Dogs hate me.

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Dogs generally aren't particularly fond of me. One of my previous neighbors had two pitbulls, one of who absolutely hated me and would bark viciously at me every time he saw me, however had no problem with my roommate, my grandmother's dog would allow anyone but me to pick it up, and my brother dog, though she doesn't hate me, does not greet me with the same level of excitement as she does most other people.

I had always been at a loss as to why, as I rather like animals, however, I recently read an article on how dogs think, which speaks of how in-tuned dogs are to body language.

I hypothesize that perhaps my body language is "lying" to the dog and I am simply unaware of this.

Has anyone experienced anything similar?

My overall experience has generally been the opposite. A neighbor was once shocked at my ability to walk past her dog and knock on the back door of the house.

There is some components of human body language or movement patterns that dogs might perceive as provocations. If you unknowingly display thoses around dogs, it might unsettle them, Chronos.

Two such components come to my mind right now. The first one is eye contact. If you are one of those people who have been drilled to make eye contact or if you just think dogs' eyes are pretty in general and like to look at them (like it happens to me much of the time), you might spend more time meeting the dog's eyes then it is comfortable with. Prolonged eye contact is used by dogs to determine dominance. The less dominant dog will usually avert its eyes. If you maintain eye contact with dogs for too long, this might be perceived as a provocation. Looking at the nose or the spot between the dog's eyes will not usually trigger this reaction, so that's a way to read the dog's face without putting it off.

The other thing is the gait. Many people on the spectrum seem to have a somewhat unusual way of walking. When two dogs are preparing for a fight, they try to appear as big as possible (e.g. by raising their hackles) and they walk around each other on stiff legs. A dog threatening another dog will also approach it in a stiff-legged way. So if you tend to walk on stiffer legs than most other people, dogs might perceive that as a provocation and start to defend themselves by being loud around you. A simple way to test this theory would be to stop and to bend your knees a bit. If the dog's reaction to you changes, it was probably annoyed by your gait.

First rule, don't try. Greeting dogs like they were people is pretty silly, don't bother talking to a dog, when you first meet one you should act like it isn't there unless it's doing something you don't like. If you are relaxed it should be at ease with you pretty quickly. If you are tense, have jerky movements or a louder voice, it's not going to work on most dogs. I'm very good will most all animals, they gravitate towards me at parks and zoos as well.

I act like I've known the dog forever and we have been in the same room all day. Some people might look at me and think I'm not affectionate enough to their dogs to really like them, I don't need to touch a dog to have a trusting relationship. Much like people, you shouldn't just start touching them upon greeting.

I used to do dog rescue. I've had 600 + dogs through my home, and have worked with hundreds of dog owners to work through issues they were having with their dogs. I've done enough with dogs that I feel qualified to disagree with Cesar Milan.

If you want to better relate to dogs, I highly recommend one book: "How to Speak Dog: Mastering the Art of Dog-Human Communication," by Stanley Coren. Absolutely the most effective book of its kind I've seen. Available on Amazon for 5 - 10 bucks. And, no, I am not the author, or in any way affiliated with him.

Animals love me for some reason. I love most animals as well. It's people I hate.

I don't get on well with dogs, they make me anxious, Dogs of course can tell that.
Much prefer Cats

I've found that some dogs are like that with me. I think it's the low voice and large size.

Other dogs couldn't be friendlier.

Go to the shelter sometime. There might be one or two that warm up to you. Don't be surprised if none of them do. They're in a confined space and are frightened.

Another thing that could be a consideration: do you look the dog in the eye? Never look a new dog in the eye. Be submissive, let it be the alpha or let it think it's the alpha. Offer your hand to sniff and then work from there.

Perhaps, perhaps you come across as seemingly hostile. Humans sometimes perceive me as hostile when I don't intend to be. Humans and dogs aren't that different, you can learn a lot about one from the other. I suggest adopting an 'open' body stance and a friendly voice tone.

Even dogs that are deemed dangrous and unfriendly seem to like me. I'm not that crazy about dogs though because they are like NTs in animal form.

A co-worker of mine had this all the time, so funny !

I always have a good way with any animal, dogs aren't offended by me.

Animals smell anxiety and Aspies tend to have higher levels of that stuff. That is one reason why horses are the "best" therapy for anxiety. A horse will always let you know if your anxiety levels are too high for comfort.

Dogs hate me too. They must sense that I dislike them a great deal.

ruveyn

There either LOVE me a little too much, or HATE me so much that they will bark at me until I go away.

I don't like them very much, so..............

Dogs always like me more than I like them, but once they start in I'm an easy mark.

I'm usually more a cat person, though.

That is interesting. I have always thought that animals can pick up on the subtle behavioral cues given off by those with AS. I also have trouble with dogs. They do not listen to me, and can become aggressive. I have had several bad encounters with aggressive dogs.