I have an unusual problem with my dog, he does not like for us to pet him. Is this something to be concerned about and do you have any suggestions?

Dear Cindy,

Thank you for the web site and all the information that is available. It has been very valuable and helpful in training our dogs.

I have an unusual problem with my dog. Here is a little background on our situation. We have a 13 year old lab/border collie mix and a 2 year old Black Mouth Cur. Our concern is with our BMC. He is a hunting breed and is a very dominant and stubborn dog. We have established the pack leaders in our house as my husband and me and he has been obedience trained and is very obedient. It is a constant challenge though every day to maintain pack leadership. I can never let me guard down. I have had dogs all my life and have never had a problem being the pack leader. Everyday I have to make him sit and wait for me before going out the door. Everyday I have to make sure he doesn't charge past me or shoulder but me. Also just recently he has been showing signs of food aggression when eating with our older dog. They used to eat in the same room at the same time with no problems. This is a new development. He growls and snarls if she looks at him or moves near him. We have separated then totally now when they eat.

My unusual problem is that he does not like for us to pet him. Around 6 months of age he decided that he no longer wanted to be pet or hugged. He will turn his head away or pull away from us. He doesn't seem to want any kind of physical attention. We don't show huge amounts of affection but sometimes you would like to pet your dog or have him show affection. He is excited to see us when we come home from work but just does not want to be touched. He wants to be with us and loves walks and retrieving his ball. He does like to be in the same room as we are in. I have never had a dog that didn't show affection. Is this something to be concerned about and do you have any suggestions?

Thank you in advance for any advice.

Lisa