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Why Dogs Bark at Some People and Not at Others: 4 Possible Explanations
11.09.2023 08:38
A dog's negative reaction to strangers is a common occurrence.
It is quite understandable: an animal on the street may experience stress in an unfamiliar environment, perceiving every person as a potential enemy.
But sometimes pets behave strangely: they can start barking loudly at one passerby, while ignoring another.
What is the reason for such “selectivity” of our four-legged friends? There are four possible reasons.
The dog has not yet gotten used to the new environment.
If the dog barked at passers-by only at the beginning of the walk, and then stopped doing so, then there is a simple explanation for the behavior.
So, in the first minutes the animal was afraid to be in an unfamiliar place. But then the pet got used to it and stopped being afraid of people.
The dog didn't like the smell of a person
The dog perceives the smells coming from some people normally. But the four-legged friend may react to the smell of other passers-by by barking.
The person may smell like fuel. Dogs don't like that smell.
It is possible that the pet smelled alcohol from a person passing by.
The passerby looks strange (for a dog)
During a walk, the dog may try to show aggression towards passers-by who, in the dog’s opinion, look unusual.
We may be talking about very tall people or, on the contrary, about a person of short stature.
Unusual clothing on a passerby or certain objects in his hands can also anger a dog.
A passerby entered a "forbidden" area
The dog probably considers some areas of the street as "its own." If a person happens to be there, the dog will most likely react by barking.
