Do you own a breed of dog that people pre-judge on sight?

[DannyOD]

I have a Chihuahua who is particularly tiny. She is a rescue and the sweetest natured, loving little thing but people take one look at her and pre-judge both her and me as her owner.

I have actually had people say to me ‘Oh I bet she’s a horrible dog isn’t she?’ Or ‘Bet she’s a bad tempered, snappy thing isn’t she?’ Well, no she isn’t actually. It drives me nuts!!! I also get ‘Bet you dress her up and carry her round in a bag?’ No, she is a dog not a doll!!!

Anyone else fed up with this sort of thing?

Irish setter's are beautiful though villain

Yes cat I get asked a lot about exercise for my deerhound.... He loves a good day out in the hills, but he loves his sofa more!
Also, food. I get asked if he's expensive to feed. He has expensive food, but one bowl a day left out all day for him to graze at. Leave cheese or a tub of butter on the table though and he'll have it!

It's the parents that let the child come up to an unknown dog and get in their face that I can't understand

I hear you @nonononononono the number of times it happens is crazy.

I one had a rescue fuzzball who was very cute to look at but had been horrifically treated (think beaten, had cigarettes stubbed out on him etc). As such, he had become very aggressive due to fear. One parent sticks in my mind in particular who despite me warning her that my dog was aggressive repeatedly encouraged and even pushed her toddler onto us. Thank goodness he was in a muzzle so he couldn't do any immediate damage but in the end I actually had to physically restrain her child from throwing himself on top of the dog (who was terrified) and she then of course was very upset that I prevented her child being injured. sigh

We have a Lhasa apso and he's a big ball of soppy looking fluff. Yet despite the fortune we've spent on professional training and socialisation classes he's very aggressive with other dogs( trainers have all said it's nervous aggression). Doesn't stop people letting their dogs approach him on walks and then getting the hump when he tries to bite them. This is despite us keeping him on a lead and moving off the path when we see a dog approaching. Very frustrating.

I have a gorgeous cocker who is so soft he’s a lovely boy......but he doesn’t like small children very much . I’ve had unknown children hug him etc and he does growl at them. The parents assume as he’s a cocker he’s just a gentle boy.....which he is unless you are a child in his face!!

Rotties, which we walk daily as a mini pack. All temperament tested and never off lead (more to make other walkers feel better).
It's always Labs that cause us issues out walking. Especially those off lead, without fail, near us anyway, they are dog aggressive and out of control. Don't get me started on those on the beach.

I don't understand parents who let their kids just approach dogs either. It was drummed into me from a young age that you don't go up to a dog to pet it without asking the owner first, and I've made sure my kids know that.

Although my 15 yo has learning disabilities and is terrified of dogs so I have to constantly remind him that screaming and running from an innocent dog isn't how to react! The poor owners probably think he's judging them but he doesn't like them moving near him - I think it's the unpredictability of their movement (he's not keen on cats either)

Yes, I have a cocker- loves children but hates adults. Because he has long silky ears, a lovely coat and has typical cocker merriness when he's moving people think that he 'must be ok to touch/stroke/cuddle' and then wonder why he growls despite my warnings.

I also have an 11-month old jack russell. I get the "she's a handful isn't she" comment on a daily basis. Mainly when she's not with me and I tell people we have a jack russell. Anyone who meets her loves her, she's a real sweet cuddle bug (and then they tell me how they always thought jack russells were aggressive, moody hyperactive pains in the butt).
I honestly don't understand the bad rep jrts get. I also bought into it, in fact I wasn't really sure I wanted her because of her breed but she has literally stolen my heart. The best dog ever.
Sure, she has been trained like our bigger pups, and I can see it would be a really bad idea for a jrt to train you rather than the other way around... but she is not yappy, destructive, aggressive or hyperactive in the least. She has actually been one of the easiest puppies we have ever had, and certainly the most affectionate (even more so than our golden retriever). Also, very lazy and loves her comforts (blankets, sofa, fire, duvet etc).

I have a pug, the ultimately judged dog. He does not struggle to breathe, runs around happily with my other dogs and will do a ten mile walk, has no eye or skin problems, is not overweight despite being a greedy porker and is in great health.

He is hard work because they are a strong willed, slow to mature breed, but he is sweet and very funny and much loved. He behaves beautifully with children and other dogs.

People seem to have bought in wholesale to the cliches about pugs with out any idea of whether they are actually true across all pugs. I get the impression everyone would rather I had him put down than allow him to exist.

@cocoboots German shepherds are very cuddly with their family but rarely want the attention from strangers, far too obsessed with being with their own people to cuddle others

I've also realised how much differently people treat me if I've got the Black and Tan shepherd as opposed to the black one.
People hate the black one even more for some reason!

I have 2 cockapoo's.
Nothing quite like them for bringing out the dog snobs!

We have a black lab x with German shepard. He's 11 months sweetest boy laid back boy(other than excitable puppy behaviour) but he's massive. Some people love him others recall dogs at the park walk away from us. I've been in the vets when people have moved seats to be further away.
Doesn't happen when Dd 2 is with us as people can see how soft he is.

Balearica - I am genuinely pleased your pug is a healthy little chap. But you have to concede that there are a lot of pugs with all those people. I see so many of them at work - I actually love them but I wholeheartedly believe that the breed should not exist. I am afraid I judge breeders harshly and if people didn't buy these dogs the demand would lessen and people would find another cash cow. Sadly it's all about the money for many breeders. People who have these dogs are not bad people. They generally adore their dogs and are genuinely upset when they have problems but I get so frustrated. They are the ultimate victim of fashion. Especially when a breed becomes popular - the backyard breeders and puppy farmers are ready and waiting to cash in.

I have no doubt you love your dog and take good care of him. And yes there will be other healthy pugs but this breed is susceptible to serious health issues as a direct result of its breeding.

Yes, a large and extremely cuddly GSD who loves everyone he meets, even when folk are crossing the road to avoid him or picking up their dogs to pass us.... In my experience small dogs are aggressive towards him and l think this is through fear perpetuated by their owners.

He absolutely loves children which is a good thing for those parents who allow their kids to run up and throw themselves at or on him 😩

I love GSD. I think they're beautiful (although that doesn't mean I'd randomly go up and cuddle one I didn't know...I wouldn't like it if someone did that to me).

I've got a ginger and white Spaniel who looks like he's from a Disney film...but he's young, and a rescue, and anxious and excitable. So people fuss him and I say 'sorry, he'll jump up/ mouth you' and they say 'oh that's OK, I don't mind'. And then he does jump up and mouth them, and they do mind

(This is all people approaching him while he's on lead. He's always on lead because he's an idiot People also let their off lead dogs jump all over him, because he looks inoffensive, and that scares him.)

greyhorses ....dog1 was about 90% black, the almost wiry coat type with amber eyes, and dog2 was very long haired, fluffy as hell and very light tan with typical darker black markings so yes.....often totally different reactions depending on which dog they saw first.

I have a rescue Boston terrier that has visibly been overbred, I occasionally get judge comments. She’s very nervous and attracts a lot of attention she doesn’t enjoy while my very friendly spaniel mostly gets ignored. My mum has an aggressive lab that people refuse to believe isn’t friendly!

People seem to have bought in wholesale to the cliches about pugs with out any idea of whether they are actually true across all pugs
90% of pugs have BOAS, so yes nearly all.

My current dog is a Jack Russell Chihuahua cross and parents pull their kids away. He is reactive with other dogs but he absolutely loves kids. His favourite thing in the world is a friends little girl reading him her bed time story. He's come from a world of adults being violent and being used as fighting bait (we are now 3 years down the line) but people wrongly assume I've had him from a pup and it's my fault he kicks off at other dogs. I wish he didn't have the horrible history he does and I wish people saw him sat like a good boy on the bus to work, being a gentle soppy dog when a child speaks to him and see him looking after the lurcher at work if he's feeling rotten but they don't sadly.

I’m going to counteract your stories with an opposite one of my own 😀

So I’ve always taught dd (now 5) to ask if she wants to stroke a dog and she always has, she’s only been refused once because the dog didn’t like children. All good.

One day when she was about 3, we were walking to the shops when this chap walked past with the most enormous bull mastiff type dog, very lovely brindle, but huge.

Dd stops and asks the man if she could stroke it, he said yes, he loves children and what a good girl for asking. So dd is patting and stroking this dog which is nearly as big as her and the chap says to me how lovely it is to see a child that’s not afraid of a big dog and that his dog likes being stroked but no one ever does because of how big and scary he looks. I say that some people are idiots.

We’ve seen the chap and his dog since and I think dd and dog have become friends. It’s quite heartwarming! 😀

My whippet often gets called a greyhound (and sometimes an Italian greyhound.) People always want to know if he’s an ex racer or a rescue. Children have also been known to point at him and loudly ask their patent ‘why is that dog so skinny’

Springer x collie here and is pre judged before people see him
" that's a lively mix"
" must keep you on your toes"
" Wow bet you can't tire him out"
" ooooh active but stubborn" and they pull a do you know what you are letting yourself in for face

Well with regular exercise and training he spends the rest of his time curled up asleep ( usually on someone's knee)

Once seen with his little spaniel face people want to pet him and can be in his face especially when he is sat there quietly when they go past on walks.
He is a rescue and nervous reactive so please ask first. It's taken hard work to get him to this stage!!

Same with my last old boy . He was a Labrador so must love people.
No not really, timid ex rescue who would prefer to ignore people and dogs and didn't want to play!

I've only ever had Staffies and I'm so fed up of the judging. The worst was a few months ago when a really friendly lab bounded over and jumped on DDog2 who is a rescue and fear aggressive (and as such I was walking him on the lead in a quiet area). He growled at the lab and the lab's owner went ballistic at me, he was actually shouting at me that I should control my dog and keep him on a lead. He didn't stop even when I pointed out that DDog2 was on a lead and that maybe he ought to control his own dog.

It really shook me up, although on reflection I think the guy was just a sexist twat, I'm pretty certain he wouldn't have kicked off like that at a man.

We're not sure what breed Pizzapup is but she's a Romanian rescue so everyone thinks she's a disease riddled vicious beast. She has no recall and probably never will so is always on lead everyone gives her a wide berth because they think she's on lead due to her being out of control.

In truth she will likely cuddle you to death and will only approach strangers if they are carrying chips.