I had to win the heart of my girlfriend’s dog first. I was OK with it.
I had a year old Golden Retriever when my wife and I got married almost 24 years ago. Yes he's in our wedding pictures with us.
People who aren’t really dog people don’t get it. They’re in many ways extensions of ourselves, especially those raised from puppyhood, but even powerfully grateful pound rescues can develop this almost psychic bond.
Reject my dogs, and you’re rejecting me in several respects. Some breeds are more immediately welcoming to strangers, and some aren’t. Such breeds need wooing, as you mention. Your girlfriend is filtering her relationships through her dog, which is not necessarily a bad approach. They pick up on things on an animal level, of which most of us are either unaware, or only vaguely aware, that sort of hair on the back of your neck thing. Dogs live it every moment, in the moment. They’re almost like a radar for their people. Quite the complementary pair, a good person and a good dog.