Dogs That Don't Like Homeless Or Roughly Dressed Ppl.

[Smithson]

Has anyone else noticed that a lot of dogs over here don't like homeless or roughly dressed ppl?

I've seen this with many dogs and wondered why? Some of the ppl appear mentally ill, while others sort through the garbage, so I was thinking these might be explanations. But I've also seen dogs that actually appear to judge a person by how they dress, for example they will act differently to a salesman or someone dressed well as opposed to someone delivering gas or repairing something.

[wolfmanjack]

My dog didn't like people with Tattoos. She used to try and attack a guy that came to our place and i could never figure it out until i saw him out and about with no shirt on. He had quite a few tattoos that were not visible when he was fully clothed.

I have to believe in their 6th sense ability to tell if someone is okay or not because my dog will let some strangers come in and step right over her with no reaction at all. Others can't even walk through the front gate without her freaking out.

[pumpuiman]

I believe the dogs pick up on the energy around them....you perhaps don't trust said person, therefore the dog follows your lead.

[ashacat]

My dogs don't like people who aren't university educated.

[wolfmanjack]

I believe the dogs pick up on the energy around them....you perhaps don't trust said person, therefore the dog follows your lead.

Can't be. My front gate is quite aways from my house and she will start trying to attack as soon as they reach the front gate. other people can walk right through the gate and up to the house without her even moving a muscle.

[PhilHarries]

I knew a dog, Rupert was his name, in an Aussie run beer bar in Pattaya. Farang men and/or Thai women could enter and sit without a murmur, in fact he was one humungous softie. But let a Thai man approach and he'd turn into a snarling monster. Most likely his previous owner, nobody knew where he had come from he just kind of moved in, had been a Thai and had mistreated him.

But Thai dogs judging according to some dress code? There are more than a few TV board members that fill that role so maybe that's their karma to be reincarnated as a dog with fashion sense.

[Smithson]

I've noticed dogs following homeless ppl down the road barking at them. Dogs also don't seem to like the ppl who go recycle from garbage, some of whom even carry food scraps to keep the dogs happy.

[2long]

A Thai once told me that they know which people eat dog meat! It'd make sense, actually. And the people they bark at usually fit the bill.

[bina]

homeless people may have a tendency to not act like what the dog sees every day as normal actions = not normal actions, must be a threat, so goes on defensive. also, people that are afraid or wary of dogs bring out the defensive reaction in dogs, since in the dog world, a wary or scared dog often becomes an agressor , an other dog will go on the defensive also.

any hesitating action, pausing and/or standing still suddenly will be read by a dog as not ordinary behavior (of people that is) and therefore a possible threat...

thats why we suggest when walking past a defensive or 'following' dog, not to stop and stand still but to keep walking as usual, not slower, not faster, and also, to yawn (among dogs, yawning is a way to release tension and to signal neutrality or non aggression. used mostly by puppies and lower ranking dogs), light a cigarette or any other usual human behavior. this cues the dog that u are ok, not afraid, not defensive, and therefore not likely to attack. homeless people/mentally ill people/ etc dont use these normal cues. they may move their bodies in a jerky fashion, making starts and stops that the dog may infer as possible attacks.; searching thru garbage, people are picking up large objects and moving things around or flinging them out, so dogs that have had rocks thrown at them quickly infer that this is also going to be a rock thrown (aggressor behavior).

we always said that our farm dogs knew and hated the young arab guys, and the religious orthodox boys that came to the park. it started though because most of the arab guys here dont like dogs and would throw rocks or kick at the dogs. also, they would stand and stare at the dogs from a distance (dogs on cables) which dogs take as a direct threat , but the dogs couldnt reach them... also the same with the religious orthodox (all wearing black hats and black clothes) so the dogs could id someone by their clothing/scent from a particular group, and associate that scent/action/clothing with certain actions which would cause a dog's reaction.

my house dogs (well, nala when she was still alive and foofoo now) all bark at tall men (since anon and i are short, and we dont tend to get visitors that are tall men), they all deal with thai workers but other dogs here always bark at the thai workers, probably cause most of the workers used to give the dogs a wide berth, the dogs saw this as fear behavior, the thai workers did it cause they know from their villages that the dogs in thailand can be nasty... the behavior causes a reaciton which reinforces a behavior etc....

not sure if this is clear but its a question of behavior patterns reinforcing themsleves based on cues, scent, vision, actions.... (beards and hats are other problematic items on a dog's list). that is why socialization is so improtant to young dogs. in a country that doesnt have too many black people like here, u can imagine the reaction of dogs to a black person/or oriental, etc....

crutches and wheel chairs are also on the list of wierd for dogs... that is why it so improtant that service and therapy dogs are exposed to all sorts of equipment: sticks, walkers, crutches, mechanical equipment, etc. some dogs just never can deal, others learn.

guns on shoulders are an other thing too. my boxer would go beserk anytime she saw a soldier with a gun that was being put on the shoulder with a strap. if it was strung in front, it was ok. but the movement of taking the gun off (machine guns/rifles, not revolvers that is) would make her freak out. it took her a while to get used to people in uniform, especially since here, some people are alternately in and not in uniform...

hard to explain animal behavior in a post

bina

israel

[MsFigure]

Every single dog we've owned (in Aus and Thailand) all go nuts if they someone wears motorbike helmets, balaclavas and caps/hats with sunnies.

We've also found that our dogs have all been good judges of character - when we used to take our first male dogo with us to the gym years ago, he was pretty laid back and cool to everyone whether he knew them or not, and had his place on his couch..... except on 3 seperate occasions when he took an immediate dislike to 3 different guys, when all he did was slowly stand up, a rumbling low growl and give them a fierce look. After speaking to them, it came out that they were involved in dog fighting in their home countries, and somehow my dogo immediately sensed something wrong.

I know that both our dogos and rotts easily sense people who fear or hate dogs.

[sbk]

Our dog is terrified of foreigners. All foreigners, he can tell the difference between a Japanese person and a Thai person, he is even scared of Thai people raised in other countries (had a Thai-American girl in our place--he wouldn't go near her). He is fine with Thai people. He is also fine with children tho, even foreign kids. I've had this dog his entire life and nothing has ever been done to him to start this behavior, he's just a nervous dog and decided that he would be afraid of foreigners. I suspect its because the local Thais stick around while the foreigners are always changing.

Don't assume that something bad was done to your dog and that is why he developed this behavior, its not always true.

[Sheryl]

Interesting. My dog has a strong preference for farangs. Also in general for women over men.

Among the many people that my dog vociferously barks at are policement who pull me over .. as all who drive in LOS know, a common encounter due to tendency to lurk behind poorly visible "no turn" signs and the like, and one that is usually an occasion to solicit a bribe. Now, much as I dislike encouraging the bribery angle, the local policy of requiring you to go in person to the respective police department to pay if you opt for ticket instead drives me to go along with it when in Bangkok, since I live so far away. Needless to say the negotiations are not helped by the ferocious growling and snapping on the partiof my dog, who goes ballistic during these moments. But twice recently I had a remarkable experience:

1) I was pulled over, along with a long line of thai drivers ahead of me, on Petchburi because apparently there was a temporary ban on traffic in that direction at that time. First shock: when the policeman finished with all the cars in front of me and came to my window, the dog was completely silent. Not even a grumble. This has never happened before. Second shock: The policeman immediately reached for pen to write a ticket, no bribe hints at all -- and I saw in his hand a stack of copies of tickets that had just bneen issued to the (Thai) motorists ahead of me. This policeman wasn't taking bribes. Now, I have had that expereince in the provinces before, but in Bangkok?? Truly a first! Praiseworhty, but as I was on my way back to the provinces and in a hurry, this posed a dilemma. I waied and pleaded my case -- don't live in Bangkok, if I get a ticket I'd have to drive 200 km and lose a whole day just to pay it -- fully expecting him to either ignore or offer a "deal". To my astonishment he smiled and just let me go. A decent man. (To all those who drive in Bangkok: I swear I am not making this up. Such a traffic cop does exist.). Somehow, my dog knew that this man, even though of same appearance, nationality, uniform, and doing the same thing (approaching my car) that normally causes him to go into "attach Chihuhua" mode, was different.

2) Today, an almost exact repeat. Less astonishing in that it occurred outside the city, but once again, the dog stayed calm and quiet, the cop turned out to be kind and not remotely seeking a bribe.

Somehow, they can detect people's intentions. or their character.

[F1fanatic]

This is a v interesting and intriguing topic.

I spent a month and a half in the Phillipines a few years ago, and the small resort where I stayed had a dog. The owners were away so I ended up 'adopting' the dog for the duration of my hols. He even slept in my room at night.

I was told that the dog wouldn't tolerate any Phillipinos going near the resort but was fine with anyone else. I thought they were exaggerating, but they weren't!

[Sheryl]

In fairness to the superior species I must add that when it comes to an accurate assessment of a person's overall character nothing beats a cat.

My cat's judgement is absolutely impecceable. Her response to strangers ranges from racing to hide ASAP to streching out, soft belly exposed and inviting them to play with her (the highest of honors) and a thousand permutations in between. In almost a decade with me she has never been wrong in her assessment.

However, cats respond to different things. More the person's overall vibes wheras I fiund the dog narrows in on whether or not the person poses a possible threat to either me, him or the property in more or less that order. The cat is fine with someone who might purloin an object or two from the house as long as they are otherwise kindly folk. The dog menawhile goes ballistic at tollway stations (someone is taking my money!) and at restuarants when they come to clear the dishes or collect the tab (brionging the food fine, but taking away his mistress's plate? NO WAY!!)

[Shotime]

In some ways, dogs are smarter than people. I would bark at the type of person you're talking about. I don't want to direct this thread to my own agenda, and there's a thread today about UFO's, but I think I was evolved by Aliens from the dog animal. Cats and cat people scare me, and I would bark at them too.

Edited June 17, 2008 by Shotime

[geriatrickid]

Dogs pick up on the cues of humans: If you are stressed, the adrenaline is released, the sweat begins and the air fills with the scent of concern. Some people have some really bad aromas and that can set off a dog as well. Add in past experiences with aggressive behaviours from some visual images and the dog has its survival drive in operation.

[Sheryl]

None of this seems to explain my dog's passionate objection to the visits of the maid and the laundry lady. He's got them both terrified.

He's been against them since day 1.

They are both kindly Thai ladies as far as I can see. The cat , whose judgement I trust 100%, is indifferent to them, neither pro nor con.

He has never been mistreated by a Thai woman, that I know for sure.

????

[RakJungTorlae]

I've noticed dogs following homeless ppl down the road barking at them. Dogs also don't seem to like the ppl who go recycle from garbage, some of whom even carry food scraps to keep the dogs happy.

I have noticed that as well. I think the same as pumpuiman mentioned, dogs will just sense bad intentions of strangers and homeless. If there was something valuable and easy to take then they will…Unless they smell really really bad

[Mosha]

There is no middle ground with our dog and Thais. He either hates them or loves them. I haven't figured out the trigger yet. Although he never bothers farangs unless cycling. He is funny about pushbikes though, and has even gone for me unless he hears my voice. Burmese are on his list of immediate dislikes unless he knows them well.

[bina]

dogs really dont pick out bad or good people; case in point, all the amstaff types being handled by scummy hoodlums.... so much for recognizing bad or good.

dogs just dont like 'sneaky' or 'furtive' or 'fearful' behavior of any sort... it triggers their defense mechanisms as 'danger attack alert" since a scared dog will attack first also...

also, as we all said, associative actions or looks or dress or movements...

also, people that come and go (mail man, comes to house, dog barks, mailman leave. dog reacts as to an intruder, when the intruder comes in to his territory, he barks, the intruder leaves, this reinforces the action of the dog meaning, the dog has learned that barking at intruders makes them leave.

maids and such are often afraid of dogs so may show a bit of fear action ( avoiding the dog, not looking or talking or responding to it, going around it with a large amount of distance, etc. all these actions are the actions of fear, so the dog is nervous and responds accordingly.

men, on the other hand, are often very 'masculine' or 'assertive' or 'seemingly aggressive' and may even threaten the dog by looking straight at the dog (a male dog's way of trying to dominate), or in other subtle ways projecting male aggressiveness. possibly some males (men) secrete more testestarone or male hormones then others (and yes, with animals, the size of the testes also is important, as the amount of testestarone goes up causing a dog to be more 'masculine' (same with goats etc)...

also, women, because we menstruate, also secrete more 'female' hormones, (many dogs will come and sniff straight in the crotch, my dog always knows who's 'in heat'.... ).

from personal experience, when walking into a stall, taking a dog frmo a kennel run or a cat from a cat box, when i go in, or put my hand in, if i do it with confidence and with the intent of taking the animal, i have no problem. its when i hesitate a bit, or seem a bit 'waffily' about the animal than the animal starts to react either defensively, aggressively or showing signs of discomfort.

my incidence of being scratched or bitten by cats for instance, have gone done considerably since i've gained conficence in dealing with them (and in reading cat body language etc). i've always been a dog and horse person.

bina

israel

[bratpack]

how do you know if the person is homeless,is it by the way that they dress????.or can your dog talk too lol.