Has your dog ever barked at a stranger who was acting weird but you thought “fair enough. I’d bark too.” 🤔

[msjosie]

We’ve been working with our ACD mix on being less reactive but this happened today and I was okay with it. During our morning walk there was a guy sitting close to the bus stop on a ledge so I thought he was waiting on he bus. He seemed anxious. Then he stood up and paced around then walked across the street. It’s hard to explain but he seemed like he was lurking or thinking about doing something sketchy. Well my dog picked up on the weird energy too and started barking at him. I quietly told him to hush but I was thinking “I’m glad he picks up on this stuff.” I felt safe having him with me.

 

[danielmullangi]

@msjosie My dog never barks at anyone, honestly she’s a big coward (half gsd half border collie)

If she sees a stranger come toward her she hides behind my leg unless it’s clear that I know them then she sits in front of them wanting cuddles.

However me and her were on a walk somewhere new, and an older man in a winter hat and summer shorts was walking towards us and the hackles rose and she started growling and barking at him- never seen her do that before or since other than to a fox that got too close to us. Wonder what was up with that guy.

 

[stkelsiej]

@msjosie I was having a picnic at night to watch some fireworks on the bank of a river. For context, i have PTSD from being roofied and sexually assaulted. I don't drink and drunk people put me on edge. My partner and I were facing the water, not paying attention to what was behind us. An old man came staggering up to us with a bottle of vodka, smelling like piss and alcohol. My normally well behaved dog barked at him. I'm pretty sure she associates my anxiety with alcohol. Can't really blame her for reacting to the fear I'm sending down the leash.

 

[basirnia]

@msjosie My Akita would do things like that. There was some construction going on near my home and a lot of construction workers. There was one in particular that he just…zoned in on. He stared at him and refused to turn his back to this man (my boy was Deaf. If you gave him weird energy he wouldn’t turn his back on you.) this man tried to approach me (24F) and he growled at him. The man backed off and we went another way. He’d only done that one other time when a man was walking behind us, at night, hoodie up and hands in pockets. The construction worker had no hat or nothing like that and looked like tons of men he’d seen before but something about him he did not trust.

 

[boymom925]

@basirnia Akitas are known for their excellent judgment. Good boy!

 

[cbrow135]

@msjosie My dog barks at a lot of people, but when she was barking at my neighbour for blasting Covid conspiracy podcasts in her garden I definitely agreed!

 

[pretty1]

@cbrow135 This is the response I was looking for. Our dog is a guard dog at heart but with the sweetest face, so she barks at most people (especially men). 90% of the time, I say hush hush, but sometimes I’m so thankful for her barking so we can just walk away.