Can dogs be racist? This is a question I get from clients when they sheepishly bring this up in consults and sort of whisper “I think my dog is a racist.” I assure them, first, that they’re not alone and second, that as embarrassing as this is, that isn’t actually what’s going on. Just like humans, dogs are not born with any predisposition disliking any particular race. But, if their humans shelter them, especially during the critical socialization period, or the dog lives in a particularly homogenous community, that isolation can lead to neophobia (fear of new/unfamiliar things), which could lead to a dog being afraid of people who look unfamiliar.
To most dogs, unfamiliar equals scary. And when a dog is scared, they often communicate by growling, barking or giving other threat signals in an attempt to create distance between them and the thing they’re afraid of. Need some help understanding dog communication? Download this free handout!
And a reminder, dogs can go out before they finish their vaccines, and overwhelmingly the recommendation from the vets who specialize in behavior is that the benefit from early socialization far outweighs risks of infection.
Looking at current position statements from organizations like AVSAB (American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior), who are the leaders on veterinary care and behavior, they are abundantly clear that the outdated belief of avoiding socialization until vaccines are completed has no place in current standards. Read their complete position statement here.
“The primary and most important time for puppy socialization is the first three months of life. For this reason, the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior believes that it should be the *standard of care* for puppies to receive such socialization before they are fully vaccinated.”
This is relevant because in many cases this fear of strangers or a particular group of people, results from lack of socialization. I covered this topic in depth during my 4-part Fear in Dogs series. Fear can also result from a bad experience, which can generalize to an entire group who looks a certain way. Often when I dig deeper into things during my initial fear and aggression consult, we uncover that the dog (sometimes to the relief of the owner) actually has a more broad fear of strangers and not actually isolated to a specific racial group.
There’s not a ton of research on the topic of racism and dogs, but there were two studies that concluded socialization and racial preference was correlated with the dog’s caretaker’s race, so “Black dog owners reported more positive behaviors of their dogs directed to Blacks rather than toward whites and white people reported that their dogs showed more positive behaviors toward other white individuals and more negative behaviors toward Black people.” These studies also looked how the owners’ own implicit and explicit racial preferences – “the more social interaction there was between the owner and people of different races, the less likely the dog was to show any apparent racial discrimination in its behaviors toward strangers of different races.”
So, the good news is your dog isn’t a racist. Unlike human racists, who choose to hate others, your dog is likely afraid of unfamiliar people or people who fit a certain profile. While this isn’t an easy thing to help a dog overcome, we can make a plan to help your dog feel safer, get some management in place for immediate relief and come up with a long term training plan. If you and your dog need help, schedule a consult today.
Happy training!
