Can dogs really hold 'grudges' against other breeds?

Cop-Pop

Cop-Pop

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Or do they pick up on the owner having them against particular breeds?

Yellow Dog has been attacked more times than I can count :( 99% of times it's when he's on the lead and most of the time the owner's excuse is "Fluffy doesn't like labradors" or "Pickles doesn't like yellow dogs" :rolleyes:

I might just be lucky in that although Yellow Dog is wary of small dogs he's friendly with everything, when he's shown signs of aggression he's had a firm telling off and has been ok afterwards.

While I'm ranting :p wtf are people doing letting dogs off leads in public places when they have issues with other dogs? I've been walking him in the park every morning the past few weeks and he's been attacked five times :mad: . I don't let him off the lead there coz his recall isn't brilliant when other dogs are around :o so these dogs have actively come after us.

So far we've had a Saluki type thing that doesn't like dogs bigger than terriers, a collie that doesn't like male dogs, a westie that is terrfied of other dogs and likes to get in first (hmmmm ok so why did he run over 300 metres at us and go straight in for the kill then :rolleyes: ), a standard poodle that doesn't like gun dogs :confused: and a whippet that needs to be the top dog in the park... Yellow Dog is submissive and the only time he'll react is if he's mounted and bitten from behind - generally if he's on the lead the dog doesn't get this close as they've had a boot up their backside but if he's off the lead I can't always get to him.

Luckily it's back to normal on Tuesday and he'll be back up with Mum during the day - they seem to have a better class of dog (or should I say owner) in villages ;)
 
I think so - I used to have the most gorgeous mild mannered yellow lab until she saw a collie when she'd go nuts (when we got her she'd been brought up with collie pups and labs and was the runt of litter so wondered if she was a little bullied and never forgot).
 
Maybe. My rottie had a distinct dislike of gsd's. I think it stems back from dog training.
There was one there,which was highly strung for a better term (think nutter).When ever we - or any other - walked passed it, it would open it's mouth and bark.I was nervous, as to my mind it was bordering on being to aggressive. So possibly my dog picked up from me the vibes.
Yup my dog has been attacked by two small dogs before now.They come out with the same old bull saying my dog's are friendly . If that's the case why were they hanging off my bitches face ? It was just as well I had her on the lead.
I got so fed up with the plonkers around here I always walked my dog on a lead.
 
Our border terrier has a pathalogical hatred for black labs and westies - a race issue??!

I don't let him off the lead in company as I can't guarantee he'll be nice - but am still amazed at how many people let their dogs fly up to him and then wonder why the fur flies!

I am sure it is our fault that he is the way he is, but either way I'd rather have him under my control.
 
One of my JRT bitches hates staffs. Silly dog, talk about being on hiding to nothing if one of them takes her on.....luckily she's obedient so if I see one I call her back. I'm sure staffie owners think it's prejudice against their dogs....

She also hates another JRT bitch around here, the very first time they met they both instantly went in for the kill and 5 years on if we meet when walking we have to grab our dogs or they will fight. She's fine with other dogs just a bit of lip curling if they're too bouncy ....she's a bit of a miserable cow really.:o
 
My whippets have pretty much all been scared of border collies. They mostly ignore any other breeds, they only get excited when they see other running dogs, then they reckon they will get a good game.
 
yea i think so. i have a staffy who got attacked by a rottie when she was a pup (16 weeks old) she still has a big scar on the side of her head from where it ripped a big chuck of her face off. now at age 9 she still growls when she sees one. but she is totally fine with every other breed of dog and loves nothing more than playing, but as soon as i see a rottie i have to put her back on her lead.
 
B doesn't like white/pale dogs. No idea why. Or anything that charges up to him suddenly, he is much better with a polite introduction.
I do keep him on a lead in areas where I am likely to bump into people/dogs to be on the safe side.

Some dogs don't like dark masked/flat faced/docked dogs because they cannot 'read' them.
 
I had a Collie X Lab that was attacked a couple of times by GSD's and the soft lad always worried when he saw one. He even jumped into an icy canal when one came running up towards him on a tow path. The GSD owner was very apologetic.:)
Consequently my rescue terrier bitch who idolised my lad, was very anti GSD's, it seemed she wanted to protect him from them. She also thought she should have 'words' with an American pit bull x rottie. Fortunately for her, the pit bull had better manners than her and merely looked benignly at the silly little pip squeak barking in his face.
 
There's a collie I know who is mightily offended by dalmatians :o He'll just plant himself and stare at it, and then stare up at you as if to say "Have you seen THAT?!" and then resume staring until it goes. He can't be shifted for love nor money :rolleyes:

Bit off topic - and I'm sure doesn't apply to anyone on here, but I do think that excuse "Oh, he doesn't like X,Y,Z" etc is being used more frequently as a lazy get-out clause by some people who can't be bothered to control their dogs. A few examples I know spring to mind...there's a retriever nearby whose owner has told at least 5 different owners that his dog has a "thing" about big dogs/small dogs/other retrievers/anything but a retriever etc etc :rolleyes: I don't believe that somehow!
 
There is def something in this, my little x breed gets picked on by a choc lab every time we meet them and now he instantly goes on the defensive when he sees one. However, if they are friendly and he has calmed down they are an adaquate play mate:)
 
My dog is very protective of me and hates other dogs near us, so when I am walking her she is let off the lead when there is nothing else around, but the other week this idiot was at the other side of the field with a boxer and it came bounding over, I put my girl straight on the lead and shouted to the idiot to get his dog on a lead, he said "she is only playing" so I shouted "do you want a vets bill?" and shouted at his dog to go away.

Yes they are idiots who let them off the leads without a thought.
 
I have to be very careful with my GSD. He was attacked by a rottie a few years ago and now seems to really hate them. He is fine with other dogs.
He used to have a 'best mate' at my old yard that was a golden retreiver, they would play together every day for hours. He knew him since he was a pup. Now, whenever he sees a big yellow dog in the distance he gets very excited and thinks its his mate and is all ready to play. It's very sweet really but quite unnerving probably for the other dogs owners with a great big GSD straining to get to their dog!
They must think I'm mad as I try to explain he thinks it's his friend!
 
Yes I think they can, or certainly can recognise different breeds. Sometimes I think it might be today with breeds being docked or having other different characteristics. One of my gsds who I competed in agility was always quite offensive to rotties and boxers, but had never had a bad experience with them. Yet all other breeds/crosses she never had a problem with.
To add to the dogs off lead moan, my friend and I went a lovely long walk on Tuesday. As her dog can be quite dog aggressive he is always on lead if there is a chance we will meet another. At one point a couple appeared on the horizon with a retriever off lead, they made no attempt to call it so my friend shouted to them and asked if they would call if back as her dog would react. Cue the woman running along behind the retriever feebly shouting "sit, sit", without success. It came up to Evie and proceeded to bounce at her, until she had a grumble at it. In the end I had to catch hold of it by its scruff until the stupid woman caught it. :mad: We also met a cairn on a flexi lead which was straining at the end of the lead on its hind legs raving at us, we had to ask the woman to shorten the lead so we could get past as it was only a narrow path way. They of course thought their little darling was hilarious, with the usual "ooh you are being brave" comment to it. Can you imagine their reaction if our 2 GSDs had behaved in a similar manner.:(
 
There are several border collies at work, and with only one exception they are dogs with issues... one will drag the owner all over the place to get at other dogs (aggressively) and the other one will pretend to be all nice to Henry then suddenly try to remove his face for no obvious reason:mad:

As a result Henry's approach to all border collies is very cautious and highly submissive, although he will play with them if we meet them once he is sure they are not about to try and kill him:rolleyes:
 
:)Hi. Have owned dogs all my life and yes they do appear to have grudges against certain breeds. I currently have a whippet and an english pointer and the whippet is often targeted by collie types but the whippet hates standard poodles. The pointer loves all small dogs and loves to play with dogs we meet out on walks. I agree about owners who allow their unsociable dogs to run loose. Why dont they admit the dog isnt friendly.
 
Yep!

My youngest was the most friendly playful puppy ever, but has now got a serious problem with small dogs, especially those who approach her from behind.

When she was about 18 months old we took all of our dogs on their usual walk (about 6 of them) when two jack russels came flying out of their drive (they're known to be aggressive, have tried to bite my horse and have bitten two cyclists but the woman doesn't seem to care!). They both went for her mother and something must have kicked off in her head as she went running to defend her and this was the first 'aggressive' move I'd ever seen her pull.

One latched on to her back leg and wouldn't let go, and she's never been the same since :( She's much worse with me than anybody else as she becomes very protective of me towards them, and I'm anticipating it.

Absolutely gutted as it's ruined my beautiful little dog and I no longer feel 100% confident with her in public. Don't get me wrong, since I've been at uni and she's been working with my uncle she has improved no end, but it still really upsets me.
 
Mistletoe said:
Absolutely gutted as it's ruined my beautiful little dog and I no longer feel 100% confident with her in public...but it still really upsets me.
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Stop thinking like that, start acting confident, give her confidence, she will feed off that, and your dog will improve immeasurably.
Been there, done that, if you act scared, so will she.
 
Definately...my Tilly would gladly erradicate every border collie from the planet if she had her way! She hates them :rolleyes: Undoubtedly because a friend of ours had one years and years ago when she was a young dog, it would constantly outwit her by all sort of underhanded means and really wind her up...she likes to be the most intellegent dog around, border collies therefore MUST all die! :mad:
*disclaimer* these are the views of my slightly psychopathic lurchy pants and do not in any way reflect my own views on border collies! :p :D
 
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Maybe it's not so wierd then :D I always figured Yellow Dog is wary of small dog coz they bark loads, normally in his face lol and that it was a size thing. Who knew dogs could be breedist :eek: :D

I can add another excuse to the list now - "I can't put him on the lead he pulls me over." My OH just stared at him while extracting the JRT from Yellow Dogs mouth, nothing sinister he just decided for some freakish reason to pick it up by its coat :confused: I was mortified :o then couldn't stop giggling at the look of outrage on the JRTs face lol :D
 
Can I add Herman to the list of Dogs Who Hate Collies? Sorry! Our neighbours-across-the-road have a dog aggressive collie who has run across the (thankfully quiet cul-de-sac) road a few times to yell and snap at him - the dog has never actually connected but everytime Herman sees him now he grows 3 inches and Bounces - doesn't shout though, thankfully. Added to that at dog training from 6 months old onwards we were in the same group as a collie who barked incessantly for the entire 45 minutes. The relief when he passed his bronze and we moved up a group was immeasureable.
 
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