a troll?? I've heard it said on a few boards and I'm prob being slow, but I was wondering what it meant??

Hmm, well referred to in human terms I think a troll is kind of like a low life person (bit like a Ned in previous posts), person that has no respect for other dog owners or their dogs, person that growls and gives no kind of appreciation to anyone.  Not the kind of person you want as a neighbour??  Hmmm we have lots of trolls round here - but I'm not one - I'm an anti-troll :D

cg

They often post contraversial things just to stir up trouble and annoy people... but we can rise above them :)

So what's a WUM.  Thought that was the 'Wind Up Merchant'.  Is a troll different?  Have I been getting it all wrong?  :D

A troll is someone who lives under a bridge and smells real bad and has no friends lmao, well it's an acurate discription of the ones I've known and well disliked,

Nickie. :-)

Nickie,

You're thinking of 'The Billy Goats Gruff'.. That's a different story :D

They're subtly different Joe, or so it seems to me anyway. A WUM (Wind-Up Merchant as you say) says things to get an argument going, then sits back and gloats, occasionally fanning the flames. It can be difficult to tell the difference between a WUM and a someone with an open mind and a genuine interest in a subject and wants to hear all points of view. However, a WUM actively wants the debate to get heated, whereas a genuine questioner doesn't want this.

A troll is more upfront, coming out with both barrels blazing, just being aggressive and offensive.

That's how I see it anyway.
:)

Find it difficult to recognize either, always think if someone has found and read this forum that it is surprising that they should ask such basic questions and that fact sometimes says to me (this person can't be for real) but time and time again the question is for real and I am slowly learning to answer as if it is. Then of course, along comes someone to tell be not to feed the animals! Can't win really.

I work with someone who has a troll sitting on her desk...it had cloven feet ,grey hair in a bun and a tail..she bought it in Iceland !!!!what can I say

For those rather younger than some of us - these trolls were all the rage rather a long time ago :D someof us had rather large collections of them :D

Daisy

One's pencil was "nude" without one at the top :D

Thanks everyone for the clarification. :)

And Jackie H, I haven't been able to make head nor tail out of your post???

A Troll. I am led to believe. Is 'anyone' that the people on this site take a dislike to.
Everybody has been great with me but I do take offence at the people who 'feed' the true WUM's.
I have read the posts, and totally ignored them.
Why can't everyone do this??
Sometimes it takes a while to realise that it is a Wind Up.
As soon as you realise it is a wind up 'IGNORE IT'.
It makes you just as bad as them if you keep it going.
They will go away if 'YOU ALL IGNORE THEM'.

Was repling to JG, saying I can't tell a Troll from someone who asks the same question as that we answered yesterday, sometime they just have not read the forum and sometimes they are trolls, I can't tell the difference. But if you answer and they are trolls, you get told not to feed them. As in the post above. How do you know it is a TROLL or a WUM, somtimes it becomes clear that it is but at others the poster is upset because people think they are a Troll and they are not.

Oh, I get you now Jackie, I know what you mean, I can't tll either, I mean I hope people  don't think I ma stirring when I asked for clarification of what a TROLL was....I'm just fairly new to this! :)

Would not worry too much, I'm always asking for clarification, particularly if someone make a statement with out any detail, but I am just interested, as no matter how long you have owned dogs you learn all the time.

One thing that has been puzzling me and I just have to ask - if someone mentions their wife in one post and their husband in another is it a WUM or two people sharing the same ID.

Would think in most cases a couple using the same ID. I doubt if I would notice if someone did that but perhaps I am not as observant as I should be, so it would be a waste of time as far as I am concerned.