Like people, all dogs have different personalities. In the same way, they choose friends – and may dislike individual relatives. Let’s find out why this might happen.
Body language
Body language is the main way dogs communicate with each other, and people often don’t notice all the subtleties. For example, a dog may not like another dog if it behaves in a threatening or unfriendly manner. One of the dog’s threat signals is long, direct eye contact, to which the dog may respond by barking or growling. In this case, the owner needs to switch the attention of the pet by calling him or treating him with a treat – in order to avoid conflict with a relative.
Age and selectivity
With age, most dogs become significantly less sociable, and less interested in unfamiliar dogs. The dog may also begin to dislike certain dogs that it does not trust enough. At the same time, they are not at all aggressive, but simply avoid communicating with such relatives. They may also start avoiding dogs of a certain size or age.
Stress or anxiety
Your dog doesn’t have to be friends with every sibling he meets – and it’s perfectly fine if he dislikes another dog. The main thing is that this does not turn into a permanent behavior – in this case, it is possible that some factor is stressing the dog, whether it is interaction with others or even walking. It is worth developing the dog’s socialization and getting rid of anxiety with the help of special training.
What should the owner do
Do not punish your dog for not being as friendly with some of his relatives. Use positive reinforcement training methods and learn to divert your dog’s attention and keep him at a safe distance if he reacts violently to certain mates.
