What makes a dog person?

[DWEST]

Figured I'd throw up a topic I ain't really seen discussed in this sense...

Not so much in the "training" aspect, but where a person can talk to or walk up to sometimes  an unknown shy, skiddish, or down right mean dog.  Can read the dog and the dog can read them.

My two daughters are very different in how they can handle dogs.  My oldest,  11, has more of the "want to" when it comes to learning how to work, hunt, and take of the dogs...but she for some reason gets aggervated and/or nervous when it comes to a dog that won't listen or wants to play and jump on her while feeding or walking.
My younger one, 7, can walk up to dang near any dog (which I'm not crazy about) and love all over them and make them listen to her.  She can walk my 90lb AB on a leash with lil problem.  When I got a gyp from a buddy that is quite particular on who she will let handle her...I told the girls not to get around her unless I was with them for the first few weeks.  Well, what does she do...she slips out back and walks right to that gyp without me.  Eases up to her, makes her sit, pets her a lil and next thing I know she's out there laying in the dirt with her like she's had her since a pup.  I does put a smile on my face to watch her interact with and handle dogs, bit it also scares the crap out of me too, and I try to pound in their heads to respect any dog amd not be just walking up to any dog.
My grandpa tells stories of my uncle being the same way as young as 2 or 3. 

Is it something some people are just born with?

What's y'alls thoughts?  Sorry so long winded;)

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[Purebreedcolt]

A guy I know is that way idk why he is what I call hard on dogs but durn it they like him and respect him.  It is weird to see people that can do as you posted.

[KevinN]

JMO

I THINK....for one, dogs can read people better than we can read them. They know when your scared, happy, or mad....more often than not...just by your body language. I think this applies to all dogs...not just YOUR dogs.

I THINK, This being the case....dogs react the way they do based off of the person. Real confidence (you can't fake it) goes a long ways.

Just what I THINK anyway.

[Shotgun wg]

I agree with Kevin. If that confidence is just not knowing any better or just being that confident I don't know. All critters like my wife. She can't always control them but they like her.

[Reuben]

x2 on what Kevin and shotgun said...

[jdt]

some kids are born with it ... some folks never can learn it .

[Corey]

Great Topic!!!   I feel like those that have it are born to it. Yet seem many loose it with life taught lessons. I am not convinced its confidence specificly but maybe more a lack of pretensions, a genuine what you see is what you get. 

Obviously just an opinion though.

Be real careful with that young one though, I feel like animals build the same pretensions based on past encounters and are not always receptive.

[Easttex91]

I think the little girl and people like her have no concept that she should be cautious of the dogs so she walks in just like it's one of the dogs she's been raised around and it calms the dog. I think it scares a dog when someone is nervous around him.

[justincorbell]

I think the little girl and people like her have no concept that she should be cautious of the dogs so she walks in just like it's one of the dogs she's been raised around and it calms the dog. I think it scares a dog when someone is nervous around him.

I agree Josh. I KNOW it scares/bothers a dog when someone is nervous around em, any dog owner worth his salt can pick up on subtle changes in a dogs demeanor when he is uneasy/nervous. I TRY to always approach a dog calm and confident, i really think it makes a difference, hell and that applies to lots of animals not just dogs.

[Shotgun wg]

I think the little girl and people like her have no concept that she should be cautious of the dogs so she walks in just like it's one of the dogs she's been raised around and it calms the dog. I think it scares a dog when someone is nervous around him.

I agree. A calm confident person gets a calm dog. A person trying to project confidence when its not there gets an aggressive dog. And as u said nervousness gets nervousness. I also know the emotional state of the person the dog is closest connected to will affect the emotional state of the dog.

[jpuckett]

Man I agree completely... Then there's times where a dogs been beat on pretty good and all bets are off. I got a dog that I'm pretty sure has been whooped on pretty good. All he does when we cast is hang right by our feet looking for someone to pet him or afraid he's gonna be in trouble. That's why they make tri-tronics systems! If used right you can discipline him without him ever really taking it personal. And you don't haveta whale on him with it!

[DWEST]

I agree with ya'll.  Confidence is a BIG part, but i don't think that's all of it

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[YELLOWBLACKMASK]

Clean livin !!!!

Seems every dogs wants to bite me.....except the worthless ones!  Lol

[bigo]

People that are born with it, whatever it is, can handle all animals, not just dogs, better than most people. It is a God given gift and can only be learned to a certain extent.

[ED BARNES]

dogs, horses, kids (and women ... a joke) any pack animal, and yes humans are a pack animal, want a clear definition of the hierarchy inside the pack. To have success you first have to make sure it is clear in YOUR head and the dogs that YOU are the alpha. Heavy handedness alone will not get you this spot and many people miss that point. Dogs, kids, horses and women want to be punished when they screw up, it not only hopefully solves the problem but re-asserts you as the leader. Most problems with a pack of dogs, a marriage, a work place, or a country can be traced back to an unclear definition of who is in charge! Fairness goes a long way too. In apes, a big male can be alpha on force alone, but once the strength is gone,  he is overthrown. If he was un-fair or brutal in his reign he is either killed or shunned, but if an alpha ape was fair he is allowed to stay with the pack at a lower rank.
Dogs do warm to some people more than others, I don't think it is a gift, or some psychic power. Its all in body language, how you walk to a dog, your voice, your role in the pack, past experience with you etc. Its a tight rope walk between confidence, leadership, punishment, and careing. We can all learn to have this "gift", and it should be something that every dog man is working on everyday.

[DWEST]

dogs, horses, kids (and women ... a joke) any pack animal, and yes humans are a pack animal, want a clear definition of the hierarchy inside the pack. To have success you first have to make sure it is clear in YOUR head and the dogs that YOU are the alpha. Heavy handedness alone will not get you this spot and many people miss that point. Dogs, kids, horses and women want to be punished when they screw up, it not only hopefully solves the problem but re-asserts you as the leader. Most problems with a pack of dogs, a marriage, a work place, or a country can be traced back to an unclear definition of who is in charge! Fairness goes a long way too. In apes, a big male can be alpha on force alone, but once the strength is gone,  he is overthrown. If he was un-fair or brutal in his reign he is either killed or shunned, but if an alpha ape was fair he is allowed to stay with the pack at a lower rank.
Dogs do warm to some people more than others, I don't think it is a gift, or some psychic power. Its all in body language, how you walk to a dog, your voice, your role in the pack, past experience with you etc. Its a tight rope walk between confidence, leadership, punishment, and careing. We can all learn to have this "gift", and it should be something that every dog man is working on everyday.

Agreed and very well said...but, to me, it doesn't explain situations like the one I described in ny original post.  This gyp is a very "alpha" type dog, hell she even hikes her leg to pee and will go mark after another dog uses the bathroom:D.  The gyp and my daughter had never seen each other before and that was their first encounter.
It's these "one off" encounters that people get to witness that sometimes bring their attention to a possible "animal whisperer"

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[ED BARNES]

The dog is taking ques from her body language. Think about the info we get from watching a dog and think about how it effects us around the dog. Same thing just from a different perspective. If we she an unsure, skiddish dog we approach with caution, guarded, just like you described above. You had apprehensions about the dog, (just as a dog will do with us if we look uncertain) your daughter is probably too young to have these instincts in her yet, so she just walks up to the dog with none of the mental baggage that you or your older daughter would bring. Its that expectation that makes the dog "peculiar".

[Bowhunter1994]

Interesting topox

[Reuben]

Interesting topic.

X2...I like it...somewhere between logical and ESP...

[Corey]

dogs, horses, kids (and women ... a joke) any pack animal, and yes humans are a pack animal, want a clear definition of the hierarchy inside the pack. To have success you first have to make sure it is clear in YOUR head and the dogs that YOU are the alpha. Heavy handedness alone will not get you this spot and many people miss that point. Dogs, kids, horses and women want to be punished when they screw up, it not only hopefully solves the problem but re-asserts you as the leader. Most problems with a pack of dogs, a marriage, a work place, or a country can be traced back to an unclear definition of who is in charge! Fairness goes a long way too. In apes, a big male can be alpha on force alone, but once the strength is gone,  he is overthrown. If he was un-fair or brutal in his reign he is either killed or shunned, but if an alpha ape was fair he is allowed to stay with the pack at a lower rank.
Dogs do warm to some people more than others, I don't think it is a gift, or some psychic power. Its all in body language, how you walk to a dog, your voice, your role in the pack, past experience with you etc. Its a tight rope walk between confidence, leadership, punishment, and careing. We can all learn to have this "gift", and it should be something that every dog man is working on everyday.

Agreed and very well said...but, to me, it doesn't explain situations like the one I described in ny original post.  This gyp is a very "alpha" type dog, hell she even hikes her leg to pee and will go mark after another dog uses the bathroom:D.  The gyp and my daughter had never seen each other before and that was their first encounter.
It's these "one off" encounters that people get to witness that sometimes bring their attention to a possible "animal whisperer"

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Have to agree with Ed. The gyp does not sense any reason to display or assert her dominance, she is ultimately confident and not remotely threatend by your daughter who had no intention other then love on her.