My landlord’s dog doesn’t seem to like me and it’s getting worse

[mommy1234]

So I rent a room from a couple, and have done for about a year now. Six months ago, they asked me if I would be happy for them to get a dog, which I said yes to as I love animals.

They found a lovely shar pei who unfortunately didn’t have a great start in life (signs of abuse, was abandoned at the shelter etc) and he was alright with me to start. I’ve had dogs in the past and I try and be nice and calm around him and respectful of his space, especially as he’s a rescue.

However over time, he’s becoming more and more hostile towards me. He will growl if I try and touch him and will sometimes growl if I walk past him when we’re in a small room together. I know it’s me that’s the problem, as my landlord and his partner can cuddle him and kiss his face and not get any hostility from him.

The other week I (stupidly, I know) got my face too close to his and he barked and lunged for me, to the point when his teeth actually made contact with my face.

The other day, I was going about my business and something about me must have spooked him because he went for me again (only really catching a mouthful of my coat, I don’t think he was really intending to bite me) and actually backed me into a corner, growling at me.

I try to take him on walks when I’m not working and I give him the odd treat which he always takes very gently, I’m trying to build a good relationship with him without trying too hard. I give him space but I worry that we will just end up not even being able to be in the same room as each other.

I’m so upset because I don’t want it to get the the point when it’s either me or the dog that goes because they would be heartbroken to say goodbye to him but at the same time, I don’t want this to get worse and I don’t feel like I can even leave my room.

EDIT: I should have made it more clear that he doesn’t growl every time I touch him. We have had some nice little pets and it’s been fine. Thinking it through, it does seem that he is more aggressive when my landlords are home than when it’s just me and him.

 

[taikamiya720]

@mommy1234 I don’t think you should try to interact with this dog AT ALL for a while OP

I think you should with permission from the owner keep a small pouch of high value treats on you at all times, hotdogs or liver can be cut into TINY pieces and dried, cheese is good too. Treat that dog every time he’s in the room. Whenever you walk by him. While you are just sitting around. Treat treat treat and IGNORE. Completely ignore except for softly saying good boi or whatever. Don’t attempt to pet or get close.

Keep this up for several weeks. Not one, not two, several, like 6-8. You can then work on possibly petting. But I think for now the dog needs to know that 1. You aren’t a threat and aren’t going to try to approach him, and 2. That yummy itty bitty treats appear when you are near

 

[mommy1234]

@taikamiya720 I really like this advice, thank you I will suggest this to them!

 

[faithisking]

@mommy1234 And don't hand the dog the treats either - gentle under arm throw only/dropping as you walk past

 

[taikamiya720]

@faithisking Yup can’t stress this enough. Don’t try to hand feed the treats, toss casually and ignore the FUCK outta that dog lol

 

[thehighlander]

@mommy1234 Brilliant advice. Throw the treats on the floor.

 

[freerangechristian]

@mommy1234 Shar Pei’s are notorious for liking only their people and no one else. They’re not the very friendly, I get along with everyone type breed of dog. So you really need to stop trying to engage with this dog, he’s giving you clear warning signs that you’re making him uncomfortable but you’re not respecting that at all. You cannot force this dog to like you, what you’re currently doing is only building the negative tension between you because you keep totally crossing the boundaries he’s clearly trying to communicate to you.

Your landlord is being very irresponsible with this dog and with you, their tenant. They should have that dog contained and not roaming the common areas of the home they share with their tenant. You pay them rent to use those common areas, so you have the right to be safe in those shared spaces. You’re not safe right now.

It doesn’t have to be you or the dog, your landlord could just start taking full responsibility for the care and safety of this dog and you, their tenant, seriously and that would solve this dangerous situation.

 

[mommy1234]

@freerangechristian Thanks for the reply, I understand what you’re saying, and what you’ve said about their characters makes a lot of sense.

I don’t think I’m trying too hard, I probably should have specified that he doesn’t growl every time I try and touch him (I’ll pop an edit on my post). He will come into my room to sniff around, he gets playful when I go to take him on his walk (which he enjoys, never had an issue there) and he’s jumped onto the sofa when I’ve been sat on it… thinking about it, it’s when my landlords are home that he gets the most aggressive.

I will be going no contact though as I don’t think it’s worth the risk.

 

[greegiecee]

@mommy1234 As a Pei owner and someone well versed in the breed /@freerangechristian is right. This is normal for this breed, a social friendly Pei is a rare sight. He may never, never like you or even tolerate you no matter what you do. It might be his eyes (fleshy eyebrows and all) but mostly just sounds like aside from treats and walks he just doesn't actually like you as you. They are very cat like in their behavior verses dogs like Labs or Beagles. This is why Chows and Pei and other East Asian spitz breeds are known for biting rude people and dogs. He is telling you beyond a shadow of a doubt (the growling) that you are not his person or his family/pack when pushed too far. So yeah, do the no contact and just keep a distance and admire him from afar. If you and the landlord are 'friends' it might make that very difficult unless they are willing to put him up when you are there or keep him ALWAYS off the couch(es) that he seems to be claiming.

Also that it is correct that your landlord is asking for a lawsuit (if that is a thing there) or worse if this dog nips or bites the wrong person. For example, I would be the wrong person no matter how much I love the breed. The fact that he even attempted to bite and made contact at you at all hints to why this dog was in a rescue (low bite inhibition, possibly with resource guarding). Be careful and tell them the reality of this; they are failing him, they need to keep the dog under control or get sued, get the dog labeled dangerous, or the dog gets put down. Even if he attacks in his own apartment. It's that simple. If they care about him or their livelihood they will fix this mess. Good luck.

 

[mommy1234]

@greegiecee Thanks for this, it makes a lot of sense knowing that it’s how the breed just is.

I’ll keep my distance and try not to take it personally

 

[massyb]

@mommy1234 As someone who grew up with the breed and has owned a Pei - your landlord is very irresponsible and the dog is honestly doing what the breed does best when not properly socialized from a young age. They need to stop allowing the dog on furniture (in my opinion) due to the fact that it can’t be next to you on furniture without the potential for incident.

My last Pei was a male that I got as a puppy and it took a lot of work to socialize him and he was a nice Pei. I was in college and took him everywhere with me from the time he was 4 months old to ensure he wouldn’t be stereotypical to the breed. He would greet guests/friends and ask for pets but he was never cuddly, even with me. He wanted to be with me but not on me. My husband (boyfriend at the time) knew him his entire life and if I was not home, my dog acted like he didn’t exist. They are truly 1, maybe 2 owner dogs.

Edit to add : if the aggression is random, the dog could also be experiencing bouts of shar pei fever on top of no/poor socialization… I’m guessing your landlord isn’t well versed in the breed (could be wrong) and their many health issues. Flare up of shar pei fever can cause aggression due to their discomfort.

 

[mommy1234]

@massyb Thank you for this. It’s really interesting that you say that about shar pei fever - I know little about it but I know he does get a bit poorly sometimes, runny nose and eyes etc and his ears can really irritate him.

I’m grouchy as hell when I’m ill so I suppose that makes sense for dogs too.

 

[massyb]

@mommy1234 Their Pei def has some kind of allergy/health issues if all that is happening. They need a vet who is breed familiar. My boy had food and skin allergies and then passed from Amlyodosis/kidney failure at 5 yrs old (only this breed can get it and nothing can be done about it). My parents female had shar pei fever and when she had flare ups she became more aggressive with others and her male counterpart.

I would just ignore the dog, as hard as it may be. It’s unpredictable and unsafe at this point. They don’t have a handle on the situation, especially if they continue allowing it on furniture which seems to be a ‘hot spot’ for the aggression.

 

[keeneve]

@mommy1234 Just a rando dog owner/sitter, but it sounds to me like he is resource guarding his owner. If you're interested, Victoria Stillwell, "It's Me or the Dog" has some good videos. Some of it seems a bit dramatic, but a big dog who isn't happy about your proximity is NO joke!

 

[georgeduke]

@keeneve Man. I forgot about her videos. That's a great tip. She really is good with dog obedience.

 

[taikamiya720]

@freerangechristian The dog still needs as a well behaved dog to tolerate guests, especially ones who live there

 

[freerangechristian]

@taikamiya720 I don’t know what you’re trying to say because your sentence doesn’t make sense.

But whatever it is you’re trying to say: that dog is not this tenants responsibility to train nor is it safe they try, they clearly do not have experience training dogs and this dog , that is NOT theirs, is displaying some seriously troubling behavior. Their landlord needs to take full responsibility to keep his dog AND his tenant safe, as is his legal obligation. If that means keeping the dog separated from the tenant to keep everyone safe, then so be it. This tenant is paying rent to live there, their landlord isn’t doing them any favors, this tenant should be safe to use the common areas of this home as they pay to do so WITHOUT having to be worried about being bitten by an unpredictable dog. That’s the bottom line here. The landlord should be the one seeking professional help with this dog if he’s going to be renting rooms out, anything less is dangerous and irresponsible.

 

[taikamiya720]

@freerangechristian The only reason I was giving that advice is because the tenant has expressed a desire to work with the dog and attempt to become friends. And my advice was to not interact with the dog at all aside from tossing small high value treats and otherwise ignoring for several weeks.

I agree completely that the burden is on the LL and the LL is failing miserably.

I was only addressing the questions the tenant had about what THEY can do.

Hope that clears up my position on this matter.

 

[freerangechristian]

@taikamiya720 It is far too HUGE a liability for a tenant to take on any responsibility for their landlords dogs behavior. A landlord is legally obligated to make whatever rooms they’re charging for rent to use/share safe living conditions and this landlord is totally bucking this important legal responsibility. He’s currently not holding up that legal obligation to their tenants safety and wellbeing. This is a professional relationship, that landlord is not your friend, or at least not your friend first. That money they get every month that comes from the lease, a legally binding contractual agreement,that this tenant signed will always come first. If this was tenants new dog, you’d better believe he’d be getting evicted right about now over brining an untrained, unpredictable, unsafe dog into their home.

It is a HUGE mistake for OP to try to do ANYTHING with this dog unless and until there is a professional involved, paid for by this landlord.

 

[taikamiya720]

@freerangechristian That’s a completely fair assessment, and is probably better advice than my own