I've got a 5-year-old red Heeler female, spayed at 5 months, that I got as a puppy. She's a lover---not a fighter--- and sticks to me like glue. She will bark and posture to bluff other dogs and even people walking that pass by the front of the house, but if attacked by another dog she will back off. Like I said, she's a lover, not a fighter.
Yesterday I was uptown dropping a piece of furniture off at Habitat For Humanity and this young gal got in the back of my truck to look at the piece. She started baby-talking to the dog and petting her, which the dog tolerated while wagging her tail but being a little stand-offish because the gal was a stranger---and she wasn't me.
The gal put her face down to within a few inches of my dog's face, cooing like a pigeon, and I saw the dog curl her lips, quit wagging her tail, and her eyes went from straight forward to locked on the gal's face...she looked like she was about to feast on the gal's cheek, so I told the gal to not do that because dogs don't like people putting their face into the dog's face and she might bite, although she never has bitten anyone.
I told her it was like going up to a horse and patting them in the face---how would she like someone to come up to her and start patting her on the face...probably not, huh?
Wel, it obviously miffed the gal, but she didn't get nipped or bitten, so I was glad of the outcome.
My question is; what is it about sticking your face into a friendly dog's face that would cause them to suddenly change their demeanor, and want to bite your face? Is it a simple intrusion of privacy, or something else? Anyone know?
Just curious.
