# Reaction to people in uniforms?



## kodiakgirl (May 9, 2009)

A few weeks ago, I had to call the cops because my neighbor was threatening me, and when they came to my house to talk to me, Bullet was extremely upset, hiding in his kennel, and wouldn't stop growling at them. I didn't think too much of it because I figured he was feeding off of my energy, because I was extremely upset and frightened. But then a few days ago, I was at a friends house and Bullet was in the truck when her boyfriend came over to drop something off. He is in the Coast Guard, and was wearing his uniform, and Bullet was barking and growling at him. It was definately a nervous bark. IMO, he wasn't being aggressive, just very nervous. Then, the same guy came back a little while later in regular clothes, and Bullet was totally fine with him, wiggling all over like he usually does when he sees anyone. 

I've heard it's common for dogs to react to people wearing uniforms, and this is the only time I've ever seen him nervous like that. I'm planning on asking my dog-savvy friend who Bullet knows very well to see if we can test the theory. She is in the Coast Guard also, but Bullet has never seen her in her uniform and I'm interested to see if his reaction will be different. 

I have had Bullet since he was 4 weeks old... too young, I know, but I got him from someone who got him from someone who got him from someone, yada yada... but he has never had a bad experience with anyone in a uniform, so I don't know what triggered his reaction. Has anyone else had this happen with their dogs?


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## pitbullmamanatl (Jun 1, 2010)

Kangol doesn't like our UPS guy or the postwoman. Not too fond of cops either. Not sure what it is but I think it has to do with repeatedly seeing these people at our house (not the cops) and not being able to check them out and make sure they are all good...lol
The UPS guy is always ringing our doorbell and running off which makes Kangol very upset. Hes always been like this but the older he gets the more he hates the UPS guy... That guy is terrified of Kangol too... he doesn't even ring our doorbell anymore -- just drops the package and runs...I've never opened my door for him I don't know why he runs off like Kangol is going to open the door himself. Anyway, not 100% sure why a lot of dogs don't like uniforms but I think it has tto do something with repeatedly intruding on their territory and not being able to verify if they are good people or not. If Kangol was to be introduced he would be straight with the UPS guy and mail woman.


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## FamilyLinePits (May 18, 2010)

Hmm, This would be interesting to find some studies on...Do dogs find men/woman in uniforms "attractive"? lol.

My dogs love the UPS guy, It may have something to do with the fact that the only time he shows up, He is delivering something for my dogs. When our UPS first starting showing up at our house, He was very scared and nervous about coming up to my door because he was and had been delivering extra large kennels, auto-feeders that could feed a cow, and other dog supplies. When I met him outside with my oldest female, Mischa, She decided to go visit his truck while him and I were talking...Since then, he has always brought treats when he makes a delivery at our house, or near it. 

As for police, My dogs probably would be cautious about them, Because when they do show up, I always take the dogs inside first...So its probably more of a curiosity than "reaction".

If I were a Pit Bull and knew how to read, i'd be scared of cops also, Since they are shooting Pit bulls left and right in public (half the time, injuring humans in the process).
But thats just an opinion based on my personal discomfort with the crooked "law dogs" we have around here.


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## aimee235 (Apr 29, 2007)

That could turn into a dangerous situation. Since you have a convenient friend in uniform I would use him to socialize your dog more. Have him give your dog really yummy treats while he's in uniform. After he's fine with him maybe use some other uniformed people.

When I was little our dogs absolutely loved the mail lady because she fed them treats every time she saw them. You knew it was four o'clock because they'd be waiting for her. It was against the rules for her to feed treats but she said it's better that the dogs are happy to see her than trying to eat her.


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## jmejiaa (Dec 8, 2009)

It might have been your energy or just the scary guy in the uniform... Many things I think..

I think it's common, maybe walking your dog in public area's with police activity(Crossing guards?) might help? The more she see's it the more it will become familiar.... Or buy a nice police suit and wear it around the house? I can think of some other uses too!! 

I have a full leather suit I wear on my motorcycle, first time I approached Sasha with that and my helmet on and she was going crazy, not aggressive but def. barking like get away.. Even though as I approached I could tell it was fear... But after her seeing me a couple of times she's good...I hope I helped.


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## fortyfootelf (Feb 2, 2010)

i dont like cops either, if i were a dogs i would maul them. lol. im not real sure why dogs dont like people in uniform but your not the first person to experience this. it is kind of wierd thing to encounter but it is fixable. just be careful. when a dog is nervous they will attack, bkuz they feel threatened. and since it is a pitbull i would make the dog come to me and have my uniformed friend sit close but not next to me. just somewhere where the dog can clearly see him. this isnt something that your going to fix over night but what needs to happen is that your dog needs to be more comfortable around everyone. if not then bad things will happen when you least expect it. whe your dog gets more used to seeing someone in uniforms then it will eventually be just another person. 

you could also try treats. give the person in the uniform some kind of positive reinforcement whenever it get close, and if the dog lets you touch it then break of a piece of the treat. when the dog finally lets you pick him up then give him a whole treat. basically your training the dog the come command, this will help you in the future and not solely fort he purpose of getting him less nervous towards people in uniform. 

good luck im sure it will be okay. just dont allow the dog to bite the uniformed person, that could be asking for trouble.


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## Aczdreign (Jun 15, 2010)

fortyfootelf said:


> i dont like cops either, if i were a dogs i would maul them. lol.


Exactly.
I think dogs can smell undeserved senses of superiority.


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## fortyfootelf (Feb 2, 2010)

i know they can scence fear, and all cops are "cats" especially when it comes to a dog that they know nothing about. they dont know if the dog woll attack them especially a pitbull. somepeople train tehir dogs to attack cops or uniformed people, bkuz they are insecure about themselves i guess lol. and i think it may bother them bkuz cops look goofey, and have a strong aromatic scent of doughnuts. hahahahahaha krispy kream


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## FloorCandy (Feb 19, 2009)

Maybe your dog sensed your fear of the situation, then a cop showed up and he put 2 and 2 together and got 5 lol. None of my dogs have ever been scared of any type of clothes, but my uncle's chi hates anyone wearing a hat. He was a rescue and they suspect someone in a hat mistreated him, but in your case that wouldn't fit. Maybe you can get one of those halloween costume uniforms, and have different people he trusts wear it in front of him? You definitely do not want a dog who gets aggressive toward cops, dog give them any justification in harming or taking him.


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## Black Rabbit (Nov 14, 2009)

LMAO my moms dog Gretta hates UPS too. If you even say UPS she runs out her doggy door barking her head off. Every time they drive by she can hear them and does the same thing. Crazy old dog lol.


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## Patch-O-Pits (Jan 12, 2008)

Honestly, it is not a normal reaction IMO. It is a reaction usually done by a dog that wasn't socialized enough or has some sort of other fear based issue.


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## fortyfootelf (Feb 2, 2010)

it could also be attributable to soemthing that happend in the past. maybe someone in a uniform and abused the dog and every since then he has become to know anyone in a uniform as the "BAD GUY". or maybe he simply doesnt like they way something in particular looks like. such as a hat, it could just bother them kinda like when a overweight person wears a skin tight shirt... lol even im affraid of that confrontation. or it could simply be the dog being affraid of uniformity...


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## GTR (Mar 5, 2010)

Trance does not tolerate any sort of face covering. If he can't see your soul he's not having it. 

Trance is kind of an odd dog, everyone seems to notice it. He's very different. To me, he's just a really quiet, smart dog that is really good at reading a person's intentions. I have seen it first hand, haha my mom dated a guy once who had an extensive criminal record and Trance would take food from this guy, but would not let him pet him and he would NOT let him out of his sight. My mom's not with that guy anymore lol Pretty interesting.

But if you have a ski mask, motorcycle helmet, etc. He does not like that at all. He needs to see your face if he's going to be cool with you. Of course, if I tell him its okay, he has no choice but to deal with it. I usually don't reprimand him for it. I agree with him on this one though.


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## kodiakgirl (May 9, 2009)

Patch-O-Pits said:


> Honestly, it is not a normal reaction IMO. It is a reaction usually done by a dog that wasn't socialized enough or has some sort of other fear based issue.


I have had him since he was 4 weeks old, and have socialized him as much as possible. He loves anyone else any other time, which is why I'm wondering why he acts like this.



fortyfootelf said:


> it could also be attributable to soemthing that happend in the past. maybe someone in a uniform and abused the dog and every since then he has become to know anyone in a uniform as the "BAD GUY". or maybe he simply doesnt like they way something in particular looks like. such as a hat, it could just bother them kinda like when a overweight person wears a skin tight shirt... lol even im affraid of that confrontation. or it could simply be the dog being affraid of uniformity...


I am absolutely sure nothing happened to him involving someone in a uniform, which makes this even more puzzling. I have had Bullet since he was 4 weeks old, and I knew each of his previous owners before that, and nothing happened when they owned him.

As I've been thinking more about this, I think that the encounter he had with the cops might be where this all started. He was feeding off of my anxiety, and I think that after that, he associates uniforms with being anxious and nervous. When he was barking and growling at my friend's bf though, it wasn't an aggressive bark, more of a "hey, I'm unsure about you and want you to stay away!" sort of bark, if that makes any sense. I'll be interested to see how he reacts to my friend when he sees her in uniform. I have socialized Bullet to the highest degree, he goes practically everywhere with me and sees new people every day, so I want him to be ok with people in uniform too. This is definately something I am going to work on, because I don't want him reacting like that and having the risk of him deciding to do something more than bark or growl.


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## Saint Francis (Jun 2, 2010)

I think it was, like you said, your energy, fear, and anticipation of the event. He may see the same "unrest" in your emotions when dealing with your neighbor and the same emotions leaked out when you were getting involved with the cops. The cops became drawn in like a magnet in creating one big negative association. Just my opinion of course


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## Nightrain349 (Jun 28, 2010)

I am amused by all the anti Police jokes. Those of you who make these type of comments are the same ones who have a problem with B S L . I feel they are the same type of Bias. Not all pitbulls are bad, and not all cops have a superiority complex. However, they must control what ever situation they are put into and sometimes people don't like being controlled, maybe the dogs feel that? Police don't just shoot Pitbulls because of their breed. If an athletic human made of solid muscle screaming, and running towards you with a knife in hand I think he might get shot also.

I agree all types of dogs show anxiety around the uniform. Letter carriers get attached all the time not sure why but it is true. Usually its the small dog that the owner lets loose, but when its a powerful breed it can get ugly. 

If you are aware of your dogs issue please control him around people in uniform until his anxiety is relieved. For the Uniform and the Dog.


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## kodiakgirl (May 9, 2009)

Nightrain349 said:


> I am amused by all the anti Police jokes. Those of you who make these type of comments are the same ones who have a problem with B S L . I feel they are the same type of Bias. Not all pitbulls are bad, and not all cops have a superiority complex. However, they must control what ever situation they are put into and sometimes people don't like being controlled, maybe the dogs feel that? Police don't just shoot Pitbulls because of their breed. If an athletic human made of solid muscle screaming, and running towards you with a knife in hand I think he might get shot also.
> 
> I agree all types of dogs show anxiety around the uniform. Letter carriers get attached all the time not sure why but it is true. Usually its the small dog that the owner lets loose, but when its a powerful breed it can get ugly.
> 
> If you are aware of your dogs issue please control him around people in uniform until his anxiety is relieved. For the Uniform and the Dog.


I definately am going to keep a close eye on him. Luckily, I have very few interactions with people in uniform, as we don't have letter carriers where I live, and I very rarely get any packages from UPS or FedEx. But like I said, he doesn't act aggressive, but barks and growls nervously. Nonetheless, I don't want him to act that way, so I will be working with him on it until he is completely comfortable around uniforms.


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## FamilyLinePits (May 18, 2010)

Nightrain349 said:


> ... Police don't just shoot Pitbulls because of
> their breed. If an athletic human made of solid muscle screaming, and running towards you with a knife in hand I think he might get shot also....


That is debatable. One of my best friends spouse is a Police officer for my precinct. She has admitted that she has no problems with dogs, Unless they "look like pit bulls with boxy head" (her words exactly). She also told me that all of her fellow officers in that constable office feel the same way. They are all dog lovers, But they are naturally scared of the "boxy head".

Granted, This may not be all police, But I can guarantee that it is a LARGE majority of them who think like this. But we cannot completely blame the police for these feelings they have towards Pit Bulls...It is the fault of the irresponsible owner who trains his dog to attack officers or anyone for that matter. 
Because of the criminal element that is usually associated with Pit Bulls, Cops do what they do best, and Stereotype them all as "dangerous".

Back on topic, I think this is a very natural reaction from a dog. Not to react to a uniform, But rather a reaction to our emotions that the dog senses.
Fact is that 99% of our dealings with police officers are usually due to speeding tickets, moving violations, or some other incident when the cop is reprimanding us...Therefore when they come around, We naturally "tense" up, (maybe "tense" is not the correct word, But an unnatural emotion comes over us) Which dogs can sense...Especially well bonded dogs. 
So when a dog senses that his owner is nervous/scared/uneasy, Than the dog sees a new strange person, His only thought is "why is the stranger affecting my owners emotions?"
But that is only my personal opinions based on similar situations and the reactions of my dogs.


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