If your dog does not like your girlfriend, you might be wondering why and what you can do about it. This post will show you a number of possible causes and what you can do about them.
So, why doesn’t my dog like my girlfriend? Common reasons why your dog does not like your girlfriend are that it sees her as an intruder, it is jealous or that it has learned that the behavior is rewarded.
There are a number of possible reasons why it has been doing it. However, there are some things you can consider when figuring out the main cause and there are a number of things you can do about it.
Reasons why your dog does not like your girlfriend
Below are some possible reasons why your dog has been doing it.
It sees her as a threat
The cause might be that it sees her as a threat. This would be more likely if it tends to have issues with her when you are not around yourself. In this case, it would help to try to avoid leaving it alone with her until it has become more comfortable with having her around.
Jealousy
The cause might also be that it is jealous. This would be more likely if it does not like her when you are with her yourself, 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 your girlfriend. If you 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 when figuring out the main cause.
If it has always done it
If your dog was nice to your girlfriend 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 she was aggressive to it or after you had an argument, it might be the case that it has been doing it because it sees her as a threat. In this case, it should begin to be more friendly over time as it begins to see her as less of a threat.
How long she has been around the dog
If your girlfriend has not been around your dog many times, it might be the case that it still thinks that she is an intruder. It should be the case that it begins to be more comfortable around her as she is around it more often. However, it would help to avoid rewarding it when it is unfriendly and to avoid leaving it alone with her for now.
If your dog always does not like her
It would also help to consider if there is a certain time that it does seem to like her. If it does seem to like her sometimes, it might be the case that the timing has something to do with it. For example, if it does like her when you are not near her, it might be the case that it has been being jealous.
What to do about your dog not liking your girlfriend
Below are some options you have when dealing with the behavior.
Give it time
If it has not been around her for long, it would be likely that it will become more comfortable around her as it gets more used to having her around.
Be calm with it
It would help to be calm when it is around her. If you become highly reactive, it will suggest to the dog that it is right to not trust her. Instead, it would help to be calm, to get it to stay away from her when it is not friendly and to reward it when it is friendly.
Encourage it to be calm
As mentioned above, it would also help to avoid encouraging it to be unfriendly by giving it things such as extra attention, toys or treats. Instead, it would help to reward it when it is being well behaved and to avoid rewarding it when it is not.