Yeah, I mean the whole dog thing is really just supposed to be a starting point for his character. We are introduced to him as a kind of badass "beater of the bullies" kind of guy, but the dog thing shows us that he puts on airs often and doesn't want to seem pathetic.
Which is where the subtle moments with him and Chidori become very interesting. I'd be quite happy if they go in a direction where he ends up liking Chidori but feels that having those kind of feelings but also being close to both Chidori and Katsuhira or even a "liking someone who like someone else" scenario might make him pathetic, so he hides it. And considering no one has "felt his pain" on the matter, he seems to hide it well.
If this is indeed what they are going for, then (despite it being slightly cliche) it'll be interesting to see what happens when everything is revealed. Considering how well Kiznaiver has done on its execution of cliche ideas into great happenings, i'd definitely like to see his development.
Just speculation on my part, sorry.
Edit:
Duckroll is 100% right here. Honest is a great word to describe how the characters are shown to be to the audience. Maybe even genuine might be a better word.