Why is my dog not friendly to other people?

The actual root cause for this behavior is surprising to most dog owners and to many dog trainers for that matter. The real cause is fear. Dogs that are aggressive to strangers are afraid of the stranger. The aggression is an attempt by the dog to create distance between them and the scary human. More distance is what the dog wants in order to feel safe. About 90% of dogs use aggression to keep scary unfamiliar humans away while some dogs use avoidance. Exactly why don’t these dogs show aggression to family members is that they are very familiar with the family members and have learned not to fear them. There are many reasons how this fear developed including, but not limited to, genetics, lack of proper socialization at critical developmental stages, human abuse, etc.

If your dog is unfriendly, you will first want to determine what is causing his behavior. Consider whether he is unfriendly with all people, including you, along with all other animals. You should also think about whether he has always been unfriendly or whether his unfriendliness is recent. If your dog has previously been friendly towards others, yet suddenly no longer is, this can point to his being unfriendly as a result of his experiencing pain or not feeling well. Should your veterinarian determine that your dog does not have a medical condition, or if your dog has always been unfriendly, you will have to consider other reasons for his behavior. In the case of a dog who is aggressive as a result of anxiety, you can focus on what it is that is making your dog anxious and leading to the behavior.

Dogs can struggle with people for various reasons. Dog has never been exposured to said type of person before, so it is an alien, foreign, and frightening concept to them….this can include age, gender, nationality, dialect, posture, use of a mobility aide, etc. Dog has had a negative experience before, for example, with a man or a child-this is common, but not always the case. Facial hair, hats, certain types of clothing, shoes or clothing that make noise-heavy boots, squeaky shoes, etc, can also make dogs uncomfortable. Energy level, posture, movements, and direct eye contact can make dogs uncomfortable. Person may be trying too hard to be friends, which is making dog feel uncomfortable, nervous, and unsafe, invading personal space by sitting too close or trying to touch and pet when it is unwanted. Dog has not been appropirately and adequately socialized with strangers to know that strangers can be safe people. Dog could be shut down and their nervous system is in overdrive, they need time to decompress and learn that THEY are safe in the world before learning that people can be safe too.

My dog is not friendly to strangers. He used to be ok with most people. I took him out and tried to socialize him as much as I could when he was a puppy. When I walk him on a leash he’s defensive and barks at people. He also doesn’t like most new people coming into the house. The only place he is usually best behaved with strangers is at the dog park. However, today at the dog park as I was sitting on the bench we were approached from behind by a couple of young girls that asked to pet him and he ran up and start barking at them defensively. He didn’t show teeth but I immediately pulled him away and restrained him on the leash. I’m just scared I shouldn’t take him to the dog park anymore if I don’t resolve his issues with humans.