So, weird situation. We have a friend that has come over several times throughout the last year we've had Rue. The first few times, she absolutely loved him. They played hard and she would lick him to death. The last two times he has come over (twice in the last month), she has been absolutely terrified of him. And she has never really been like this around anyone ever. She is friendly with everyone that comes over and has never been fearful of people. I've never seen her act like this before, it's so odd! When she's around him now, she tucks her tail, cowers, then takes off to find a hiding spot in the house (even hiding in her crate, and she hates her crate!). She won't go anywhere near him. We even tried having him feed her pieces of meat to see if that helped, and she wouldn't take them or even look at him. Like any other lab, she normally goes insane over treats. What could have caused such a change in her behavior toward him and why is it only him? We've known this person for many years, and he's a good guy. And like I said, she used to get along great with him. Could it be a certain smell? Has anyone else ever experienced this? Thanks!
I don't know. But rather than seeing him indoors or at your house, you could try meeting him at a park. Also, try him ignoring her, no eye contact at all. Hope it all settles for you!
It seems more likely than anything she has been hurt by this person in some way. No doubt by accident, but I think Stacia is on the right lines.
I hadn't thought of that, though we were always around when they played (he has never been alone with her), and she never yelped in pain or acted like he was playing too rough. But I can't really think of anything else it could be. We're taking Rue to a tailgate in a couple weeks that this friend will be at, so we'll see how she acts around him outside of our home. Thanks for the feedback.
Sometimes, things aren't how they seem to us and dogs aren't enjoying things when we think they are. I wouldn't push the issue with Rue, if she wants to stay away then let her. My boy used to play with a younger dog, and they would hoolie around like mad. I thought they were both enjoying it, but in the end (with the help of some comments from a professional) saw that 90% of the time my dog would rather have got away, but he did know how to stop the other dog, so kept going. The other dog was perfectly nice, it just didn't suit him and it was my mistake I hadn't seen it before. Maybe Rue isn't all that happy with the way this person plays with her.
You make a good point when you say they may not know how to stop something they don't like, so they just keep at it. I hadn't thought of it like that.
