Isaac Doesn't Like One of Our New Neighbors

Isaac likes everyone, you know.  Actually, like is probably not a strong enough work.  He loves just about everyone.

Except one of our new neighbors.

This is the second person Isaac has ever met that he didn't like, at least in the six-plus months that he's been with me.  The first person was a guy that changed the oil in my car at one of those quickie lube places.  It was weird, because there was a man working there and a woman working there, and Isaac liked the woman just fine.  She came over to the car to take my money and give me my receipt and stuff, and Isaac wanted to sniff and lick her hand.  But whenever the man got too close to the open window or spoke to me or Isaac,  Isaac barked at him.  And it was not his usual friendly bark.  It was a "back off, buddy, I don't like you" bark.

That's the bark Isaac uses when he sees our neighbor.  Sometimes he barks more, sometimes less.  Sometimes he even growls.  But it's not a "hey, I'm glad to see you" bark and it's not a "hey, Kelly, look who it is" bark, which are the barks he usually uses when spotting neighbors outside or in the hallway of our apartment building.

I've been working with Isaac not to bark, even his usual friendly barks, when spotting neighbors because while I know they are friendly barks, he is a big dog with a loud bark and people sometimes find it intimidating.  Plus, I don't want him to wake up everyone in the building when he announces he sees someone he likes.  And he has gotten better about keeping his voice down.

But not with this one particular neighbor.  Isaac does not like him and he is not shy about voicing his opinion.

I don't know why Isaac doesn't like him.  I'm sure there is something different about him that Isaac notices that I don't.  I have wondered if maybe it was something like a particular medication he takes that Isaac can smell or something like that.  I am inclined, though, to trust Isaac's instincts.  If Isaac thinks there is something wrong with this guy, there probably is something wrong with him.  He doesn't seem like a scary guy to me, but I bet Isaac is a better judge of character than I am.

It's awkward because if I am standing in the lobby or outside talking to another neighbor, Isaac will be happily wagging his tail and, if I let him, sniffing the neighbor, rubbing himself against their legs, being petted by them, etc.  Then along comes the neighbor he doesn't like and he barks his "stay away" bark.  And this guy doesn't seem to realize Isaac doesn't like him.  He's not scared of him at all.  He comes up and wants to pet him, although he does it nicely, holding out one hand for Isaac to sniff, trying to win him over.

I don't want to tell the guy, "Hey, my dog doesn't like you so just stay away, please."  I don't want to tell my other neighbors that Isaac doesn't like this guy because I don't want to offend him or stir up gossip.  But I am more concerned with Isaac's well-being and with myself than I am about offending a neighbor.

I don't want to correct Isaac for telling me that he is uncomfortable around this guy.  However, I don't want him to feel anxious every time we see the guy, either, since he does live right next door.  I also don't want Isaac to think it's OK to behave in an aggressive manner and I certainly don't want him to begin acting in a protective way.  I don't want him to think it's his job to protect me, because it's not, and because that type of behavior is inappropriate in a service dog.  Service dogs are not guard dogs.  Under federal law (the Americans with Disabilities Act), dogs cannot be both service dogs and guard dogs.  But I don't want Isaac to think I am ignoring his warnings about the guy, either, and I don't want him to quit warning me if he thinks someone is up to no good (which I'm afraid he might do if he felt I always ignored his warnings).

I asked my online service dog handler friends for advice, and they all encouraged me to heed Isaac's warnings.  If Isaac thinks something is not right about the guy, then steer clear of him.  They suggested letting Isaac know he doesn't have to be so loud in telling me he doesn't like the guy.  He can tell me in a more subtle way.  That's basically what I've been doing with Isaac with regard to barking when he hears someone out in the hall or sees the dog that lives in the house next to my building through the window.  He can tell me, but he doesn't need to tell me over and over again, at the top of his lungs.