# I thought prejudice against breeds had died down...



## 8tansox (Jan 29, 2010)

... how wrong I was! 

I took Arwin to a new training school tonight, one where I'd not been before and knew nothing about them other than the usual checks etc. Nice venue, bit of a journey to get there but I really don't mind if the place is right. Instructors were really lovely however, chap to my right with his gorgeous long haired Daxi was a little wary of Arwin (who is 11 weeks now) but said he would be very brave and stroke him... but told his wife to keep his dog away... the lady with the Chihuahua visibly shook when we did the free recall and scooped her little dog up into her lap as quickly as she could, the JRT who had already snapped at Arwin charged over and had another go at him, to which his owner said it was because he was a Rottweiler and her dog "didn't like them sort of dogs"... 

So, all in all quite an eventful evening was had by most of us. He's the youngest there by a long way and will be top of the class next week, he already left the instructor in awe at his speed of learning. 

I really did think that breedism was a thing of long long ago, I was a bit surprised to be honest and taken aback at the comments and attitude. 

Time to educate them and show them what Rottweilers are REALLY like! 

Anyone else come across breedism of late?


----------



## Siskin (Nov 13, 2012)

How deeply frustrating for you. Hope you will prove them all wrong very soon


----------



## 8tansox (Jan 29, 2010)

Siskin said:


> How deeply frustrating for you. Hope you will prove them all wrong very soon


Oh we will hahaha!


----------



## Sairy (Nov 22, 2016)

I get quite a few people who say "my dog doesn't like Alsations" (I tend to find that people who aren't keen on GSDs are more likely to refer to them as Alsations). More often than not their dog doesn't look at all bothered by mine so it's clearly the owner who doesn't like them. The best one I had though was when another dog started playing with mine and the owner rushed up and said "what breed is your dog?" My OH replied "she's a German shepherd" to which the woman breathed a sigh of relief and said "oh thank God, I thought it was an Alsation and my dog doesn't like Alsations!" :Hilarious


----------



## StormyThai (Sep 11, 2013)

It's pretty much a daily thing here.
I was in the local garage a few days ago (only a handful of dogs are allowed in the shop and Thai is one of them) and I was having a chat with one of the cashiers whilst she fawned over him (she tells me off if I go in without Thai).
Thai gave her a high-five for a treat and some dude yells over "Oh...I didn't realise THOSE types of dogs were allowed in here"

I didn't have to say a word - the cashier stood up and said "No, your dog isn't allowed in here because she steals food and pees on the floor."


----------



## 8tansox (Jan 29, 2010)

StormyThai said:


> It's pretty much a daily thing here.
> I was in the local garage a few days ago (only a handful of dogs are allowed in the shop and Thai is one of them) and I was having a chat with one of the cashiers whilst she fawned over him (she tells me off if I go in without Thai).
> Thai gave her a high-five for a treat and some dude yells over "Oh...I didn't realise THOSE types of dogs were allowed in here"
> 
> I didn't have to say a word - the cashier stood up and said "No, your dog isn't allowed in here because she steals food and pees on the floor."


Hahaha, love it. Brilliant. Thank you for the smile you've given me tonight! :Happy:Happy:Happy:Happy


----------



## rottiepointerhouse (Feb 9, 2014)

Not recently because we rarely interact with other people or their dogs but when Indie was about 2 we came across a family out walking, children, parents, grandparents and one GR dog. The dog was at the front of the group with the grandfather and it went for Indie quite badly - rolled her over snarling at her teeth on display, the grandfather apologised and put it on its lead and we carried on past the rest of the family. Parents and children wanted to say hello to Indie who did her usual sit on their feet, slide down their legs and wave her legs in the air for a belly rub then her dance of joy around them all pulling her silly faces etc. Everyone was admiring her and complimenting her lovely nature until grandmother asked what breed she was. When I said rottie she immediately pulled the two grandchildren away and said don't touch her, usually I would shrug that off but given her dog had been really quite badly behaved I challenged her and asked why, she got very defensive and said she didn't trust them and didn't want to "risk it". I could see her family were embarrassed so I just said I find that interesting given your dog has just gone for her and with that she flounced off.


----------



## 8tansox (Jan 29, 2010)

rottiepointerhouse said:


> Not recently because we rarely interact with other people or their dogs but when Indie was about 2 we came across a family out walking, children, parents, grandparents and one GR dog. The dog was at the front of the group with the grandfather and it went for Indie quite badly - rolled her over snarling at her teeth on display, the grandfather apologised and put it on its lead and we carried on past the rest of the family. Parents and children wanted to say hello to Indie who did her usual sit on their feet, slide down their legs and wave her legs in the air for a belly rub then her dance of joy around them all pulling her silly faces etc. Everyone was admiring her and complimenting her lovely nature until grandmother asked what breed she was. When I said rottie she immediately pulled the two grandchildren away and said don't touch her, usually I would shrug that off but given her dog had been really quite badly behaved I challenged her and asked why, she got very defensive and said she didn't trust them and didn't want to "risk it". I could see her family were embarrassed so I just said I find that interesting given your dog has just gone for her and with that she flounced off.


Exactly. I think I have been in my own little bubble these past years so to speak, but decided to go to another training school so I was a bit shocked at the attitude. I'll be better prepared for it next week - with THE best puppy there, not that I'm competitive at all you understand haha!


----------



## Mirandashell (Jan 10, 2017)

I was at a local festival a few weeks back. There was a charity dog show which I was watching when this guy with a big labrador stood next to me. We started chatting about his dog when I felt Ty stir. I looked down and saw his lab giving Ty the stink eye. I started moving away when both sets of hackles went up and Ty roared at the lab. People turned to look and guess who got tutted at? Yeah the nasty vicious Staffy barking at the lovely fluffy Labrador. 

The Lab's owner knew what really happened. He gave me a shamefaced look and walked away.


----------



## SpicyBulldog (Jun 30, 2012)

Continue to be a breed ambassador!

Yes I've come across it. Usually people are not out right terrified, but cautious.


----------



## Guest (Jun 28, 2017)

8tansox said:


> Time to educate them and show them what Rottweilers are REALLY like!


I love your attitude 

Sadly no matter where I take mine there is always breedism in some way or another. 
With Breez I think her sheer size genuinely scares/shocks people sometimes, so I try to chalk most of the odd reactions to her to that. But yes, definitely people cross the road to avoid her, and of course people also cross the road to come interact with her too 

Bates is a big, black, bull-breed looking mutt and he gets a lot of ridiculousness too. From the scared parents grabbing their children away to the yahoos telling me their dog could fight mine. Yes, literally. Most of the time I ignore it and try to take the attitude you do and just let my dog prove himself, which he does, repeatedly. Makes me proud every day  They both do.


----------



## picaresque (Jun 25, 2009)

There's still a lot of 'argh, Alsatian!' feeling out there, I guess because of the police/security/military connection and a hangover from when GSDs were the 'devil dogs' of the day. Occasional looks and iffy comments. Small dogs/children being hurried away etc. I get big burly men walking in the middle of the road to avoid my old girl. Well it's either that or the opposite - making a big show of approaching us and trying to win her affections to prove they're not afraid. I can easily tell that type apart from genuine admirers.


----------



## Dogloverlou (Dec 8, 2013)

They'll soon change their tune when they realise how well trained Arwin is 

I never get any breedism here, which does surprise me at times because I have a big black & tan dog. But most people who do approach say he looks much softer and friendlier than a Rottie or similar. Which is kind of funny because the Rotties I've met tend to be more gregarious. Just goes to show the power of the media!


----------



## Zaros (Nov 24, 2009)

Tediously tiresome and frustrating isn't it.

We became pariahs and social lepers when Oscar was just a pup. Banned from taking him into dog parks, the section designated for big dogs, and made to stay out by the keepers at the gate. Socialisation has always proved interesting, watch the crowds suddenly part as if moses himself had held out his staff before the sea of people. 

Odd that our dogs have never attacked or attempted to attack any other dog, yet both Zara and Oscar have been attacked and injured by other dogs.

Something somewhere isn't quite right.


----------



## Blitz (Feb 12, 2009)

Sairy said:


> I get quite a few people who say "my dog doesn't like Alsations" (I tend to find that people who aren't keen on GSDs are more likely to refer to them as Alsations). More often than not their dog doesn't look at all bothered by mine so it's clearly the owner who doesn't like them. The best one I had though was when another dog started playing with mine and the owner rushed up and said "what breed is your dog?" My OH replied "she's a German shepherd" to which the woman breathed a sigh of relief and said "oh thank God, I thought it was an Alsation and my dog doesn't like Alsations!" :Hilarious


Someone told me the other day that her relative had owned a German Shepherd and and an alsatian. I pointed out that they were the same breed but apparently I was wrong!
When I owned a GSD I had a lot of problems with people not even wanting to get out of their cars in spite of the fact that he was shut away. I was told I was putting my daughter at risk and that he would turn on her at some stage however friendly he was. He was a rehome and unfortunately turned out to be unsound round livestock so he could not stay, but what a lovely dog he was.


----------



## Sairy (Nov 22, 2016)

Blitz said:


> Someone told me the other day that her relative had owned a German Shepherd and and an alsatian. I pointed out that they were the same breed but apparently I was wrong!
> When I owned a GSD I had a lot of problems with people not even wanting to get out of their cars in spite of the fact that he was shut away. I was told I was putting my daughter at risk and that he would turn on her at some stage however friendly he was. He was a rehome and unfortunately turned out to be unsound round livestock so he could not stay, but what a lovely dog he was.


I have had several arguments with people who wouldn't believe that they were the same breed , very frustrating! I also get the concerned parents worried that my dog might attack their children even though she is nowhere near them. It does get tiresome.


----------



## JoanneF (Feb 1, 2016)

Out of curiosity (sorry to digress a little @8tansox) when and why did Alsatian change to GSD? When we had a cross about 30 years ago he was routinely referred to as an Alsatian/ Collie but I sort of lost touch with the terminology after we lost him (amazing, clever, loyal lovely rescue boy btw).


----------



## JoanneF (Feb 1, 2016)

Double post


----------



## Boxerluver30 (Jun 14, 2017)

I walk with an older man sometimes and his American bulldog, now Clyde is honestly one of the friendliest dogs I've ever met, both with people and other dogs (Samson loves playing with him as he can play rough as he likes). Anyway they come across a lot of breedism, Barry was once telling me about when they were in a park in another area of warrington (can't remember exactly where it was now) and someone shouted over to him and Clyde "get that horrible vicious dog out of here" :Jawdrop. Clyde was just pottering about at the time, it really upset Barry and he left because of it . I don't know what I would of done in that situation, tbh it makes so angry that there is a good chance I would of shouted back at the ignorant bastard. You make arwin a model doggy citizen and prove all those haters wrong


----------



## Boxerluver30 (Jun 14, 2017)

JoanneF said:


> Double post


I think it was changed to alsation originally as britain didn't want to associate themselves with anything German sounding after world wars 1 and 2. So the name German Shepherd was out of the question, I think in America the kc changed it to Shepherd dog.


----------



## JoanneF (Feb 1, 2016)

Boxerluver30 said:


> I think it was changed to alsation originally as britain didn't want to associate themselves with anything German sounding after world wars 1 and 2. So the name German Shepherd was out of the question, I think in America the kc changed it to Shepherd dog.


Thank you.


----------



## Boxerluver30 (Jun 14, 2017)

Oops sorry @JoanneF that's supposed to be a reply to your alsation post, clicked on the wrong one!


----------



## picaresque (Jun 25, 2009)

JoanneF said:


> Out of curiosity (sorry to digress a little @8tansox) when and why did Alsatian change to GSD? When we had a cross about 30 years ago he was routinely referred to as an Alsatian/ Collie but I sort of lost touch with the terminology after we lost him (amazing, clever, loyal lovely rescue boy btw).


They were always German shepherds in most of the world but due to anti-German sentiment after the world wars they became known as Alsatians in Britain. The name was officially changed back to GSD in the seventies. I knew them as Alsatians when I was growing up in the nineties and plenty still do today.

ETA crossposted with @Boxerluver30


----------



## picaresque (Jun 25, 2009)

Also I think there is some conflict between breeders of the 'correct' German type vs 'Alsatianists' who go for the English Alsatian type. This might account for the confusion as to whether or not they are different breeds. It's not my area (my GSD is second hand) so don't quote me on that.


----------



## Apollo2012 (Jun 10, 2013)

I never understand how people can't love rotties. 

When Apollo was a pup a huge rottie came over to say hello and play, the owner was so happy that I let them play together and wasn't scared of him, even though he jumped up for a fuss, she looked so relieved I didn't freak out. Another time I came out a shop and a female rottie came running up to me out of nowhere for fuss and the owners again looked completely shocked that I didn't freak out and that i was saying how cute she was.

I would be completely in love if I came across a rottie puppy I don't think I've ever seen a rottweiler pup in the flesh before.


----------



## Tyton (Mar 9, 2013)

We don't get breedism... because no-one knows what Sam is! We did get pursued through the woods at the County Show on Sunday by a wee boy who 'wanted to catch the bear'. Said 'Bear' turned round and sat with me so (after checking it was ok with dad), the wee boy could have a pat and a hug with the bear in the woods and stomped off very pleased with himself.

Only a couple of years ago we were at a village fete with Tyton (newfie), Ronin (Ovcharka) and Chili (Dobermann) and all and sundry were coming up to my two fussing them, toddlers hugging them, etc then parents snatching their precious children away from the 'scary dog'. Never mind that Chili was the most relaxed of the three of them. We did a lot of education that day - pointing out that Tyton could fit their toddlers whole head in his mouth and that Ronin was a guard dog of the breed used *behind* the 10 foot fences in the Russian prisons.. not even the kind of dog the guards would approach.


----------



## steveshanks (Feb 19, 2015)

I must admit i sometimes refer to them as Alsatians (if i forget to check myself) but i've never thought of them as "Devil" dogs, my main experience with GSD's has been in the military so i've always thought of them as well behaved dual personality dogs, by that i mean working on one hand then a well, normal dog, guess pet is the wrong way to describe them though the few i knew that lived at home acted like pets till the lead was put on. One experience i had with a GSD i'll never forget. In the Falklands we had huge tents for hangers (fits one Chinook helicopter) so if it was above a certain wind speed someone had to stay up all night and check the ropes every hour, well this night it was my turn so off i went at 3am in a horizontal blizzard, just went around the back corner when i heard "Halt or i will release my dog" accompanied by growling and barking from a muzzled GSD, now this was a year after the war but still in high security so you only got one warning before release, so i froze, the guy said hello and said "Sorry didn't expect to see you this time of night" So i explained and offered him a cup of tea, when we went into the crew room he took off his muzzle and lead and said "Don't worry he's fine he knows he's not working now" he (the dig) came over and offered me a paw, when i took it he rolled over for a belly rub, when i stopped he did it over again LOL, till eventually i decided it was time for a ciggy, as i put it in my mouth the dog jumped up and snap took the ciggy out of my mouth, the policeman said "Sorry should have warned you he does that, its his quirk" we then spent the next 20 minutes feeding him compo biscuits this way LOL. I have more GSD stories if you want them ;o)......Steve


----------



## Lexiedhb (Jun 9, 2011)

Breedism is well and truly alive and kicking.........


----------



## simplysardonic (Sep 1, 2009)

Lexiedhb said:


> Breedism is well and truly alive and kicking.........


Agreed!

Although I've been actively avoiding people lately, because the fluffy one that everyone wants to pet isn't friendly with dogs or people, it's always the Rottie cross who gets the nasty comments & filthy looks though

Bob loves meeting new people, but one thing I have had to deal with is men of a certain type (cocky wideboys usually) feel it appropriate to try & rough house with the big dog, not sure what they're trying to prove


----------



## labradrk (Dec 10, 2012)

Apart from once when she was a puppy with a hysterical young ish girl I've not really experienced much breedism with Juno, but then I tend to avoid people away. I also avoid other dog owners so that isn't really an issue either. If anything she seems to get a fair about amount of admirers and people stopping to gawk at her. I've been asked by quite a few people what she's crossed with so I do wonder if her not looking like a traditional 'Alasatian' helps.


----------



## Magyarmum (Apr 27, 2015)

I've been lectured several times about Shar-Pei being an aggressive breed.. According to "them wot know for sure" It's in their genes and due to the fact Pei were for a short time used as "fighting dogs" in Hong Kong.

In fact Pei originally were not trained to fight but were forced into the sport when it became popular some 100 years ago when there was a shortage of the traditional fighting dogs being brought into China from the West. They weren't willing fighters and there are stories of them being given alcohol, or drugs in order to get them to fight. Unfortunately, this piece of misinformation has stuck like glue to the breed and over the years has grown like Topsy. As a result the poor dogs are labelled as something they're not! 

Just another example of the media getting their facts wrong!


----------



## ZiggyB (Mar 5, 2016)

We still have a lot of breedism here. My dog is a staffy cross but no one would ever guess. A guy with a big bull brindle breed, male, walked towards us the other day and I walked off the path out of the way, I'm guessing he's had his fair share of comments and assumed I was worried about his dog but still tried to reassure me that his dog was 'fine, very friendly', to which I responded 'thank you, but mine sometimes isn't!'.


----------



## ShibaPup (Mar 22, 2017)

Haven't really experienced any - rather surprised that everyone seems to be rather positive; perhaps it's because she's young.


----------



## Mirandashell (Jan 10, 2017)

Yep, it's cos she's a cute puppy. You wait till she hits adolescence and is leaping around on the end of her lead and barking.


----------



## fernlady (Feb 27, 2013)

Two of Mylo's favourite doggy friends are a 70kg very tall rottie & an 18 month staffie. When they're chasing each other & play fighting it's amazing how many other walkers stay well clear!


----------



## Jobeth (May 23, 2010)

I've had someone rant at me whilst I was at a cafe about how dangerous my 4kg yorkie was as 'those sort of dogs' bite. It went on for a while. There have been a few times where people want to to know if she bites before stroking her. On here I've read about them being 'handbag' dogs and 'yappy'. I think all dogs have some kind of 'breedism' attached to them.


----------



## Leanne77 (Oct 18, 2011)

Is it breedism to be less inclined to allow your dog to interact with some breeds or types and not others? If so then i'm totally guilty of breedism. Dont we all fall into the trap of stereotyping something on a regular basis? Many of our beliefs and opinions are based on experiences and if we've had a certain experience with a certain breed, more than once, is it not natural to then develop an opinion?


----------



## Blitz (Feb 12, 2009)

As Jobeth said, it is not just big dogs that get categorised unfairly. I get it with the poodles. The people that say they would not have one of those sort of dogs. Also the number of people who say they had never considered getting a poodle till they met mine.


----------



## 8tansox (Jan 29, 2010)

Thank you all for your posts of similar stories. I just find it so frustrating that there are still people who are scared of ANY breed of dog, surely it's their attitude that they should be scared of, not the breed, anyway, that was yesterday and I was feeling somewhat deflated. Today is another day, and me and my dogs have been out and about, met a few people, done a bit of training and I'm not feeling as flat or defeated. They'll be shown just how well mannered he is next week and I'll leave them all with egg on their faces haha!


----------



## MaggiesMom (Oct 13, 2016)

Yes, definately think there is breedism from all sorts of angles. I've had people pull their children away from my dog and she's only little, I think either the parents are scared of dogs or they believe the 'small bitey' stereo type that goes with smaller dogs. 
Maggie loves playing rough and does so with an american bull dog called Juno and a GSD/collie cross (Rolo, her boyfriend) down our local park, people look horrified to see her being bowled over and racing round lol!
My neighbour has a border terrier and a boxer plus the boxers son, which is a cross. Her partner reckons Maggie has 'small dog attitude' because his boxer lunges at Maggie and snarls and Maggie does nothing?! Reckons its her fault his dog reacts lol, more like he has ZERO control over his dogs and all you ever hear is him yelling at them


----------



## lunathehusky14 (Jun 29, 2017)

I don't think I experience breedism exactly, but Luna is almost always on the lead which another owner's first clue that she's not friendly (she's extremely friendly but she's a husky so off lead isn't a common occurence). Next, because she can't bound over to say hello to the new dog, she gets low and starts prowling towards the new dog as if she were a wolf hunting her prey - another understandable red flag for other owners.

To bypass all of this I usually shout over to the owner that she's friendly, although this can get me funny looks as if I might be dangerous too...

When we're indoors and she meets new people, she gets showered with cuddles and praise and fuss, most of it is too much for her and she just walks away and ignores everyone - we're lucky she's so chilled because if it were any other husky I doubt they'd stand for such a gross invasion of their personal husky space from a stranger!



Leanne77 said:


> Is it breedism to be less inclined to allow your dog to interact with some breeds or types and not others? If so then i'm totally guilty of breedism. Dont we all fall into the trap of stereotyping something on a regular basis? Many of our beliefs and opinions are based on experiences and if we've had a certain experience with a certain breed, more than once, is it not natural to then develop an opinion?


For me, I make judgements when I see the dog in the distance. Is it on lead? Is the owner paying attention? Is it acting stand-offish when it sees other dogs? To start with Luna couldn't read these signs and would bound over to any dog she saw, but now she's getting much better at reading the situation.

I also pre-judge little dogs and take care around them - but that's because I know the Luna plays rough and smaller dogs are much more fragile than she is so I keep Luna under control rather than hurt anyone.


----------



## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

I think all you can do @8tansox is show them by example. I bet that by the end of your training course they will all be Rottie converts.

I love Rotties. Still fondly remember looking after Bodie, a huge Rottie that was a complete cuddle junky at the kennels I worked for when I was 16.

I experienced a little bit of breedism walking my neighbour's collie. Lots of comments about how they hated collies as they were nuts and nipped people. They very quickly shut up when I walked past, dog at heel or doing a variety of tricks focussed on me, not a crazy moment or nip in sight.(Luckily they had missed the initial "I am going for a walk" crazies )


----------



## SLB (Apr 25, 2011)

When I don't have my dogs - I'm totally happy with every breed. When I have my dogs, I'm a little more wary of dogs. Not because of what they are. It's the owners. Dogs will always do what dogs are going to do - it's people who are unpredictable. And dog shows, training and just being out and about has shown me, people haven't got a clue what dog behaviour is. 

However since getting Sol - (who looks like a long legged staffie boxer thing) I've found people are more likely to pull their children and dogs away from Jack (fluffy, floppy eared GSD thing) than Sol..


----------



## Muttly (Oct 1, 2014)

Tbh I assess the body language of the dog AND owner, couldn't care a less what breed the dog is, but if things aren't right then I know Muttly will react, that's why I cross the road.
I'm sure a lot of people just think I'm precious about mu fluffy little mutt, but all I'm trying to do is lessen his reactivity and not cause their dog any stress.

Also the amount of times people have assured me that 'he/she's friendly' and they are not is crazy.
The last time was just a couple of weeks ago, I could see straight away that this bloke's dog was too full on and there would be trouble as it came bounding toward Muttly. Sure enough there were some issues and I had to pick Muttly up in the end to avoid a fight breaking out! We walked off while his dog was snapping and jumping up trying to get Muttly.

The man was far more concerned with telling me that 'she's ok, but this one isn't so he's on a lead' (pointing to his very calm and relaxed Staffy  )


----------



## catz4m8z (Aug 27, 2008)

Sometimes you just have to roll your eyes and move on. I dont think Im breedist but I def do avoid large breed puppies, not coz any particular breed worries me though. Its just that large puppies with no brakes and few social skills arent a good combo with teeny easily squished dogs!

I had a similar/opposite! experience at dog training though. Everybody was so shocked that Adam was happily socializing with all the other dogs no matter how big they were, I think they thought that he should of been a yappy, shakey little thing rather then the social butterfly he actually is.
TBH I dont think Ive ever met a friendly Rottie.....but Ive never met an unfriendly one either!


----------



## Mirandashell (Jan 10, 2017)

If I see a dog on a lead over the field or in the park, I usually walk Ty the other way. It doesn't matter what breed it is, if it's on a lead it has issues. So to avoid any stress to either dog, I avoid it.


----------



## Magyarmum (Apr 27, 2015)

Mirandashell said:


> If I see a dog on a lead over the field or in the park, I usually walk Ty the other way. It doesn't matter what breed it is, if it's on a lead it has issues. So to avoid any stress to either dog, I avoid it.


Sorry if I don't quite follow your logic. What makes you think if a dog is on a lead that it has issues? I often walk my two on leads usually to keep their LL and other training up to scratch. Neither of them has any "issues" with other dogs because they're both dog neutral.


----------



## lullabydream (Jun 25, 2013)

ShibaPup said:


> Haven't really experienced any - rather surprised that everyone seems to be rather positive; perhaps it's because she's young.


On my staffy cross first walk a chocolate lab came bounding over to her..her owner quickly run over quickly put his dog on the lead and said 'Well' you don't know how the dog that type of dog will be'

Choccy the Labrador had be the Bain of my life for many years...running over to my dogs, and not once had I ever heard the owner apologise, let alone speak. It was quite obvious that Tess was a tiny puppy finding her feet and actually never batted her eyelids at the dog..

Tess was brindle...so who knows the rest was very positive from everyone who saw her.

So I would say age doesn't always matter.


----------



## Mirandashell (Jan 10, 2017)

@Magyarmum I haven't met your dogs so I wasn't really talking about them.

To explain what I mean, the field and park near me are where most people let their dogs off-lead for a run about. So in my head, if a dog is on-lead over there, it usually for one of two reasons. Either the dog is dog-reactive or the owner can't recall the dog. So for the safety and peace of mind of me and my dog, I keep Ty away from them. It's just easier that way.


----------



## 2Hounds (Jun 24, 2009)

I went to a training class with my greyhounds and the trainers assistant had a little poodle, every time we did recall she'd scoop the poodle onto her lap & generally avoid being close to us but not for any other dogs there. 
I found it weird given she could see my dogs were fine with the mixture of sizes/breeds (some were puppies) and the poodle wasn't bothered either. It wasn't a great training class, the funniest part was later they did a demo (incl poodle owner) at the biggest greyhound show, that must've fried her nerves lol. 

All the rotties we've had in a work have been lovely natured & lot of maligned bull breeds are also good to handle. I hope by the end of course you'll have opened their minds a little.


----------



## Dogloverlou (Dec 8, 2013)

This got me thinking about a fun dog show we did last month. In our class was a lovely Rottie, and when it came time for him to be judged the judge stated she was afraid of the breed and didn't want to touch him! The owner assured her he was perfectly friendly and well mannered and she just said 'I'll take your word on that'. She patted his head and that was it. She placed him fourth and told everyone she couldn't believe she'd just done that!

I was quite shocked tbh, because the last person you expect to show prejudice is a judge. She wasn't inexperienced either.


----------



## Wilmer (Aug 31, 2012)

I give most dogs/people a wide berth, as Betty can be a problem and distance helps. Unfortunately, we do seem to be plagued with iffy GSDs in my area, so I am wary. That said, I don't tar all with the same brush, when I'm alone and meet a friendly one they get plenty of fuss. I try to act from personal experience and take as I find. 

I do worry about the belief that all newfies are friendly and love kids - Betty thinks children under 12 are the spawn of the devil (not that fond myself!). I once saw a toddler lunge across a path and full face hug a border collie - fortunately the BC was cool with it and the mother was apologetic and told off the toddler. I had palpitations for the next hour thinking about how Betty would have reacted (we were right behind the BC at the time) - she would have considered behaviour like that an act of war from a monster.


----------



## Guest (Jun 29, 2017)

Magyarmum said:


> Sorry if I don't quite follow your logic. What makes you think if a dog is on a lead that it has issues? I often walk my two on leads usually to keep their LL and other training up to scratch. Neither of them has any "issues" with other dogs because they're both dog neutral.


Agreed.
Dogs can be on lead for all sorts of reasons that have nothing to do with having "issues". Recovering from an injury, elderly and can't hear that well any more, in training, owner preference, all sorts of things... And unfortunately, a lot of dogs who should NOT be off leash are allowed off leash far more than they should be.

It's common courtesy to keep your dog away from an on-lead dog. Actually I would extend that to it being common courtesy to keep your dog away from any dog, leashed or not, unless the owner explicitly states that it's okay. Sadly common courtesy is not that common...

As for breedism. My opinion FWIW, is that crossing the road when you see my dog is not breedism. Avoiding dogs isn't breedism. 
Enacting and supporting legislation that restricts ownership based on breed IS breedism. And it is still very much alive and well.


----------



## Muttly (Oct 1, 2014)

I hate how people think that their 'social butterfly dogs' should be free to go anywhere and run up to whoever they want too and because my dog is on the lead and under control, then _HE'S_ got the issue? Hmmm


----------



## Mirandashell (Jan 10, 2017)

Muttly said:


> I hate how people think that their 'social butterfly dogs' should be free to go anywhere and run up to whoever they want too and because my dog is on the lead and under control, then _HE'S_ got the issue? Hmmm


Ah. If this is aimed at me, that's not quite what I meant. And I apologise for how it came across. I'm talking about areas where it's common practice to take the dog off the lead for a runaround.

I've had a dog that loved to fight. It used to drive me nuts when people would think that because he was a 3 legged JRT with a cute face he must be friendly. So they would let their dog come up to him, even though I told them not to, and then get upset when my dog grabbed their dog's ear or back leg. So in my experience, if a dog in a park is on a lead there's usually a good reason.

And isn't the usual advice on here that you shouldn't make your dog be a social butterfly for that very reason?

And isn't this whole thread about breedism? I own a Staffy. A big bulky Staffy. Who do you think people will blame if my dog gets in a fight with an on-lead dog?


----------



## Muttly (Oct 1, 2014)

I have had an issue lately with a small black dog (looks a bit poodle-ish). The owner always has her off the lead and she always runs straight over to Muttly at full speed, totally ignoring her owner.
Muttly does not like this dog, because she is incredibly rude and he rightly tells her so.
She then retaliates and I have twice had to pick Muttly up and leave the area before the two of them start scrapping.

The man thinks his dog is fine and tbh I hate to think that he would think MY dog has the issue. Perhaps he does since he continues to let her off the lead.

I guess we are having different experiences Miranda that make our views kind of opposite.


----------



## lullabydream (Jun 25, 2013)

It doesn't matter whether you let your dogs run around where other dogs are, if you haven't got enough control over your dogs that they don't interfere with others whether off lead or not then they shouldn't be off lead ..

Being off lead shouldn't give people licence to do anything different than they would be onlead... they still need to be under control. Shame people forget this.


----------



## dorrit (Sep 13, 2011)

Breedism, cliches they are all still out there,. the most embarrassing moment in memory was one morning when I was walking in the park with a perfectly nice middle aged lady. Her dog and mine all calmly wandering along when a young man came up with a staffie.. his dog did nothing wrong, but the woman turned into a raving scraming foaming at the mouth idiot calling his dog a killer a murderer and child mutilator, it should be chained/ muzzled/ PTS now. this instant. Then she scooped up her dog and legged it.. 

My dogs stared at me the staff stared at his owner and the guy shrugged and said 'must have been something she ate' and walked on. I laughed nervously but I was mortified I hope he didnt think I thought like that. 

If I let Murphy off lead its only in special off lead areas, not the local park. I wouldnt expect people with dogs who have problems deliberatly go to a designated off lead area. But if I see a dog on lead I will call ahead and ask what the problem is. Murphy is allowed to say hello but only if other owners are ok with it and after having Benny and Oscar who both became frail I am well aware of the damage a bouncy pup could do...


----------



## Mirandashell (Jan 10, 2017)

Muttly said:


> I have had an issue lately with a small black dog (looks a bit poodle-ish). The owner always has her off the lead and she always runs straight over to Muttly at full speed, totally ignoring her owner.
> Muttly does not like this dog, because she is incredibly rude and he rightly tells her so.
> She then retaliates and I have twice had to pick Muttly up and leave the area before the two of them start scrapping.
> 
> ...


Oh totally. The thing is Ty doesn't run up to other dogs. And if a dog approaches him, I will call him to me. Ty is pretty non-reactive unless he getting the stink eye. So it's easiest just to avoid other dogs. And I'm sorry if that hurts anyone's feelings but my responsibilty is to my dog.


----------



## Guest (Jun 29, 2017)

Mirandashell said:


> I've had a dog that loved to fight. It used to drive me nuts when people would think that because he was a 3 legged JRT with a cute face he must be friendly. So they would let their dog come up to him, even though I told them not to, and then get upset when my dog grabbed their dog's ear or back leg.


There are a couple things going on here though. 
No, dogs should not have been approaching your leashed dog, especially not if you're telling the owner to call the dog away. That's not cool.

However, nor is it cool for your dog to respond with teeth just because a dog approached him. IOW, both dogs/owners are in the wrong. If you have a dog who is going to use teeth and you can't reasonably prevent that from happening, the dog should be muzzled in public.

If you have a dog who will run up to other dogs uninvited and you can't reasonably prevent that from happening, the dog should be leashed in public. Both owners have a responsibility here.


----------



## Mirandashell (Jan 10, 2017)

dorrit said:


> Her dog and mine all calmly wandering along when a young man came up with a staffie.. his dog did nothing wrong, but the woman turned into a raving scraming foaming at the mouth idiot calling his dog a killer a murderer and child mutilator, it should be chained/ muzzled/ PTS now. this instant. Then she scooped up her dog and legged it..


And that's the kind of prejudice I face. Which is why it's easier to assume an on-lead dog has issues and stay away from them. Saves trouble all around.


----------



## Rafa (Jun 18, 2012)

Not all dogs are onlead because they have issues, no.

Rosie is onlead in certain situations where there are squirrels or rabbits as I couldn't trust her not to bog off after one of them.

Rudi stays onlead sometimes as she's very young and enthusiastic and she assumes, (wrongly), that every person in the park is there to see her and introduces herself with a tad too much vigour.

They're problems that we are working hard to sort out and Rudi especially is coming along in leaps and bounds, but I wouldn't describe them as 'issues'.


----------



## Guest (Jun 29, 2017)

Mirandashell said:


> Which is why it's easier to assume an on-lead dog has issues and stay away from them.


Or just not make an assumption about the dog at all, and be courteous of ALL dogs' need for space especially when restricted by a leash.


----------



## Rafa (Jun 18, 2012)

Mirandashell said:


> And that's the kind of prejudice I face. Which is why it's easier to assume an on-lead dog has issues and stay away from them. Saves trouble all around.


I wouldn't assume that every dog is onlead because it has issues but rather that, for whatever reason, the Owner doesn't want it to socialise with other dogs.

Keeping your dog away from onlead dogs is something everyone should do as a matter of courtesy, whether your dog is a Staffy or not.


----------



## Boxerluver30 (Jun 14, 2017)

Leanne77 said:


> Is it breedism to be less inclined to allow your dog to interact with some breeds or types and not others? If so then i'm totally guilty of breedism. Dont we all fall into the trap of stereotyping something on a regular basis? Many of our beliefs and opinions are based on experiences and if we've had a certain experience with a certain breed, more than once, is it not natural to then develop an opinion?


I was wary of Akitas for a long time after a big male attacked Samson when he was younger, I knew it was wrong and that not all akitas are bad but the attack really shook me up so it was more of an involuntary reaction than anything because seeing one reminded me of it. I've also had bad experiences with dalmations so again i'm still a bit wary of them. I know its completely wrong to think they are all bad however I cant help it, unfortunately I've had very little good experiences with either breed . I do look to the owner as well though and if they look like they've got proper control of the dog then I am reassured by this. Sorry if this makes me sound bad


----------



## Mirandashell (Jan 10, 2017)

Mirandashell said:


> And that's the kind of prejudice I face. Which is why it's easier to assume an on-lead dog has issues and stay away from them. Saves trouble all around.


Just to make it clear, I live in a working class area where there's a lot of Staffies. So people in other places, like the vets, often assume I'm a chav. Especially if I have to use the dog's full name. Which is Tyson. 

If he'd been mine as a pup, I would have called him Henry. He looks like a Henry.


----------



## Boxerluver30 (Jun 14, 2017)

I don't think just because a dog is on lead that means it has issues. Samson is on lead most of the time as his recall isn't that good, he has a high prey drive and if he sees something will run and goes deaf. So we keep him on a flexi lead the majority of the time unless in open areas where we can see all around us. He has no issues, if a dog does come up to him he is happy to say hello back, I don't much like it but it isn't an issue for us. If people ask why he is on lead I just say because he doesn't have good recall.


----------



## lullabydream (Jun 25, 2013)

Boxerluver30 said:


> I don't think just because a dog is on lead that means it has issues. Samson is on lead most of the time as his recall isn't that good, he has a high prey drive and if he sees something will run and goes deaf. So we keep him on a flexi lead the majority of the time unless in open areas where we can see all around us. He has no issues, if a dog does come up to him he is happy to say hello back, I don't much like it but it isn't an issue for us. If people ask why he is on lead I just say because he doesn't have good recall.


Very sensible..and more people should do the same.


----------



## catz4m8z (Aug 27, 2008)

Muttly said:


> I hate how people think that their 'social butterfly dogs' should be free to go anywhere and run up to whoever they want too and because my dog is on the lead and under control, then _HE'S_ got the issue? Hmmm





Mirandashell said:


> Ah. If this is aimed at me, that's not quite what I meant. And I apologise for how it came across.


Maybe it was aimed at me??:Nailbiting I called Adam a 'social butterfly dog' in the post just above!!:Wideyed
TBF Ive watched his meet and greet routine and its pretty much perfect. Although I do feel bad for him when he expresses an interest in saying hello to another dog from a safe distance and gets a clear 'nope!'. He always wanders back looking so dejected!LOL


----------



## Siskin (Nov 13, 2012)

When Isla was about a year or so old we came across a lady walking an off lead rottie, rather an overweight one I have to say, but the dog was incredibly friendly and was delighted to say hello to me and Isla. It was really funny because she couldn't stop wriggling her whole body with pleasure. The lady thanked me for letting Isla come over as she said the normal thing was for people to grab there dogs and almost run in the other direction which she found upsetting as her dog was so friendly and passive and enjoyed meeting other dogs.

I use common sense and try to read the dogs body language before assuming the worse.

Having said that, we came across a lady walking three gsd's all off lead, two adolescents and an adult. We stopped and waited to see what would happen, Isla was on the lead anyway. It wasn't that I expected trouble, more that I was aware that three dogs of any breed could be too much for Isla. The lady put all three onto the lead and we stood having a chat for a while although kept the dogs apart as she said the two youngsters had hooligan tendencies.


----------



## Siskin (Nov 13, 2012)

One of the main reasons we put Isla on a lead is when there are muddy drainage ditches about. She can go from golden to black in a few seconds


----------



## 8tansox (Jan 29, 2010)

I have encountered those who are afraid of Rotties when we're out and about, but I was very pleasantly surprised when we were in Cornwall earlier in the year and a couple, with a Labrador, all dogs off lead, allowed all our dogs to meet and play. They then went on to say it was because WE, as owners, looked as if we had control of the dogs so they felt easier about letting their dog play. So I also think how people look can play a part in whether or not dogs are permitted to play with one another. Although saying that, I never ever allow my dogs to play with unknown dogs in public, regardless of what their owners are like. I just feel if something did kick off, my dogs would always get the blame so it's easier to keep out of situation.

Equally, I would always put my dogs on a lead if other peoples' dogs were on leads too. Pilot seems to think he has to say hi to everyone and everything.


----------



## newfiesmum (Apr 21, 2010)

8tansox said:


> ... how wrong I was!
> 
> I took Arwin to a new training school tonight, one where I'd not been before and knew nothing about them other than the usual checks etc. Nice venue, bit of a journey to get there but I really don't mind if the place is right. Instructors were really lovely however, chap to my right with his gorgeous long haired Daxi was a little wary of Arwin (who is 11 weeks now) but said he would be very brave and stroke him... but told his wife to keep his dog away... the lady with the Chihuahua visibly shook when we did the free recall and scooped her little dog up into her lap as quickly as she could, the JRT who had already snapped at Arwin charged over and had another go at him, to which his owner said it was because he was a Rottweiler and her dog "didn't like them sort of dogs"...
> 
> ...


I remember some silly woman moving away from Joshua and telling me her collie didn't like those sorts of dogs. I wonder how many Newfoundlands her dog has seen, since they are not an every day sight and the fact is, it was her who was scared of their size, not her dog.

I visited someone last year who had a full grown rottweiler; he took one look and me, ran over wagging his back end and lay on his back asking for a tummy rub. Very vicious. Then there was the bloke shortly after another staffie attack reported in the paper who declared: 'what can you expect of people who would get a dog like that?' He shut up when I told him my brother had a Staffie.

People are stupid and you ain't never going to change that.


----------



## LinznMilly (Jun 24, 2011)

The strangest continued reaction that has happened to me involves an older man with (yes, I have to say it) a stuffy.

First time we met him and his owner, I put Max behind me (Max being temperamental with other dogs, not to mention getting on a bit in life) and Milly in a Sit-Wait. Owner said his dog was friendly. I smiled, but otherwise said nothing.

Second time we met, same thing, except owner said "FGS, he won't do anything - he'll just walk past". I said "it's not your dog who I think has the problem - it's mine".

Ever since then, whether I have Max with me or not, the guy just completely blanks me.


----------



## Blitz (Feb 12, 2009)

I just remembered that once I was tremendously breedist. I was asked to help get a rottie through a tunnel at a fun agility thing. I had never met the dog before but I sent the owner to the other end, put the dog's 'head in the tunnel and encouraged it in with my head also in the tunnel. Then I thought, have I gone totally mad sharing a tunnel with an unknown rottie!


----------



## magpie (Jan 3, 2009)

I was walking a large staffy mix one day when we passed a chap who asked, smirking, "is that one of them dogs that bite!?!". We were next to a noisy road, so I said "sorry, what was that?". He asked again, and I gave him the same response. Every time I made him repeat himself he got a little less smug and confident, especially because the dog in question was just standing calmly next to me, tail gently wagging. Eventually I just looked at the dog, looked back at the man, laughed and said "No!". 

No idea what "one of them dogs that bite" is supposed to be


----------



## Moobli (Feb 20, 2012)

I have a dark, imposing looking GSD and am pleased to say that he elicits a favourable response much more often than a negative one. I have had a couple of people comment that he is a husky (?!!) and also a Malinois or Dutch Shepherd (which was surprising to me, as both those breeds are much less common than GSDs). I do think the fact that he is calm, quiet and well behaved really goes a long way to being an ambassador for his breed. He ignores other dogs and strange people, rarely barks when not required to and I think this helps to reassure people about his intentions and good nature. Perhaps the fact I live in a rural area makes a difference too as most people are used to dogs of all varieties.


----------



## cows573 (Apr 20, 2017)

As a child... I grew up with a german shepherd...

She was the most loving, affectionate and protective dog I have ever had!

We, as young kids, could've done anything to her and she would never have retaliated. She saved my life on more than one occasion, and was highly, highly intelligent.

Our workman watched one time when, us three kids, managed to escape my mum (with me as the youngest)... There was my brother (the eldest), my sister, then me, then our dear Judy, walking along the main (very quiet) road. As I walked into the middle of the road, Judy gently pushed me back to the side, without tossing me over... time and time again!

Where I grew up, a protective dog wasn't necessarily a bad thing... People did cross the road when we were walking her. In her lifetime, giving serious threat to our well-being... she never bit anyone. However, she did 'warn' people if she felt necessary - by catching and holding an arm or wrist.

She 'warned' my brother when he decided to ride down steep steps with his bmx bike! lol... 

In my opinion, GSD's make fabulous pets with the right owners....


----------



## cbcdesign (Jul 3, 2014)

Sweety said:


> Not all dogs are onlead because they have issues, no.
> 
> *Rosie is onlead in certain situations where there are squirrels or rabbits as I couldn't trust her not to bog off after one of them.*


How is that not an issue?


----------



## catz4m8z (Aug 27, 2008)

cbcdesign said:


> How is that not an issue?


I think we are talking dog related issues arent we??

Sometimes owners really dont help though. Like the Staffy owner who told me his dog could rip mine to shreds....as both dogs were happily running about together without a care in the world!


----------



## Rafa (Jun 18, 2012)

cbcdesign said:


> How is that not an issue?


Depends what your definition of an 'issue' is.

She is no threat to people or other dogs, only potentially to herself, should she go to ground.

It's a problem I recognise and deal with, it's not an issue.


----------



## Mirandashell (Jan 10, 2017)

I was personally talking about more than dog-aggression. I did explicitly include recall problems as well. It's the two things that I think are the most common reasons for a dog being constantly on-lead. Obviously neither apply to every on-lead dog, any more than every off-lead dog is a social butterfly.


----------



## cbcdesign (Jul 3, 2014)

Sweety said:


> Depends what your definition of an 'issue' is.
> 
> She is no threat to people or other dogs, only potentially to herself, should she go to ground.
> 
> It's a problem I recognise and deal with, it's not an issue.


Any unwanted behaviour that cannot be controlled without resorting to the use of a leash in an otherwise safe environment is an issue in my book.
I am not criticising your choice though, please don't think I am. I used to have to leash my previous dog because she had an issue with noise and would charge off.


----------



## Mirandashell (Jan 10, 2017)

I guess for some owners what is an issue in someone else's dog, like running off whilst ignoring the owner, is not an issue when it's their dog doing it. 

We all have our own ideas about what issues are. As I said before, my responsibilty is first and foremost to my dog. If another owner's feelings are hurt by me calling Ty and walking away, well.... c'est la vie.


----------



## MiffyMoo (Sep 15, 2015)

I really wish I could remember who I had a similar conversation with, on here, a few months ago. She told me that she was walking a reactive dog, so when she saw a man with his staffie coming down the path towards them, she literally flung herself and the dog into a bush to get her dog away. Not because it was a staffie, but because she knew that, in such close proximity, her dog would be an *rse. The poor man said, in a really sad voice "he's not horrible, honestly". The way she told it had me howling with laughter


----------



## Guest (Jun 29, 2017)

cbcdesign said:


> Its a behavioureal issue in jy book whenm a dopg cannot be trusted off lead


Wow. Well then entire breeds in your book have behavioral issues...

A smart owner will know when it is safe for their dog to be off leash and when it isn't. Just because there are times when the owner doesn't deem it safe for the dog to be off leash doesn't mean the dog has behavioral issues.

Funnily enough, I would consider Bates to have "issues" even though he is therapy certified, multiple titles etc. His skunk issues alone count as "issues", but he is also dog intolerant and will happily poke holes in dogs he doesn't like. Yet he is off lead every day and is very much trusted off leash. Despite his "issues" he has a stellar recall and excellent obedience. 
So there ya go. Dog who does have issues but can be trusted off leash. Hrm....


----------



## Dogloverlou (Dec 8, 2013)

But really a dog running off after small animals is only an issue should the dog actually do so. Keeping it on lead therefore prevents that issue becoming an issue....if that makes sense 

And also yes, what one person considers an issue may not well be for the next person. Just depends.


----------



## newfiesmum (Apr 21, 2010)

In all my nearly forty years of dog owning, the most vicious one I have ever come across was a cavalier king charles spaniel who would bite anyone who got close enough. The only dog who has ever bitten me was a westie, but it turned out poor little soul had an ear infection and was probably frightened of getting hurt.


----------



## dorrit (Sep 13, 2011)

Issues, grief maybe they should all be in therapy.

Breed traits? Benny was a beagle and so for many years off lead was a no no he would just follow a scent regardless of where it took him so for safety he was on lead.
Oscar a BC ball crazy and love to round things up , much to the bewilderment of 6 westies and the amusement of their owner..
Remy a terrier of mixed parentage growler and hunter of small things , survival mode left over from when he was dumped.

Now Murphy who does what it says on the tin.. He is a water crazy rat/mole /vole hunter who is very dedicated and loving but scatty as only a pup can be. WE are teaching him No means No when it comes to water and have bought him a pool at home to keep him happy, and the hunting ... well we use distractions like a ball and recal but if he gets really determined we just put him back on lead until the urge has passed.
None of these could be classed as issues they are all well known breed traits and I think anyone who considers them real issues needs to ask if they fully understood the breed description when they chose their dog.

Aggression is another matter. That involves safety of both others and the dog itself and should be addressed as a matter of highest importance. If it cannot be resolved via training then being on lead or even muzzled (not something I like) might be the only answer.
Sadly while there are owners who conform to the cliche type eg big mouth chav with tats has rottie or staff, fussy screechy woman with a chi, ect the breed predjudice will remain because we the owners reinforce it.


----------



## Muttly (Oct 1, 2014)

catz4m8z said:


> Maybe it was aimed at me??:Nailbiting I called Adam a 'social butterfly dog' in the post just above!!:Wideyed
> TBF Ive watched his meet and greet routine and its pretty much perfect. Although I do feel bad for him when* he expresses an interest in saying hello to another dog from a safe distance and gets a clear 'nope!'. He always wanders back looking so dejected*!LOL


Most don't take no for an answer. If dogs approach and Muttly tells them to piss off and they go then great!


----------



## Muttly (Oct 1, 2014)

Sweety said:


> Depends what your definition of an 'issue' is.
> 
> She is no threat to people or other dogs, only potentially to herself, should she go to ground.
> 
> It's a problem I recognise and deal with, it's not an issue.


This is why Muttly is on the lead in our local weekday walking place. He has bogged off after Deer in the past, but a) It's not fair on the deer and b) They could hurt Muttly or he could hurt himself pelting through the forest that's full of human rubbish. Plus they have their young at the mo and they may stand up to him and injure him.

So yeah it's not an issue to anyone else as I control it.


----------



## Muttly (Oct 1, 2014)

and for the record....I do train him every day to 'leave' wildlife while on his Flexi (so not actually physically stopping him, but he knows he's on lead and can't get to them) in the hope one day he will learn to leave. He's hit and miss, depends on his mood.


----------



## Tyton (Mar 9, 2013)

catz4m8z said:


> TBF Ive watched his meet and greet routine and its pretty much perfect. Although I do feel bad for him when he expresses an interest in saying hello to another dog from a safe distance and gets a clear 'nope!'. He always wanders back looking so dejected!LOL





Muttly said:


> Most don't take no for an answer. If dogs approach and Muttly tells them to piss off and they go then great!


This reminded me of Kahn (the only one of my lads you will find offlead allowed to greet your dog (because Beau gets stupidly overexcited and bounces dogs (a danger to them given his size) and Sam is not reliable enough with recall to go over to a dog, play with it and actuall come back without me having to fetch him!). He sees a dog (off lead, owner not anxious, calling away/leashing up etc) and walks slowly towards it. He knows he is big, so stops about 2 feet away, tail gently wagging and stretches his nose forward as far as it will go (trying not to loom over the dog), and still they usually bark and get scared. he just kind of droops, his ears go down, he looks so dejected and his tail still has just the tip wagging hopefully..... ususally at that point the other owner comes over to fuss him because he looks so upset at the other dog's behaviour. bless him!


----------



## Muttly (Oct 1, 2014)

Tyton said:


> This reminded me of Kahn (the only one of my lads you will find offlead allowed to greet your dog (because Beau gets stupidly overexcited and bounces dogs (a danger to them given his size) and Sam is not reliable enough with recall to go over to a dog, play with it and actuall come back without me having to fetch him!). He sees a dog (off lead, owner not anxious, calling away/leashing up etc) and walks slowly towards it. He knows he is big, so stops about 2 feet away, tail gently wagging and stretches his nose forward as far as it will go (trying not to loom over the dog), and still they usually bark and get scared. he just kind of droops, his ears go down, he looks so dejected and his tail still has just the tip wagging hopefully..... ususally at that point the other owner comes over to fuss him because he looks so upset at the other dog's behaviour. bless him!


Oh love him, what a sweetheart. Muttly would like to meet him


----------



## DaisyBluebell (Apr 14, 2017)

I have to put another side to this : everyone on this site or everyone one I have followed on here, is a responsible, caring, knowing, dog owner what ever the breed what ever the size they have. Its the owners who are nothing like those mentioned above that I, and others, live in fear of.
I love Staffies, have trained with a GSD and have no personal fear of them but I fear the irresponsible owners of some of both those breeds (& any other breeds) that come to the park let the dogs off lead to run wild with no thought of any another dog, child or wildlife (usually by then they are walking along talking on the phone & totally ignorant of what their dog is doing). I used to dread the school holidays when I had my old 17 year old because inevitably some bored kid was told "oh take the dog for a walk". The fact that 'the dog' was a large, hard to handle, for a child, Rottie or something similar, seemed irrelevant to the parent! A child in charge of any dog, let alone a Rottie/Staffie/GSD is a risk to itself, its dog and more importantly my dog! 
I have actually turned round and walked home before now when I had my old girl and someone I did not know with a Staffie off lead was coming towards me, I loved her too much to ever take the chance whether this was a responsible owner/trusting dog or some nutter who thought it was not cool to have a dog on the lead & under control.
Its those people/situations that cause fear/prejudice in people regarding dogs, large or small or certain breeds.Sadly its never going to change.


----------



## labradrk (Dec 10, 2012)

DaisyBluebell said:


> I have to put another side to this : everyone on this site or everyone one I have followed on here, is a responsible, caring, knowing, dog owner what ever the breed what ever the size they have. Its the owners who are nothing like those mentioned above that I, and others, live in fear of.
> I love Staffies, have trained with a GSD and have no personal fear of them *but I fear the irresponsible owners of some of both those breeds (& any other breeds) that come to the park let the dogs off lead to run wild with no thought of any another dog, child or wildlife (usually by then they are walking along talking on the phone & totally ignorant of what their dog is doing).* I used to dread the school holidays when I had my old 17 year old because inevitably some bored kid was told "oh take the dog for a walk". The fact that 'the dog' was a large, hard to handle, for a child, Rottie or something similar, seemed irrelevant to the parent! A child in charge of any dog, let alone a Rottie/Staffie/GSD is a risk to itself, its dog and more importantly my dog!
> I have actually turned round and walked home before now when I had my old girl and someone I did not know with a Staffie off lead was coming towards me, I loved her too much to ever take the chance whether this was a responsible owner/trusting dog or some nutter who thought it was not cool to have a dog on the lead & under control.
> Its those people/situations that cause fear/prejudice in people regarding dogs, large or small or certain breeds.Sadly its never going to change.


Hmmm......see as far as I can remember I've not met many or any "scary" breeds of dog doing as you describe as most of their owners are too aware of the reception they would get if they allowed their type of dog run amok. Most of the dogs I've met that are allowed to be behave like that are so called "friendly" breeds; retrievers, Beagles, Poodle crosses, lurchers, terriers.....

I do not look at the breed that is off lead, I look at it's behaviour. I can tell almost straight away whether it is the sort who run over or will ignore us and walk on by. There are some types of dog that if I see off lead I will look to actively avoid immediately and none of them are Staffs or "scary" breeds, they are all obnoxious "friendly" breeds....


----------



## StormyThai (Sep 11, 2013)

DaisyBluebell said:


> I fear the irresponsible owners of some of both those breeds


Why do you only fear those two breeds tho?
I've been bitten twice in four years by out of control dogs...one was an off leash poodle cross and the other was a leashed springer spaniel 
.
If you are worried about out of control dogs then it should be ALL out of control dogs, not just ones of a certain breed.


----------



## steveshanks (Feb 19, 2015)

I think some folks not liking certain types of dogs may stem from where they live. I know i am always wary of any type of "Status Dog" when i am around my estate (thats housing estate not my huge farm) , its nothing to do with the dog and everything to do with the type of people who often own them. That said i don't avoid them like the plague i just way up the situation.


----------



## steveshanks (Feb 19, 2015)

Mirandashell said:


> So people in other places, like the vets, often assume I'm a chav.


 I hear you, i've done it, there is a guy around here with a huge staffy harnessed in leather and studs and a thick chain lead, he's always in the shell suit etc. He is i a really nice guy, and the dog is lovely, well trained and very healthy, i'm a strong believer in not judging a book by its cover, but you have a to look into the book to be sure.


----------



## Leanne77 (Oct 18, 2011)

I keep my dogs away from Staffies because most that they have met have been quite OTT, cocksure of themselves and assertive. Ok, that in itself is not exactly an issue, but when I own a dog who is likely to get offended by that kind of behaviour and challenge it, rather than use placating behaviour or walk away, then I am well aware that many Staffies will rise to the challenge and if that happens, my dog (who has no extra fat layers and only a thin coat) is going to come off worse. So when I keep my dogs away from certain breeds or types, it's because I know that the behaviour of one of my own dogs is likely to spark a negative reaction and if the worst comes to the worst it's mine who will suffer. Of course, if I see any dog whose body language and demeanour is likely to spark a reaction in mine then we avoid at all costs. 

It's not just things like Staffies and Akitas we are wary of but also Labradors and Dalmatians to name 2 more and thats because we've never had a positive interaction with either breed.


----------



## Baskervillle (Feb 3, 2016)

Sadly Fen is now scared of any staffie/mastiff/bull breed type as a few months ago he was attacked by two ambull/mastiff mixes. They came out of nowhere at a reservoir/public walking path (part of the peak district) and started going for his neck and he was screaming and showing his belly and they were just repeatedly biting him over and over. Their idiot owner ran over and said "it's okay, they're just playing!" 
They weren't.. I tried to separate them with my leg and one bit my shoe, so he started kicking the absolute shit out of them and screaming :/ 
I reported it but I have no idea if anything came of it. I feel bad for those dogs... I don't have any prejudice against any breed but fen does now sadly. Hopefully I'll be walking him with a friends staffie and doing careful introductions and I hope it will stop his hackles raising every time he sees them ): 

People don't like their children being around fen, I assume because he looks like a Gsd, but children always want to stroke him. 

Honestly, just walking him through a town centre or anywhere with people I get "looks like GIANT hyena!" "Its a dog fox hybrid!" "Baby wolf!" "Coyote dog!" 

The most memorable was shortly after I got fen and he didn't know how to walk properly from being stuck in a pen, and he froze up constantly. So he freezes up near a carpark and I had no choice but to carry him the rest of the way. 

A man was driving past and he screamed as he saw me "BLOODY HELL DAVE! LOOK! THAT MAN IS CARRYING A WOLF!" it cracked me up and I almost dropped fen hahaha.


----------



## catz4m8z (Aug 27, 2008)

Tyton said:


> He knows he is big, so stops about 2 feet away, tail gently wagging and stretches his nose forward as far as it will go (trying not to loom over the dog), and still they usually bark and get scared. he just kind of droops, his ears go down, he looks so dejected and his tail still has just the tip wagging hopefully...


awww! Adam is even more careful then this despite being the size of a shoebox and striking fear into the hearts of absolutely no-one!LOL 
He tends to stop a good 15-20ft away and tries to catch the other dogs eye. When he's sure he has been seen then he does his best waggy tail, play bow, happy pose and waits to see what the other dog does. If its a doggy equivelant of 'talk to the hand' then he just wanders back, but if he gets the ok then hes straight up to say hello.
TBH I trust his doggy radar more then my own coz he often picks up on uncomfortable or potentially snappy dogs before I do. Having said that I also have 3 dogs that hate meeting others thanks to being steam rollered by 'friendly' dogs one too many times.



Leanne77 said:


> I keep my dogs away from Staffies because most that they have met have been quite OTT, cocksure of themselves and assertive.
> It's not just things like Staffies and Akitas we are wary of but also Labradors and Dalmatians to name 2 more and thats because we've never had a positive interaction with either breed.


Im not a big fan of labs or boxers generally TBH. Too bouncy and friendly, kinda like that drunken stranger down the pub that you really dont want to be giving you a hug!:Wideyed:Nailbiting:Stopunch


----------



## Gemmaa (Jul 19, 2009)

I was almost attacked by two tiny Dachshunds this morning. It's the first time I've been genuinely scared of dogs, and the owner just thanked me for stopping and not cycling away. No need to apologise! 

I'm going to continue being prejudiced about stupid people accompanied by anything with teeth :Beaver.


----------



## cbcdesign (Jul 3, 2014)

ouesi said:


> Wow. Well then entire breeds in your book have behavioral issues...


Well lets just say that entire breeds have behavioural tendencies that for me are undesirable in a pet and therefore an issue for me. Predictable behaviour is fine though, you know where you stand and can accommodate accordingly but its unpredictable behaviour that I think is an issue. If an owner doesn't know how their dog will behave off lead that is an issue (problem) as far as I am concerned.


----------



## Muttly (Oct 1, 2014)

cbcdesign said:


> If an owner doesn't know how their dog will behave off lead that is an issue (problem) as far as I am concerned.


I agree with this.
I know exactly how Muttly will behave which is why in some places he is better on a Flexi.


----------



## Rott lover (Jan 2, 2015)

I know I am a bit late to this one but used to get it all the time with our rotts.I love your attitude and keep up the good work.Rotts are so easy to be a martyr as they are so good natured and love to please their owner.


----------



## steveshanks (Feb 19, 2015)

Pip doesn't like Labs or Staffies, and hates black Labs, now the labs in understand because he's had so many bounce all over him but staffies i have no idea, and why doesn't he dislike spaniels coz he's had more of those bounce him than any other dog......Steve


----------



## Freyja (Jun 28, 2008)

JoanneF said:


> Out of curiosity (sorry to digress a little @8tansox) when and why did Alsatian change to GSD? When we had a cross about 30 years ago he was routinely referred to as an Alsatian/ Collie but I sort of lost touch with the terminology after we lost him (amazing, clever, loyal lovely rescue boy btw).


An alsation and a GSD have always been the same dog during the war people were not keen on the conecton with the German's and so the name was changed to alsation. Until quite recently I think KC reistered GSD's were registered as GSD(Alsation) I think it was only a few years back that the KC actually dropped the world alsation from the breed.

Years ago we owned 2 GSD and people would cross over the raod rather than walk past them people would say I don't like alsations so I would just reply thats ok these are german shepherds and peoples attitude would change they would happily fuss them. Saying that I have had the same reaction when I owned greyhounds when I walked them together people would cross over to avoid walking past them.


----------



## Elles (Aug 15, 2011)

Some people find some breeds more intimidating than others. Some dogs were bred deliberately to look intimidating, even if they're soft as the proverbial. I guess it worked. Some people are afraid of all dogs and some dogs don't like being jumped on by any dog, but some, people and dogs, are wary of particular breeds.

My girl doesn't like boisterous, over friendly dogs of any breed, my first post here was about it. 2 minutes ago I got a message from my husband, that he'd just met a guy with 2 dobes that were bouncing and play fighting with each other. Clipped Elles on the lead as they came towards her and told the owner that Elles isn't friendly. 'They'll just have to bite each other then'. Was the answer to my hubby, who nearly got knocked over, by 2 out of control dobermanns doing what they like. 

So a stereotypical owner of large intimidating dogs literally just reinforced the stereotype.


----------



## MiffyMoo (Sep 15, 2015)

Elles said:


> Some people find some breeds more intimidating than others. Some dogs were bred deliberately to look intimidating, even if they're soft as the proverbial. I guess it worked. Some people are afraid of all dogs and some dogs don't like being jumped on by any dog, but some, people and dogs, are wary of particular breeds.
> 
> My girl doesn't like boisterous, over friendly dogs of any breed, my first post here was about it. 2 minutes ago I got a message from my husband, that he'd just met a guy with 2 dobes that were bouncing and play fighting with each other. Clipped Elles on the lead as they came towards her and told the owner that Elles isn't friendly. 'They'll just have to bite each other then'. Was the answer to my hubby, who nearly got knocked over, by 2 out of control dobermanns doing what they like.
> 
> So a stereotypical owner of large intimidating dogs literally just reinforced the stereotype.


I'm not sure that is the stereotype of a dobe owner anymore. Yeah, you will still get idiots owning any breed, and there's still an awful lot of people who think that dogs should be left to sort things out themselves. I do think that the majority of owners of dogs who have a bad rap tend to go out of their way to ensure that their dogs don't scare or upset anyone, especially when it just takes one person to report your scary dog for life to become really quite difficult


----------



## SpicyBulldog (Jun 30, 2012)

catz4m8z said:


> Im not a big fan of labs or boxers generally TBH. Too bouncy and friendly, kinda like that drunken stranger down the pub that you really dont want to be giving you a hug!:Wideyed:Nailbiting:Stopunch


That is how a lot of Pit Bulls are too. My Cane Corso was a lot like that when younger as well. I don't like meeting the people that encourage jumping and hyper behavior. I teach them not to jump on and be all over people, yet I've had numerous people like that's okay, I don't mine when I've told my dogs down or sit and actually try to get the dog to jump on them or give them lots of pats and rubs when they do.


----------



## 8tansox (Jan 29, 2010)

This is a picture of my 11 week old monster that the guy was "brave enough" to stroke...


----------



## Nonnie (Apr 15, 2009)

Im quite lucky that in the almost 20 years ive owned bull breeds, ive probably encountered over the top reactions just a handful of times.

I am prejudiced with some breeds though. There are four in particular that i will avoid at all costs. I certainly wouldnt be rude to anyone over it though.

EDIT: i should add that i will avoid when out with my own dog, not in general.


----------



## MiffyMoo (Sep 15, 2015)

Nonnie said:


> Im quite lucky that in the almost 20 years ive owned bull breeds, ive probably encountered over the top reactions just a handful of times.
> 
> I am prejudiced with some breeds though. There are four in particular that i will avoid at all costs. I certainly wouldnt be rude to anyone over it though.
> 
> EDIT: i should add that i will avoid when out with my own dog, not in general.


Ditto. Lola pretty much hates everyone unless they're big fluffy boys, but they both really don't like labs. I will never go up and fuss someone's dog, but I love being "viciously savaged" by Staffies if I'm in the pub and the owner lets them come over (if mine aren't there).


----------



## LouLatch (Jul 2, 2012)

Wow people will never stop surprising me with their stupidity. 

He's a teeny baby regardless of his breed. Sound like he showed all the other dogs up though being such a clever boy.

Unfortunately I get a lot of ear ache about Mitzie because she's a staffie. It's certainly not her people need to watch out for. I've learnt keeping your mouth shut gets you no where.


----------



## XemzX (Dec 23, 2013)

Ive unfortunately witnessed a few cases of breedism lately. My partner and I were sat outside waitrose on a benched area having a coffee when a man tied up his lovely, young rottie outside and nipped into the shop (not something I would ever do myself, though many do it here and everybody generally looks out for each other) minutes later a small child comes running up to the dog screeching, flailing his arms around. The startled dog gave a warning bark and the child ran back to his dad crying. The dad then commented to his son to keep away from devil dogs! Im not one for confrontation so instead spoke to my partner, loud enough for the man to hear, that he should not let his child approach any strange dog. 
Another instance is when I bumped into a local dog boarder. I got talking to her about all things dog and her job and she then went on to say that she would only take certain dogs and will never board a staffy. My opinion of her then went downhill.


----------



## kare (Sep 8, 2014)

I saw breed prejudice owning a GSD. Worse in some areas than others. I once had a woman wrench her child away from my GSD as "we don't stroke those kinds of dogs" only to encourage her to stroke a tied up Chihuahua three shops away who bit the child.

It was upsetting to walk a GSD puppy once who was just passed the cute stage and had "turned into a GSD rather than a puppy" the dog was so sad that msny of those that greeted it last month wanted nothing to do with it now

But in turn I have been left with prejudices I had owning a GSD. I will avoid my dogs playing with small terriers expecting a terrier to get over excited and nippy (overwhelming amount of Jack russell types bit at my shepherd, many on flexis who the owners let go after they were sure my dog was no threat to their little ars..) and wouldn't let a toy breed interact with them as my dogs would get them blame if something happened. IMO nothing good come from it to make it worth the hassle. My dogs play needs would not be satisfied even if they did have game and I can't see why any small dog owner would think it worth the risk.

I also avoid bracy breeds. The sound of them working so hard for each breath makes me sad and angry and I feel it hard to breath myself hearing it. If my dogs don't meet one ever there is less chance one will follow them back towards me

I will not feel bad about it, many here will avoid my Golden Retrievers as they expect them to be over friendly. In fact mine are dog neutral and too busy sniffing to care who is passing and so avoiding us is unnecessary, but actually a bonus to our walk

I sit out the way and wait for the dog I want no contact with to pass, so my choice being no inconvenience to their owners. Works fine most times, maybe with a small block...except often pugs whose owners can't seem to grasp manners "no me stood off the path as far as possible from the creature you are walking wasn't a clue for you?"


----------



## sidevalve (Jun 29, 2017)

I don't like badly behaved or trained dogs end of story really. Staffies and many terriers pull incessantly when on a lead - why ? Why do owners simply accept it ? Many small dogs yap and bark at everything and it is ignored - why ? Non of these problems are the dogs fault - I have seen staffies walk quietly on a lead and small breeds sitting quietly good as gold so what's the problem ? As usual it's people and the bad 'rap' is handed to the dog.
Must admit I don't 'like' rotties but that's simply a look thing - I don't think they are a very pretty dog nothing more and beauty is only skin deep and simply in the eye of the beholder [or owner]. One thing however I do not 'trust' any dog I don't know and am 'careful' of any dog I am not introduced to.


----------



## Rafa (Jun 18, 2012)

sidevalve said:


> I don't like badly behaved or trained dogs end of story really. Staffies and many terriers pull incessantly when on a lead - why ? Why do owners simply accept it ? Many small dogs yap and bark at everything and it is ignored - why ? Non of these problems are the dogs fault - I have seen staffies walk quietly on a lead and small breeds sitting quietly good as gold so what's the problem ? As usual it's people and the bad 'rap' is handed to the dog.
> Must admit I don't 'like' rotties but that's simply a look thing - I don't think they are a very pretty dog nothing more and beauty is only skin deep and simply in the eye of the beholder [or owner]. One thing however I do not 'trust' any dog I don't know and am 'careful' of any dog I am not introduced to.


I've seen many Breeds of dog pulling on the lead over the years.

Pulling onlead is not confined to Staffies and Terriers.

Why would you feel the need to even mention that?


----------



## Happy Paws2 (Sep 13, 2008)

We get people cross over when they see Dillon walking towards the whether they have a dog or not, I think his size puts some people off him. Then again, OH crosses over when he's got Dillon with him and he sees a Staffy as Dillon was attacked by one.


----------



## 8tansox (Jan 29, 2010)

Happy Paws said:


> We get people cross over when they see Dillon walking towards the whether they have a dog or not, I think his size puts some people off him. *Then again, OH crosses over when he's got Dillon with him and he sees a Staffy as Dillon was attacked by one.*




But it isn't the DOG, it's the owner of the dog who had no control over the dog, that's the problem as usual, not the flipping dog !!!!!!!!!

Crikey I don't think I have ever had such a responsive thread on here - ever .... 6 pages of it now. :/


----------



## Blackadder (Aug 25, 2014)

Breed prejudice? I've had Bull breeds for so long now I take it as par for the course, it gets worse if there's a dog attack in the papers!
I've never had one that has been aggressive but if people feel the need to cross the road to avoid mine based on looks alone that's their choice... I won't lose any sleep over it.


----------



## Happy Paws2 (Sep 13, 2008)

8tansox said:


> *But it isn't the DOG, it's the owner of the dog who had no control over the dog, that's the problem as usual, not the flipping dog !!!!!!!!!*
> 
> Crikey I don't think I have ever had such a responsive thread on here - ever .... 6 pages of it now. :/


*I do know it's not the flipping dog !!!!!!!*, that's why we cross over, we never know how they have been trained and It's not worth the risk.


----------



## sidevalve (Jun 29, 2017)

Sweety said:


> I've seen many Breeds of dog pulling on the lead over the years.
> 
> Pulling onlead is not confined to Staffies and Terriers.
> 
> Why would you feel the need to even mention that?


I mention it because it is simply an example of what I hate to see - it is way too common it looks bad on the dog and yet far too many people feel it is OK Yes other breeds do it but a mastiff or great dane pulling for all it's worth is a rare sight. To not mention it is to pretend it doesn't happen or it's very rare - no it isn't. As I said [if you read my post] I have seen such breeds walking perfectly to heel so why does it seem to happen so often and be tolerated or ignored ? 
Again [as I said] bad behaviour is the fault of the 'owners' and until people can be trusted then dogs of all sizes and breeds will be [I am afraid] mistrusted.


----------



## Siskin (Nov 13, 2012)

Went to a country show today and their were hundreds of dogs enjoying the day out. All sorts of breeds including a couple of Gordon setters which are not that often these days, a matching pair of lovely Sussex spaniels.

Two dogs were wearing muzzles, a staffi wearing the box type one which, I suspect, was more to stop him hoovering up all the scraps of food on the floor as he wasn't at all bothered about dogs passing or standing near him. The other dog was a little long haired dachsie who was wearing the cloth type of muzzle more normally used at the vets in case a frightened dog takes a nip. Poor little thing could just about open a tiny bit of mouth in order to pant, it was quite warm during the afternoon.


----------



## StormyThai (Sep 11, 2013)

sidevalve said:


> why does it seem to happen so often and be tolerated or ignored ?


There could be many reasons why an owner (of any breed) tolerates their dog pulling.

They are in the process of training LLW 
They just don't view LLW as a priority so are happy to allow their dog to pull
They don't have the patience or the skills to teach the dog to LLW
They have tried everything that they can think of but it doesn't work for them so they just accept their dog as they are.
Or they just cba because their dog spends most of their walks off leash so it doesn't matter to them.

Personally I can't stand dogs pulling so teaching them how I expect them to walk on a leash is one of my top priorities...I've seen plenty of large breeds being allowed to pull on the leash.


----------



## labradrk (Dec 10, 2012)

sidevalve said:


> I mention it because it is simply an example of what I hate to see - it is way too common it looks bad on the dog and yet far too many people feel it is OK Yes other breeds do it but a mastiff or great dane pulling for all it's worth is a rare sight. To not mention it is to pretend it doesn't happen or it's very rare - no it isn't. As I said [if you read my post] I have seen such breeds walking perfectly to heel so why does it seem to happen so often and be tolerated or ignored ?
> Again [as I said] bad behaviour is the fault of the 'owners' and until people can be trusted then dogs of all sizes and breeds will be [I am afraid] mistrusted.


Who cares? people work on what is important to them. Not everyone cares about their dog walking perfectly to heel. It's none of your business, move on and stop judging!


----------



## kare (Sep 8, 2014)

StormyThai said:


> There could be many reasons why an owner (of any breed) tolerates their dog pulling.
> 
> They are in the process of training LLW
> They just don't view LLW as a priority so are happy to allow their dog to pull
> ...


Indeed, or they could choose that as best for them.
For example I desire my dogs to pull often to help set or maintain my pace for a speed walk or to lead the way when cycling.

In fact I train dogs to my needs, which is rarely to have them heel. I use a ruffwear front range. Most of the time it is clipped to the back and I expect to have my dogs out front with light pressure on the lead (ie not as much as a speed walk). Appears to others they are pulling, in fact they are only just putting on pressure. I can easily slip both leads on one finger the pressure is so slight, but taut lead

My training reflects My needs and my needs are dogs who stop the second they cannot feel the pressure.

It started when I injured my knee close on a decade back and needed my GSD to stop without the need for a word from me if I stumbled/fell or just dropped the lead as a result of my weaknesses.

I know if something happens I can drop a lead on a street and save myself having faith that that sudden loss of pressure will make my dogs look for a treat and wait until it is given as that's what they have been trained to expect. It is trained well. I often drop a lead by mistake or to save myself. They stop within one pace to look at me. It is great.

My dogs are trained to my needs

If I need heel I use the front ring. They are trained for that too, but you will rarely see that so will maybe judge me as the owner of untrained dogs.


----------



## stuaz (Sep 22, 2012)

I haven't experienced breedism as such having only owned collies. I do however meet the people who love to tell me that "dogs like that should be in fields with sheep" etc. I mostly just nod and smile rather than explain (again) why they are wrong.

I do experience "muzzleism" ( I think I may have invented a word there..). One of my dogs wears one as she unfortunately has been attacked too many times that she has little confidence around the "he just wants to play" brigade. 

Only recently we were walking (both off lead) and came around the corner to see a women with a westie type dog, who proceeds to pick it up and hug it tight and just stand and stare. We walk past (my dogs just walk on by) and as I pass I struggled and failed to stifle a laugh.


----------



## Blitz (Feb 12, 2009)

kare said:


> Indeed, or they could choose that as best for them.
> For example I desire my dogs to pull often to help set or maintain my pace for a speed walk or to lead the way when cycling.
> 
> In fact I train dogs to my needs, which is rarely to have them heel. I use a ruffwear front range. Most of the time it is clipped to the back and I expect to have my dogs out front with light pressure on the lead (ie not as much as a speed walk). Appears to others they are pulling, in fact they are only just putting on pressure. I can easily slip both leads on one finger the pressure is so slight, but taut lead
> ...


But surely there is a huge difference between this and dogs that pull on the lead, with the owner obviously uncomfortable and the dog gasping and choking on the end of the lead. I too hate to see dogs that cannot walk quietly on the lead, whether that is in front (which I would not allow my dogs to do) or at the side.


----------



## rottiepointerhouse (Feb 9, 2014)

sidevalve said:


> I don't like badly behaved or trained dogs end of story really. Staffies and many terriers pull incessantly when on a lead - why ? Why do owners simply accept it ? Many small dogs yap and bark at everything and it is ignored - why ? Non of these problems are the dogs fault - I have seen staffies walk quietly on a lead and small breeds sitting quietly good as gold so what's the problem ? As usual it's people and the bad 'rap' is handed to the dog.
> Must admit I don't 'like' rotties but that's simply a look thing - I don't think they are a very pretty dog nothing more and beauty is only skin deep and simply in the eye of the beholder [or owner]. One thing however I do not 'trust' any dog I don't know and am 'careful' of any dog I am not introduced to.


We positively encourage our pointers to pull on the lead if we are doing scenting exercises with them, what has it got to do with anyone else?



So you don't like a breed of dog because you don't think they are very pretty, how superficial. Never mind I think she is beautiful


----------



## lullabydream (Jun 25, 2013)

rottiepointerhouse said:


> We positively encourage our pointers to pull on the lead if we are doing scenting exercises with them, what has it got to do with anyone else?
> 
> 
> 
> So you don't like a breed of dog because you don't think they are very pretty, how superficial. Never mind I think she is beautiful


I think she's beautiful too...

The new poster clearly highlights...breed prejudice as the title of the post shows...is alive and kicking...and you can't do anything about because stereotypes and attitudes matter...and you wouldn't think it was the same poster in the introductions as all over here and other threads.


----------



## 8tansox (Jan 29, 2010)

rottiepointerhouse said:


> So you don't like a breed of dog because you don't think they are very pretty, how superficial. *Never mind I think she is beautiful*




I do too. Still, nowt so queer as folk is there !!! How can anyone not think these dogs are anything but beautiful??????


----------



## Guest (Jul 2, 2017)

Well I'm a weirdo because it does bother me to see dogs pulling on lead - if they're in a collar. On a harness, doesn't bother me at all, and depending on the context (bite training, scenting etc. even less so).
But today we passed an obese lab on a flexi hauling on his leash as hard as he could with a thin collar digging in to his neck, wheezing away, in 90* weather, 100% humidity and I felt awful for the poor dog.

And yup, to me some dogs are ugly. Hell I owned an ugly ass dog who was one of the best dogs ever, but damn, he was ugly LOL.
Certain breeds don't suit my personal aesthetics, I would never say which ones of course, but I don't think there is anything wrong with having a "type" you prefer.

I know my personal preference is not the popular one, and one certain poster just loves to go on about how ugly and drooly and stupid great danes are. Pfft. Whatever. Just means more dane love for me


----------



## 8tansox (Jan 29, 2010)

There are dogs that never in ten million years would I EVER consider owning, either traits or looks, but, they all have their qualities that someone somewhere loves thank God, or we'd all have Rottweilers hahahahahaha :Kiss:Kiss:Kiss:Kiss:Kiss:Kiss


----------



## rottiepointerhouse (Feb 9, 2014)

ouesi said:


> Well I'm a weirdo because it does bother me to see dogs pulling on lead - if they're in a collar. On a harness, doesn't bother me at all, and depending on the context (bite training, scenting etc. even less so).
> But today we passed an obese lab on a flexi hauling on his leash as hard as he could with a thin collar digging in to his neck, wheezing away, in 90* weather, 100% humidity and I felt awful for the poor dog.
> 
> And yup, to me some dogs are ugly. Hell I owned an ugly ass dog who was one of the best dogs ever, but damn, he was ugly LOL.
> ...


I think its fine to have a personal preference but I find it sad to read someone say they don't like a breed simply because of how they look.


----------



## 8tansox (Jan 29, 2010)

rottiepointerhouse said:


> I think its fine to have a personal preference but I find it sad to read someone say they don't like a breed simply because of how they look.


That says more about them though...


----------



## rottiepointerhouse (Feb 9, 2014)

8tansox said:


> That says more about them though...


True. There might be certain things about certain breeds of dog that don't appeal to me but that is usually more about practicalities like the amount of grooming or cleaning, I'd never come on here and say I don't like xyz breed because of its looks any more than I would say I don't like people with blonde hair or I don't like people with big noses or buck teeth.


----------



## Rafa (Jun 18, 2012)

sidevalve said:


> I mention it because it is simply an example of what I hate to see - it is way too common it looks bad on the dog and yet far too many people feel it is OK Yes other breeds do it but a mastiff or great dane pulling for all it's worth is a rare sight. To not mention it is to pretend it doesn't happen or it's very rare - no it isn't. As I said [if you read my post] I have seen such breeds walking perfectly to heel so why does it seem to happen so often and be tolerated or ignored ?
> Again [as I said] bad behaviour is the fault of the 'owners' and until people can be trusted then dogs of all sizes and breeds will be [I am afraid] mistrusted.


I didn't mean why did you mention pulling onlead, (though it isn't relevant to this thread), rather why did you feel the need to single out Staffies and Terriers?

I did read your post, I've read all of your posts and honestly, they don't make any sense.


----------



## Rafa (Jun 18, 2012)

I'm sure we all have our preferences or 'soft spots' when it comes to Breeds.

I love Terriers and, if I absolutely couldn't have one, then the Pastoral Breeds.

My Sister loves the Toy Breeds, Pomeranians, Pekes, etc.

Around about where I live, the Spaniels appear to be the most popular. I would never want a Spaniel and not because I think they're ugly or inclined to pull on a lead, but simply because I feel no connection to them.

I know there are those who see nothing in Terriers and they can be damned hard work but that's human nature for sure.


----------



## Guest (Jul 2, 2017)

rottiepointerhouse said:


> I think its fine to have a personal preference but I find it sad to read someone say they don't like a breed simply because of how they look.


I think it's just rude, impolite. 
Which is why you won't get me to say which breeds I don't particularly like aesthetically


----------



## catz4m8z (Aug 27, 2008)

StormyThai said:


> There could be many reasons why an owner (of any breed) tolerates their dog pulling.
> .


Alfie is dog reactive and so pulls like a teeny train and barks his head off if he sees another dog. I just quietly and calmly walk him away as that is what my behaviourist told me was the best course of action. Im sure to an outsider it looks like Im just ignoring his behaviour though!



rottiepointerhouse said:


> I think its fine to have a personal preference but I find it sad to read someone say they don't like a breed simply because of how they look.


I don't think Ive seen a dog breed yet that I didn't think looked cute! Im not a big fan of Rotties though but the ones of met seem to be very owner orientated and not much interested in strange people or dogs. So Im sure they are wonderful to their owners but I imagine you have to get on friendly terms before their personality shines through!


----------



## rottiepointerhouse (Feb 9, 2014)

catz4m8z said:


> Alfie is dog reactive and so pulls like a teeny train and barks his head off if he sees another dog. I just quietly and calmly walk him away as that is what my behaviourist told me was the best course of action. Im sure to an outsider it looks like Im just ignoring his behaviour though!
> 
> I don't think Ive seen a dog breed yet that I didn't think looked cute! Im not a big fan of Rotties though but the ones of met seem to be very owner orientated and not much interested in strange people or dogs. So Im sure they are wonderful to their owners but I imagine you have to get on friendly terms before their personality shines through!


Not been my experience of the breed at all, of the 5 I've owned only one has been stand offish and not liked to meet people. If only you could meet Indie who is very much like my first rottie Ben, she loves people so much she whimpers if they won't say hello to her , the best thing ever for her on a walk is for people to stop and say hi to her and give her a little fuss, she literally does a silly display like dancing for joy when they do. I had to stop walking her down our road (which I had to do a lot after her various operations) as she made so many friends with the neighbours that she would try to drag me up their drives and I nearly ended up in the car with one of them  When we go to the vets she sings to the nurses and she races in and sits on the vet's feet slides down their legs and lies there with her legs in the air waiting for a belly rub. She is so enthusiastic about people which is odd as both of us are anti social. You absolutely don't need to be on friendly terms with her before her personality shines through :Hilarious:Hilarious


----------



## Zaros (Nov 24, 2009)

sidevalve said:


> I don't 'like' rotties but that's simply a look thing - I don't think they are a very pretty dog


That's a bit unfair.

I am a Giant breed enthusiast, always have been, always will be. That doesn't mean to say I have a dislike for all other dog breeds because of either, this specific trait relating to that particular breed, or that particular feature relating to that specific breed.
From my own point of view, if I see a dog being walked by its owner, then, first and foremost, I see the breed first. I then form a provisional assessment of the dog's character/temperament relating to how it might be behaving.
I often meet many dogs on my travels the length and breadth of this country and they are always treated equally and made a fuss of, providing the owner gives their consent of course.
However, I have yet to meet an _'ugly dog'_, but will be sure to take and post a photograph of the poor unfortunate creature soon after I have.:Snaphappy


----------



## Biffo (Mar 14, 2016)

I love Rotties, haven't seen one for a long time though out and about. There is quite a cross over of people with BRT's who have Rotties too, so I've seen the odd one around BRT show rings waiting on their family, but not out in the real so to speak.


----------



## Blitz (Feb 12, 2009)

ouesi said:


> Well I'm a weirdo because it does bother me to see dogs pulling on lead - if they're in a collar. On a harness, doesn't bother me at all, and depending on the context (bite training, scenting etc. even less so).
> But today we passed an obese lab on a flexi hauling on his leash as hard as he could with a thin collar digging in to his neck, wheezing away, in 90* weather, 100% humidity and I felt awful for the poor dog.
> 
> And yup, to me some dogs are ugly. Hell I owned an ugly ass dog who was one of the best dogs ever, but damn, he was ugly LOL.
> ...


I quite agree that some dogs are ugly. Personally I think Danes are magnificent looking and I particularly like the harlequins - but as for their drooling, yuck!



rottiepointerhouse said:


> I think its fine to have a personal preference but I find it sad to read someone say they don't like a breed simply because of how they look.


I am quite selective and some dogs come down my list because of looks but more often because of breed temperament. What is wrong with that so long as I dont go up to someone and say I hate their dog. Also ugly can be lovely and if I was to buy a puppy that grew up to be ugly for some reason it would not stop me loving it just as much. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder anyway


----------



## dorrit (Sep 13, 2011)

I've been reading through this thread and I feel quite sad.

How on earth do we expect Joe Bloggs who has never owned a dog not to be prejudiced when we, a group of dog owners and dog lovers can be so judgemental and openly prejudiced about other breeds?

We should know better , we should be the ones setting the example, we should be the ones educating those who sadly dont know about dogs , instead we are here airing our own petty dislikes..


----------



## Cleo38 (Jan 22, 2010)

rottiepointerhouse said:


> I think its fine to have a personal preference but I find it sad to read someone say they don't like a breed simply because of how they look.


But I think that's sort of natural though. I don't like certain breeds simply because of the way they look ... not something that I really have control over ... I just don't like them. It's not meant to be offensive. Same with people to a degree .... there are certain people I might not consider as a partner as I am just not physically attracted to them ... admittedly looks aren't 100% all that matter but they do count to a degree. It's not even being shallow it's just recognising that some people have certain preferences, there are lots of variations as to what people 'like' so it's not always what's considered a stereotyped 'beauty'

Back to dogs, my mum doesn't like GSD's as she is scared of them .... bit of a shame really considering that my chosen breed! She's fine with mine now but she doesn't like the 'look' of them as she finds them intimidating & she still wouldn't stay with them on her own (she was fine being alone with Toby when he was alive) but I doubt she will ever be like with Roxy & Archer. She has nothing to worry about whatsoever but she has always been fearful of GSD's

Surely we all have our tastes & just because some people don't like certain breeds, as long as there is no negative impact on the owner or the dog then fine.

Tbh I was quite glad when Archer came out of the cuddly GSD puppy phase as it meant I didn't have to have people coming over to say hello to him ..... although they were always respectful & he loved it .... just me being a miserable cow that hated it!


----------



## Nonnie (Apr 15, 2009)

I dont have a problem with breed 'prejudice' tbh.

There are some breeds id quite happily seen wiped from existence.

The only time i think its a problem is when something is said/done directly or indirectly to someone how owns that particular breed or about their individual dog. 

If you dont have anything nice to say and all that.....

Free to think things though, and to discuss views in a suitable setting, with suitable (ie, not the OMG IM SO OFFENDED brigade) people.


----------



## Guest (Jul 3, 2017)

Blitz said:


> but as for their drooling, yuck!


Funnily enough, none of our danes have been much for drooling. I mean, yeah if they're hot and have been running around there is slobber, but they don't just stand there drooling for no reason like some Newfies and St. Bernards I've known do. 
Bates drools more than Breez does at mealtimes... *shrug*


----------



## rottiepointerhouse (Feb 9, 2014)

Cleo38 said:


> But I think that's sort of natural though. I don't like certain breeds simply because of the way they look ... not something that I really have control over ... I just don't like them. It's not meant to be offensive. Same with people to a degree .... there are certain people I might not consider as a partner as I am just not physically attracted to them ... admittedly looks aren't 100% all that matter but they do count to a degree. It's not even being shallow it's just recognising that some people have certain preferences, there are lots of variations as to what people 'like' so it's not always what's considered a stereotyped 'beauty'
> 
> Back to dogs, my mum doesn't like GSD's as she is scared of them .... bit of a shame really considering that my chosen breed! She's fine with mine now but she doesn't like the 'look' of them as she finds them intimidating & she still wouldn't stay with them on her own (she was fine being alone with Toby when he was alive) but I doubt she will ever be like with Roxy & Archer. She has nothing to worry about whatsoever but she has always been fearful of GSD's
> 
> ...


I agree its natural to have preferences but I find it superficial and prejudiced to say you don't like a breed because of how they look or because of some preconceived idea about them when you don't have any experience of them. I don't have a "type" of person I'm attracted to - humour and personality are much more likely to attract me than looks anyway and similarly I don't get people who dislike a whole breed of dog because of how they look rather than what they are like as a breed or an individual. I remember one woman very rudely telling me on a walk that she didn't like rotties, she had ginger hair so I asked her just to think for a minute about how she would feel if I said I dislike children with ginger hair.


----------



## Guest (Jul 3, 2017)

rottiepointerhouse said:


> I find it superficial and prejudiced to say you don't like a breed because of how they look


Okay, I'll say it. 
Certain breeds are breed to look a way that makes them quite literally suffer physically. I don't like seeing any animal suffer, thus I don't like the look of dogs like this. These dogs aren't cute or attractive to me. It just makes me sad that we humans continue to create dogs to look a certain way despite the fact that we know those physical traits will cause the animal suffering. If that's superficial and prejudiced, so be it.


----------



## rottiepointerhouse (Feb 9, 2014)

ouesi said:


> Okay, I'll say it.
> Certain breeds are breed to look a way that makes them quite literally suffer physically. I don't like seeing any animal suffer, thus I don't like the look of dogs like this. These dogs aren't cute or attractive to me. It just makes me sad that we humans continue to create dogs to look a certain way despite the fact that we know those physical traits will cause the animal suffering. If that's superficial and prejudiced, so be it.


I wouldn't say it is superficial or prejudiced to not like the look of something that is causing suffering, I would say that is not liking whatever it is that is causing the dog to suffer rather than not liking the actual breed of dog.


----------



## catz4m8z (Aug 27, 2008)

Being prejudiced just on hearsay or for pathetic reasons does annoy me. Esp if its of the 'jaw locking, will rip a baby to shreds as soon as look at them' type of thing'.
Im more sympathetic towards people who dislike a breed because of a bad experience though as its not like you can help a gut reaction to past experience sometimes.

Talking about Danes though someone near me has a lovely looking black Dane and I always marvel when we pass each other dog walking (she's a short lady so her dog is above hip height....meanwhile mine barely reaches my ankle!). Its really mind blowing the different sizes and shapes dog come in.
I didnt envy her the other day though. Poor woman was yanking on the lead practically horizontal with the pavement coz the dog had stopped for a poop in the middle of crossing the road! Meanwhile mine sometimes get dragged along mid poop if I dont notice they have stopped right away!LOL:Hilarious).


----------



## Cleo38 (Jan 22, 2010)

rottiepointerhouse said:


> I agree its natural to have preferences but I find it superficial and prejudiced to say you don't like a breed because of how they look or because of some preconceived idea about them when you don't have any experience of them. I don't have a "type" of person I'm attracted to - humour and personality are much more likely to attract me than looks anyway and similarly I don't get people who dislike a whole breed of dog because of how they look rather than what they are like as a breed or an individual. I remember one woman very rudely telling me on a walk that she didn't like rotties, she had ginger hair so I asked her just to think for a minute about how she would feel if I said I dislike children with ginger hair.


Guess I'm superficial & prejudiced then .... with people & dogs!!!

Am not sure why that woman felt the need to tell you that (although personally I don't give stuff if someone tell me that they don't like GSD's ... I do & that's the most important thing). I had someone once at a training day tell me how she would never have GSD's now as they were all riddled with health issues, had aggression problems & died young ..... as I sat there listening to her rubbish with Archer next to me. I could have taken offence but tbh found it quite amusing as she obviously knew b*gger all.

I do have a certain 'look' of men that I find attractive. Sense of humor is usually the main thing I find attractive bu I can't deny that i have a physical 'look' that I prefer, it's not set in stone (& neither is it only those who look like Brad Pitt .... who isn't my type .... am sure he would be gutted ) .... but I do have a type & I do have a definite type of what I don't like ... why is that wrong?


----------



## Blitz (Feb 12, 2009)

dorrit said:


> I've been reading through this thread and I feel quite sad.
> 
> How on earth do we expect Joe Bloggs who has never owned a dog not to be prejudiced when we, a group of dog owners and dog lovers can be so judgemental and openly prejudiced about other breeds?
> 
> We should know better , we should be the ones setting the example, we should be the ones educating those who sadly dont know about dogs , instead we are here airing our own petty dislikes..


Why should we like every breed, that would just not make sense. I am very in to horses and a lot of people will openly say what breeds they like and dislike and ditto colours. I do not see anything wrong with it. I will admire someone's horse that is not a breed or colour I would like as the owner is probably proud of it but does not mean I will not say that it is not the breed for me. I had miniature ponies at one time (mostly not shetlands) and a very experienced horse person was looking at them and said disparagingly that she did not like shetlands. I think she was rude and it did not say much for her - and quite hilarious as she now has a miniature and a standard shetland. My neighbour said she did not consider my driving ponies worth thinking about as they were ponies not horses, again very rude but she now drives small ponies so very stupid! I have also frequently had people say rude things about my dogs - but again that is their problem, they are just plain rude.



rottiepointerhouse said:


> I agree its natural to have preferences but I find it superficial and prejudiced to say you don't like a breed because of how they look or because of some preconceived idea about them when you don't have any experience of them. I don't have a "type" of person I'm attracted to - humour and personality are much more likely to attract me than looks anyway and similarly I don't get people who dislike a whole breed of dog because of how they look rather than what they are like as a breed or an individual. I remember one woman very rudely telling me on a walk that she didn't like rotties, she had ginger hair so I asked her just to think for a minute about how she would feel if I said I dislike children with ginger hair.


I am sure a lot of people have prejudices about other people - in fact you know they do!


----------



## rottiepointerhouse (Feb 9, 2014)

Cleo38 said:


> Guess I'm superficial & prejudiced then .... with people & dogs!!!
> 
> Am not sure why that woman felt the need to tell you that (although personally I don't give stuff if someone tell me that they don't like GSD's ... I do & that's the most important thing). I had someone once at a training day tell me how she would never have GSD's now as they were all riddled with health issues, had aggression problems & died young ..... as I sat there listening to her rubbish with Archer next to me. I could have taken offence but tbh found it quite amusing as she obviously knew b*gger all.
> 
> I do have a certain 'look' of men that I find attractive. Sense of humor is usually the main thing I find attractive bu I can't deny that i have a physical 'look' that I prefer, it's not set in stone (& neither is it only those who look like Brad Pitt .... who isn't my type .... am sure he would be gutted ) .... but I do have a type & I do have a definite type of what I don't like ... why is that wrong?


Cos its superficial :Hilarious:Hilarious Seriously though I bet you end up meeting a man who doesn't fit your "type" at all and surprising yourself. Do you never have dreams about a random man you have met who is absolutely not your type but makes you think they could be?

Lots of people over the years have told me they don't like rotties, it doesn't particularly offend me and does much depend on the context in which it is said whether I bother to reply or not. If its because they have had a bad experience with one then I quite understand but when its based on appearance or prejudice then I usually have to point out how stupid it is


----------



## Cleo38 (Jan 22, 2010)

rottiepointerhouse said:


> Cos its superficial :Hilarious:Hilarious Seriously though I bet you end up meeting a man who doesn't fit your "type" at all and surprising yourself. Do you never have dreams about a random man you have met who is absolutely not your type but makes you think they could be?
> 
> Lots of people over the years have told me they don't like rotties, it doesn't particularly offend me and does much depend on the context in which it is said whether I bother to reply or not. If its because they have had a bad experience with one then I quite understand but when its based on appearance or prejudice then I usually have to point out how stupid it is


Why is it superficial? Surely there are many reasons what makes people attractive to one another & physical attributes do count .... why is it ok to say I like a person who makes me laugh but not to say I like a person because I find them physically attractive? I do have a variety of types but then I have definite no-no's .... not something I can help .... it's not even a choice but something I just don't like & have no control over.
Same with dog breeds ... some just don't appeal .... although tbh most dogs breeds appeal to me than more men in recent years!!!


----------



## rottiepointerhouse (Feb 9, 2014)

Cleo38 said:


> Why is it superficial? Surely there are many reasons what makes people attractive to one another & physical attributes do count .... why is it ok to say I like a person who makes me laugh but not to say I like a person because I find them physically attractive? I do have a variety of types but then I have definite no-no's .... not something I can help .... it's not even a choice but something I just don't like & have no control over.
> Same with dog breeds ... some just don't appeal .... although tbh most dogs breeds appeal to me than more men in recent years!!!


I'm not saying it isn't OK to say you are physically attractive to someone more that is it superficial to say you don't like *anyone* who has for example ginger hair or a long nose (how can we possibly know that when there will be millions of people with ginger hair or a long nose we have never met?). Of course we all have personal preferences but I think it would be very shallow to dismiss a person without even getting to know them because they have a big nose or ginger hair. Even worse would be to go into a public place whether that is a forum or a pub or the office and state for everyone to hear that you don't like people with ginger hair or big noses. That would be hurtful and rude and shallow. As for dogs again I accept we have preferences, certain breed characteristics that attract us more than others but to say you don't like a breed because of its looks seems equally shallow and superficial to me and more worryingly makes it acceptable to say "I only like lilac dogs and I will pay thousands for one" which creates the demand for BYB everywhere to jump on the latest bandwagon and try to come up with appealing colours. Its a dog not a toy


----------



## labradrk (Dec 10, 2012)

I think comparing people to dogs is silly. We aren't seeking to have a relationship with our dogs (I hope not anyway lol) unlike a person so I don't see how the attractiveness of a person is relevant to dogs we find attractive or not.

We all have preferences when it comes to the aesthetics of breeds otherwise we wouldn't make the choices that we do.

There are loads of breeds I find totally unattractive. Doesn't mean I don't like or appreciate their character, I just find them unattractive.


----------



## Blitz (Feb 12, 2009)

rottiepointerhouse said:


> I'm not saying it isn't OK to say you are physically attractive to someone more that is it superficial to say you don't like *anyone* who has for example ginger hair or a long nose (how can we possibly know that when there will be millions of people with ginger hair or a long nose we have never met?). Of course we all have personal preferences but I think it would be very shallow to dismiss a person without even getting to know them because they have a big nose or ginger hair. Even worse would be to go into a public place whether that is a forum or a pub or the office and state for everyone to hear that you don't like people with ginger hair or big noses. That would be hurtful and rude and shallow. As for dogs again I accept we have preferences, certain breed characteristics that attract us more than others but to say you don't like a breed because of its looks seems equally shallow and superficial to me and more worryingly makes it acceptable to say "I only like lilac dogs and I will pay thousands for one" which creates the demand for BYB everywhere to jump on the latest bandwagon and try to come up with appealing colours. Its a dog not a toy


Why does that make it a toy. I have colour preferences with horses, does not mean I only go by colour and that I treat them as toys. I also have colour preferences with my chosen breed of dog. Does not make them toys either.


----------



## Cleo38 (Jan 22, 2010)

Blitz said:


> Why does that make it a toy. I have colour preferences with horses, does not mean I only go by colour and that I treat them as toys. I also have colour preferences with my chosen breed of dog. Does not make them toys either.


Yep, same as me. I particularly wanted a sable WL GSD ... I know colour shouldn't make a difference & am sure if there had of been a black pup then I would have loved it just as much as I do Archer ..... but he was a sable so my perfect pup in my eyes.


----------



## SpicyBulldog (Jun 30, 2012)

I certainly have color preferences, but i know animals are not toys. I don't see how it is wrong to like certain colors or looks or dislike certain physical looks. You can't change how you feel about it.


----------



## rottiepointerhouse (Feb 9, 2014)

labradrk said:


> I think comparing people to dogs is silly. We aren't seeking to have a relationship with our dogs (I hope not anyway lol) unlike a person so I don't see how the attractiveness of a person is relevant to dogs we find attractive or not.
> 
> We all have preferences when it comes to the aesthetics of breeds otherwise we wouldn't make the choices that we do.
> 
> There are loads of breeds I find totally unattractive. Doesn't mean I don't like or appreciate their character, I just find them unattractive.


But that is exactly what I am saying - we all have preferences and of course those preferences will influence which breeds we choose to own but having a preference is not the same thing as stating you dislike a breed because of how they look as one poster did.


----------



## rottiepointerhouse (Feb 9, 2014)

SpicyBulldog said:


> I certainly have color preferences, but i know animals are not toys. I don't see how it is wrong to like certain colors or looks or dislike certain physical looks. You can't change how you feel about it.


Saying you have preferences is not the same as saying you dislike a breed because of its looks. Saying you dislike certain physical characteristics is not the same as saying you dislike a breed because of its looks. I hope we can all educate ourselves and change prejudice otherwise we might as well all give up.


----------



## Nonnie (Apr 15, 2009)

Well im going to be honest and say i wholeheartedly dislike certain breeds due to how they look. Dont care what the actual dog is like. The physical characteristic of certain breeds is enough for me.


----------



## Guest (Jul 3, 2017)

Does it matter that much if someone dislikes a breed for whatever reason they dislike it?
Are we not free to like and dislike whatever we choose? I dislike marmite and that disgusting nutritional yeast stuff vegans are supposed to like. And I'm not going to try to make myself like it either. Does that make me prejudiced? 

There are some people I instantly dislike for no apparent reason other than a certain vibe. So? Do I have to like everyone I meet?

So what if someone dislikes your breed. As long as they're not enacting legislation to restrict ownership, what does it really matter?


----------



## SpicyBulldog (Jun 30, 2012)

rottiepointerhouse said:


> Saying you have preferences is not the same as saying you dislike a breed because of its looks. Saying you dislike certain physical characteristics is not the same as saying you dislike a breed because of its looks. I hope we can all educate ourselves and change prejudice otherwise we might as well all give up.


I dislike certain breeds because of their looks and physical characteristics. I'm not sure what is so wrong with this. I don't care if people find my breed ugly. I still like them.


----------



## rottiepointerhouse (Feb 9, 2014)

Nonnie said:


> Well im going to be honest and say i wholeheartedly dislike certain breeds due to how they look. Dont care what the actual dog is like. The physical characteristic of certain breeds is enough for me.


That makes me really sad.



ouesi said:


> Does it matter that much if someone dislikes a breed for whatever reason they dislike it?
> Are we not free to like and dislike whatever we choose? I dislike marmite and that disgusting nutritional yeast stuff vegans are supposed to like. And I'm not going to try to make myself like it either. Does that make me prejudiced?
> 
> There are some people I instantly dislike for no apparent reason other than a certain vibe. So? Do I have to like everyone I meet?
> ...


Does it matter in the grand scheme of world suffering? No it doesn't.

Does it matter to me personally that some ignorant people dislike my breed of dog (one that suffers already from a great deal of prejudice and ignorance) just because of how she looks? Yes if I'm honest it does and I find it shallow and superficial and unnecessarily rude and provocative to say so on a forum of dog lovers particularly on a thread started by the owner of such a breed who is experiencing such prejudice.

Does it matter that you dislike marmite or nutritional yeast because of how they taste?  I think we already covered that personal preference is fine whereas prejudice really isn't.


----------



## rottiepointerhouse (Feb 9, 2014)

SpicyBulldog said:


> I dislike certain breeds because of their looks and physical characteristics. I'm not sure what is so wrong with this. I don't care if people find my breed ugly. I still like them.


Good for you. I'm sure when some ignorant git walking down the street makes a nasty comment about pitbulls you are falling over yourself to agree with them.


----------



## Nonnie (Apr 15, 2009)

rottiepointerhouse said:


> That makes me really sad.


Why?

What difference does it make to you or anyone else?

I dont shout it from the rooftops. I dont go out to owners of said breeds and tell them. I dont campaign to have them banned. Im not horrible to anyone or anything.

I think it inwardly and the world keeps turning, none the wiser, with no one butthurt or upset.


----------



## cbcdesign (Jul 3, 2014)

rottiepointerhouse said:


> Does it matter to me personally that some ignorant people dislike my breed of dog (one that suffers already from a great deal of prejudice and ignorance) just because of how she looks?


Surely nobody dislikes Rotties because of how they look? As breeds and looks go rotties are pretty high on the list of good looking dogs by any measure I would have thought.


----------



## SpicyBulldog (Jun 30, 2012)

rottiepointerhouse said:


> Good for you. I'm sure when some ignorant git walking down the street makes a nasty comment about pitbulls you are falling over yourself to agree with them.


It's never happened before. However, if it does no I won't agree with them. I find my dogs handsome, beautiful, ect. Some Pits I do feel are very ugly though.

No need to be immature. I said I don't care. My self esteem isn't tied to my dogs, so it's not going to bother me or hurt my feelings. Realizing that people are entitled to their own opinions and will have then isn't at all the same thing as agreeing with them. If someone doesn't like Pits that's their right, just because I'm not bothered does not mean I agree. I'm not going to act like a toddler and have a tantrum simply because I disagree either. This is not how the adult world works, at least I didn't think so.


----------



## SpicyBulldog (Jun 30, 2012)

Nonnie said:


> Why?
> 
> What difference does it make to you or anyone else?
> 
> ...


There is a big difference between people wish to ban breeds, ect and someone having any opinion. I think you have a proper view here. It is rude to go up to an owner and say that dog is ugly or whatever negative comment. If it does happen though, be an adult and move on with your life. What someone thinks about YOUR dog shouldn't bother you that much.


----------



## rottiepointerhouse (Feb 9, 2014)

Nonnie said:


> Why?
> 
> What difference does it make to you or anyone else?
> 
> ...


Well I suppose I could ask the same thing - what difference does it make to you or anyone else if I find it sad? I find it sad because I thought this forum was full of dog lovers who loved dogs not who loved only some dogs who look the right way . I understand you are not horrible and I respect that you haven't felt the need to state which breeds you dislike purely because of their looks.



cbcdesign said:


> Surely nobody dislikes Rotties because of how they look? As breeds and looks go rotties are pretty high on the list of good looking dogs by any measure I would have thought.


If you read back a few pages you will find that one poster said just that yes.



SpicyBulldog said:


> It's never happened before. However, if it does no I won't agree with them. I find my dogs handsome, beautiful, ect. Some Pits I do feel are very ugly though.
> 
> No need to be immature. I said I don't care. My self esteem isn't tied to my dogs, so it's not going to bother me or hurt my feelings. Realizing that people are entitled to their own opinions and will have then isn't at all the same thing as agreeing with them. If someone doesn't like Pits that's their right, just because I'm not bothered does not mean I agree. I'm not going to act like a toddler and have a tantrum simply because I disagree either. This is not how the adult world works, at least I didn't think so.


So I accept you are entitled to your opinion but you don't accept that I am entitled to mine? How does that work? We both own breeds who suffer a great deal of prejudice and judgements, I find it sad that dog lovers are happy to come out and say they don't like my breed purely because of how they look, not just that they don't like the colour or they don't like the nose or they don't like their coat but that they don't like the breed. You say its never happened to you so I say wait and see how you feel about it when it does. Now excuse me while I throw a tantrum and act like a toddler


----------



## cbcdesign (Jul 3, 2014)

Odd! No accounting for taste is there? I love the way rotties look. It might just be me but I think they have noble looking faces.


----------



## simplysardonic (Sep 1, 2009)

labradrk said:


> I think comparing people to dogs is silly. We aren't seeking to have a relationship with our dogs (I hope not anyway lol) unlike a person so I don't see how the attractiveness of a person is relevant to dogs we find attractive or not.
> 
> We all have preferences when it comes to the aesthetics of breeds otherwise we wouldn't make the choices that we do.
> 
> There are loads of breeds I find totally unattractive. Doesn't mean I don't like or appreciate their character, I just find them unattractive.


Exactly this, while I do love all dogs, there's only a certain 'type' I would choose to have, not necessarily a breed, absolute mutts of a certain type would catchmy eye more than certain breeds.


----------



## Nonnie (Apr 15, 2009)

rottiepointerhouse said:


> Well I suppose I could ask the same thing - what difference does it make to you or anyone else if I find it sad? I find it sad because I thought this forum was full of dog lovers who loved dogs not who loved only some dogs who look the right way . I understand you are not horrible and I respect that you haven't felt the need to state which breeds you dislike purely because of their looks.


Of course, you feeling sad over my opinion makes no difference to me at all. Im merely entering into a discussion and find it hard to understand why some people get....emotional responses to the opinions of others purely because they differ from their own.

I might make you sadder now, and i can honestly say im not a dog lover. Nor really an animal lover tbh. I find the terms meaningless in all honesty. I love MY dog, and MY cats, and i tolerate my rabbit.

Im entirely indifferent to all others. I occasionally come across a dog that i truly like for whatever reason, but not all that often. Im not one for fussing other peoples dogs. I find most irritating.

I dont live and breathe dogs. I dont read books on them, i have no interest in hobbies involving them, or sports, or programmes. Dont even like sentimental Disney-esque movies about them.

I just dont have that level of passion in me. Im rather emotionally cold i guess.

The one thing i do have (i think) is respect enough to keep my views censored and appropriate. If someone asked me outright, id give my opinion, but i would like to think id never seek to hurt or openly offend someone over their breed choice. Seems a silly thing to be a prick about anyway; as if walking up to the owner of X breed and telling them you think they are disgusting is going to make any difference whatsoever. I dont understand what people who do that think they are going to achieve.


----------



## cbcdesign (Jul 3, 2014)

Its quite normal to want the approval of ones choices from our peers, its part of being a social being.


----------



## rottiepointerhouse (Feb 9, 2014)

Nonnie said:


> Of course, you feeling sad over my opinion makes no difference to me at all. Im merely entering into a discussion and find it hard to understand why some people get....emotional responses to the opinions of others purely because they differ from their own.
> 
> I might make you sadder now, and i can honestly say im not a dog lover. Nor really an animal lover tbh. I find the terms meaningless in all honesty. I love MY dog, and MY cats, and i tolerate my rabbit.
> 
> ...


OK so my response is not because anyone else has a different opinion to mine, its because they felt it was appropriate to state on a forum for dog lovers on a thread about breed prejudice that they didn't like my breed (I would have reacted the same if they had been talking about any breed by the way) just because of how they look, that is not the same as saying you don't like certain traits or even the same as saying you don't like the appearance of a certain breed, its saying you don't like the breed because of its appearance and I find that sad. I suppose deep down I'm wondering when I post photos of my dogs are people thinking those things about her. I could understand if I was posting on facebook or on a site for cars or flowers but this is a pet forum so that attitude not only upset me but the lack of any condemnation of it also surprised me. Shame the person who posted that view also didn't think it appropriate to keep them private and censored. You post photos of Ned - how would it make you feel if someone commented that they didn't like him because of how he looks?


----------



## rottiepointerhouse (Feb 9, 2014)

cbcdesign said:


> Its quite normal to want the approval of ones choices from our peers, its part of being a social being.


Its not necessarily wanting approval but I guess we all love our dogs and it stings when someone makes a needless comment like that. Fine if you don't like certain dogs then just move on and don't comment, much like I would if they were posting photos of their children.


----------



## SpicyBulldog (Jun 30, 2012)

rottiepointerhouse said:


> So I accept you are entitled to your opinion but you don't accept that I am entitled to mine? How does that work? We both own breeds who suffer a great deal of prejudice and judgements, I find it sad that dog lovers are happy to come out and say they don't like my breed purely because of how they look, not just that they don't like the colour or they don't like the nose or they don't like their coat but that they don't like the breed. You say its never happened to you so I say wait and see how you feel about it when it does. Now excuse me while I throw a tantrum and act like a toddler


Where did I ever state your not entitled to your opinion? Of course you are. I don't have to agree with it.

They said they don't like the looks, not that Rotts are vicious. People being misinformed about dogs being dangerous is a lot different than not finding them less attractive. I don't like the look of Pugs, no one should be hurt or offended. I just don't think they are aesthetically appealing. Now I don't walk around telling this to Pug owners, I'm merely making a point. 
I'd be happy if a lot less people liked my breed, as it's extremely popular, which is causing problems. I was very polite and understanding to the elderly lady at the vet who was uncertain about my dog due to breed, which I think a much better option to going off about breed prejudice and how my dog would never hurt anyone. That's why Pit owners get stereotyped as being as aggressive as their dogs, people doing that instead of behaving in a calm manner.

You can have your opinion and be sad about it, but you have to accept people don't like the looks of every breed. There are also cat breeds I find ugly. There are other animals I think are beautiful and some I don't like their looks. If you like all breeds that is great. Nothing wrong there either.

If it happens to me I will keep walking and feel the same way I do now. If someone feels the need to shout Pits are ugly that says more about them than anything, they have a problem with themselves. Not sure why that should bother me. It's one thing to not like a breed and even discuss that, it's another to randomly tell a stranger on the street. Yup, they have issues and that's their problem not mine.

I've been online with people who think Pits are dangerous, should be banned, the owners are stupid, all the owners are irresponsible and want a dangerous dog, they should be around children, they have stories about attacks and fatalities, that's a lot worse than some one not liking the physical qualities of a breed.


----------



## rottiepointerhouse (Feb 9, 2014)

SpicyBulldog said:


> Where did I ever state your not entitled to your opinion? Of course you are. I don't have to agree with it.
> 
> *They said they don't like the looks, not that Rotts are vicious*. People being misinformed about dogs being dangerous is a lot different than not finding them less attractive. I don't like the look of Pugs, no one should be hurt or offended. I just don't think they are aesthetically appealing. Now I don't walk around telling this to Pug owners, I'm merely making a point.
> I'd be happy if a lot less people liked my breed, as it's extremely popular, which is causing problems. I was very polite and understanding to the elderly lady at the vet who was uncertain about my dog due to breed, which I think a much better option to going off about breed prejudice and how my dog would never hurt anyone. That's why Pit owners get stereotyped as being as aggressive as their dogs, people doing that instead of behaving in a calm manner.
> ...


No, they said they don't like rotties because of the way they look. I don't have to accept anything. If you are happy with prejudice then you carry on but I'm not and I won't.


----------



## Nonnie (Apr 15, 2009)

rottiepointerhouse said:


> You post photos of Ned - how would it make you feel if someone commented that they didn't like him because of how he looks?


Ah, i missed someone actually stating a breed they disliked. Im not mean enough to voice mine (i guarantee they arent what most people think they might be though).

When people feel the need to be nasty or negative (and there are a few individuals on here who are incredibly good at putting a negative spin on a 'positive' comment - ie, someone shares a photo they like and they'll pop up with a 'oh he doesnt look like he's enjoying himself much does he' or they try to point out a fault or a health issue) in a personal way, then that says an awful lot about them.

Not sure how i would feel. Not a lot id imagine. Makes no difference to me, as it has no impact on my life.

Im sure there are people out there they dont like him. Quite a few in fact. They are more than free to dislike how he looks and his breed type. If they chose to air their views on a thread i make, when at least then the whole forum would know what a c*** they are, which is quite possibly a good thing.

I know some people do like him, so i continue sharing his pics.


----------



## Blitz (Feb 12, 2009)

rottiepointerhouse said:


> OK so my response is not because anyone else has a different opinion to mine, its because they felt it was appropriate to state on a forum for dog lovers on a thread about breed prejudice that they didn't like my breed (I would have reacted the same if they had been talking about any breed by the way) just because of how they look, that is not the same as saying you don't like certain traits or even the same as saying you don't like the appearance of a certain breed, its saying you don't like the breed because of its appearance and I find that sad. I suppose deep down I'm wondering when I post photos of my dogs are people thinking those things about her. I could understand if I was posting on facebook or on a site for cars or flowers but this is a pet forum so that attitude not only upset me but the lack of any condemnation of it also surprised me. Shame the person who posted that view also didn't think it appropriate to keep them private and censored. You post photos of Ned - how would it make you feel if someone commented that they didn't like him because of how he looks?


I think rph has blocked me because she does not agree with much that I say but that is ok. If someone only wants their own opinion and gets upset by others I wonder why they come on a forum where there will be all sorts of opinions. I do not suppose it occurs to posters that block others that they are showing prejudice and hurting others feelings. I think we have all had things said about us and our dogs that have not sat well, and new members are often treated with huge prejudice.

I think the fact that this is a pet forum will mean that posters do have opinions on breeds and will know more about what they look like and what appeals and what doesnt. There have probably been just as many critical and ill informed posts about poodles as there have about rotties (in fact I cant remember any about rotties and there have definitely been poodle ones) but that is ok, it is a personal opinion, there is no point taking it as a personal insult, a forum like this is a good place to put forward another opinion though.


----------



## catz4m8z (Aug 27, 2008)

rottiepointerhouse said:


> No, they said they don't like rotties because of the way they look. I don't have to accept anything. If you are happy with prejudice then you carry on but I'm not and I won't.


well, technically you do have to accept it as people are entitled to their opinions and its not illegal to not like what a particular dog looks like! 
Besides which its something pretty much every dog owner has been through no matter what breed they own. People have said some horrible things to me about chihuahuas over the years. How they have ugly googly eyes, look stupid, are snappy, arent 'real' dogs, etc. Not to mention how young men (its always young men!) seemed to enjoy telling me how they could kick or stamp my dog to death easily! :Wideyed
Frankly it doesnt annoy me, in fact it makes me feel smug! The fact that they have no clue how amazing, awesome and fantastic this breed is just makes me feel like they are total losers.....and Im brilliant coz I get it!LOL


----------



## rottiepointerhouse (Feb 9, 2014)

Blitz said:


> I think rph has blocked me because she does not agree with much that I say but that is ok. If someone only wants their own opinion and gets upset by others I wonder why they come on a forum where there will be all sorts of opinions. I do not suppose it occurs to posters that block others that they are showing prejudice and hurting others feelings. I think we have all had things said about us and our dogs that have not sat well, and new members are often treated with huge prejudice.
> 
> I think the fact that this is a pet forum will mean that posters do have opinions on breeds and will know more about what they look like and what appeals and what doesnt. There have probably been just as many critical and ill informed posts about poodles as there have about rotties (in fact I cant remember any about rotties and there have definitely been poodle ones) but that is ok, it is a personal opinion, there is no point taking it as a personal insult, a forum like this is a good place to put forward another opinion though.


Actually I don't have you blocked although I seem to remember you did ask me to. However I choose not to respond to you because we hold totally opposite opinions on pretty much everything and it always ends up getting unpleasant (especially when you feel it is appropriate to question the medical treatment I have "put my dogs through") so if you don't mind I will continue to not respond to you so as not to derail every thread we cross paths on.


----------



## Rafa (Jun 18, 2012)

Before anyone becomes too upset over the remark about Rotties, it might be an idea to backtrack and look at which poster made that remark.

The same poster has also made derogatory remarks about other Breeds, (Staffies and Pitbulls), and appears to support BSL.


----------



## rottiepointerhouse (Feb 9, 2014)

catz4m8z said:


> well, technically you do have to accept it as people are entitled to their opinions and its not illegal to not like what a particular dog looks like!
> Besides which its something pretty much every dog owner has been through no matter what breed they own. People have said some horrible things to me about chihuahuas over the years. How they have ugly googly eyes, look stupid, are snappy, arent 'real' dogs, etc. Not to mention how young men (its always young men!) seemed to enjoy telling me how they could kick or stamp my dog to death easily! :Wideyed
> Frankly it doesnt annoy me, in fact it makes me feel smug! The fact that they have no clue how amazing, awesome and fantastic this breed is just makes me feel like they are total losers.....and Im brilliant coz I get it!LOL


Technically anyone can hold any opinion they like but I don't have to agree with it and will continue to say so when I don't  I am sorry you have encountered such ignorance and nasty comments about your dogs in real life but on this forum if you were talking about them or posting photos of them and a new member popped up and stated that they did not like your breed because of how they look I would expect many other dog lovers to jump in and tell them not to be so bloody rude.


----------



## SpicyBulldog (Jun 30, 2012)

rottiepointerhouse said:


> No, they said they don't like rotties because of the way they look. I don't have to accept anything. If you are happy with prejudice then you carry on but I'm not and I won't.


I don't take it as prejudice, I thought it was normal human behavior. If I'm prejudice or you believe I am because I don't like Pugs that's fine. I'm not inclined to love every breed or how they all look and I can't change how I feel about them. You are wanting people to do something that's not even possible.

People don't need to be rude about it, so they are in the wrong for that, but you can't expect people to like all breeds.


----------



## catz4m8z (Aug 27, 2008)

*googles prejudice*
So its not prejudice to dislike a dog breed coz you dont like the way it looks, its just personal opinion. Hating one because they are 'baby killers' or 'aggressive' when you have no evidence to back up this claim def is prejudice.
And making rude or offensive comments about a breed you dislike just proves you are a stupid, thoughtless assh0le!

I do agree with RPH though that we are generally all dog lovers on this forum and no matter the size most of us love and appreciate the core personality of a dog. Doesnt matter if its a pitbull or a yorkie....poop rolling is poop rolling!


----------



## Elles (Aug 15, 2011)

Loads of people don't like border collies. They're all manic obsessives that never settle down, are on the go all day and don't make good pets. They also chase everything that moves whether it's a shadow or a car wheel and they have a funny stare. They chase people and bite their legs. Even other dogs don't like border collies.

I love mine and don't care what they think. 

Now if all of these hypothetical traits meant border collies were made illegal and could be siezed and destroyed, it would be worth worrying about, but if a pug lover said they didn't like my dog because her long nose is ugly, I'd just say more fool them and not give it a second thought tbh.


----------



## Leanne77 (Oct 18, 2011)

I'm going to go out on a limb and say I agree with just about everything Nonnie has said (and I kinda feel they shouldnt be the only one to go out on a limb and say it). There are breeds of dogs I dont like purely based on the way they look. I dont care how great they are in every other way, i'm just not really going to entertain them simply because I think the way they look is awful. If we are comparing to humans it's a bit like the fact that I dont care how gorgeous a bloke is or how large his penis may be, if he smokes then i'm walking away!

And I am another one who wouldnt class myself as a 'dog lover'. I love my own dogs, and I love doing loads of different activities with my dogs but i'm not fond of many other peoples, in fact I find a good portion of dogs I meet quite irritating and it doesnt interest me to stroke other peoples dogs. That doesnt mean I dont take an interest when I read or hear things on here, or on FB, about how peoples dogs are doing health wise, training wise etc.

And yes, i'm totally aware that my own dogs have traits which would irritate lots of other people (Flynn's big gob for a start) but I dont expect or ask anybody else to love them and it really doesnt bother me if nobody else likes them for either their personality, character or their breed.


----------



## Blitz (Feb 12, 2009)

rottiepointerhouse said:


> Actually I don't have you blocked although I seem to remember you did ask me to. However I choose not to respond to you because we hold totally opposite opinions on pretty much everything and it always ends up getting unpleasant (especially when you feel it is appropriate to question the medical treatment I have "put my dogs through") so if you don't mind I will continue to not respond to you so as not to derail every thread we cross paths on.


I would love to know how I have 'derailed' this thread. I think I see some prejudice here! You said you were blocking me, I have never asked or expected you to, why would I. If I ever did it was tongue in cheek.


----------



## Rott lover (Jan 2, 2015)

rottiepointerhouse said:


> We positively encourage our pointers to pull on the lead if we are doing scenting exercises with them, what has it got to do with anyone else?
> 
> 
> 
> So you don't like a breed of dog because you don't think they are very pretty, how superficial. Never mind I think she is beautiful


I agree but i guess i am a bit swayed


----------



## Rott lover (Jan 2, 2015)

Would you walk into a pet store and walk past dog after dog making a comment about each one about something you dont like about them like going through a dealership looking through cars LOL.Nope dont like the color.Nope too wide.Nope to short of a front end.so on so onLMAO


----------



## Guest (Jul 3, 2017)

Rott lover said:


> Would you walk into a pet store and walk past dog after dog making a comment about each one about something you dont like about them like going through a dealership looking through cars LOL.Nope dont like the color.Nope too wide.Nope to short of a front end.so on so onLMAO


I wouldn't honor a pet store that sold dogs to begin with, so very unlikely I would even be in one. 
And if I were the only comments I would be making would be about puppy farms and irresponsible breeding


----------



## Rott lover (Jan 2, 2015)

ouesi said:


> I wouldn't honor a pet store that sold dogs to begin with, so very unlikely I would even be in one.
> And if I were the only comments I would be making would be about puppy farms and irresponsible breeding


Not really the point i was trying to make there......


----------



## simplysardonic (Sep 1, 2009)

catz4m8z said:


> *googles prejudice*
> So its not prejudice to dislike a dog breed coz you dont like the way it looks, its just personal opinion. Hating one because they are 'baby killers' or 'aggressive' when you have no evidence to back up this claim def is prejudice.
> And making rude or offensive comments about a breed you dislike just proves you are a stupid, thoughtless assh0le!
> 
> I do agree with RPH though that we are generally all dog lovers on this forum and no matter the size most of us love and appreciate the core personality of a dog. *Doesnt matter if its a pitbull or a yorkie....poop rolling is poop rolling!*


I'd take the poo rolling pit over the poo rolling Yorkie any day.


----------



## Guest (Jul 3, 2017)

simplysardonic said:


> I'd take the poo rolling pit over the poo rolling Yorkie any day.


Ditto. 
Way easier to clean a slick coated pit than a furry yorkie!


----------



## Jobeth (May 23, 2010)

Thankfully my yorkie has never rolled in pooh. It would certainly take a while to sort her out!


----------



## 8tansox (Jan 29, 2010)

My Cairn used to roll in dried dead fish, try picking scales out of a wire coat. I tell you from experience, it's the worst thing ever, trust me, dead stinky fish, then having to remove scales using tweezers, yuk.


----------



## Cleo38 (Jan 22, 2010)

8tansox said:


> My Cairn used to roll in dried dead fish, try picking scales out of a wire coat. I tell you from experience, it's the worst thing ever, trust me, dead stinky fish, then having to remove scales using tweezers, yuk.


Yep, rotting fish was a favourite of Toby's & now he;s gone my young GSD has taken over this disgusting habit!!! :Jawdrop


----------



## Elles (Aug 15, 2011)

Mine likes a roll in fox poo, if she can get lumps of it coating the fur behind her ears all the better.  I would have called you bonkers if you'd said a dog can look smug, now I'd just nod sympathetically and hold my nose. :Vomit


----------



## Blitz (Feb 12, 2009)

Candy had been on the dung trailer and had a roll the day she fell in the hot tub. I have been in it since but rather reluctantly.


----------



## kimthecat (Aug 11, 2009)

LinznMilly said:


> The strangest continued reaction that has happened to me involves an older man with (yes, I have to say it) a stuffy.
> 
> First time we met him and his owner, I put Max behind me (Max being temperamental with other dogs, not to mention getting on a bit in life) and Milly in a Sit-Wait. Owner said his dog was friendly. I smiled, but otherwise said nothing.
> 
> ...


I have the same problem , I actually pick Libby chi up because it stops her barking and then I call out to the other dogs owner to let them know its my dogs that the problem.

GSDs tend to freak me out if I don't know them. the other day I walking at my park and I just happened to turn around and saw one coming towards us and the owner was round the corner , it was about 30 feet a way but it took me by surprise and brought back bad memories of when Libby and Pip have chased /barked at/attacked by a couple of GSDs at separate times. (separate owners ) 
The odd thing was Libby and pip didn't react but I completely freaked and grabbed them and tried to pick them up and shouted at the dog to go away and swore , the owner came into view and called the dog and he went back . I bet somewhere on a forum there's a thread about a crazy old chi lady shouting and swearing at a GSD !


----------



## Wilmer (Aug 31, 2012)

I think it's fair to say I don't dislike any dogs based on how they look, but appearance does come into play when I'm thinking about what dog to share my life with - which bearing in mind the connection between form and function is not just an aesthetic thing. BUT it's not the only factor, it's all a package deal. It's not like I go around rating dogs out of 10 on their appearance.


----------



## catz4m8z (Aug 27, 2008)

kimthecat said:


> I have the same problem , I actually pick Libby chi up because it stops her barking and then I call out to the other dogs owner to let them know its my dogs that the problem.


yup, Ive had a staffy owner and a dobe owner both give me the stink eye and shout at me how their dogs arent going to bite mine after Ive crossed the road to avoid them.  Frankly I CBA explaining that I cross the road to avoid all dogs just coz I dont think on lead meetings with strange dogs are a good idea!
But then again Ive also had a chihuahua owner pick up her dog and scream at me to keep my vicious monster away from her baby (my identical sized dog friendly monster _chihuahua_!:Bored). TBF though hers had a pretty little jacket on and mine had spent the afternoon poop rolling so probably a good call on her part!LOL:Hilarious
Point is there are weird people who over react all over the place!


----------



## kimthecat (Aug 11, 2009)

catz4m8z said:


> But then again Ive also had a chihuahua owner pick up her dog and scream at me to keep my vicious monster away from her baby (my identical sized dog friendly monster _chihuahua_!:Bored). TBF though hers had a pretty little jacket on and mine had spent the afternoon poop rolling so probably a good call on her part!LOL:Hilarious
> Point is there are weird people who over react all over the place!


 That really is weird though .

Other chi or tiny dog owners in my area are always happy to meet other tiny dogs . its like Yay ! tiny dog !! . I should start a club .


----------



## Sarah H (Jan 18, 2014)

rottiepointerhouse said:


> That makes me really sad.
> 
> Does it matter in the grand scheme of world suffering? No it doesn't.
> 
> ...


I'd be offended if someone said they disliked my dog because of the way they looked. But surely with rotties, staffies, GSDs etc it's not the way they look per se, but the breed stereotype that has been portrayed by the media that prejudices people against them? Surely they can't hate how rotties look because they're gorgeous!?! 



cbcdesign said:


> Surely nobody dislikes Rotties because of how they look? As breeds and looks go rotties are pretty high on the list of good looking dogs by any measure I would have thought.


My thoughts exactly.



catz4m8z said:


> *googles prejudice*
> So its not prejudice to dislike a dog breed coz you dont like the way it looks, its just personal opinion. Hating one because they are 'baby killers' or 'aggressive' when you have no evidence to back up this claim def is prejudice.
> And making rude or offensive comments about a breed you dislike just proves you are a stupid, thoughtless assh0le!
> 
> I do agree with RPH though that we are generally all dog lovers on this forum and no matter the size most of us love and appreciate the core personality of a dog. Doesnt matter if its a pitbull or a yorkie....poop rolling is poop rolling!


Yes we all have preferences for looks, and I'm sure we all have preferences on personality/temperament too. But that doesn't make us prejudiced against them, it's just differing opinions. Hell the world would be a boring place if we all liked the same things!


----------



## dorrit (Sep 13, 2011)

I agree that differing opinions or preferences dont really count as predjudice if you are choosing for yourself, its when people feel the need to impose their opinion on your choice of dog that it changes .. So even if you dont like small dogs or rotties or slobbery dogs thats fine while you understand that other people do . Its when it gets into the name calling that its wrong.

A woman once crossed a large car park just to tell me that Remy was ' one ugly dog ' ! I looked at him looked at her and said 'yes but he is only ugly on the outside'

and thats the point having a preference is fine but when we start to impose how we feel on others its ugly .. 
oh and btw Remy was beautiful.


----------



## 8tansox (Jan 29, 2010)

dorrit said:


> I agree that differing opinions or preferences dont really count as predjudice if you are choosing for yourself, its when people feel the need to impose their opinion on your choice of dog that it changes .. So even if you dont like small dogs or rotties or slobbery dogs thats fine while you understand that other people do . Its when it gets into the name calling that its wrong.
> 
> A woman once crossed a large car park just to tell me that Remy was ' one ugly dog ' ! I looked at him looked at her and said 'yes but he is only ugly on the outside'
> 
> ...


You are so right, we were brought up if you can't say anything nice, say nothing at all, but to have someone cross the car park to say that, well, nowt so queer as folk, and, what a good reply, well done you!

Most of my dogs have been rescues, I've only in the last two years gone for Pedigree breeds, purely because I wanted to, my choice, my dosh, and having worked with dogs all my adult life, I wanted to experience having puppies from health tested parents, having real "brothers" , knowing about what happened to the rest of the litter, parents etc. and I have to say I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience, but these two Rottweilers (Pilot and Arwin) will be my last pedigrees, I shall revert back to rescues in the future (I still have two rescues now too), but honestly, I'm so glad I have done it. I've loved the experience of watching them grow inside mum, the birth, then going up to see / meet them, I'm not so keen on having to choose one, but I've done it and again, that was another experience I never thought I'd have.

Anyway, it's back to training tonight with Arwin, who can now do everything that the others can do in the class now, so the guy with the Daxi can put that in his pipe and smoke it! AND, Arwin can do a right finish too... (I'm going to throw that in tonight too hahahahaha!)


----------



## kare (Sep 8, 2014)

kimthecat said:


> The odd thing was Libby and pip didn't react but I completely freaked and grabbed them and tried to pick them up and shouted at the dog to go away and swore , the owner came into view and called the dog and he went back . I bet somewhere on a forum there's a thread about a crazy old chi lady shouting and swearing at a GSD !


You should get help for that
No dog (or owner of a dog that was obviously walking a trained dog easily called away) who wasn't doing anything unacceptable deserves to be treated like that on their walk simply because they were going in the same direction as you just because of your phobia.


----------

