Aggression first time meeting

So one of my coworkers invited me to her house for a SB party. She's got 2 little boy terriers. I was excited for Zoe to have a play date. Right when we walked in the door one of the boys started growling at her. His parents held him for a bit, but were cautious to let him go. Zoe just hid behind me. The boys ended up outside until we left at halftime.

I was a bit surprised as I thought only girls did this to other girls. I know you can't predict animal behavior, but do you think they would have done this if they met at the dog park and not on their territory?

I find myself at a loss in situations like this and would welcome any advice.

Without seeing it, it is hard to tell. Terriers can be growly. And it is hard to know what the growling meant without seeing the rest of the body language involved.

And any dog can growl at any other dog. It's not a gender thing. He may have been being a twit or just unsure. He may have reacted better to a meeting in the backyard rather than the house. I do most meetings in the yard because there is more room for everyone to find neutral corners if needed. And no one feels quite as constrained.

Years ago I had a Kerry Blue Terrier. She had been the runt of her litter, and was pretty mellow, BUT her mother, father and sister would have pitched a fit at any other dog coming into their area. I've also known Bedlingtons and Scottish Terriers who were equally snarly with other dogs, regardless of sex.

Also, if there were a number of new people coming into the dogs' environment, they might have been more keyed up than usual. Glad it didn't escalate past growling!

Yeah, it was a SB party, small, but still. I thought that might have something to do with it. Oddly, there was another girl dog visiting and they knew her so they were fine. The girls were fine together too. The boys had to stay outside, which bothered one guest. He actually said the girls should have to go outside and let the boys back in. huh? silly people.