Hi,
What ridiculous statements have you heard about diferent breeds of dogs,I wanted to get some opinions on this subject as it is puzzling me.My favourite top which I wear alot has a lovely white Bull terier on the front(it's very trendy) but whenever I wear it I get so much attitude!It seems people assosiate these dogs with Bill Sykes in Oliver and therefore they must be vicious!!"Oh have you got one of those horrible dogs?" and "isn't that the nasty dog in Oliver?".
I don't have one and I only bought it as the dog reminds me of my Brother in laws Bull terier who is the softest,sopiest dog going hense the confusion?
Personaly I don't look at any type of dog and think they must be vicious.I know I shouldn't but I am much more likely to judge the owner!There seems to be alot of these silly myths about vicious breeds and they stick just like the Andrex puppy and Dulux dog ,they proberbly do just as much damage to the breed.It has shocked me hearing these attitudes as when I wear my top I feel as though I have "International terrorist" writen accross my chest!
I know there is not alot we can do to change peoples atitudes apart from explaining they are wrong and why but I was just interested if anyone else has encountered this kind of ignorance and how you deal with it?
Hazel

while buying bird food at a pet shop i overheard the following
labradors- 'if you have children dont get a labrador as labs are no good with children'
cavaliers- 'cavaliers do not heart defects'
spaniels- ' spaniels only get ear problems because of the owners, its nothing to do with the shape of their ears'
bichon frise - 'bichons are a low maintainence breed and dont require a lot of grooming'
german shepherd- ' those pups are german shepherd crosses so they arent kennel club registered they are £450'

needless to say i dont go there any more i cannot see why people go to petshops to buy puppies and the advice is completely wrong
i have a labrador and my mum is a foster carer for small children
i have a cavalier he has a heart murmur and has gone deaf from the continuos ear problems that he has had
and i have a spaniel whom we keep an eye on his ears to prevent any problems
a bichon being a low maintainance breed hmm i dont think
and a £450 crossbreed theres definitley something wrong there
the advice on the other animals aint much cop either, but as they pass the checks every year and they have the relevent licenses etc they remain open, the pups come from puppy farms in wales, travel to kent before coming to essex, so the paperwork says nothing about wales on the paperwork they are only 7 weeks old at this time.
going of the subject here but it just goes to show where the misconceptions about different breeds come from
tanya

Hello

I think misconceptions of dogs are hammered into us by the media etc. I am a dog lover and love all dogs and so do my family, especially my nephew Michael who is four years old, he has always been taught that if we are out together and sees a dog and wants to stroke it he should ask the owner first. We were at the shop the other day and were just walking outside when he said to this man can i stroke your dog, will it bite, I looked at the dog, which was a rottweiler, my immediate reaction and I really don-t know where it came from, was NO. The man looked at me and said yes it is ok he won-t bite and the dog rolled on the floor. I felt utterly embarrassed and ashamed of myself as I really don-t know where it came from, I know people who have rottweilers. I thinnk we all read articles in the newspapers and has as been said on here before certain breeds get the bad press.

I would publicly like to apologise to all you rottweiler lovers out there

Jolene

Hi Jolene

I'm the same with GSD's - don't know why - I always back off a little bit, then realise how daft I am being!

Chloe :)

im so pleased to hear that you prevent your nephew from stroking strange dogs. I think i have posted about this before, but i dont know how mnay times while walking my mum's dog or Tilly, children have come running up to them at full belt, and thrown their arms round their neck, or tried to tickle them or whatever. While i am 99% sure that neither dog would harm a fly, all dogs are unpredictable when frightened, and being rushed at and grabbed is very frightening for a dog. Of course if the children ask, i get mindy or tilly to sit, put my hand on their collar to calm them and let the child stroke them quite happily.
Once i got off a bus with mindy - her 1st bus ride, which stressed her out a bit, and a child lunged at her, making her panic and struggle to lose her collar. All this on a main road. Needless to say i gave the kid a telling off, then started on his mother, who was standing there laughing.
Anyway im off on a tangent here, it's something i feel strongly about - people who allow their kids to behave like this around dogs are the same who spread silly rumours about various dogs/ breeds being vicious or bad with kids.
Incidentally i find a lot more people veer away from tilly (black and tan gsd cross) than from mindy (white and freckled god knows what cross)
I think it's the colour?!
good topic
Lynz x

I am sure I read somewhere that there are more black dogs in rescue than any other colour.Aparently people are put off by black???
Does anyone have any good comebacks when faced with ignorant people making generalisations of their chosen breed?My last boxer used to wear a halti and I often got asked if it was a muzzle and would he bite to which i always said"no it's not a muzzle,he doesn't bite but if he did that wouldn't stop him"I would then go on to explain how a halti worked.It's funny but if a group of teenage girls went past on our walks they all wanted to cuddle and stroke him saying how lovely he was but a group of teenage lads would always look scared and cross the road!I found that so amusing.Our pup is only 13 weeks at the moment so we haven't had the teenage test yet!
Hazel

maybe cos black is associated with so called vicious dogs rotties dobes gsd?

Surely they are mostly all black and tan?Can you get black Rotweilers?The only black dog that imediatly springs to mind is a black lab and they are considered harmless.I am sure the article was in dogs today and the explanation was that we (the general public)are all basicly racist in that we view black as negative and white as positive albeit subconciously.Sad though to think of all those dogs rejected for their colour

ur right hazel but i just meant that these dogs' bodies are predominantly black :)
people have been superstitious of the colour black since time began... black cats black magic etc. words like 'blackmail', 'blackguard', having had your name 'blackened' and so on. I uess it is associated with night time, darkness, the devil, evil? maybe this goes some way towards an explantion of peoples reaction.
i agree though, no fair on the dogs. Or for that matter black people. theres certainly no excuse for prejudice of any kind.
Tilly is a big soft black and tan bundle of fun and love so i dont care if people think shes scary... could be a good thing anyway in this day and age when a woman isnt safe to walk her dog alone. I think dobes are beautiful animals and one day would love one
lynz x

Well I must be strange, as when I chose my first dog a Belgian shepherd, I much prefered the glossy jet black ofver the more popular Tervueren (who may consider more glamourous).

With my present bred I also considered a Norwegian Buhund (same Group for showing as my last breed) but I much prefered the Grey colour of the Elkhounds over the Wheaten Bu's!?

I have laways drooled over the black horse in the Bank Adverts, all that shiny muscle!"!! :D

Thank you for the apology, I have owned 2 rottweiler's and they both were loyal, lovable dogs. Our current Rottweiler would do the very same thing. If a child or ill person wants to pet her she lays down and rolls over. The shame of it is that here in the USA I have to lie and say I do not own a rottie or I will not be issued homeowners casualty insurance to protect us against a loss from Fire or theft. If you own a Pit Bull or Rottweiler no one will issue you insurance.

Bonnie

to be honest ive always had a slight fear of dobermans until i looked after my ex's sisters,
dino. what a softie. he had a ring that he used to carry everywhere. so out walking he'd have it in his mouth and asked us to throw it. which we did. unfortunately it bounced straight into the pond. where the soppy sod stood with his face in the water searching for it. ive never heard a dog cry so much, so in i went up to my waist to get this bloody ring. viscious, i do not thing so

Having just got a Dobe puppy, I have been amazed at the number of my colleagues who said 'You're getting a Dobermann!!???' in horrified tones. Anyway, Odin is a complete sweetie and has completely converted 2 of my friends who had real real dog phobias from previous bad encounters because of his happy friendly approach! All that and only 12 weeks old!

Jude

When I decided on getting a dobermann I very nearly fell out with my parents completely as they didn't believe that she would be safe around the kids. Luckily they now admit how wrong they were!!!
However only yesterday we were walking along the beach when we met 2 WHWT's off the lead ( Taz was on the lead ) they came straight for her barking and growling. One actually bit Taz's nose. The owner was just laughing saying ' She'd eat you with one bite' to his dog which he made on attempt to control. Why do people think it is Ok for little dogs to do as they please? What if Taz had bitten him back?

Debbie

Hmmmmmmm

I must admit, i am wary of certain breeds, although, only ones i have had experiences with in the past, namely, jack russels, collies and oes, and gsd.

That said, i am always more than willing to be proved wrong, an a little bit of wariness is a good thing.

What i cannot stand is people who have not owned, or known a breed, who blather on about its alledged downfalls, and the statements are always like this

'Staffies are vicious'
"Oh, how many have you met?"
'Well, none, but EVERYONE KNOWS, everyone says so'

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, al these myths get handed around as if they are fact, jack russels will always bite ankles, cocker spaniels pee on floors, rotties eat children, all staffies are pit bulls really, gsds and alsations are two different breeds, a bitch is only in season when she is bleeding, etc etc, all these dog myths are passed around as black and white fact, and usually from people who have eiter had just one dog when they were a kid, or have never owned a dog in their lives!

Scares me!

Em

oooh help!!!!! I must be one of those idiots :D

I really thought bitches were only in season when they're bleeding

How else do you know????????????????????

thanks from
now worried first time bitch owner!!!!

You'll have to buy the 'Book of the Bitch' Rachael!
:)

Dear Worried,

Bitches do not bleed their entire season, eg, for the entire 3 or so weeks. Most of them start off their season bleeding, so that's one of the ways you know. In addition, their vulva swells and if they do not normally mark they are likely to start marking when you take them outside for a walk ... like leaving a trail to potential mates. Some bitches bleed very little or are very clean, so you do need to watch for signs. If you see your bitch licking her genital area more often, check for a swollen vulva.

My Cairn pup is having her first season now and the alarm bells started ringing for me when she started marking. (She is housebroken, but she also weed inside the house 2x a few days before she started, which was another indication her hormones were going whacky.)

Stacey

LOL - My Savannah is the exception that prooves the rule!! She bleeds from day 1 to day 25. Drives me MAD!!!

Wendy

Mine always bled all through, too! And it didn't affect their ability to conceive, either.
:)

Phew - glad I'm not the only one with a dog like that!

W

Sky bled all the way through her season too, right up until the pups were born - must add she came that way, we didn't breed her.
As for attitudes to different breeds, people cross the road and drag their kids away from Sky and Badger...are they snarling vicious dogs? They're lurchers.

A lot of people for some reason think greyhounds and lurchers are mean. Hubby used to be afraid of them and think they were mean (we now own a whippet and a whippet mix and he adores greys) because they were always walked on muzzles, so he thought they were viscious. He knows better now, but a lot of people do have that belief.

Wendy

One of mine did the same, and two others never showed colour for more than two or three days, but both bred fine. The youngest is about bog standard, and still unproven.

I've got 3 Spanish in at the moment and yes they bleed all the way through too. My kitchen looks like a blood bath!!

A bitches season starts with bleeding, but the bleeding normally stops or subsides at the time they are ready and willing to be mated and likely to concieve, and doesn't wnd until all discharge and external swelling has subsided.

I have lost track of the times someone has told me they can take the bitchout as it has now stopped bleeding!!!! Wehich is in fact the most dangerous time, as few bitc hes will stand for the dog in the first week when most blood is seen.

So SBT are vicious are they???????????????????

Hi Emma ,just read your post!the things we do for our four legged friends, i could just pictue it !!i am sure he appreciated it ,also i noticed a huge differance with peoples attitudes to me when i was walking myB x T.T.and then out walking my mother in laws R.Ridgeback ,and i dont need to tell you who they backed of from ,and she also is the softest daftest dog you could find, having said that i always feel very safe with her she is an amazing guard dog ,she also walks with a very confident swagger!Regards Sue T

I loved that story Emma!

the doberman (dino) thought it was an act of shear heroism (i can't swim).
we both smelt for a few days but it made us great companions
emma

a dog ran up to us when walking our dog in a field and my boyfriend and his friend practically climbed the nearest tree!!!!!

screaming for me to get away from the pitbull!!!!!!!!!!!!!

it was obviously a staffy and a very friendly one at that.
you could tell by the way she ran up that she meant no harm

what a pair of plonkers

people see a small muscley dog and immediately presume they want to get you ina death grip!!!!!

Hi - I have a Dobe he's 20 months now - My mother doesn't visit any more :rolleyes: and the in-laws only come when they have to !
My mother told me I was making the biggest mistake of my life and she hoped the children would live to regret it :rolleyes:
People always ask does he bite ?
A couple of weeks ago a friend and I were walking our dogs (hers is a GSD) and we came across a man being set upon by a gang of about 5 yths trying to steal his motorbike -they legged it when they saw the dogs ,but we stayed with him till the police arrived -the lads came back and taunted us from a distance , the man asked me then -will he bite ??? I replied -''you've got more chance of me biting you than him! :D
I also mind children and the eldest used to be so scared of dogs he would climb on top of a car if he saw a dog on the horizon -he now sits happily on the floor with murphy discussing what dog he's gonna get when he's older :)
He hasn't eaten any children (yet ;) ) and he's never growled at anyone -hes brilliant with kids ,and a very good companion , I feel safe to walk where I want to walk and I feel safe in my home when the other half is away .
All that said I am a little wary of other peeps big dogs but try not to judge
Liz :)

I think Dobermans definatly get some of the worst press.Evan my sons Disney films feature them in a negative way.Films and advertising have a lot to answer for.

Dobes have had a lot of bad press, as have a lot of other large breeds, without justification. My first dobe was black and I was sick of peoples comments about their safety near such a breed, that I didn't want another black dobe when I lost her so got a brown, which to the uneducated isn't immediately obvious as a dobe. Their hands would soon retract when I told them she was a dobermann. Yet they had been happily petting her. I now have another brown dobe, but intend to add to the family sometime next year and I will get a black next time, basically because now 15 years later I couldn't give a stuff what people say:D
Bev

I hope you do Bev - we can form the Darlington Dobermann alliance!

Jo

We took Britney the 8 month old Dogue de Bordeaux to the car boot sale on Sunday, it is a great place to socialise pups, they get lot's of attention and people usually ask if she is o.k. to pet.
Last week we took her, and a young child about 4 years old was been towed about by a Westie, the dog came up and stood right in Britneys face, she is very good and just stood and looked at it.The grandparents eventually came to find the child and dog and told him to come away as our dog would bite him. We just walked off and took no notice, comeing down the next isle was said child with westie,a mother with a child passed us and grabbed her child and said that she must never go near big dogs as they would eat her, they carried on towards the westie and the child ran straight up to it and started to pet the westie with no repremand for the parent, the westie snapped at the childs face. Some people seem to percieve a small dog as friendly, but a large dog as aggressive, and pass fear onto the children,
there is good and bad in all breeds,but rather then frighten a child, would it not be better just to teach them to ask the dogs owner before touching any dog.

We have had people practically scream at their dogsto come back when the run over to Gus who is SBT puppy . He is 7 months now and still on the small side compared to other SBTs . Gus was on the lead too when both these instances happend . He is the daftest , most lovavble Staff too so when the owner catches up to their dog they are usually pleasantly surprised and say " o he's apup isnt he" and you can practically see the relief in them :)
Ashamed to say that I Must admit I am " a little" wary of Rottys and I dont kow why .....Although I met a beautiful 12 month one just the other day who was a big scaredy cat .
Lel

Isn't it weird how people are more scared of big dogs and yet small dogs are much more likely to be snappy!My last boxer George was terified of small yappy dogs and would hide behind my legs.I don't think he understood why they were barking at him,the bigger dogs don't seem to bark at each other as much?
I bet Britney is georgeus and if I saw you I would want to give her a cuddle.I saw a couple at crufts in discover dogs.I love big dogs and was in doggy heaven!Are they still quite a rare breed in the UK?
Hazel

There has been an explosion of Dogue De Bordeaux although they are still import register, a lot of people have jumped on the money bandwagon, with some very high prices for pups.The Tibetan mastiff's I have are much rarer, and they are still rare breed classified, with very little movement in numbers since I started in the breed in 1987.Britney is beautifull and the 9 week old puppy we have is called Kujoe he is a joy to live with as well, britney seems to grow in the night, I will be truthfull and say that I was not impressed when my husband said he would love on 5 years ago, it was only after a great deal of thought and research that we bought a Dogue, but Britney(Named because hubby had pictures of Britney spears on his workshop wall) it was my revenge.she is so soft when we take her round the car boot she rolls over so people can tickle her tummy.

Agree with all the comments about parents simply not making their kids have a healthy respect for dogs. Just thought you'd like to know that the NCDL produces (or at least did last year) free leaflets designed especially for children to teach them how to approach a dog. Now that summer is here and I too am flooded by kids wanting to 'stroke the horsies' (Great Danes), I'm going to give the 50 or so leaflets to my daughters' primary school to hand out. If you go to the NCDL site, they will send out in batches of 50 I believe. If parents won't educate their kid, then I suppose it's up to us.

Of course the other sad aspect of this is that if I do stop a child from running up to my dogs, they are suddenly filled with fear and that's the last thing I want as fear and ignorance are a powerful combination.

Hi everyone!
Just been reading the posts regarding different breeds...
Some of you may know i have a 9yr old staffie... Charlie. He's daft, silly and bonkers even though hes ill. He loves children and CATS alike. Loves our tortoises.
At work the other day a customer overheard me talking about Charlie. He said 'oh what breed do you have?'
I answered.. 'I have a staffie'
His reply was 'SAVAGE dogs'
GRrrrrRRRrrr!!! i wanted to kill him!!

Donna and charliex

I actually had that reaction in the middle of a interview the second interviewer was reading from my CV (hobbies) and asked what dogs I had?...SBTerriers... Oh, the ones who are viscious and who bite people? Thought it might be some mean test of my character, so just feigned shock, horror and tried to remember the question I was answering from the first interviewer. I never got the job :)

Ged

When i'm out walking my male bullmastiff you would think i had the devils dog judging by the looks and comments i get from some people.He just loves attention from people especially kids.The other day a little boy asked if he could stroke him and i said of course you can until his dad said that my dog could fit the boys head inside his mouth!!.The boy automatically backed off looking scared.God that made me angry!!!!

If it makes anyone feel better, quite a few people seem to be scared of my Bichon Frise. A while ago we took her for a walk and she was happily trotting along with her ball in her mouth and a woman ran a huge loop to get out of her path.
I was suprised when we got her at just how many kids do ask before stroking her.
Although sayin that, we left her outside a shop once, and when I came out some kids were feeding her crisps, and telling someone who was saying how cute she was that she was THEIRS!!!!!!
I have never left her alone since.

I get adverse reactions all the time. I went into a pub recently to look for a friend and I had my two dogs with me. A woman at the bar shouted in a big loud voice "Thats they dogs I dont like." As my dogs are ISBTs and nobody really knows what they are I asked her what dogs were they then. When she didnt reply I said in a big loud voice "If you got your big fat a##e off the bar stool and walked a couple of dogs every day you wouldnt be one of the people I dont like, and you wouldnt be sitting there with your fat a##e hanging off the stool talking crap to anyone stupid enough to listen." I then walked out with the whole pub sitting in silence. I cant not respond to the ignorance of some people. This same woman then said to me a couple of weeks later. "im sorry I didnt mean those dogs I meant the ones that are banned." I said "you should shut up before you make a complete fool of yourself" and walked away.

When I had the APBT I never told anyone what type of dog she was and nobody ever said thats an APBT. She played off the lead with other peoples dogs and kids all her life and never showed aggression. I wish all these people knew the devils dog was playing with thier dogs and kids.

Regards Mick

Great comeback Mick.I would have been livid!

Don't blame you Mick, but sadly despite walking my four, and occasionally one or two more I still have a huge arse! :D :D Trouble is all that fresh air and excesise improve my already hearty appetite!

Nothing wrong with fat bottomed girls. They make the rockin world go round as Freddy said.

Its fat gobs full of #@*&#'

lol!
nice one
my bum seems to spread due to prolonged periods of champdogging...
followed by prolonged periods of grazing
followed by a prolonged walk (stand in field while tilly runs herself ragged with her doggy mates down there)
followed by afore mentioned increased appetite!
Ahhh well we all have our crosses to bear :D
Lynz