bk_blue Posted January 22, 2003 Share Posted January 22, 2003 Or a Poodle? :roll: :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eggrolyn1223 Posted January 22, 2003 Share Posted January 22, 2003 :o Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheetah Posted January 22, 2003 Share Posted January 22, 2003 I think that the way people react to a dog with a spiked collar (especially on a "tuff" breed) might also have a lot to do with what kind of neighborhood you live in. Like if you live in area where dog fights are an issue - you might not want to get a spiked collar for a non-aggressive dog because people might take it more seriously! Other than that, I think that they can look cute on some dogs as more of a joke or for fun, but if I see some teenaged guys walking around with a pit bull with a spiked collar...it kind of bothers me how they think they're all such hot shots because they got a "bad dog"! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nancy B Posted January 23, 2003 Share Posted January 23, 2003 [quote name='Cheetah']I think that the way people react to a dog with a spiked collar (especially on a "tuff" breed) might also have a lot to do with what kind of neighborhood you live in. Like if you live in area where dog fights are an issue - you might not want to get a spiked collar for a non-aggressive dog because people might take it more seriously! Other than that, I think that they can look cute on some dogs as more of a joke or for fun, but if I see some teenaged guys walking around with a pit bull with a spiked collar...it kind of bothers me how they think they're all such hot shots because they got a "bad dog"![/quote] I really don't think the neighborhood has as much of an impact as the breed. I've made therapy dog visits to special needs schools, hospitals and nursing homes with Whitney for about the past 3 years. Know what? Some of the caregivers are still scared to death of her. It doesn't matter that they've seen residents with questionable mental capacity hit Whitney or me with never a bad reaction from Whit. It doesn't matter that for years they've seen Whit being loved on by all sorts of folks. It doesn't matter that she will happily do all sorts of tricks for everyone and is obvioulsy well trained. All they see, even after all this time, is a Doberman. Oddly enough I've found that either the residents like dogs and welcome Whit or they don't like dogs at all. None of the dog loving residents have ever been frightened of Whitney. When we're out walking some folks will approach but more people will give my Dobes a wide berth. My kids have leather collars, nylon collars and Whit even has some frou frou lacy ones and a rhinestone one but, because of the way the general public thinks of Dobes, I would never put a spiked collar on my Dobes. Of course, if someone tried to mug me, it wouldn't matter what kind of collar the kids had on! :) Can you believe that one idiot tried that once in a motel parking lot? Obviously he didn't see Whit at the end of her 25 foot flexi! No, she didn't hurt him...but he didn't loose any time leaving! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queen Bitch Posted January 23, 2003 Share Posted January 23, 2003 A friend of mine has one of the so called "tough breeds" (APBT) and she has a dainty spiked collar. 9 times out 10 the people who encounter her have no clue what she is and think it's cute that this smallish (about knee high) pup has such a "tough" collar when she's such a shy dainty girl. After they learn what her breed is they chastise her for ruining the "Pitbull Image" but in a good way! Smiles all around. I'll admit that when I met her I was scared of her though, but not for the obvious reasons. When I was a wee child I was out playing in my yard with the family dog when another dog came over and my dog, being protective , got into a fight. I got yanked out of it right away, but to this day when I meet new dogs I'm not totally at ease. I have gotten better though, now it's generally only when they bark ,until I get to know them. Once I get used to them I can actually encourage them to make noise. My fear is totally irrational in proportion to breed. If there is a quiet Rottweiler and a yipping Chihuahua sitting next to each other, I'm going to go hey you sweet Rottie please protect me from that Chihuahua, even though logically I know the Rottie could do way more harm to me. I'm not saying that because Rotties are mean, but just out of sheer size. Make sense? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bk_blue Posted January 23, 2003 Share Posted January 23, 2003 Oh yeah, I know exactly what you mean. I would've trusted my great uncle's dearly departed Dobermann not to bite me over my grandpa's dachshund. This is more because Tessa (Dobe) was trained and [b]completely[/b] under his control (Tessa adored my G/U and went so uncontrollably crazy with grief after he passed away she had to be pts), and Tomson (dach.) not trained, spoiled rotten and allowed to get away with everything (not with me though!). And to an extent, in my experience, some small dogs have Napoleon complexes. :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marble Posted January 24, 2003 Share Posted January 24, 2003 hey nancy b- is whitney the dog in your photo ? she is absolutely georgeous. i was out working the other day and a lady was walking her 104 pound male dobie, magnificent dog, i asked her if i could pet him and she said yes, i petted him and chatted with her about dogs and whatnot and as i was about to get back to work she started telling me how thankful she was that i was not scared of her dog (she actually thanked me for being friendly with him) and how so many people cross the other side of the street and pick up their children and all that. it was very interesting, he was a really nice dog. i did notice that he was supervising her daughter the whole time i was petting him and i liked him that much more for it, i would not have messed with her for anything. my brother has a female red dobie and she is kind of wacko, pretty dog but very jumpy and just generally a bit high strung, he gets the same reaction though with his dog.........maybe part of it is from the hollywood stereotype of vicious dobies ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bk_blue Posted January 24, 2003 Share Posted January 24, 2003 [quote name='Marble']maybe part of it is from the hollywood stereotype of vicious dobies ?[/quote] Yep, and also some people are just scared of big dogs! I would guess that there have been stories of people maimed or killed by Dobes/Dobe Xs over the years, probably exaggerated, and that coupled with the huge popularity Dobes had in the 80s and even today- who knows how many untrained, badly-bred, poorly socialised examples have been around to scare people? You see the same thing happening with Dalmatians and indeed any popular breed- if there's money to be made through breeding dogs there will always be people doing it, no matter what it does to the poor dog and its reputation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nancy B Posted January 24, 2003 Share Posted January 24, 2003 [quote name='Marble']hey nancy b- is whitney the dog in your photo ? she is absolutely georgeous. i was out working the other day and a lady was walking her 104 pound male dobie, magnificent dog, i asked her if i could pet him and she said yes, i petted him and chatted with her about dogs and whatnot and as i was about to get back to work she started telling me how thankful she was that i was not scared of her dog (she actually thanked me for being friendly with him) and how so many people cross the other side of the street and pick up their children and all that. it was very interesting, he was a really nice dog. i did notice that he was supervising her daughter the whole time i was petting him and i liked him that much more for it, i would not have messed with her for anything. my brother has a female red dobie and she is kind of wacko, pretty dog but very jumpy and just generally a bit high strung, he gets the same reaction though with his dog.........maybe part of it is from the hollywood stereotype of vicious dobies ?[/quote] Hi Marble, yes that's a photo of my Whitney. Thanks, I'll tell her that she has another admirer....right now she's snuggled under the covers in my bed. We're having an unreal cold snap down south! :) I do think a lot of the 'bad rap" Dobes get is because of the Hollywood sterotype. Even I have to admit that a Doberman with alert ears up charging the camera looks intimidating. Another factor is what happend to the breed back in the 70's. Dobes became very popular and tons of folks who didn't have the necessary knowledge were breeding Dobes. Since those folks didn't know beans about socialization requirements or temperament considerations in breeding, there were many Dobermans produced with a less than desirable temperament...too sharp for the average person. Many average people were buying them and finding out, sometimes tragically, that it was too much dog for them to handle. Dobermans have come a long way since then but, that's a very difficult thing for a breed to live down. Oddly enough, Dobes are not that high on the CDC's dog bite list yet it's getting more and more difficult to find insurance companies that will insure a home with a Doberman. Dobes are also one of the breeds that American Airlines has totally banned from flights. Both of my Dobes are very people friendly. I also love it when someone wants to meet and pet them. The more folks they meet the more they like meeting people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nancy B Posted January 24, 2003 Share Posted January 24, 2003 [quote name='bk_blue']Oh yeah, I know exactly what you mean. I would've trusted my great uncle's dearly departed Dobermann not to bite me over my grandpa's dachshund. This is more because Tessa (Dobe) was trained and [b]completely[/b] under his control (Tessa adored my G/U and went so uncontrollably crazy with grief after he passed away she had to be pts), and Tomson (dach.) not trained, spoiled rotten and allowed to get away with everything (not with me though!). And to an extent, in my experience, some small dogs have Napoleon complexes. :roll:[/quote] It constantly amazes me how owners of small dogs happily tollerate behavior in those dogs that would cause a larger dog owner to put their dog back in "boot camp". At agility trials I've had Min Pins, Chi's, and Manchesters straining out at the end of their leads barking, growling and snarling at my Dobes as I walk by. My dogs have been taught to ignore them but, I have to wonder at their owners. What if they do that to a larger dog that isn't able to ignore it? Do they really think their dog's behavior is acceptable? They must since it never changes. Of course, if a larger dog goes by that doesn't ignore it and "goes" for the small dog, it will all be the larger dog's fault. Drives me absolutely nuts! Whitney has never bitten anyone, person or dog. She has been bitten twice. Once by a Chihuhua and once by a Cocker Spaniel. Both drew blood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anne3149 Posted January 24, 2003 Share Posted January 24, 2003 Very large dogs do not scare me at all. Most are gentle creatures and most owners of big dogs do train them, apart from the dh's that think it is tough to own a tough dog. With that mentality what hope have their dogs got. I have a Rott and a GSD both gentle and both trained. An aquaintance of mine has the worst dog I have ever come across. It's a tiny chihuahua and it behaves like a feral rat. I am terrified of the darn thing, it bites, snarls, growls and generally makes a monumental ass of itself and gets away with it. I can't understand why people would allow a dog to behave like that, it bites her too. I will bet that if statistics were done on the number of dog bites per breed these little monsters would take out the money. I go to a hydrotherapy pool and training classes with my Rott, there are large numbers of Rotts at both places and I have never come across a nasty one. It's the little snappy, bitey, constantly barking ones that scare me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bk_blue Posted January 24, 2003 Share Posted January 24, 2003 So true... I see way more big, stereotypically "tough" dogs at obedience than little dogs. Grandad is very "old school" as in he will not neuter (which is half the problem) and doesn't believe they need training because they are so small. :roll: :roll: He's in his 80s and despite our best efforts nothing will be done to train up Tomson. He's never, ever growled at me and fawns over me every time I visit. I have witnessed him growling at my sister and at Grandad, for reasons unknown. (both of them are dog people and do not tease, play with his tail/ears, etc.) All I know is if BK (heeler X) or Rinny (GSD) tried any sort of human aggression (which neither of them ever have), they would be put in their place [i]very[/i] quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted January 24, 2003 Share Posted January 24, 2003 [quote name='Marble']hey nancy b- is whitney the dog in your photo ? she is absolutely georgeous. i was out working the other day and a lady was walking her 104 pound male dobie, magnificent dog, i asked her if i could pet him and she said yes, i petted him and chatted with her about dogs and whatnot and as i was about to get back to work she started telling me how thankful she was that i was not scared of her dog (she actually thanked me for being friendly with him) and how so many people cross the other side of the street and pick up their children and all that. it was very interesting, he was a really nice dog. i did notice that he was supervising her daughter the whole time i was petting him and i liked him that much more for it, i would not have messed with her for anything. my brother has a female red dobie and she is kind of wacko, pretty dog but very jumpy and just generally a bit high strung, he gets the same reaction though with his dog.........maybe part of it is from the hollywood stereotype of vicious dobies ?[/quote] I can share a point with many people here who own "tough" breeds. As the owner of a Bully-Staff x, heaps of people have made rude and negative remarks while I take him on a walk. Like the Dobie owner above, I am maddened :evil: and saddened :cry: to see most people cross the road when they see me and my "baby" walking towards them. He does not have a spiked collar, is the size of a small staff and is always under my control but people still seem to think any moment he will break away and rip their legs off. I think it is ignorant to judge a dog by its looks before they understand its nature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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