Always wondered??

[Coleboy]

I haven't posted in hear in a looong time....so to give the experts a little background on my dog before I ask the question..
[list][*]Male [*]8 years old[*]Trained with K-9 cop(obedience only)[*]Registered breeder(excellent breeder)[*]I have had him since 12 weeks

Basic bahaviour is confident, minds his own business on walks, good with most dogs, unless they challenge, great with family friends and children.

At night he will definitely alert the house to noises outside, he does it in the day as well just not as often.

OK the question:

For 8 years I often sit on my door step with Cole, I'll read the paper have a smoke whatever, he just lays their enjoying the day. Several people can walk right by(about 15 feet away) and they will not get a reaction out of him....BUT...if a Black male comes across our path...he stands in a very challenging mode...intense stair, that only Rottie owners no well.....

I have often wondered if he senses something or is just feeling an apprehension that I don't even know I am exuding?? Because I don't consciously feel nervous as they pass??



Now before anyone goes racist on me...don't...I'm not....just curious

[AngelBunny]

My guess is that when he was a puppy Cole wasn't socialized with people of color.

Call your breeder and ask.

In the first 14 months we had our current foster, Sailor hadn't seen people of color. Two months ago a non-Caucasian couple showed up at a meet & greet. Sailor didn't bat an eye meeting them.

I know for a fact he was picked up as a stray wondering the streets of a major metropolitan city here on the East coast.

[jlhnokc]

I think it could depend on a lot of different things. Has your dog been socialised with lots of people of different color (black, hispanic, asian, etc)? How are the men's posture that walk by? Does it happen with black females?

[Nishasmom]

I assume you are white...have mostly white friends, and family members.

Your dog is used to (and only socialized with) white people. Black people look 'different' than what your dog has come to know, therefore, he reacts differently.

It is the same as if your dog growls at wheelchairs, kids, or really anything he hasn't been socialized with. This is why socialization is critical...it is so important for your dog to know that people come in all sized, genders, races, and sometimes have disabilities. Try to have anyone your dog is unsure about give him a treat...this will teach him not to 'judge' people.

My dog is pretty socialized, but the other day she growled at an electric wheelchair...I guess she had never seen one. I asked the person if he would give my dog a treat....well, now Nisha loves electric wheelchairs !

[Coleboy]

OK thanks for the replys, in theory they make a lot of sense and I am familiar with the scenario's you are suggesting....in terms of a dog being overly inquisitive around unfamiliar things...

I am the ONLY white family in a townhouse complex of over 100 homes....every race you can imagine lives around me....my daughter's school picture looks like the UNited Nations LOL next door to our complex...is about 50 co-op townhomes, this is 90% black. Cole has lived in this type of environment since I got him....

To one poster: no only males.....

[jlhnokc]

Does it happen to any other males of other races? Is it black males in general? Or has it been the same black male?

I'm betting he is reacting to something you are putting off that you don't realize. It happens, I notice Jaycee react differently sometimes to people and I don't even realize why until I look at myself and realize that I've tensed up.

[Coleboy]

only Blacks, the only common denominator I can think over all these years is that they are young, wearing baggy pants, hats sideways, or hoody's..at first I thought it was the hoody's?? but that proved to be wrong

[observer]

Originally Posted by Nishasmom

I
My dog is pretty socialized, but the other day she growled at an electric wheelchair...I guess she had never seen one. I asked the person if he would give my dog a treat....well, now Nisha loves electric wheelchairs !

She thinks they are mobile treat machines now! Too funny!

It's interesting how dogs respond to things that they just aren't used to seeing through their socialization. I remember in the past that my dogs or family member's dogs (not necessarily Rotties) looked at ME strangely if I had rollers in my hair or a towel wrapped around my head.

[Shane]

Holy cow! I'd never thought about socializing to all races. Looks like I'll be commuting somewhere for socialization.

[Cdn1050]

With you living in Toronto, it's weird that your dog would not have been exposed to people of many different races. Seeing as how Toronto has just about every different race you possibly imagine.

Being a single mother, I made the mistake in the beginning of not exposing my dog when she was a puppy enough around men. She would growl (and not a nice play one) at men. People even asked me if she was abused by a male. I 100% knew she wasn't just a mistake on my part for not bringing her around men enough. I was lucky and able to correct that and she likes men, even my neighbours who live a few doors down. They are East Indian and per their religion wear turbans. So she's pretty much exposed to as many different people of various races and genders that live in my area. We were even on a trail and I was concerned how she would react to a man on a motorized wheelchair who appeared to have terettes (sp?) syndrome. He was dropping F-bombs left and right. She was cool with him, curious but ok with him.

[Coleboy]

He has been exposed to all races?? as you said I live in Toronto...hense my original question:)

[jlhnokc]

It's probably either something you are putting off, a slight reaction you aren't realizing or like you said, it's the boys with the baggy pants, hoodies and hat's cockeyed, that are probably walking with a bit of a hitch in their get along...

[smileygirl]

If not the "hoodie" how about the hat? My two hate hats...even on their own family...Tina

[zorro13]

Drugs could be another possibility, since you stated your boy Cole is used to many people passing by.

[Denise L.]

Richard the Rottweiler was the same way...probably because he was raised mostly in LA in very ritzy neighborhood. He also flipped out over homeless folks too no matter what race.

Cyrus, on the other hand, spends much time with me at work. I manage a grad student dormitory with an 80% International population. He is exposed to EVERYTHING Not only race and color but some very different cultural "attitudes and affects". So he doesn't bat an eye except....

He goes off on homeless folks too