Do Dogs Discriminate?

People often say dogs are colorblind—literally, because they have a narrower range of color vision than humans; and figuratively, because they do not practice racial, sex, or age discrimination.

But is it true that dogs never discriminate against different kinds of people? Like humans, it depends on each dog’s upbringing combined with its natural temperament.

Sex, Racial, And Social Class Discrimination

Dogs in agricultural societies who live on remote farms worked by men have been known to be suspicious of women, simply because they hardly ever meet any.

Although it is rarely the case in this era, still there are some countries where neighborhoods are divided by social class and ethnic group. Dogs belonging to families of one race or social class sometimes act aggressively towards people of other races or social class, either due to lack of exposure or their human families’ own hostility towards other social class or ethnic group.

These problems are unlikely to arise in multiracial, multicultural, and densely populated cities, but they do show the importance of giving your dog positive experiences with people of various ethnic groups and both sexes.

What About Age Discrimination?

Regarding age, some dogs are protective of children while others dislike them. Infants, especially, may be perceived as non-human because they behave like prey—helpless, squealing, with different physical proportions from adult humans, and smelling of stale milk, baby powder, soiled diapers, and thrown-up food!

The solution is simple. Try to expose your dog to positive experiences with children—it should become more accepting of them with careful supervision.

With that said, it’s not one-size-fits-all solution. Dogs are individuals. It is not uncommon to find dogs have different temperaments within the same breed. Careful study and observation of their behavior before putting them (children and dogs) in close proximity. If required seek professional help for “problematic” dogs.