Thoughts from a pleb

N

numptynoelle

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This one has been building for a little while so please bear with me…

Firstly, I’d like start by stating I’m hugely ignorant of a lot of dog breeds. Don’t get me wrong – I’ve lurked with the best of them on here and learnt a hell of a lot from the likes of CC, EK, BC, Cayla etc etc on GSDs, bullies, huskawolfamoots ;) and everything else in between but my personal experience on a lot of breeds is severely lacking. :o

I went to a “fun” show at the weekend – just for a wander/ponder with a friend. Not once, not twice, but several times was I shot down for asking “bloody stupid questions” from several owners. All politely asked questions in the course of conversation – I’m not an idiot and wasn’t trying to pin breed stereotypes, but I was shot down several times. The general tone was “Of course you wouldn’t know – you don’t own one”. I can understand this to a certain extent, I’m sure the sheer cringe known by spaniel owners is quite unique (“She’s a good girl at home, honest” rings a bittersweet bell :rolleyes:) but is there need for such, well, cliqueness? In my humble opinion, I was trying to extend my knowledge – but having seen several threads on here berating the ignorance of the general pleb, I thought this was worth voicing, on behalf of some plebs.

I know this won’t apply to most of you lovely folk on here – but just for a few: when someone makes a statement about your dog, whether you perceive it to be negative or not, could you please take a second or two to consider forming a positive response? Just for those of us who are trying our best but may offend you without realising. For example (forgive me CC and MM :o): “Oh an Alsayshun, I heard they have hip problems?” Instead of saying booger off you twonk, maybe consider something along the lines of “Actually, there has been a big push for hip and elbow scoring over the last XXX amount of years – this pooch was bred from scores A and B, anything above C is considered suboptimal” etc etc. Treat it as an opportunity to teach others about your breed, mongrel, rescue etc etc.

Of course, there may be some twonks you encounter who don’t need/merit such an explanation…but I bet there are more of us willing for an explanation than you give credit for.

Just a thought, apologies for the waffle

A pleb :D
 
I feel your pain, although if someone made the alsayshun comment, I would actually laugh at them!

I got shot down for mentioning the pack of twelve sibes that are regularly off lead in the woods and pondering the reasons for why other Sibe owners never let them off. Apparently, I know nothing. :(

I know nowt about other breeds bar mine and I want to know (sometimes, other times I just don't give a damn about any dog bar mine). It would be very useful to have a guide that doesn't stereotype the dogs.
 
I got shot down for mentioning the pack of twelve sibes that are regularly off lead in the woods and pondering the reasons for why other Sibe owners never let them off. Apparently, I know nothing.
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Was that on here? I don't remember it but would have been first in the queue to denounce the owner of the sibes as an utter numpty. :p

I take every opportunity to educate people and answer their questions but always with a slant towards the negative, actively discouraging people from wanting the breed. Never anything nasty, just being brutally honest when people ask how much exercise they need! I could talk about my furry children ahem, dogs, all day and don't mind fielding the slightly more inane questions if it's another opportunity to put someone off and set a few things straight (a great many people think they tend to be aggressive towards people, for example).
 
If anyone came up to me and ask daft questions I would be only too happy to educate them in the nicest possible way. Far too many think of Dobes as killers of children,dogs & are viscious dogs. When some people meet mine sometimes they say oh yours are all right but the wifes best friends cousins next door neighbour knew one that had to be put down because it bit someone.

I welcome the chance to show people my dogs but unfortunately when people have preconcieved ideas it is difficult to change them.

Ive learnt a lot about different breeds on here by people who own them and care passionately about their breed but mostly on here we are preaching to the converted.:)

I must admit If I ask someone I met in the street etc about their breed and got a rude answer I would be peeved.
 
If you think I am diplomatic, you should meet my mother :p :p :D

She had a total arse of a man lecture her all over Facebook a few months ago, about everything that is wrong with German Shepherds, slagging off the Crufts BoB winner (who is a good middle of the road type) and how none of them can walk any more and the police cannot use them because they are all so crippled (news to the cops I know...) and putting up obscure YouTube links of abominable American showline dogs from the 70s (relevant, how?!) and she kept responding politely, with facts and figures and saying, she was sorry he felt like that.

I was standing behind her as she was sitting at the computer SCREAMING 'Don't let him talk to you like that! You're a judge! Tell him you were one of the first signatories to the hip scoring scheme! You've visited some of the best kennels in Germany! Tell him about the magazine you edited and the one you wrote for!!! You'll forget more than he'll ever know! Stupid man!'

But she just shrugs and says you can't change some people's minds :p :D
 
I have to say the active dog community in this country has been far more open to "outsiders" than anything I was involved with in the UK.

I love answering numpty questions about my dogs as long as you don't call him a girl or a wolf :D
 
CC I am mega impressed but I dont think she will be if she comes on this forum and reads you calling her an old duffer. It will be early to bed with you with no supper and no reading.:D
 
Joys of having a spaniel... I spend all my time trying to put people off having one:rolleyes::D Yes, mine is lovely most of the time, and he can appear fairly well trained, but it has taken a LOT of work to get there and people don't always realise that!
 
As one of CC's mums facebook friends I may just tell her what her daughter has said about her on here.:p
I do hear what you are saying NN, to be honest you virtually used my words when I get the "all alsayshuns have bad hips" bit. The trouble is the people who spout that do tend to not so much ask if its true as tell me it is a fact. The other one that I hear probably just as much is that mine are Alsatians and the long coats are German Shepherds, for some reason these people always seem to know more about the breed than I do even though I have lived with them for 55 years.:rolleyes:
 
I met a lady a few weeks ago with an 'enlarged' ;) lab. I stopped to give it a pat and said I like labs. Seeing me without a dog (for once) she then launched into how hard they are to keep as they all have metabolism problems which is why they're so fat and they're hard to exercise too. Just as I was losing the will to live (about 1 min in lol) my mum arrived with my nice, slim Yellow Dog at which point the woman's eyes nearly fell out of her head :D
 
I got told Teal was skinny for a lab.......lol. I just mention that hes got spangle in him NOT that there lab is a fatty.


Oh and I don't talk about dog food anymore. I just say mine eat meat, they are fit as a butchers dog. :D
 
Normally, im happy to answer any questions people ask me, I dont know much but ill always try to answer them, providing Ollie dog isn't dragging me off somewhere ;)
 
Brontie said:
Normally, im happy to answer any questions people ask me, I dont know much but ill always try to answer them, providing Ollie dog isn't dragging me off somewhere ;)
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Yup - ditto. I'll talk all day about my furry kids (both collie crosses) and the joys (and horrors) of both collies and rescues. I feel a little like a champion of the much maligned collie, so I'm always happy to chat to folks about this misunderstood and (sometimes) difficult breed - they're definitely not for everyone!

P
 
blackcob said:
I take every opportunity to educate people and answer their questions but always with a slant towards the negative, actively discouraging people from wanting the breed. Never anything nasty, just being brutally honest when people ask how much exercise they need! I could talk about my furry children ahem, dogs, all day and don't mind fielding the slightly more inane questions if it's another opportunity to put someone off and set a few things straight (a great many people think they tend to be aggressive towards people, for example).
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I do that too :o but there are times thst I struggle to deal with the numpties who tell me that all rotties are killers or the like...I tend to get a bit sarcastic then.
 
blackcob said:
Was that on here? I don't remember it but would have been first in the queue to denounce the owner of the sibes as an utter numpty. :p
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But how can anyone know about the recall thing unless you get told? I used to know nothing about the breed as it's not a breed I contemplated. I spoke to these people (there's some kind of Sibe club, lots of owners, not one with twelve) who all told me the dogs were great, never on lead. I then got shot down by Sibe owners on another forum, not this one, for saying how fab the sibes I'd seen were. I then met three sibes in the woods, all off lead, all merrily following the owner.

MurphysMinder said:
The other one that I hear probably just as much is that mine are Alsatians and the long coats are German Shepherds
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I asked that on here and was very nicely corrected without the patronising element I got on another forum.

Point is, if people are interested, it's only manners to answer questions that may appear obvious to those with the breed.

I would not try to put people off a breed, but I would give their bad and good points, hopefully balanced. I'm aware of the bad points of my breed, much as I adore my boys.
 
But how can anyone know about the recall thing unless you get told?
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Well, you can't, and I'm sorry you got jumped on for it. :(

The official advice from every sibe organisation in the UK is that these dogs are not safe to be let off the lead; people like the ones you met are doing the breed a huge disservice by saying otherwise to uneducated people, who then go on to swear blind on forums that yes they can go off the lead, I've seen them myself, they were fine, and leading newcomers to the breed to believe that the advice is optional.

So what I would say to anyone who is happy to give advice, make sure it's the right bloody advice! :p
 
I often get stopped with my dogs and i'm always willing to answer questions, i think its nice that people make the effort & want to learn something. I try to be polite even when i get daft questions or i don't agree with their comments, people often assume that because i've got retired greyhounds that i'll agree with them how cruel racing is & how there all abused etc.
 
Ya know, maybe OT but on a similar theme, I lurk on another dog forum as well as this, and have browsed others without posting, can I just say how refreshing this place is.

The one I lurk on is quite breed/type/sport-centric, full of personalities (some I know, some I don't) and often ends in bitching and fighting and swearing and slagging each other's dogs off, which is a shame, because it is actually a great resource and people get put off when they see the fighting and it is never a forum I would link here :o

Others are all-breed and I was shocked to see on another forum on how members were voting to ban THE MENTION or 'promotion' of certain pieces of equipment, like choke chains, etc, what is so good about this place is that we can talk about most things without jumping down each other's throats **too** much :p

I've been quite frank (I hope) about my use of a prong collar, why I have used it, how I have used it, what it achieved, etc, and have been at pains to explain every part of the process, and why it saved my dog's life, rather than it being a shortcut because I am a crap trainer, which apparently it is according to people who have never met me or my dog or who will never own or even come across a dog like him, and it seems on other forums that would have got me banned or vilified.

I'd never say 'BUY ONE! THEY'RE AWESOME!' (I did PM one member *suggesting* it a while ago) but it worked for us and three trainers who actually *know* me and my dog were fine with it.
Oh, and they're not a recent American invention, which I have read on a few forums, they were being used in Germany back in the 1920s, at least.

Things have got hot and heavy in here before but I appreciate that by and large, everyone is respectful and take other peoples' views and experiences into account (unless you're a backyard breeder :p :p :p), I've learned a lot on here (not least the benefits of raw feeding).

OK. I should put the wine glass down....
 
OMG Just returned from a wedding and what do I find but a love fest, ahh lets have a group hugahhh/

I also am guilty of being a lurker on other dog forums/havnt joined sure they wouldnt want me because horror of horrors I use a choke chain. People onhere regularly use draw reins, chifney on their horses and all sort6 or artificial aids,choke chain and prong collars are artificial aids for dogs.

I dont see them as a short cut but sometimes you just have to have your dog listening to you in a difficult situation.

I know I wont be judged on here because I think hope people know my dogs mean everything to me and I try and try to use positive reinforcement. But sometimes you just need that bit extra.

I hope I am making sense and dont cringe with embarassment in the morning.
 
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