could just tell Woody “Off!” and the dog would leave him alone. He did tell Woody “Off!” and Woody did leave him alone—but did he (or some of my other friends) leave my house that day saying to themselves, “Sheesh, she’s a dog trainer? Her dog’s behavior is awful!”
People also have very different reactions to barking. My sister barely seems to notice when one, two, or all three of her small dogs are barking, but I can’t even talk to her on the phone (much less in person) when I hear them in the background bark, bark, barking at something. I often have to interrupt her to say, “Go see what they are barking at!”
Licking is another deal-breaker for me. I don’t like being licked by dogs—not even my own dogs! But lots of my friends don’t seem bothered by it at all.
What canine behaviors are deal-breakers for you? And what behaviors do you tolerate that you think other people really don’t like?
I can’t think of any deal breakers.
My parents do not like to be licked on any part of their body. The dogs know it. They also know that I don’t care so i get showered with affection and kisses. I’m fine with it as I understand their desire and frustration at having no one to relive their urge to kiss.
WHINING! Our lab/pit mix is a terrible excitement whiner. Before their meals, anticipating a walk or ride in the car. Makes me crazy. He is LOUD. And I have tried a number of things to stop it, nothing worked. Sigh…….he is a sweetheart and very cute and funny. But way too whiny.
I forgot to include my deal-breaker.
Stupid barking.
Bark when there’s something to note, please, and you recognize what’ important by quietly investigating before you go into all-out bark mode.
I know some dogs are lonely, scared, bored, etc, and that’s a human problem that needs solving and you can’t blame the dog. However, stupid barking, as I call it, is when a dog takes note of something and lets out a sudden whoop bark that makes me jump to the ceiling, and then the dog proceeds to go nuts at some sound, some thing, on and on and on and on. And oh so loud and “important.”
Sigh…I know the dog likely feels it’s important, but, well, still. Does it have to go on for minutes? I just dropped a coaster in the other room, that was all. Couldn’t you come investigate the sound before setting off a 5-star alarm???
Stupid barking. I hate stupid barking.
My GSD puppy loved to walk narrow paths. As she grew, she began scaling tall walls and such. It was so fun for me to watch her carefully jump up onto a narrow wall and balance well and then walk the length and then carefully turn around. I’d always spot her with the leash attached to the back of her harness, especially if the wall were high, but she rarely lost her balance. She avoided any missteps, such as a foot falling into the flowerbed.
Any chance I got to find a fun narrow wall for her to walk, I’d take it. You usually find those walls close to business building, hotels, outside hospitals…many people working at desks watched us. Most smiled. Enough of them scowled (because it probably felt invasive as who walks between bushes and their window?).
That was a unique quirk I just loved in her.