I'm picking up on some comments from the thread about Airdales .. and many others really.   It seems that a few encounters with a specific breed can really shape our opinion of them; especially with regard to temperament.   

Here are my *uniformed* opinions of certain breeds, based on no more than a handful of encounters with each:

Border Terriers - good with people, nasty to other dogs
Shar Peis - dominant and aggressive to other dogs
Staffs and staffie mixes - every one I have encountered with my two dogs has been very dog friendly; but the negative publicity still makes me wary of them. Plus, my step daughter owned one that repeatedly attacked other dogs.  And now has another that she says loves man and beast.  So mixed views for sure.
Irish Terriers - dog aggressive

Anyone else formed an impression of a breed based on limited experience with them?

Maybe the BT's you know are nasty with other dogs, mine are certainly not!
We have 7 dogs here, and 5 daily boarders, and my 3 BT's mix well with them all, even out walking, when meeting other strange dogs, they have never started anything, and will just walk by on command!

I know where yopu are coming from.
My OH would not allow us to have a Dalmation as he had been bitten by two - so he feel's they are untrustworthy.

Try as I do i am frightened of GSD's having been badly bitten as a child - both OH and son's wanted one so we had a BC instead.

Terriers - game plucky little dogs not to be left with children.

Boxer's I wanted one OH says scatty and dribblers.

Spaniels - we have but again can be hyper - mine isnt.

Preconcieved ideas.

A few observations from a few breeds I have met or known .

Border Terriers - good with people happy little dogs but will also think they are bigger than they are and like to tell other dogs that !
Shar Peis - dominant and aggressive to other dogs and people
Staffs and staffie mixes - Some I have met have been very calm and lovely friendly dogs but others I have met have been very aggressive and totally untrustworthy.
Working Cockers : Lovely happy little souls
Irish Water Spaniel: Super happy friendly dogs
English Bull Terrier : A couple have been ok but one or two have been rather aggressive towards other dogs
JR's : Some friendly little dogs but some snappy and grumpy dogs
Patterdale : Have only met one and she is a super lovable little soul but not what I have heard about other peoples experience !
Westies : Again some lovely friendly dogs but some snappy and aggressive towards other dogs
Border Collies : Highly driven and highly strung dogs. Met one true working BC and she was a super bitch when she was not at work but probably down to the fact she had been out working all day !

Forgot to say I have met quiet a few cross breeds as well and 50% have been very nice dogs but the other 50% unpredicable and aggressive :-)
GSD: Lovely soft dogs who are very loyal
Gordon Setters: Clown dogs who love to play !
Irish Setters : Mad as hatters !
English Springer: Eager to please and always on the go !

Corgis... aggressive and nippy, I was attacked by two as a child.

However, I have to say that there is one at the training classes that I go to who is a darling. I tend to avoid them generally though.

Staffies...happy and friendly, all the ones I have met have been.

Great Danes.....unpredictable and aggressive. There was one at the classes that would have ripped the throat out of some of the dogs if given half a chance. He had also bitten his owner on many ocassions.

Newfoundlands....big, soft,gentle teddy bears. 

Anyone else formed an impression of a breed based on limited experience with them?

No I try not to form an opinion until I've met several owned by several different people, as so often it's a question of the owner having caused the dog's behaviour rather than the breed. I do have opinions on several breeds but only ones I've seen plenty of.

The only ones I made any opinion of was yellow Labs - not good ones either :-( My English Springer was attacked by several different Labs in different areas of the country, and my daughter was attacked by one, so sorry, but I would never want a yellow Lab. A black one, on the other hand, I found would be fine as I have only met friendly ones :-D

Westy boys all seem to be the same. they want to pee up everything!!!!! Worst breed I've come across for that.

I've had several opinions held over many years overturned (whether for good or bad) when I've met more significant numbers of certain breeds so I try to avoid making assumptions about any breed en masse.

In the main the groups most breeds are in (terrier, gundog, working, pastoral, hound) give a fair representation of how their temperaments and mindsets work but then within these groups each of the breeds have so many traits/quirks/foibles (!) specific to their breed and the varying lines within their breed that IMO it's all too easy to write off certain ones unnecessarily and perhaps extoll the virtues of others inappropriately.   When looking at toy and utility groups the variances are far greater and so less easy to form a wider impression. 

My own breed has four varieties and while in theory these are split by coat colour and coat type alone, in reality the actual characters of each variety as much as their temperaments varies greatly - and all that before looking at their lines LOL

That said were I asked to recommend a type of dog to someone as a family pet it would almost certainly come from the gun dog group - so a preconceived opinion is lurking within after all :-D

I got bitten by a rough collie once - i stay well away from them now !

I was also bitten by a lab but i was about 3 years old  and looking at her pups , so not her fault !
My Aunty had a SBT which was as soft as putty and mad as a hatter . She also had an Irish Wolfhound that was a graceful and gentle giant . 

My dogs have been bitten by so many border collies/working sheepdogs there's no way I'd ever have one, even though I've met some very nice ones as well.

I dont like staffies due to the negative publicity around them and also an incident a while ago with myself and my dog. I would never ever have one and wouldnt trust any.

>A black one, on the other hand, I found would be fine as I have only met friendly ones 

im the opposite, my dogs have been attacked by so many black labs that when I see one now I put them on the lead and run the other way

Yes we have quite a few dodgy black Labs around here but again some very friendly ones as well.

Alaskan Malumutes scare me and my golden retriever

My OH was bitten on the face by a jack russell when he was a child and so is wary of them 

even the friendly ones bite Alfie - im sure he just has one of those faces !!!

> Border Terriers - good with people, nasty to other dogs

Definitely the opposite re other dogs, probably the most easy going of terriers around other dogs.

> Shar Peis - dominant and aggressive to other dogs, mixed depending on breeding and ownership (BYB bred and novice owners a pain, at shows all have been nice).

> Staffs and staffie mixes -

mostly not good with other dogs, but depending on ownership not a problem, a very few well socialised and taken to training to mix with other canines from very young, have been good.

I am scared of Chihuahuas!  The ones I have seen, and been around, are nippy and aggressive.  So I dont think I would ever get a chi because of this. 

People think my breed (the min pin) is nasty as well.  My dogs arent nasty, and I have gotten comments on the temperment being so good in my dogs.  I had a vet that wanted to muzzle my Cher when she was 13 weeks old "because min pins are nasty".  But I refused, and said "Shes a puppy!!!!  You dont need to muzzle her, I will hold her head."  The vet got kisses from my girl.

My regular vet didnt trust min pins either, until she saw Casie and Cher.  Now they love them (the dogs that is, I dont know if the breed stereotype has changed with them, but they like my dogs)

Not keen on poodles of any variety, due to neighbours dog and some I experienced within the grooming parlour I recently trained in.
Same can be said for 'some' west highland whites, min. schnauzers, yorkshire terriers and a couple of shih tzu's.
I certainly would NOT tar all those breeds with the same brush though, as I haven't met every single one of those breeds in existence.

With my breed, the Staffordshire bull terrier, I have been fortunate to only meet well adjusted and well behaved dogs.
As for SBT mixes, again based on the couple I have met and helped rehome, they have been fairly uncontrollable, but that was down to owners NOT the breed imo, and as I stated above, I wouldn't assume that they all have that temperament.

I have Rotties, and my eldest girl (3) and the beastie boy (18months) are like chalk and cheese. My girlie has recently been in the vets quite a lot (ruptured cruciate ligaments on both legs, 6 weeks apart) and he was saying that he'd be quite happy to take her home with him as she's such a sweetie. OH took the beastie in yesterday for his annual boosters, he was muzzled to be on the safe side (dog that is not OH)and went loopy at a couple of dogs in there, fine when actually in with the vets.

So if anyone was basing their opinion on my Girl then they'd all be lovely and cuddly (a bit too exuberant sometimes), but my boy is a typical stereotypical snarling Rottweiler. Ties into another thread about what we'd like to change about them - for him it would be that he doesn't feel the need to protect us. Whether it be from a suspicious looking stick/carrier bag, to a bearded man walking past and minding his own business. His behaviour does take a lot of the joy out of owning a dog.

> Border Terriers - good with people, nasty to other dogs

>Definitely the opposite re other dogs, probably the most easy going of terriers around other dogs.

Not entirely sure I agree with that.. little monsters.. bossy, determined..  would stand perfectly in the ring for me, yet drag me around the garden by the trouser leg.

Jack Russel.. The only dog that bit me and meant it.. I dont know many, since I stayed away from them after that incident

Boxers.. exuberant,, and ultra friendly

Great Danes.. have only known a handfull.. but real gentle Giants..

Flatcoats.. wonderful personalities, playful, mix well with other dogs

Labradors.. Can't see past them.. Warts and all :-)

I am scared of other peoples Great Danes.... they are so big and powerful and so loyal and dedicated to their own families.

Its no secret I prefer large breeds in fact I find some of the small breeds quite snappy and unreliable,
maybe its because I,ve always owned large dogs and you tend to get more of a feeling for them ,I just don,t feel too comfortable with small ones its not that I,m frightened of them they just seem to move faster if they do intemd to snap at you but usually if a larger breed is not happy it will let you know with a bit of a warning grumble first.

Border Collies Absolutely 100% wonderful.  Every one I've owned has been easy to train, loyal, loving, and we have had a great deal of fun training.  Yet I had a friend with Staffies that said she would never trust a Border Collie.  My boy is even careful not to put his teeth on me when he takes a biscuit from me. 

Jack Russell  Never liked the snappy nasty things, based on a dog belonging to my MIL in the 70's.  In the 90's my next door neighbour died, and nobody would take on his Jack.  So I did!  She was the gentlest, most loving dog, and went out of her way to fit in with my gang.  Judy proved me wrong.

Chihuahuas  Wouldn't give you a thank you for a smooth coat.  Certainly, to me, they appear to be totally different to the long coats.  Aloof and snappy.  The longs are far friendlier, eager to please, and extremely easy to house train.  And they will sit when told, along with the Collies!

Bearded Collies  Completely boisterous if not trained early, but I have never, ever met one with a bad temperament.  Not so full of hype as a Border.  Very friendly with anyone and everyone.  Not for the couch potato, but great for an active family.

Rotties  Have always been frightened of them.  Yet there is an absolutely huge boy at ringcraft that has a temperament to die for, and is even great with Chi pups, but I am still apprehensive of them.  I am not even sure what started it.

When I was a child about 7 years old there was a Jack Russell in the neighbourhood that used to nip everyone that passed,
one day one of my friends came home crying that this little dog had nipped her and wouldn't let her pass so I went to find it, I remember sitting on a piece of grass by its house and asking some other children what it was called, they told me it was Sam and how it hated everyone, I sat on this piece of grass for three hours calling Sam and eventually he came to me and I fussed him all the while chatting to him, I went every day after school to sit with him and fuss him, one day I arrived home and he was sitting on my lawn he went crazy when he saw me and jumped on me licking me and squealing, I walked him back home and then he was there every day after school until he died. 

I think maybe I thought all Jack Russells were similar but my dogs wouldn't take too kindly to some strange terrier on the door step when I get home from work lol

i can see that this topic will kick off if people are not careful what they say.LOL

I like to think deed not breed.

Border Terriers - either loud, feisty and unsociable (as my own is) or quiet and very sociable.  Definitely the most stubborn dogs I have come across and masters of getting their own way.

Staffies - always loved them and I've never met a nasty one.

Spaniels - nuts

Jack Russels - nippy

Black labs - don't know if I like them, attacked my dog on a few occasions - only a particular 2 dogs though.

Dogue de Bordeaux - one lives near us and it terrifies me.  Tries to get through the window when we go past acting very aggressive.

Not all dogs of these breeds will be like this of course, just my experience :)

CG

> I like to think deed not breed.

That is how it should be, however, I have never had a good encounter with a JRT :( Only yesterday I met 2 loose JRTs while walking Buster, they charged us, started posturing & circling Buster (who was only happy to have met them, bless him), they then started to try to jump on his back (in a dominant way, not playfull) I told them 'no' so they growled at me and backed off a bit, we carried on walking and they charged us & attacked my OH's ankles This is the 3rd encounter I've had with these 2 dogs, each one the same :( Every time I've met a JRT they've had a go at my dog in some way and this is with 3 different dogs going back 20 years - they always seem to be loose and the owners (if present) always chuckle and say 'don't worry his bark is worse than his bite'
My sister used to have 2 JRT's, now she has a boxer she also dreads meeting JRT's, as again, they always seem to cause trouble (the one time her dog was attacked it was by a JRT).

So when I'm out with my dog I never enjoy the thought of meeting a JRT, I am catious meeting staffies but have never had a bad expereience with the few I've met. Any other dog I will only judge on it's individual behaviour. Saying that I am generally more relaxed meeting bigger dogs (labs, rotties, boxers) as no large dog has yet bothered Buster, they only want to greet him nicely or play, it's the smaller dogs that have caused us problems so far :(
When I'm out without my dog I don't mind meeting any breed of dog.

> Its no secret I prefer large breeds in fact I find some of the small breeds quite snappy and unreliable,
> maybe its because I,ve always owned large dogs and you tend to get more of a feeling for them ,I just don,t feel too comfortable with small ones its not that I,m frightened of them they just seem to move faster if they do intemd to snap at you but usually if a larger breed is not happy it will let you know with a bit of a warning grumble first.

me to. only dog that has ever bitten me was a min poodle.

i was shocked and appalled when a friend of my bfs mum found out Liam was getting Tio and said that bullmastiffs are drug dealers dogs! the only drugs i every have about me are for medicinal purposes!!

> i can see that this topic will kick off if people are not careful what they say.LOL
>
> I like to think deed not breed.

I agree, deed not breed, but it still remains that we have our hearts open to some breeds and not others.. and the OP's question does ask, have some dogs shaped your opinion.. NOT.. what is your opinion on other breeds.. I have loads of opinions on breeds which I have never encountered.. but only voiced on the breeds I know.. I have met many breeds.. but not in enough quantity to actually form a real opinion..

So I dont see why the topic should 'kick off'.. I was brought up with Terriers.. but I dont particularly like them, nothing against them.. they just dont rock my boat.. yet I know many other people can't see the 'point' in Labradors.. they are plain dogs, not a coated breed.. you cant pick up and carry them.. You dont get pleasure grooming them.. nothing to groom, but for me.. there is no other breed.. and yes.. I have come across some really nasty ones.. and I won't defend that..

I think we are mature enough to know that this is a lighthearted look at how we see the few breeds we have encountered.. and why..

We change our atitudes as we grow and mature also.. I remember thinking that poodles were for old women with Blue/pink rinses.. because as a child, those were the only people I ever saw with them

It's good to see how others see our breeds :)

> i can see that this topic will kick off if people are not careful what they say.LOL
>
> I like to think deed not breed

Totally agree! (I wouldn't dream of doing it with people) and unless its was trait of that particular breed's breed standard I'd consider myself very silly for doing so ;)

What an interesting thread Cairnmania!

Going back to what someone said about male Westies weeing on everything - I have developed the same opinion of male Cavaliers since we had friends staying the weekend with their 2 boy Cavs who peed on my sofa and dining table and wouldn't rest until every single bush in my garden had been marked...

The only dog (apart from my own Malamute) that has ever bitten me was a Chihuahua. I've since got over my dislike of the breed as two of my friends have the most sweet natured, gorgeous friendly Chis and they are fantastic little souls!

We had a friends Toy Poodle stay with us once and she is absolutely gorgeous - a real sweetheart - but I have never met a more needy dog in my life - she had to be with you everywhere and if you were in a different room she would scream!

My pal has a Rottie and I hadn't had much experience of them until she got Fable. She is so friendly and is firmly of the opinion that Rottweilers were designed to be lap dogs! I love her!

The only breed that I am slightly un-certain of as a breed is the standard schnauzer. 

Years ago when I worked for a groomer I often noticed how different they were from the other 2 sizes. The mini's were lively and full on little characters and the giants were gentle giants or big kids depending on their age.  Every standard was reserved and either nervous or aggressive.  One dog in particular was even aggressive with his owner and she told me she had to fend him off with a chair on a fairly regular basis.

I don't know if it was a breed trait or just because they were far less common and maybe came from the same lines.  I would love to meet one to change my mind.

Would never trust a Staffie.  My dog (who has now passed away) was attacked by one.  It was a completely unprovoked attack and so 'out of the blue' that i would never, ever trust one.  I also believe that because of this attack, he shortened my dogs life and to a certain extent ruined it for him, because he always shied away from his walks afterwards and was so nervous.

Another breed is Rottweiler.  My friends mother had one, which i knew from a puppy and had met him several times.  One day i went to their front door and when her mum opened the door, the Rottie bit me.  This dog had known me from an 8 wk old pup!

> we have our hearts open to some breeds and not others..

Agree with this!  I find it much easier to see past some breeds to the personality within; there are others I'd find it difficult to love.

I've never met any completely dislikeable dogs but sometimes one has to look really hard to find the bits to like :)

Edited to say: I've only ever met one (English) Bull Terrier in person, she was white (and pink).  As her owner played Mahler at full volume Sophie farted along as accompaniment.  I'm fairly sure they're not all like that - are they??

Ooh.. Bull Terrier.. only really got to know one just recently.. then a few more appeared on the scene.. .. smashing dogs.. full of personality and fun.. :-)

thats such a shame that you've been given this feeling about these two breeds because really they are wonderful. i'm sure logically you know its not a full breed trait but because of those awful instances it must have permenantly tainted them.

I believe it is the way a dog is brought up, trained that can make them the way they are BUT on saying that as a groomer I have noticed a few things

Westies - have a lot of lovley ones who come in to the shop but find them the nippiest of the terriers. The only dog that has really given me a nasty bite

Jack RT - have 2 of my own and 3 before them and have never had a nasty one. They can bark if strangers appear but would then lick them to death. saying that I do know why people think they are nippy as they can noisy and are very good watch dogs who will defend their space . have seen trouser legs being caught and shaken !!! clever comical wee dogs.

Rotties - big and powerfull and a bit daunting untill you have met a few and see that they are really big softies. Can act a bit dumb at times.

GSD - again look as if they would be nasty but the ones I have met are all quite shy dogs. very clever  and loyal.

Springer spaniels - hyper but good natured

Cockers - wiggly bums, very friendly and can be comical. some allways look so sad lovley dogs

Cavaliers - quite lazy dogs who like food and not walking. but nice dogs who like to put their faces as close to yours as they can !

Scottish terriers - great wee dogs who's back legs seem to allways go faster than the front ones.  full of fun and you dont see the dirt on them !

Lahsas - can be nippy and pretend to pass out when being groomed if they want you to stop !

Black labs - energetic ,clever, as most labs are , loyal .

Newfies - BIG , strong, protective, softies,

Poodles - very clever, bouncy, can be a bit nervy but not nasty

Border collies - no offence but am a bit worried in their company due to being bitten as a child.think that they need an owner who will do agility or be used a a working dog as they need stimulation or they can become nasty.can be sly as they are so clever.

Bichons -   happy little dogs who tend not to listen and do their own thing. are trainable as we have one a dog obedience but off the lead !! NO

Airedales - Well what can I say great dogs ,very inteligent, clown around,brave ,full of fun.   

Staffies - nice dogs if owned by the right person

yorkies - can be nippy and whinge a bit ,  shiver a lot, but do know a few nice ones

I dont think I can really say that I dislike any breed as I allways say that good management and training works wonders and it is the bad owners that get most dogs bad reputations.

      

> I'm fairly sure they're not all like that - are they??

I like that story Dogs A Babe! All the Bull Terriers I've met have been lovely, I especially like the bitches, the ones I've met have been very soppy and friendly! My friend used to have a male Bull Terrier who was great but humped the legs of anyone who entered the house, even his owners, but he had a particular fondness for the gardener.

I too knew a Sophie EBT, and forever after refered to them as 'Sophie dogs'.
She was so gorgeous and I always thought I'd have one but haven't done so far.
Karen :)

I've been best friends with Rottweilers yet have been bitten by another one, known many adorable Cavaliers and Boxers yet have met a few dodgy ones....all individuals and all just my experience.

A bit like saying all Scottish people are mean...and I'd take great exception to that :-)

It is pretty amazing isn't it how many of us base our opinions on just one negative experience.  Human nature?
Isn't there a saying along those lines?  To do with word of mouth, etc.  One negative review gets round really quickly, but it takes 10 times as much effort to promote a positive review?  Duh - I know what I mean! lol

But I agree, we wouldn't speak about human beings this way sadly.

Tessie - that's exactly my point.  We often base our impressions of a breed on a few chance encounters.  I've never met a nasty lab so I think of them all as friendly dogs.  Clearly though others have come across labs that were not to be trusted - so their impression is entirely different from mine. It really is the negative encounters that tend to stick in our minds; unfortunately.

I think the same thing can happen even if you own a breed, meaning you base your entire impression of a breed on just that one animal. You have one Yorkie, GSD or whatever - and then you expect every other member of the breed to be exactly like them.  When your second Yorkie, or GSD or whatever turns out to be entirely different - you end up shocked and unhappy.

What this thread is pointing out is that even though the breed standard attempts to describe typical temperament - at the end of the day really what everyone with any mix or any breed ends up with is a ... DOG!   And any dog of any breed in terms of temperament can end up at any point on the scale from nice to nasty, easy to train/not easy to train, etc.

> It is pretty amazing isn't it how many of us base our opinions on just one negative experience.  Human nature?

I couldn't base an opinion on an entire breed on the behaviour of one or even 2 different dogs. I've based my opinion of JRt's being confrontational after every single one I've met over the years has been that way (allthough that only equates to probably 20 different dogs).

>But I agree, we wouldn't speak about human beings this way sadly.

The difference is that dogs have been bred to show different temperments (ie, fiesty terrier, chillded-out Mastiff etc..) whereas people have not been selectively bred to have different temperments, so by basing an opinion of a certain 'type' of person (cultural/religous/nationality) after meeting one or 2 is really not very sensible.

When we look to getting a dog, the breed/type plays an important role as you know what you are getting (if the dog does end up displaying a temperment true to type), but not so when we are looking for a human friend/partner - humans should be judged on thier indiviual personalities. OK so it's fairer to judge dogs on thier individual personalities but when one has had lots of bad encounters with a certain breed it is hard not to pre-judge every dog of that breed. That really is the whole point of pure-bred dogs - being able to judge them by breed/type.

Precisly why this is a good item a few experiances with dogs do tend to temper how you view them later.
As a child we had mongrels, then Mum got a fox terrier, bit everyone in sight, lakeland terrier what a sweetie, griffon what a character and a skipperke that out lived her and is currently living with the next door neighbour when Mum died he left!! not kidding, a real independant little dog, not a cuddly but a bomb proof personality.
I am still scared of GSD's or Alsations as they were, I cannot easily approach one, my OH is the same re dalmations.

Our BC is so gentle so good with children, my spaniel washes kids top to bottom all the time they make him nervous.

My Dad was anti staffie when my niece got one with three kids, yet a more gentle, friendly, obediant  loving dog I have yet to meet. I love Audrey the Rottie that some friends of my son own and she's huge.

Thats why it is interesting in this post to hear others experiances, our Border is walked at least 6 miles a day all weathers, we devise things to keep him busy usually involving stuff in bottles, puzzles ect. Spaniel would just chew it all to bits no patience at all. Maybe he would be snappy if bored I think we (as a whole) pick dogs that reflect our personality and base the choice on what appeals to us.

Good topic though, I dont feel the need to promote either of my breeds as they were my choice and fit our life style, luckily enough even tempered and good with children but your right Whistler can look very mornfull indeed, and Jake smiles a lot!

really good post.

Labs - completely thick and damn right rude to other dogs

BC - have three of them and wouldnt have another breed - they are intelligent, work for hours, loyal and great fun to won

GSD - ok but the ones around our area or mostly horrid and have attacked my smooth coat on more than one occasion

Springers - completely nuts but good time dogs

Westies - hate them with a passion - owned by little old ladies who think it is ok for them to come running up to my dogs growling and barking

Border Terriers - when they are nice they are very nice but when they horrid I wish they didnt exist

Rotties - completely and utter softies in the right hands

Staffs - brilliant with people not so good with other dogs

This is going on what i think of the ones i have come across, outside the show world.

Labs - Always had yellow ones, always easy going. The black ones i do like, though find them a little more dominant towards other dogs. Chocolate are all over the place, met lovely ones and also not so lovely ones(dog aggressive).

JRT - Hmmm, not my favourite, my sister has 2. She tends to dump them on us. The male is toy/ball aggressive and i've tried to re-train him, got bitten twice so gave up really. He has calmed down since Bentley our last Lab was PTS last year. They had a huge battle going on. To be honest i'll be glad when they go(sounds awful i know, but they are such hard work)

Bichon, Chi's and other toy breeds and crosses of them - They go crazy at shows when you walk past them in their cages. Has startled my boy on a number of occasions and also my friends dogs. In the park they bark and come running up to my boy in such a manner that my boy backs away is actually showing signs of not being comfortable with them. The smaller the dog the more attitude it appears to have towards my boy. Though have met some lovely ones.

Mals - I love them and they appear to be great dogs in the right hands. They are very dog dominant so tend to stay away from them as best i can, my boy is dominant as well, so worried of scuffles.

Rotties - Not come across a really bad one, they are big softies and they hold a place in my heart. Only time i have seen an aggressive one it was muzzled so had no concerns.

I am surprised at the different veiws on labs, I've not met that many with my dog but have never had any bad encounters with them (one was a bit dominant, but I think that's more to do with 2 male dogs meeting than a breed thing).
I wonder if the huge differences in peoples experiences is down to the breed being taken advantage of by BYD/puppy farmers & too many owners getting a cute little lab puppy without realising the work that needs putting in to keep them trained/fufilled??

In relation to Labs isn't it this breed which has the highest mark for dog bites on humans? I can't recall where i got that information, but you don't hear about these in the news, this breed won't make headlines compared to a larger more robust breed.

Saying that i've not seen a human aggressive Lab in my life.. They are a wonderful easy going breed that if with the right training, exercise and guidance they are fantastic to live with.

I've certainly met quite a lot of iffy black Labs locally but that's quite obviously down to a local BYB who churns them out along with sickly CKCSs, WHWTs and Mini Schnauzers seem to be joining the ranks too  

Those aside I've found almost without exception that Labs are either so well trained that they take little notice of other dogs/human activities or so OTT and outgoing they just want to play and romp :)

Sadly it is a much abused breed by those breeding for cash and IME that's where the poor temperaments come from :(