Dogs are dogs right? Well perhaps they are dogs but they are far from the same. You can really see the outward differences when you are looking through the eyes of a new puppy. Two days ago when we attended our puppy class, there was a very small boxer in one of the rooms. As we went in we were asked to move to the big room; this puppy was at his first class obviously and he was quite literally frozen. Tail down, curled up body posture with a fixed trance like stare, he had shut down and frozen. Perhaps the puppy had been in a secluded litter, they didn't get out much so anything can make them freeze.
As each dog enters the playroom for the after learning part of class; they are quickly assessed. Funny how some dogs just give off immediate "not friendly" body posture. Then others that look very scary to us, give off no "not friendly" posture. The scariest dog so far that Elsa has met was a little white Bichon; surprising. Just the other day she was running along side a huge Great Dane jumping up and her mouth to invite play.
Many people have told me that their dog hates husky types, some Golden Retrievers and others small fluffy ones. It can mean that they have had a bad experience leading to negative association. They can also just have a dislike for a reason that we cannot figure out. You can always help you dog get over these issues with the implementation of positive association over time.
If the problem lies with the dog approaching; if the dog is not well versed in proper dog language then just pass on by. Don't stir things that don't need stirring, move onto the next friendly dog.
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