I have always loved Border Terriers because they are required and usually are sociable and reliable with other dogs.

Sadly since the time I first met and fell in love with them in 1976 they have become very popular and with that popularity a lot of poor breeding goes on in the more commercial sector and of course the dogs produced are often untypical, including temperament.  Crying shame.

Having a small terrier myself I feel the need to stick up for him...........
Many times I have heard the same "it's always the little ones."
Now my boy is noisy and will approach any other dog, he is however friendly and want sto play with all.
A dog which is unfriendly to others should simply not be free to bother others.
Karen

Another one here sticking up for the little guys - although terriers do seem to like the sound of their owns voices, and sometimes have quite a lot to say in my experience :-)

My boy isn't really ok with other dogs, especially ones he doesn't know, so I try not to put him in situations where he is likely to get stressed / gobby such as a pub garden etc.

He's not too bad with dogs he knows, but even them he has enough of them quite quickly.

I think it was bad of the owner of the dogs to get funny with the OP, I would be really apologetic if Stitch had a good yap at someone elses dogs, I certainly wouldn't blame them for walking near me.

Claire

most of the border terriers I have met have been great wee bundles with people but are really brave when taking on other dogs.  My dog hates them as they usually growl at her and she has had a few lunge at her in the past.  I'm very wary of them as my dog goes on alert ready to have a go when she sees one now.

Just becasue a terrier doesnt like other dogs, it should still be addressed as a behavourial problem and taken care of, not just saying 'well he's a terrier!' thats the mistake a lot of people make and it gives the breed a bad rep for being mouthy, when they actully are not unless they are allowed to be!
Same as any dog wouold bark non stop if not told to be quiet! :)

well guess whats just happened here! i am raging! my dad was walking our lot today when he came across a woman with some kind of terrier, dad took our three to the side (leaded and either held or tied to his waist-he finds it easier, he's a big bloke and if they pulled he could hold them), this woman walked her terrier right up to them, it then growled at tio and gave off 'signals' (you all know what i mean), he (young male out with his bitches) took exception at this and (i'm very upset by this and the issue will be addressed) snapped at it, the girls backed him up and they gave it a bit of a fright. dad says it was ansolutely fine, just heavily drooled on- i mention this as even in the second it took for dad to react if they had wanted to do it damage they would have done.

anyway, they've had the police round who were apparently very brusk and unpleasent to start with because of the "large dogs" involved-till they met them at which point their tune totally changed (the three of them are big softies)

i am absolutely raging. first of all at their behaviour, its REALLY not like them and dads going to walk them all seperately now and there will be work done on this. however, who in their right mind lets their dog walk up to three massive dogs, all on lead, and then do nothing as it growls at them????????? then has the ordasity to blame the incident on my dogs!

also annoyed at the attitude of one of the police officers- apparently they were very suggestive that since our dogs are large/ a bull breed they were probably responsible-one of them has a staffy! now i know staffies have a bad rep thats usually unfounded but you'd think as an owner of a 'bad rep'd breed' they might be a tad more, whats the word, open-minded?

sorry for the rant but i'm really upset

Crikey, have the police got nothing better to do round your neck of the woods, called out over a dog that snapped at a terrier?

apparently not. though dad said it was actually traffic police (???) i'm so so upset. i worry about tio and other males as it is (had a run in with the local samoyed when he was a pup-tried to defend his in season adopted mummy and it gave him a once over) so i worry that this might be setting his temper against strange dogs. need to make sure he has plenty GOOD encounters. the police asked what he;s like with other (wee) dogs normally, dad said, "well his best friends a whippet". dad explained that he and mum have had the breed for nearly 25 years etc hthey discussed temprements etc, apparently the police seemed very satisfied after meeting them and the dogs that nothing was amiss with their behaviour. i'm so upset though at the women. who does that?? apparently she has aggrivated an old knee injury because of it, i hope shes alright but for gods sake. i'm just feeling really distressed by it.