What is it about that person...

edited December 2008 in Behavior & Training
Today I dropped the pups off at daycare. There was a girl at the front desk (who ninja seems to really like). She came out to greet and he was jumping all over her, very similiar to how he greets John and I. Now, most of you all know that Ninja is very fearful of strangers, mostly men...but he NEVER lets anyone pet him or get close. So, to see him be so excited and jumping up at a person that is not me or john is REALLY amazing.

So - I was chatting with the girl, telling her how he NEVER greets anyone like this except for John and I and she says "yeah, he is so cute - when he see's me he always finds a toy to bring to me, like a present!" (he always brings us a toy when he first see's us too)

So, this got me thinking....What is it about that person that Ninja likes so much?

Do you guys notice that your dog likes one specific person (not in your household) more than the others? I would be really interested to hear from people who have dogs who aren't as social with new people as well as the social butterflies.

I mean, my brother LIVES with me...and he RARELY ever gets to pet Ninja and Ninja rarely goes up to him to get pet. But first sight of this girl and he starts whining and wagging his tail like crazy. I would think living with my brother...he would feel more comfortable with him more than her.

Comments

  • edited November -1
    Miso LOVES our dog walker Amber. He will bark at the window even and Chris and I when we come home, but Amber has told me that when she comes in he just gets very excited.

    Now I should say Miso Loves everyone he meets, but for some reason he treats Amber like one of his "people" and not just another person.

    Maybe it's because they care for them and give them things they like (i.e. play, rubs, walks?) I dunno.
  • edited November -1
    Nola loves everyone. But Bella can be a bit reserved when first meeting someone (even if it is someone she knows well, it still takes her a few minutes to warm up). However, one of Eric's friends (whose name is Jeremy) is the only exception. She goes NUTS when he comes over to visit. She just loves him. Her tail wags, she does her little happy dance, and runs over to him, wanting attention. (She hardly even does that for us!) And she does not see Jeremy that often, he lives about an hour away, and only comes to visit once every few months. I have know idea why she loves him so much. I mean, he is a nice enough guy, but not a saint by any means. :)
  • edited November -1
    Guinness loves everyone, and is constantly running to meet people with his "curl" wagging, but Niko is very cautious of people, he waits for me to tell him that it is ok, then he will run over with his "curl" wagging.
  • edited December 2008
    LOL, some people just smell like bacon I guess. Did you ever see the movie "As good as it gets" with Jack Nicholson. He kept a baggy of bacon in his pocket and the neighbors dog just adored him and listened to him. LOL

    I think it is all very chemical. I also think that a dog has an instinct, a second sense if you will, as to who is a trusting person to them. I always say that dogs know things that others don't.

    Rudi loves most people. He does not allow some strangers to approach him, but when he does he usually does the full body push against them and acts like their best friend. As for my landbarons (landlords), when I go to pay rent I literally have to stretch my entire body and arm and fingers to the limit to get to the doorbell because Rudi is pulling on the leash to get away. He freaks. He hates that house or those people. I almost imagine he sees something that I do not, like the Grim Reaper waiting at the door for someone to answer....very freaky. (I say this because they are up there in age and not doing so good these days). I do not know why he acts that way really, they have been nothing but nice and they speak to him very tenderly. I do know that they are old farm folk who do not believe that a dog should reside in a house; their last dog was 13 and tied to a tree out back. He (a Blue Heeler) had been on that chain for so long that he literally wore the ground down 4-6 inches lower than the unreachable soil line. I brought him over some treats when I first moved in, but then he was gone and they told me that he was crying one night so the old man went out and shot him. (which might answer the question on Rudi's behalf).

    I say trust the pups instincts. Just like folks with cancer, a dog can sense death, so who is to say they cannot sense the real value of the heart.

    Interesting on any level. I cannot say that I have ever had a dog flat out distrust me, but I know cats don't trust me at all !!!!!

    Ron and Rudi
  • edited November -1
    Hmmmmm. The thing that I've come across is that I've NEVER met a dog that doesnt like my husband. NEVER. It could be the neighborhood bully of a dog, but they STILL quiet down and approach my husband for a sniff and pet. Young dogs, old dogs, it doesnt matter.

    I've always felt a bit envious, there are SO MANY times when we've gone to MY friends houses and their dogs wont pay ANY attention to me, but they wont leave my husbands side for a moment. UGH! (I'll have to check his pockets for bacon next time!!!!) lol
  • edited November -1
    lol! i was think "As good as it gets"!

    That is interesting, even though Ninja has come this far especially with other dogs, that he would greet her this way this soon. That is awesome though!

    Tsuki greets everyone with uninhibited exuberance. Hachi wouldn't greet anyone but me, my mom or my friend Jana with enthusiasm, mostly obligatory sniff then on her merry way, Hanzo leans into everyone almost instantly as his greeting - he hasn't met a person he doesn't like yet!
    But Kitsune, he is my socially challenged boy. I don't know what his former owners had to have done or not done to get him this scared of social experiences, but he is just so obviously uncomfortable during any and all interactions with 'the outside'. When John or I come home, he'll bounce around and whine and muss up the blinds and do shiba 500's and garble with tsuki then rub on us like a cat... If someone he's met a few times (like my mom, my siblings or friends) comes over, he will hesitantly go up to them for a sniff to familiarize, retreat then slowly go back. He is more apt to take a curious sniff if someone new is walking a dog, but other than that - its try "to get away" kitsune.
    The only person he remotely gets excited for is my friend Jana - she has a cairn terrier that plays with them a lot. He lets her pet him within seconds of seeing her and even wags his tail. Nothing like what he does for us, but its exciting to see him even that excited for her! Their first meeting, Jana ignored him and continued to do so until he presented the opportunity for a pet a few times afterwards. He freely takes treats from her, which might help with the tail wagging when she comes around!

    Maybe this person is just respectful of his boundaries or rewarding in some way for him?
  • edited November -1
    Toby has favourites. He remembers people all the time. Like the dog trainer from when he was a puppy, second he sees her, his ears go back, he starts whining with excitement and his tail wags. He also remembers the people from our puppy class, like the other owners. And obviously he LOVES my friends from high school. Everytime they come over, he does nothing but jump up and give them bite kisses and tail wags. Hes so cute.
  • edited November -1
    Jan is for the most part shy, but she also has different reactions to various people. My neighbors, who have a chow chow that she plays with and who she's known for 4 years, cause a reaction of absolute terror. She won't go near them, and at the slightest movement or glance will bolt. Not even a sniff, and won't take treats. A friend of mine, also having a dog, came over and Jan was just all over him, jumping and licking and letting him pet her. This was the first time she'd met him, so it was really unusual. Another person she had a similar reaction to was one of my younger cousin's teachers, she was licking her in the face with her tail wagging. But I noticed that it's usually the loud, outgoing people who scare her the most, and these two people that she liked happened to be laid-back and easygoing. With most people she will warm up over time.
  • edited November -1
    Pong is usually reserved with strangers. She'll go up to them and sniff them after they've turned around and walked away. LOL. Unless they have food.. then your her pal till you leave.

    With people she sees more often, she gets excited and tends to jump up at them.
  • edited November -1
    Some people are just naturally better with dogs than others, and dogs know it. I don't think it's a quality that can be learned or taught either, just a natural ability. Some people can run really fast, some can do crazy math problems in their heads, and some are just good with dogs.
  • edited November -1
    Beebe LOVES the girl at her daycare, I mean the dog acts like a real whore when she sees her and whines and screams and jumps up-it's sickining. I suspect it has something to do with the chicken treats behind the counter though.
  • edited November -1
    Mika is a social butterfly, she loves everyone, though she can be a little fearful of gregarious men - my FIL especially. She's always very aware of where is at all times. He can be a bit loud and it scares her to death.

    Keigo is more reserved. But, he absolutely loves my father and Kurt's friend Kim.
  • edited November -1
    Brandon - That is sort of the reason of me bringing up this thread. I would suspect that the behaviorists who own the daycare are better with dogs - since they have probably been around all kinds with all types of behavior. But, Ninja never jumped up on them or let them pet him, the most he did was go up to sniff and then walk away. But with their employee, this one girl...he goes nuts!
  • edited November -1
    I suspect its just like people. Some people you connect with instantly and others, while you are friends with them, you never have that bond. Its probably something we'll never be able to describe or quantify in any way.
  • edited November -1
    This might not apply to dogs, but I heard that with cats, it's the scent of another cat that determines their 'chemistry'. Perhaps it the same with dogs? It seems to be the case with me too. I showed an apartment this afternoon and the building's broker smelled like vomit to me. My client said he smelled fine, but I really smelled vomit - and he was a decent looking guy, just smelled funny.
  • edited November -1
    A lot of pregnant woman say they have significant increases in their sense of smell.
  • edited November -1
    I thought about that, but I already had a super duper sense of smell and hearing too. It's my sight that's an issue.
  • edited November -1
    i need new glasses so bad
  • edited November -1
    Jessica - you and me both!
  • edited December 2008
    Romi, Taj and Kohji are actually like this too with very few people. Dogs can sense if someone has a good heart and if they're harmless, just like when you meet someone new and get a sense of their personality right off the bat. If the dog is naturally reserved with strangers they will gravitate toward people who ignore them, which you have already seen this with Ninja and a few people. My sister doesn't like clingy dogs and generally doesn't pay much attention to Kohji when she comes over, the whole time she's there he's sliding down on the floor and showing her his belly, and tries to lean on her or lick her while he's sitting next to her, with her saying "God, get off me Goatcheese!" or "GIT!"

    Another thing with this front desk girl, does she give him food whenever she sees him? That could be a reason why he loves her too. He must really jive with her, you should get in good with her and if you ever go out of town, you could have her babysit him since he likes her so much.
  • edited November -1
    Remy likes pretty much everyone, but still kinda ignores most people on our walks. But, every now and then we pass someone who he seems to love. This usually starts from about 50' or so away and he gets more and more excited as we get closer. I haven't been able to pin it down to anything in particular, it's just something that he seems to pick up on
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