Many dog owners have been confronted with an odd form of dog instability. This instability is a distinct like or dislike for one sex of human over the other. The reason for the dislike of one sex over the other we are not sure of. The cause is thought however, to be from the owner.
Dogs will pick up on feelings from his or her owner. If the owner is a female, and has strong feelings of dislike towards males, the dog will pick up on these feelings, and start feeling and acting the same way. The dog will act as is they do not like human males as well, just because his owner dislikes them. Hence, you have to make sure that your spirit towards other things are good so yoyur dog will adapt the same thing. Just like a child, your dog looks up to you and consider you as a model. Thus, make sure to consider these options.
This problem occurs many times when a female gets a guard dog. The woman gets the guard dog because she feels safer being at home alone when she knows the dog is there to protect her. The dog picks up on the owners nervousness when there are males around, and starts acting out towards the male gender. This is also very common with guard dogs because the guard dog tends to be a smart dog, and picks up on the owners feelings quite well.
If your dog is acting out towards one gender there are a couple things that can be done. If the animal is a puppy, or young dog it will be easy to break this dislike towards one gender. With a young dog firm correction is needed when they start showing the dislike. This firm correction will show the dog that this behavior will not be tolerated. If the owner lets the behavior slide
however, the behavior will get worse as the dog grows up, and be much harder to break.
If your dog is a grown dog and starts acting out towards one gender the firm correction method may work, depending on how long the behavior has been going on. Dogs who are set in their ways will need some work to break the habit. An owner may need to take the dog to training, or be boarded with the sex that is disliked. This will help the dog accept that gender as well.
Another approach is to have someone who is of the unliked sex come and dog sit for a couple hours. By leaving the dog alone with this sex the dog is learning that this sex is not so bad. If the dog dislikes males, but there is only a male around, the dog will have to get used to it, and will learn to accept them. Hiring a dog walker of the disliked sex is another option. Finding a friend to do this is another option. Either way, the dog should have one on one time with the gender he dislikes. After the walk the dog should be praised for being good, and given a treat. The person who walked the dog should also feed the dog to help with the process.
Once the dog learns to accept and tolerate the other gender, you should not have many problems. Just remember, that your dog is picking up on your feelings towards the other gender.
