Breed Prejudice

[aussielover]

I am not breed prejudice I am owner prejudice ......often the owners do not know the signs to look for before a problem starts, i wish at the dogs park you could have a big sign that says.....

"PLEASE WATCH YOUR DOG, YOUR DOG IS HERE TO SOCIALISE NOT YOU".

LOVE IT!!!! :laugh:

[whiskedaway]

inevitablue

Don't judge a whole breed by one idiot instructor. Or instructors either. There are great and appalling examples of both out there.

Completely agreed. I had huge issues with an instructor of Akira's and her breed prejudice. Unfortunately, I now have Halo in her class and am having the same issue because she just assumes she's a Husky as well. :rolleyes: Good thing is I know the next instructor up is extremely helpful, especially with more difficult breeds.

[Inevitablue]

inevitablue

Don't judge a whole breed by one idiot instructor. Or instructors either. There are great and appalling examples of both out there.

I'm not, and I have met many, many wonderful examples of the breed. It's my bugbear though when some have the 'holier than thou' attitudes about their dogs/ breeds. Sometimes I wonder if they all got their glasses from the same manufacturer!

Hehe..... you guys can be my therapists for my traumatic experience that has left me so wounded.

[Henrietta]

I often walk my parents' staffy x and sometimes people cross the road. I think that's just fine. An ounce of prevention. I can see why people wouldn't want to take chances. Sometimes they even wave from across the road, so I don't think it's a 'zomg, I hate your dog and death to all staffies!' I truly think it's people just being cautious. I think that's great because so am I. I also acknowledge that some people have dogs with issues and they are trying avoid triggers. I like to see dogs owners in control and on the ball and I try to be the same.

The staffy x is a good natured dog who has some select doggie friends, but she isn't a candidate for dog parks (I'm personally not a fan anyway). She is what she is and I'm watchful in her interactions. Can't say I've had trouble, but I've also had an offlead small dog come at her very aggressively and she didn't take to kindly to it, but I had control. Of course the owners just laughed it off. If it were my small dog (of which I own one, see previous post), the scene would've sent chills up my spine... I wasn't very comfortable myself at the time and my dog wasn't in any immediate danger.

The staffy is constantly outrun by my nan's whippet. She whines and dives down on to the floor in a play bow. She is used to being slower than other dogs, even my little one can outrun her. A sudden burst of energy and it looks like she is in with a chance and then Abby takes off and fifth gear and is all over and she's left standing there. She can be a rough dog, but she seems to match other dogs fairly well. I've never had a problem with her and my little one, but I acknowledge that her style of play is not fun for a lot of dogs. Therefore, she doesn't even get to play with every dog she knows.

Edited to make sense.

Edited June 9, 2011 by Henrietta

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

Inevitablue

I have similar disagreements with an instructor that owns a GR. But I argue more about training techniques than dog breeds. I find BCs as breed can be quite breedist. Not all but a noticable number including a few at my dog club prefer to greet and play with other BCs and completely ignore or warn off other dogs.

I have to make an effort to remember which ones, cos my dog just loves to say hello to everybody and every dog and sometimes ignores the back off signals until they get to a lunge-snap. And then she backs off at high speed. But me and the other owner would rather it didn't get to that stage.

Henrietta

I've had whole conversations about dog greetings across roads. And sometimes we get to say hello and sometimes we don't. Almost always get a laugh as a result of grovel dog's grovelling though.

[poodlemum]

I don't think your predjudice is unreasonable - you can only go off your own experiences, I find it sad that they've been bad when the vast majority of GSDs I know are friendly, happy and playful dogs. If I was in your shoes and had experienced horrible ones, I'd be staying away from them too.

I'm glad that your question about working line was curiousity and not a dig at the temperament of showlines as a whole. If we're ever at the same place together, I'd love for you to meet some of my dogs

You should take that up, Poodlefan - Ish's young girl has met my lappie and she was an absolute delight :-)

Sorry, I think you've confused me with someone else?? Poodlemum perhaps?

Yes, it was me - Poodlefan is the smart one, I'm the naughty one

All situational for me. I'm hesitant to pat a SWF held in the arms of the owner, I'm going to observe individual mally's, staffie's and the like first before letting my dogs off lead with them, and Im certainly not going to enter someones property with an ACD or GSD at the gate. I have ACD's too, so it's all about respecting the purpose of the dog.

As for breed predjudice I struggle to feel nice things for one breed, but that stems from way back when I first joined an obedience club as an enthusiastic newbie, to be told by one instructor if I wanted to get anywhere in obedience then I should put my dog down and get the breed she used. From that moment on its like fingernails down a chalk board when I hear people make excuses for their dog's bad behaviour 'cause it's the smartest breed in the world'. Yep I should get over it!

Ohhhh - it used to make my blood boil - the instructors who thought THEIR breed was the only one for Obedience - I had a similar experience with an Instructor who had GRs & thought they ere the ONLY good breed. Mond you, she was universally unpopular (we used to call her "Frau Hitler" behind her back )

Edited June 9, 2011 by poodlemum

[Roxy Lady]

As an owner of Bullies, I have been on the other side of breed prejudice.It is really rewarding when someone interacts with a breed they "don't like" - e.g, we used to own a red and white bully, many people think they are only white, or brindle and white- only to discover it's a Bull Terrier :D One of my girls is not fond of strange dogs-when she is walked, I will move off the walkway, put her in a sit, and kindly ask people with dogs not to approach. With dogs she is familiar with, she is great.

After many years as a Hydrobath Operator, I am wary of Border Collies,and Chihuahuas... through no fault of their own, BC'S always seemed to bite first , growl later, because the owner had not groomed them properly Chi's just liked to chomp your fingers at nail clipping time ,lol. Having said that, I wouldn't say I am prejudiced.

I love that Roxy is awesomely loveable towards humans and any dog/cat even chooks LOL! It surprises and impresses so many people. People always ask if she is aggressive and when i laugh a reply that shes quiet as a lamb everybody wants a pat and she just laps it up, most kneel to pat her and she puts one paw up and rests her head in their lap/knee LOL. Sucks them right in ! To change someones mind about a breed because your dog is such a great exampleof the good side of the breed is an awesome feeling!!! Makes you very proud :D !

She is just so subissive too, she lies down and rolls on her back so puppies can stand over her LOL. So i think its hilarious when little dogs rush up and their owners freak, and i can be like all "get that vicious dog away!" LOL, i don't but i could ! But i love the fact i can completely trust her with people and animals, her only problem is she can be over excited and jump around and get in the faces of other dogs but its something i'm aware of and keep an eye on. But i also love the fact when shes on the lead she can also be very ignorant of the reactions of other dogs, and has the ability to ignore an aggressive dog. Testament to her, me as her owner and trainer and her breeder

[SkySoaringMagpie]

Sorry, I think you've confused me with someone else?? Poodlemum perhaps?

Yes, it was me - Poodlefan is the smart one, I'm the naughty one

[lovemesideways]

In this case, one of the male staffys quickly approached Ricky the GSD who is himself entire and postured up to him and growled. BF did a really great job of just walking Ricky away and getting him to ignore the other dog while I let my labs go and ran over, growled and stomped at the staffy who scuttled away quickly.

I don't understand why you would let your dogs rush towards an entire male staffy who has already showed anti social towards your BF's dog Would you not just walk away as Ricky's owner did and divert their attention?

lovemesideways

I'm surprised you don't have your local rangers on speed dial.

And I'm also surprised you'd let your labs deal with an antisocial staffy. Eek.

I didn't let my labs go over, I probably worded it badly!

"I let my labs go and ran over, growled and stomped at the staffy who scuttled away quickly. ",

I meant that I had them on leash, which I let go of so that I could run over and get in between the Staffy and Ricky whilst BF distracted him and walked him away. My guys stayed back where I dropped their leashes till I came back to get them.

Bad wording is bad

Edited June 9, 2011 by lovemesideways

[dee lee]

As an owner of Bullies, I have been on the other side of breed prejudice.It is really rewarding when someone interacts with a breed they "don't like" - e.g, we used to own a red and white bully, many people think they are only white, or brindle and white- only to discover it's a Bull Terrier :D One of my girls is not fond of strange dogs-when she is walked, I will move off the walkway, put her in a sit, and kindly ask people with dogs not to approach. With dogs she is familiar with, she is great.

After many years as a Hydrobath Operator, I am wary of Border Collies,and Chihuahuas... through no fault of their own, BC'S always seemed to bite first , growl later, because the owner had not groomed them properly Chi's just liked to chomp your fingers at nail clipping time ,lol. Having said that, I wouldn't say I am prejudiced.

I love that Roxy is awesomely loveable towards humans and any dog/cat even chooks LOL! It surprises and impresses so many people. People always ask if she is aggressive and when i laugh a reply that shes quiet as a lamb everybody wants a pat and she just laps it up, most kneel to pat her and she puts one paw up and rests her head in their lap/knee LOL. Sucks them right in ! To change someones mind about a breed because your dog is such a great exampleof the good side of the breed is an awesome feeling!!! Makes you very proud :D !

She is just so subissive too, she lies down and rolls on her back so puppies can stand over her LOL. So i think its hilarious when little dogs rush up and their owners freak, and i can be like all "get that vicious dog away!" LOL, i don't but i could ! But i love the fact i can completely trust her with people and animals, her only problem is she can be over excited and jump around and get in the faces of other dogs but its something i'm aware of and keep an eye on. But i also love the fact when shes on the lead she can also be very ignorant of the reactions of other dogs, and has the ability to ignore an aggressive dog. Testament to her, me as her owner and trainer and her breeder

See both your posts demonstrate why it pays to be cautious.

I love Bull terriers, have done since my uncle had one when I was a child, but unless you know the dog you can't tell whether it will be aggressive or not. In any breed but particularly bull breeds.

Proper (owner) introductions and great care in assessing body language and I might consider allowing contact. But if I see any strange dog capable of harming my dog approaching me in the street, if there is not sufficient room to safely pass (or the dog is offlead), I will cross the road.

I'm sorry if this offends people but I don't care about your feelings- I care about reducing unknown risks for my dog.

[OSoSwift]

I am cautious of most dogs, no I am not scared or worried or necessarily need to cross the street, but I always have my eye on a dog so as to keep reading the situation so I can act very quickly if required.

I am most cautious with off lead dogs. Many years ago we had a BYBer pumping out JRT's, they were everywhere. Many people let them off lead and allow themt o run more than a little rampant. My DObe got to the point she would walk on elad very nicely wait until they ran up cloae and pounce. Due to the fact i knew what she was thinking she never made contact, but hom many JRT's was she supposed to put up with running up and either snapping in her face or biting her legs??? Thankfully that person stopped breeding some time ago.

I have to say in the last 12 months we have had many of the M X S coming through PPS and their temperments are very unstable to say the least. We have one right now who is a complete sweetie, and another who goes into attack mode if her owner tries to pat her and she is busy and doesn't want him to. Whilst I realise that it most certainly can be owner created, it goes beyond that. There has been at least one if not two M X S or similar in every class that is very unstable and a real potential biting/aggression problem waiting to happen.

[blinx]

Not prejudice about any particular breed but moreso based on how the owner treats and trains them as that's how the dog will turn out. However it may be a coincidence but I've had most negative experiences with Shi Tzu dogs.

Have lived with a lady who lets her Shi Tzu rule the roost. Needless to say, that dog is pretty uncontrollable with his small-man mentality and have had to live with their lovers quarrels - he turns his back on her then suddenly runs over and bites whenever she comes home late. I've also lost count the times she handfeeds him from her plate and carries him to her bed. Needless to say, I had no qualms moving out quick smart.

One of my closest friends also owns a Shi Tzu-Maltese X an have had to walk around the other way each time I visited because of his insanely aggressive barking and snapping at everyone except the family. At least he makes for kind of a guard dog. :p

Edited June 10, 2011 by blinx

[Aetherglow]

I don't think your predjudice is unreasonable - you can only go off your own experiences, I find it sad that they've been bad when the vast majority of GSDs I know are friendly, happy and playful dogs. If I was in your shoes and had experienced horrible ones, I'd be staying away from them too.

I'm glad that your question about working line was curiousity and not a dig at the temperament of showlines as a whole. If we're ever at the same place together, I'd love for you to meet some of my dogs

You should take that up, Poodlefan - Ish's young girl has met my lappie and she was an absolute delight :-)

Sorry, I think you've confused me with someone else?? Poodlemum perhaps?

Yes, it was me - Poodlefan is the smart one, I'm the naughty one

And apparently I'm the spacey one

I'm not a huge fan of small dogs, and of one popular small breed in particular (I'm not going to say which), which was amusing in some ways because I used to have a friend who had one which for some reason absolutely adored me. I had to overlook his breed in order to like him back, but he was a very nice little fellow, and it is rather flattering to be so admired

[claireybell]

The president of the dog club I used to attend disliked beagles. When I brang my beagle X to class he told me I'd never be able to teach her anything as beagles aren't trainable. This from the man who had two cockers that would snap and snarl at all other dogs!!!

[Ons]

I'm petrified of boxers and they are such nice dogs! It comes from living across the road from one when we were kids which had brain damage and used to bail up people regularly, the owners would just let it roam the streets.

And I used to dislike blue cattle dogs, wonder why anyone would have one, well after agreeing to help out for a couple of weeks last year in fostering one I fell in love with the breed and now I totally understand why they would be beloved pets, great dogs in the right hands.

I'm afraid though that I am very cautious with my dogs around staffies, whether justifiably or not it's just I have had some incidents that staffies have been involved with. I think they are great people dogs not just so good with other dogs but that's just my opinion

[MalteseLuna]

Good thing SWF isn't a breed then right ;)

I get very nervous when I see any dog approaching mine in a manner that I think is threatening - i.e. charging or "stalking". Generally it is just dogs happy to see another dog (over-excited) but unfortunately I have had too many experiences of my dog being chased, stalked, herded, pinned to the ground etc. There is only so much rough-handling a 2.5 kg dog can handle before being injured so I tend to avoid other dogs if possible.

I do admit that when I see border collies or kelpies I get ansy - I don't think the breeds are bad it's just that prey instinct is strong and my dog does look like a rabbit or prey item when running/scared. I also avoid sighthounds that are off-lead - it's just too risky. Sure there are bcs, kelpies and sighthounds that are fine with small dogs but ... is it worth the risk?

That said one of the loudest most annoying dogs I've met on our walks is another Maltese she just yaps and yaps and isn't too happy about strangers or dogs going within 10 m of her ;)

Has anyone else noticed that some dogs are breedist i.e. prefer to play with or get excited when they see another dog of their breed? Mine always loves to see other Maltese (or swf breeds) or Pugs ... she just loves pugs!

edited as I quoted the wrong person

Edited June 10, 2011 by MalteseLuna

[Quickasyoucan]

i get wary every time i see a border collie coming towards us, off-lead, on-lead it doesn't matter. i've had so many bad experiences with over-intensity and nippiness which i'm sure come from the herding desire and instinct but i hate it and i know my boy hates it. he walks past fine, but they always seem to want to herd and nip at his back end and tail - freaks him out no end so now i change sides of the street or go the other direction.

i haven't had any bad expeorences with staffies, though i've met some uncontrolled and badly behaved ones...

My worst dog park experiences have been in situations where there have been two or more border collies. My boy (who is a stafford x) has been herded and rushed and growled at on more than one occasion. I am also more wary, and I recognise that, as we had a very bad tempered BC down the road when I was growing up and I was nipped and rushed at on more than one occasion. I know BC's are not all bad and have met some nice ones too, but you have to work to get over it.

When I did a bitsa test on my boy the irony is though (and I know people say its rubbish but he definitely has some herding breed in him) he came back secondary BC, I think fate is trying to tell me to get over my prejudices!!!

The only other breeds I find difficult in parks are the boisterous labs whose owners do nothing about their behaviour. But htat is probably more of an owner problem than a dog one. Funnily enough have never had a problem with another stafford, though I recognise like labs they do play too rough for many people's tastes.

Apart from that I tend to take each dog as it comes.

If you asked my dog he would tell you he doesn't like GSD's but that is because there is a HA and DA GSD down the road who has attacked him and threatened him on more than one occasion. He tends to tense up when he sees them but once he knows it is not THAT dog he will then ignore them...

[Dogsrawesome]

As an owner of Bullies, I have been on the other side of breed prejudice.It is really rewarding when someone interacts with a breed they "don't like" - e.g, we used to own a red and white bully, many people think they are only white, or brindle and white- only to discover it's a Bull Terrier :D One of my girls is not fond of strange dogs-when she is walked, I will move off the walkway, put her in a sit, and kindly ask people with dogs not to approach. With dogs she is familiar with, she is great.

After many years as a Hydrobath Operator, I am wary of Border Collies,and Chihuahuas... through no fault of their own, BC'S always seemed to bite first , growl later, because the owner had not groomed them properly Chi's just liked to chomp your fingers at nail clipping time ,lol. Having said that, I wouldn't say I am prejudiced.

I love that Roxy is awesomely loveable towards humans and any dog/cat even chooks LOL! It surprises and impresses so many people. People always ask if she is aggressive and when i laugh a reply that shes quiet as a lamb everybody wants a pat and she just laps it up, most kneel to pat her and she puts one paw up and rests her head in their lap/knee LOL. Sucks them right in ! To change someones mind about a breed because your dog is such a great exampleof the good side of the breed is an awesome feeling!!! Makes you very proud :D !

She is just so subissive too, she lies down and rolls on her back so puppies can stand over her LOL. So i think its hilarious when little dogs rush up and their owners freak, and i can be like all "get that vicious dog away!" LOL, i don't but i could ! But i love the fact i can completely trust her with people and animals, her only problem is she can be over excited and jump around and get in the faces of other dogs but its something i'm aware of and keep an eye on. But i also love the fact when shes on the lead she can also be very ignorant of the reactions of other dogs, and has the ability to ignore an aggressive dog. Testament to her, me as her owner and trainer and her breeder

Awww she seems lovely :D

[Staranais]

One person's "prejudice" is another person's judgement based on experience. :p

There are no breeds that I automatically assume are aggressive or dangerous, but it would be silly to assume that different breeds weren't inclined towards different temperaments.

On the other hand, I guess I am "prejudiced" towards some breeds on the grounds that I don't like their looks or typical personality or chance of suffering from health issues, so would be unlikely to ever own one.

[poodlemum]

I don't think your predjudice is unreasonable - you can only go off your own experiences, I find it sad that they've been bad when the vast majority of GSDs I know are friendly, happy and playful dogs. If I was in your shoes and had experienced horrible ones, I'd be staying away from them too.

I'm glad that your question about working line was curiousity and not a dig at the temperament of showlines as a whole. If we're ever at the same place together, I'd love for you to meet some of my dogs

You should take that up, Poodlefan - Ish's young girl has met my lappie and she was an absolute delight :-)

Sorry, I think you've confused me with someone else?? Poodlemum perhaps?

Yes, it was me - Poodlefan is the smart one, I'm the naughty one

And apparently I'm the spacey one

I'm not a huge fan of small dogs, and of one popular small breed in particular (I'm not going to say which), which was amusing in some ways because I used to have a friend who had one which for some reason absolutely adored me. I had to overlook his breed in order to like him back, but he was a very nice little fellow, and it is rather flattering to be so admired

Not at all - easy to get confused - you're lucky you're not looking at the Poodle thread where there's Poodle Mum Poodlemum Poodlefan (occasionally) Poodlecrazy & Poodlechic :D