For the record - dog prejudice

I understand breed prejudice from both sides.

I have a rottie who I am very aware that some people are scared of - not because of anything he personally has done - so I make an effort to keep him under very close control in public IE if someone looks nervous on a narrow path, I'll put him into a down as they pass, keep him very close in busy areas and at home, always offer to shut him away if a visitor arrives. I accept that while I adore my dog, not everyone else will and why should they? Before anybody thinks that my halo glows too bright, :o I have to admit that it really irks me that I have to behave like this purely because some lulas that ruined the reputation of a (mainly!) fabulous breed and that he will always be blamed for any upset just because he's that breed.

I will also admit (tin hat on) that there are certain breeds that I really am not fond of - usually because of behaviour that I have experienced in more than one example of that breed. Not a scientific study by any means just incidents that make me keep a weather eye out when I see those breeds out and about. I know it's unfair to the responsible owners but breeds go in and out of fashion with the irresponsible type of owner so there does tend to be spates of what appears to be breed specific bad behaviour...
 
aintgotnohay said:
well how would you react when a staffy attacks your dogs whilst you just walking down the street??? just let it get on with mauling your dogs or try and fend it off.sorry but using the walking stick got the staffy off my westie and i would do it again aswell.
as for my friend she breeds the blue one yes-but thats her business not mine.i just dont like staffys due to the bad experiences ive had of them.i would sincerly love to meet somebody who would give me time of day to pet one and show me that they arnt all bad.i wouldnt like my friends blue ones cos they just growl all the time.im sure that i should look into getting over my fear of them but wouldnt know where to start.
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If you lived near me I WOULD take the time to introduce you to mine. A friend at the yard is very scared of dogs, having been attacked as a child. However she is so comfortable around mine that she will happily call them over for cuddles - or if necessary reprimand them (they are buggers for begging off other people for treats - don't even attempt to do it with me). There was a livery who was scared of staffies specifically too so I kept mine away from her but she doesn't worry about mine any more as she has seen how they are with everyone else at the yard.

I am also more than a little concerend that your friends dogs growl at you - that is not normal staffie behaviour. Being overrun with an overly enthusiastic welcome is the normal mode.
 
Its odd isn't it, before I owned a dog I had absolutely NO idea all this prejudice existed. Me? I love all dogs, on the whole, not scared of any in particular. I had my first inkling of this when I got Dex, in that friends and family made some very daft comments based on pictures of him.

I do understand folk being wary of the bigger dog, or if they have had bad experiences with a certain breed time and time again, but until a individual dog displays unacceptable behaviour I ALWAYS give it the benefit of the doubt- same as people really- I do not hate ALL teenagers based on the few that decide to make a racket outside my house at 2am.
 
Just thought I would add in a picture of one of my "normal" staffies. This is the older bitch having an "Oliver" moment. Bowl is clean and she would like some more please!

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A lot of people dont like Dobermanns seeing them as nasty viscious dogs. They have gone out of fashion a bit in that a lot of numpties dont want them anymore. This is good for the breed in my opinion and with any guarding breed socialisation is a must. The ones you see for free or really cheap nearly always say not good with dogs which makes them almost unrehomeable.

2 of mine(all rescue) had/have socialisation problems and Ive worked very hard to correct this, being so large they could do a lot of damage. Im very aware if I get this wrong the breed will be judged by all who come into contact with them.
 
Gorgeous, Luci! :D

DG - my Dobe is a sweetie - he was wary as hell when I got him at 4 months, but he's just blossomed and loves everyone. Although the ****** don't get out the cab when they come on the yard looking for iron, and he circles the truck! :D
So there is a result in the perceived image of them!!

ETA - ooh, didn't know I couldn't say the p i k e y word!
 
Changes you are so right people see them and are wary helps keeps the thieving people away.:D

How old is your dog and how about a pic.

I do think they are late maturers they dont seem to know they are Dobes until
they hit the 2yrplus. All of mine have been absolute gems and wonderful companions.
 
Wow he is a handsome boy, he looks big too, is he your first Dobe? how big is he? Diesel is 27ins. Your dog looks very similar to our old brown bear(Leo) he was of Amazon breeding and had an amazing pedigree.
 
Yup - first Dobe, although I'd always wanted one. Up until him I had a lurcher and greyhounds.
He was free to a good home -although his siblings were a grand each. I know nothing about what he should be like conformationally, but I guessed it was his 'hooky' hocks that meant he wasn't snapped up.
He was also very feartie to start with - I stayed with the breeder and her dogs for an evening and a night before she let me take him, and the others were all full of themselves and really confident and all over me from the minute I walked in the gate, but he didn't speak to me until the next morning. Then he 'sang' all the way home in the car!!
Don't know what height he is - wouldn't have a clue where to start, to measure. But he does weigh 48 kilos.
His breeder has the Bilclarie prefix. He's Dutch/French (Rouge Sang) breeding on his sire line and his female sire line is the Khaneve line?
I'm using horse pedigree terms here - no idea if that's the same terminology for dogs!

He's just my pal, I'm far more up on horses than dogs!
 
He's a very handsome lad. I think dobes have been lucky that they have managed to a great extent to avoid being status dogs like rotties, shepherds etc which means they haven't been over bred by numpties. Teminology spot on by the way :)
 
Thanks MM! :D

I remember years ago when I was little that Dobes were far more common than they are now. They seemed to go under the radar somehow. You're right tho - it does seem to have kept the breed better - I don't see many out and about, but the odd ones I do see are in great shape and look quality.
 
Changes it is so nice to see more Dobes on here I felt I was being swallowed up by all the spangles & GSD.:D

My first 2 were private rescues and my current 2 brother and sister are from Dobermann Welfare. What do you do with your dog obedience,agility etc? Darcy is working her way to the Kennel Club Bronze award I only signed up for this because the trainer is a qualified behaviourist and Darcy has issues with other dogs. They frighten her and so she lunges barking at them but she is getting better the award thing would just be the icing on the cake if she gets it.

After this I would like to do agility as she is agile and fast, I would like to give the border collies something to think about.:D
 
Erm .... I don't do anything with him....... :o

He sunbathes in summer (can barely get him out the door from the fire in winter), mooches round the farm with me, runs with the horses if they canter around in the field (they ignore him as he gets called straight back) plays catch with the cats, but gently, and he never wins anyway :D

He chases birds, and bats, but can't catch them either :rolleyes:

Other than that, he sleeps and snores on the sofa with the cats cosied in beside him.

So he's kind of idle! :o

I'd take on a rescue, but because the dogs are loose here all the time, I'd be worried about the cats and the horses, if a dog with issues followed his lead.

Good on you - they are very misunderstood dogs in the wrong hands, I think. I just don't have time to do any more than have him as my pal!
 
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Just to smash most dog prejudices, two days ago my usually laid back terriers sent a HUGE DDB bitch running the other direction :D They have done the same to a stafforshire bull before - a most magnificent black beast - he came tanking down and they turned him and high tailed it after him :)

The only dogs I am ever really wary of, through past experience are collies. That doesn't mean however I think anything bad about collies and would love to have one one day - but naturally a bad experience with a breed is likely to make you a little wary unless you have balls of steel :D

Its always the owner at fault - just like it was my fault that my terriers got far enough into the hooley chase to start ignoring me! If more people accepted more responsibility for their dogs actions, maybe everyone would have a safer experience.
 
Changes, your boy is beautiful, looks just like one we train with, nice strong lad, only this fella has a tail! Sometimes works beautifully, sometimes just wants to play, a total clown!
 
Thanks CC - clown is really apt for him! But in a good way!

He cracks me up watching him thunder across the field (sounds like a shetland pony) towards a crow pecking on the ground, and he thinks 'cos he's not barking it won't hear him.......:rolleyes: :D

He's always outraged when the crows lazily fly just out of his reach at the last minute!!
 
would like to tell you that a nice lady with 2 staffys has let me take all my dogs round to meet them and all my dogs were playing with her 2 young staffy dogs.i even had one sit on my lap and i made a fuss of it.not the terrors i had presumed but really well socialised dogs with plenty of love to give.just bad luck i was attacked by 3 different staffys in past lol which had made me think they all gonna attack me lol.really nice my faith has been restored and will keep up the therapy.what lovely dogs these 2 staffys are.really gentle and soft.lol.thanks for listeningxxx.
 
"I love dogs, especially big ones. I am hoping one day to own a mamalute, a wolf cross, a great dane or a wolfhound or maybe even all four!"

Oh god. Please don't. I don't think you are the right sort of person to own a Malamute. I have one myself and from what I have read, you would not be the best type of owner IMO. As for the Wolf cross... dear God!
 
cbmcts said:
I have a rottie who I am very aware that some people are scared of - not because of anything he personally has done - so I make an effort to keep him under very close control in public IE if someone looks nervous on a narrow path, I'll put him into a down as they pass, keep him very close in busy areas and at home, always offer to shut him away if a visitor arrives. I accept that while I adore my dog, not everyone else will and why should they? Before anybody thinks that my halo glows too bright, :o I have to admit that it really irks me that I have to behave like this purely because some lulas that ruined the reputation of a (mainly!) fabulous breed and that he will always be blamed for any upset just because he's that breed.
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I also have a rottie, an absolute sweetheart, but I realise not everyone will like her. My own mother burst into tears when I got my last rottie from a shelter, but she accepts this one. It's a sad fact that idiots have ruined the perception of many excellent breeds - rotties, GSDs, staffies etc.

However, we also need to be responsible as owners - always have our dogs under control and not force our interests on other people :)

On a side note, the "wolfcross" fills me with despair. Why do people wish to own such an animal? I love wolves (obviously :o), but I feel strongly that they should be in the wild and behaving like wolves. Wolfdogs almost invariably end up hurting someone or something, unfortunately. Apparently even the Saarloos wolfhounds etc are exceedingly timid and difficult to train. In the end, it's the poor mutt that suffers for it.
 
My next dog will either be a SBT, EBT or rottie. Probably a rottie :o I would love a GSD but I can't have one where I live and I don't want to move!
 
I wonder, if you had a wolf hybrid and an Irish wolfhound together, would the Irish wolfhound's genetic hatred of the wolf kick in? I used to keep wolfhounds and (as is typical of me), before getting into the breed, did an awful lot of research. I remember reading about a breeder who took his wolfhounds to a zoo of some sort and they went absolutely mental when they passed the wolf enclosure. So, would a wolfhound recognise the wolf in the hybrid, perhaps something OP should look into before mixing the breeds!!
 
The whole point Aintgotnohay is that NO dogs should be on the loose to cause any grief with anyone or anything.Years ago,when we were sane and just had one rescue bull terrier,we moved to a village in Kent called Badlesmere.Gossip came back to us that "anyone owning one of those dogs is just a troublemaker",unbelievable prejudice! Well that old dog started our obsession with a fine breed,and I have made it my business to breed only dopey sweet bull terriers,and only sell to responsible loving "parents".You see the macho image is actually a huge joke,inside that wierd looking dog is a naughty ,funny but sweet and sensitive two year old child in a dog suit.
I feel desparately sorry for any bullie who ends up being owned by some scrote who wants to look "hard"..because actually that dog would really like to be on the sofa,or under the duvet,being babied.They are SO misunderstood.:o
 
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This thread is very interesting, but I guess I'm a tad mystified by all the positive breed prejudices, e.g., "I would really like a Rottie/Staffie/GSD/Dobe." Surely one of the central points of this thread is that there's too much unjustified prejudice associated with particular breeds and that (and this is the subtext - implied rather than explicitly stated) dogs are more than the sum of their breed characteristics . . . if that's the case, why all the breed fervour? Dogs are dogs, surely? If there are nice (for example) GSDs as well as dodgy ones depending on breeding and temperament - and nice (again, as an example) collies as well as dodgy ones - then surely we're really describing nice dogs and dodgy dogs?

I have two rescues - we've had them both from pups - and while they both happen to be collie crosses (one collie/jrt cross and the other collie/springer cross) we adopted them based on their personalities rather than their breed characteristics. I like collies, sure, but if I were looking for another dog it'd be based on its ability to get along with our family and existing dogs rather than breed preference - and I figure that's more to do with temperament and handling than breed. Or am I delusional?

P
 
I can see what you are saying Polarskye, but I think people tend to have a preference for what they want in a dog - same as horses. I love the breeds I have mentioned in my previous post because all the ones I have met have been complete softies, and I want a soppy cuddly dog. Also living on a rural farm I want something that will alert me if there is a stranger outside the house at night.
However when I first made the decision to get a dog I decided that I wanted a labrador, a nice gentle dog that's relatively easy to train. What I got was a hyper welsh sheepdog x lurcher and I spent the first year tearing my hair out as he was a nightmare! Definitely not a first dog, but after a lot of blood, sweat and tears he is now a lovely dog and I wouldn't be without him.
 
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