Why does my dog not like me anymore? The Ultimate Guide

Why doesn’t my dog like me?

While it may be fairly obvious your dog doesnt like you, knowing why may not be as evident. We need to be clear what we mean when we say a dog doesnt like a person. While dogs are much more intelligent than many believe, their psychology is not as complex as that of a human. Some dogs may be naturally distrustful of strangers, others may be more gregarious. This has to do with a mixture of their genetics[1], upbringing and education.

Another aspect is that each dog is an individual. The reasons why dogs bond with some particular people and not others are multi-faceted[2]. Some dogs forge stronger bonds with members of their own species than their owner. It depends on the quality of the relationship more than the type, e.g. owner/companion animal.

Dogs are not moralists. They will not dislike a person for their views or character. They will judge us by their experience of both specific individuals and humans in general. A dog will often not like being around a person because they feel uncomfortable or threatened by them. But if we are trying to be nice, what is going wrong? Here are some examples:

Body language: while we may think we are being friendly, our body language could be sending mixed signals. If we raise ourselves over the dog, narrow our eyes or bear our teeth, it is possible they will see this as being aggressive. This most commonly will happen with dogs which are uncomfortable to begin with, for example those which have been recently adopted.

Hugging: there are many behaviors they do not like and hugging a dog is usually one of them. While there are exceptions, dogs can feel as if they are being restrained or harassed when we hug them. If we enact this kind of behavior regularly, they may become distrustful of us.

Being too rough: if we tug on their leash, push them around or are generally too rough, our dog may not appreciate it. This is especially so if we regularly use negative reinforcement, i.e. scolding or hitting when they do something we deem wrong. This can cause the dog to be scared of you because they are worried they will be punished all the time.

Inappropriate touching: most responsible owners know pulling a dogs tail, ears or other part of their body is not fun for them. However, while we may think we are only trying to be affectionate, there may be parts of their body a dog does not like to be touched. Doing so repeatedly can lead the dog not to like you anymore.

Playing tricks: there are many videos of people playing around with their dogs or confusing them by playing tricks. While often this will not cause a problem, sensitive dogs may not enjoy it and become wary.

Negative situations: for various reasons, some dogs may be frightened of other animals, people or situations. If we regularly put them in situations in which they feel uncomfortable they are likely to grow resentful of us.

Inexperience: you may wonder why your puppy doesnt like you. Puppies are usually very affectionate and will be naturally drawn to us when young. However, they can also be wary, especially if they have just been removed from their mother. For this reason, we may simply need to exercise patience and see if they grow closer to us as they mature. If not, trauma, poor socialization or being removed form their mother too soon may explain why they appear to not like us.

We once again want to stress that every dog is an individual. A negative situation for one dog may be a very comfortable situation for another.

Is my dog afraid of me?

When we invite a new dog into our home, there will be a certain period of adjustment for all parties. Some dogs will become part of the family immediately. Others will need more time to gain our trust. Part of the reason may be to do with their past. Often the root cause is fear. Here are some reasons a dog may be afraid of you:

Traumatic experience: when something traumatic happens to them, a dog can have a hard time dealing with it. Rescue dogs are particularly prone to this problem. They may carry it with them into a new home and will need constant reassurance to feel comfortable again.

Abuse: similar to a traumatic experience, this can manifest in different signs of abuse in dogs. If they were regularly beaten by a human in the past, they may think you will do the same to them. Earning the dogs trust again can take a long time, but it will depend on the individual as even rescue dogs or those which have been abused can adjust to a new family.

Lack of socialization: a dog needs to stay with their mother for a minimum of 8 weeks, ideally longer. During this time they are not only weaned and cared for, but they start to learn how to interact with others in a healthy way. If the dog is removed too soon, they may not heave learned the proper skills to socialize.

Negative association: if the dog associates certain objects or circumstances with stress or fear, then they may not be able to behave when around them. Removing any stressors can start them on the road to feeling safe and secure.

To know more, you can look at our article on why my dog is scared of me all of a sudden. Here we provide more signs and reasons why they may be frightened as well as some helpful techniques to regain their trust.

If a dog leaves the room whenever you enter it, they could be purposefully trying to keep their distance.

A dog who isnt thrilled with you isnt going to really stick around when you come by. Aside from avoiding eye contact and ignoring you, they may just straight up leave the room.

As Cabral told Insider, “Dogs will more often disengage than opt for destructive behavior.”

14 Signs Your Dog Doesn’t Love You (Even if You Think They Do)

Getting on a dog’s good side might seem as easy as having a pocket full of treats and knowing the trick to a good belly rub, but our four-legged friends aren’t always easy to please. They’re quick to judge a person’s character, and there are some people they simply don’t like.

It could be a specific person in the dog’s family, a friend of their owner’s, or a random person they meet on the street—but dogs know a foe when they see one. They might growl if the person comes close or simply turn tail and disappear. It seems random, but it isn’t as mysterious as you think. Here are a few reasons why your dog doesn’t like certain people.

Dogs might not be fluent in your language, but they’re experts at picking up tone of voice. A scientific study published in 2016 found that dogs’ brains react based on the tone of voice of the person talking to them.

In the study, the reward centers in the dogs’ brains became activated when the person used a high-pitched, happy voice. The dogs were glad to greet the happy-sounding person, but they reacted negatively or ignored people who spoke with deep or angry-sounding voices.

While your dog is assessing a person’s tone of voice, they’re also observing their body language. Dogs depend on body language to help fill in communication gaps. The trouble comes when comparing the way humans perceive specific body movements to how dogs interpret those same signs.

Eye contact, for example, means different things to different species. Between humans, someone who doesn’t make direct eye contact is perceived as shifty, untruthful, or suspicious. In a dog’s world, however, direct eye contact is rude and even threatening. Giving “soft eyes,” or looking slightly to the side, is a sign of respect or deference. Bending over the dog, making wide gestures with your arms, erratic movements, and forcing a dog into a hug are all bad body moves dogs don’t appreciate.