Shylo is 9. She has been with us for a month. We have noticed that when we have visitors, she barks at the MEN. We will have a husband and wife couple and she will bark and him but walk up to the wife and let her pet her. If the man gets up even just to get something to drink, she barks. Sometimes there's a little growl. She has barked at ladies but not as often. We try to get her to keep quiet but nothing works. Like I said she will quiet down down until the get up. Or if they will leave then come back she barks. We've tried for them to give her treats too.
I don't want people to feel uncomfortable in my home because my dog barks at them.

What was her life prior to you like?

She was in a kennel outside all the time. Not let out often and only let in the house on very cold or hot nights. With us, she is indoor. She was going to stay outside (fenced in backyard and open door kennel for when it rained) while we were gone but when we found out we had to keep her calm since she had her heart worm treatment she says inside and does well aside from the occasional accident.

Is there any commonality to the men she barks at other than being men? Beards, glasses, hats, glasses, etc?

No. Not at all.

Well, I'm stumped.

I'm normally happy to chime in on training/behavioral stuff since that's sorta the area on here that I'm most passionate about and comfortable with, but I never quite know what to make of supposed gender/sex discrimination with dogs.

There is likely some deeply ingrained psychological stuff underlying the behavior.

But, most importantly...way more important than the past...what is your reaction when you notice this behavior? How do you feel? Respond? Interact with Shylo?

We try to calm her down and giving her treats. We try not to yell but sometimes it gets quite annoying. We've also tried shaking a bottle with coins in it thinking maybe she will associate the action with a noise she doesn't like. Nothing works.

Well I have no idea what the root of this problem is with her, but in general, no matter what, lay off the treats or any praise/comforting.  

That's just telling her it is okay and accepted to feel the way she does and behave the way she did.   She is also very stressed and tense with this behavior, so I don't think any strong, invasive corrections would be good, either.  Very subtle, calm corrections if anything.  

There are some feeding strategies in situations like this.  So, in your case, you'd have a guy she is reacting to be solely responsible for feeding her and leveraging her hunger for building trust and acceptance, but this takes a great deal or repetition and consistency and the progress made is baby steps, to say the least.  

Those are my only suggestions.

Thank you so much for your help! What do you consider subtle and calm corrections?

Jeff, I agree with your question about how they react, but rather than just something they have in common I'd ask if her barking becomes more pronounced with something they do.

I've mentioned before that I rescued a lab who had been kicked by a previous male owner. She was excellent around women (who could step over her) but she'd cower or leave if a man simply moved his feet. I'd suggest looking at what else the man might be presenting ... For example, does Shylo react more if the man is towering over her, raising his voice (common when we're departing/arriving), etc. I'd be looking for those clues as well.

yes, good clarification Al, thank you. So rather than the gender/sex, maybe it's a behavior they do??


Callie, a subtle, calm correction would be just a hand in the air, like pushing away something or hitting a tennis ball with a racquet on a backhand, and a low volume, even pitched "hey" or "ahht". I don't like "No" as a correction ever, but that's just my personal bias. I think No gets overused by dog owners and repeated so much that it loses its purpose, and people tend to elevate the intensity behind saying the No.

So it's not a correction like a leash pop or a physical touch or an invasive tool, but more of a "hey, I do not agree with that, stop it right now", but non-verbally.

Thank you so much. I'd hate to have to put her in the backyard when we have people over. I'm hoping these things help. She cowers when they walk in her direction we can tell that she wants to try to like them because she will go up to them and sniff and let them pet her but when they stand up she goes crazy.

Another question, not related to this. Is your dog indoor all the time or outdoor?

My dog is never left outdoors.