Why does my girlfriend’s dog not like me?

If your girlfriend’s dog does not like you, you might be wondering why and what you can do about it. This post will show you a number of possible reasons and what you can do about them.

So, why does my girlfriend’s dog not like me? Common reasons why your girlfriend’s dog might not like you are seeing you as a threat, jealousy, or encouraging the behavior by giving it rewards when it is unfriendly to you.

There are a number of possible reasons why your dog has been doing it and it might be due to a combination of them. However, there are some things you can consider when figuring out the main reason and there are a number of things you can do about it.

Reasons why your girlfriend’s dog does not like you

Below are a number of possible reasons why your girlfriend’s dog has been doing it and what would make each of them more likely.

It sees you as a threat

The cause might be that it sees you as a threat. This would be more likely if it tends to have issues with you when she is not around herself. In this case, it would help to try to being alone with it until it has become more comfortable with being around you.

Jealousy

The cause might also be that it is jealous. This would be more likely if it does not like you when your girlfriend is close to you, especially if it tries to get between you both when you are close together. In this case, it would help to avoid giving it rewards like extra attention when it does it so that it does not learn that being jealous is rewarded.

Encouraging the behavior

The cause might also be that it has learned that it gets rewards when it is not friendly towards you. If you or your girlfriend tend to give it things such as toys, treats, or extra attention, when it behaves that way, it will likely do it more in order to get more rewards.

Things to consider

Below are some things to consider about the behavior.

If it has always done it

If your dog was nice to you before and it has started being unfriendly suddenly, it would help to consider what else happened when it first started doing it. If it started doing it after you were aggressive to it or after you had an argument, it might be the case that it has been doing it because it sees you as a threat. In this case, it should begin to be more friendly over time as it begins to see you as less of a threat.

How long you have been around the dog

If you have not been around the dog many times, it might be the case that it still thinks that you are an intruder. It should be the case that it begins to be more comfortable around you as you are around it more often. However, it would help to avoid rewarding it when it is unfriendly and to avoid leaving it alone with you for now.

If it always does not like you

It would also help to consider if there is a certain time that it does seem to like you. If it does seem to like you sometimes, it might be the case that the timing has something to do with it. For example, if it does like you when you are not near your girlfriend, it might be the case that it has been being jealous.

What to do about your girlfriend’s dog not liking you

Below are some options you have when dealing with the behavior.

Give it time

If it has not been around you for long, it would be likely that it will become more comfortable around you as it gets more used to having you around. In the meantime, it would help to try to avoid being alone with it.

Be calm with it

It would help to be calm when it is around you. If you become highly reactive, it will suggest to the dog that it is right to not trust you. Instead, it would help to be calm and to avoid provoking it when it is not friendly.

Encourage it to be calm

As mentioned above, it might be the case that it has learned that the behavior is rewarded. It would help to avoid giving it rewards when it is not friendly and to reward it when it is.