[Texaggie79]

I wouldn't tell too many about that, unless the dog had a previous owner.

I have come to find that many guard type dogs pick up judgment of people from their masters. My grandad, always would tell me how his dog hated black people, but I realized later that my grandad would egg him on when he saw one.

He ran a shop in the bad part of town, and apparently he thought that training it to attack black people would be good for that part of the city.

But I have seen some dogs that aren't even trained to do it. They just pick up the hostility felt by their masters towards a certain type person, and know to show hostility towards them as well.

The owner can act nice though when they want, but the dog will give them away.

[WL-law]

I wouldn't tell too many about that, unless the dog had a previous owner.

It's not as if I taught him to dislike blacks.

I failed to mention -- my dog was a black-and-tan hound, a.k.a. in these parts as -- a "coon hound". I swear to God.

[AnAmericanMother]

I think certainly what you describe does happen - dog picking up on owner's "vibes" or deliberate training - but that's not the only reason dogs act hostile to folks of a different race.

I've seen it too often for it to be hostility on the part of the owners - besides, you set yourself up for wondering if people hate you every time their dog barks. Instant paranoia.

[agarrett]

But I have seen some dogs that aren't even trained to do it. They just pick up the hostility felt by their masters towards a certain type person, and know to show hostility towards them as well.

  In general, this is not true. Dogs tend to react with hostility towards anything new. The "racist" dog is usually one who hadn't seen many black people while a puppy. They then seem strange to it as an adult, and many dogs react to strangeness by growling, snarling, and biting.

  Now, different breeds can be more or less prone to this behavior, and individual dogs within a breed also vary greatly. Early training can make a big difference as well - if you introduce your dog to new neighborhoods and people regularly while it's a puppy, it'll tend to do better with new experiences as an adult.

  But the bit about the dog's reflecting an owner's prejudice is not true.

Drew Garrett

[yankeedame]

But I have seen some dogs that aren't even trained to do it. They just pick up the hostility felt by their masters towards a certain type person, and know to show hostility towards them as well.

Whereas with a cat it's, "Yeah? So?"

[Old Professer]

C'mon...

[smith288]

But I have seen some dogs that aren't even trained to do it. They just pick up the hostility felt by their masters towards a certain type person, and know to show hostility towards them as well.

Bull pucky. Its directly related to the dog inexperience towards people who look different from their master. Kids are the same way.

Take a kid from a white neighborhood that has never talked to black and people and the kid will say "Hey dad, this guy is brown...Why are you brown mister?" Embarassing for the father as much as it is for a dog owner who shows aggresiveness with something new.

[Feiny]

I lived in a neighborhood that was about 95% black for 6 months. My dog who had never been even slightly mean became very aggressive. It turned out that while I was at work, the neighborhood kids came by to tease him, throw rocks and scream.
Also, I have noticed that many black people are afraid of dogs and thus give off the scent of fear which will make even the nicest dog a bit predatory. Unfortunately, in the poor black and latino areas the dogs are treated badly and used for protection...and they do that by making the dogs mean & aggressive towards people. Thus, all folks in those areas think all dogs are like that.....sad, but true.