Content
- Do racist dogs exist?
- Racist dog: can ethnicity influence?
- Why do dogs not like some people?
- because your guardian is racist
- Because the other person acts strangely
- Because the dog was not properly socialized
- for fear of the unknown
All of us who love dogs tend to think and defend with conviction that dogs do not nurture or propagate prejudices, unlike humans. However, there are true reports about some dogs that are aggressive or extremely suspicious in the presence of people of other ethnicities than their owner, it can lead to reflection if a dog can be racist.
As you may already know, racism is a delicate and complex subject and, more than that, it is a sad and violent reality that is marked in the history of Brazil and many other countries, unfortunately it is still strongly present in the structural basis of societies. That's why in this article by PeritoAnimal we'll explain the possibility of dogs exercising racism consciously or unconsciously. The objective of this text is to reflect if prejudice and discrimination are part of the social interactions that dogs establish among themselves and with human beings. Understand now: is there a racist dog? Is this myth or true?
Do racist dogs exist?
If I were asked to express my opinion, I would say that there are no racist dogs, but dogs that assimilate racist behavior who 'absorb' mainly from their tutors, but also from the society or community where they live and are educated. But the purpose of this article is not merely to express my opinion about what they call a 'racist dog', so I propose that we think together if a dog can be racist from a basic analysis of language and social interactions between dogs .
Thus, we will be able to consider whether a person's ethnicity or skin color really influences a dog's behavior towards him and his predisposition to aggression. Let's see:
Racist dog: can ethnicity influence?
If we observe the social behavior of dogs, you can notice that vision is not the priority when it comes to getting to know another individual and identifying their characteristics, their state of mind and their 'intentions'. Dogs communicate mainly through the body language and, during a social interaction, they are always attentive to the postures, gestures and facial expressions of their 'interlocutor', using mainly their sense of smell to know the 'identity' of the other dog.
Therefore, when a dog meets another in the street, before sniffing it or getting too close, it will take a few minutes to observe the other dog's posture, the position of the tail and ears, the look and attitudes when trying to get closer. If the other dog shows signs of calm, indicating that he is calm and does not intend to get involved in a conflict, they will move on to the next step, which is to sniff themselves.
Many people wonder why a dog sniffs another's anus or offers its tail to be snorted. Well, this is a completely normal routine in social interactions between dogs and it means these two individuals are exchanging information to get to know each other better. This happens because the anal glands of dogs produce some substances with a very characteristic odor that transmit the ’chemical identity’ of each individual. When a dog smells the anus of another, it feels this unique and singular odor through which it can collect information such as sex, age, fertile period, state of mind and health, among other data that informs him about who this individual is with whom interact.
In this sense, we can say that the coat color or the origin of the other dog does not have much (or any) relevance in social interactions between dogs, that is, the idea of an animal prejudice does not exist. What really matters is what the individual expresses through their body, whether through chemical substances or their attitudes and gestures.
Why do dogs not like some people?
If ethnicity or skin color doesn't matter to dogs, then, why dogs don't like some people, reacting aggressively or suspiciously in your presence? Well, there is not only one reason that can explain this behavior, the language and behavior of dogs are complex and varied, and the same attitude can have several possible causes.
When we say that a dog looks racist, we are referring to the behavior in a different and negative way in relation to certain ethnicities. As we have seen, this is not because the dog makes a value judgment about a person's ethnic traits or skin color, as this type of analysis is not part of the language and social interactions among dogs. But then, Why does it happen?
To understand why a dog may appear racist when meeting a person of a different ethnicity than its guardian, it is necessary to analyze the context of that meeting and the education that was offered to each dog, as well as observing the body language of the tutor and the person the dog "doesn't like". Here are the main reasons:
because your guardian is racist
If, when meeting a person of another ethnicity, the dog notices any change in the behavior, posture or state of mind of its guardian, it may react in a strange or negative way. This is not because the tutor 'taught' the dog to be racist, but because the dog realizes that the presence of that person causes a nuisance or distrust in your tutor, by observing your body language. So, the dog may interpret the presence or proximity of that person as a possible threat to its owner's well-being, and may adopt a defensive-aggressive posture.
This can also happen when the tutor shows that he/she feels fear in a certain context that involves another individual. In this case, the dog will also notice the changes in his tutor's metabolism, as the body releases some hormones to prepare for a possible confrontation or the need to flee. Therefore, your reaction can be more aggressive, as the dog realizes that its guardian feels in danger.
In both cases, what motivates the dog's aggressive reaction is not the ethnicity or any trait of a particular person, but rather the behavior and thinking of their own tutor. Therefore, it is possible to say that there is no such thing as a racist dog, but rather dogs that assimilate the racism of their owners.
Because the other person acts strangely
The puppy will also easily interpret the postures, gestures and facial expressions of people who approach his tutor. If they perceive negative emotions, such as fear, stress, anxiety or defensive-aggressive attitudes, they may also react negatively to protect your favorite human.
For example, many dogs are suspicious or react negatively to meeting drunk people, as they tend to make sudden movements, take irregular steps, and speak loudly, which can frighten or alert the dog. It is not a question of prejudice, or a racist dog, but the natural exercise of your survival instinct.
Because the dog was not properly socialized
The socialization process teaches the dog to relate in a positive way with other individuals and stimuli around him, being essential for strengthening self-confidence. If a dog has not been properly socialized, it can act negatively towards unknown people and animals, poor socialization can favor the development of several behavior problems in dogs, such as aggression, in addition to preventing them from enjoying life. healthy and positive social environment.
In more serious cases, the dog can show a possessive behavior towards its guardian, preventing anyone from getting close. This happens when the dog sees in its owner a resource so important for its well-being that it is afraid of losing it and resorts to aggressiveness to prevent any individual from depriving it of this valuable asset. It's called resource protection and it is a relatively common behavior problem among dogs that needs proper treatment. Therefore, if your dog seems possessive of you, toys or food, we advise you to consult a veterinarian specializing in canine ethology.
for fear of the unknown
Imagine that a dog has never had contact with a person of a certain ethnicity and this encounter happens suddenly, like overnight. Although this is not very common, the dog can act strangely in this first interaction by simply fear of the unknown. If we add to that the fact that the dog has not been properly socialized, it is very likely that his reaction will be negative.
The best way to prevent this from occurring is therefore to socialize your dog since puppy and introduce him to different animals and people, to encourage sociability. However, if you have decided to adopt an adult dog, you will be happy to know that it is also possible to socialize an adult dog with the help of positive reinforcement, with patience and a lot of affection.