Dog hates men? (lab, biting, barks, aggressive)

[STLCardsBlues1989]

A relative of mine has a male dachshund who hates strange men, but he loves strange women. Anytime a strange man comes to the house, the dog goes crazy. But he really doesn't mind strange women.

Are dogs sexist sometimes, too?

[TabulaRasa]

It can also be random associations...is there a chance that the dog had bad run-ins with strange men before?

I babysat as a teen for a family who had a really sweet-natured Doberman...he was wonderful in most regards, loved kids, etc., but would go NUTS when kids on bikes came near. As a pup, he had been teased and taunted by kids on bikes who would come through his alley and throw rocks.

My own dog really, really doesn't like anybody on inline skates or skateboards. Not sure if it's the sound that bugs him, the way they move, or if he has a bad history with skaters.

[SheridanPDC]

My dog warms up quickly to women but is stand-offish around men she dosen't know. It's odd, because the men she dose know, my husband & my father, are her Favorite People In The Whole World!
She HATES kids on skateboards. We live right next to a bike path, and many kids on skateboards go by. We've found that Riley cannot spend time outside playing without us, because these skaters tease her and shout at her when we are not out there (witnessed through the livingroom window). It makes me angry, because Riley loves to spend time in the yard.

[Viralmd]

Many, MANY dogs have sex preferences when it comes to people. That's one of the first things we evaluate in our rescue dogs!

[flkingfan]

I had a girl dobie that I adopted from a shelter. She was a stray, so no known past history. She was fine with women, kids, and my husband. But any other men she would not go near. It took her a few months to warm up to our neighbor who was over just about every day. I found it strange that she was so attached to my husband from day one, since she was so leary of men. Maybe she knew he saved her life. It's a good thing because I didn't want to have to give up my husband ;-)

[Driller1]

Our female lab LOVES men!!!

[didee]

They're not sexist. It's a fear reaction. I had a dog who had a fear of men (aggression). She was afraid of 98% of men and reacted aggressively by fear biting and other reactions like expressing her anal glands when she came into contact with a man. Then, very occasionally there was a random man she liked. The fear was even triggered by a male voice (in person, not on TV or radio). She liked most women. Who knows what goes on in those little brains? There is a process called desensitization they could try which is a very long process and may or may not work.

[ESFP]

Don't feel bad, I hate men too. One never knows what a dog is really thinking. Yours may not like facial hair, pants, uniforms, tall people, strong voices, cologne or cigarette smells... I doubt that dogs know the gender of people. Mine doesn't seem to care much about the gender of other dogs. There must be something specific that bothers him. See if you can identify any differences to people and how he reacts, but even after all the research he'll probably not change. It's OK.

[skeet09]

My dog barks at everybody except people at dog parks, dog stores, the vet, anywhere there is dog presence/smell.

[J-CityRelo]

Charlie is very fearful of men...I've found that the best thing to do is have men completely ignore him and when he's comfortable he'll start getting closer to sniff. Eventually Charlie realizes that the man means no harm. They can also throw treats to the dog, but I've found that ignoring really works. You have to have lots of patience with the pup. Especially with rescue dogs (like mine) you never know the horrible experiences they may have endured.