Do You Own One of  Those Breeds?

Staffordshire Bull Terrier, one of the Bully breeds.
cDiane Rich 2012

Do you or friends you know cross the street or take your dog out of the dog park when you see a Pit Bull, other bully breeds, Doberman, Shepherd or Rottweiler come near? If you own one of those breeds have you stepped up to train and socialize your dog in the real world?

photo courtesy of Mel and J Debruler.
Their male Rottie and grandchild

Years ago the public viewed German Shepherds and Dobermans as the breeds that would strike concern or fear if viewed in public.  Then, in the late 80’s and 90’s Rottweilers had a surge of popularity and bumped those two breeds out of that spot.  Now of course the Pit Bull has taken that number one position.

cDiane Rich 2012

Usually when walking one of “those” breeds on city streets or trails and within earshot of an onlooker or brave passerby, one may hear  someone mutter words such as aggressive, mean, vicious.  Sometimes the words are not muttered under their breath but spoken directly to the owner.  Or you may just hear the sound of someone’s footsteps running the other way.

There are breed bans in some zip codes where one cannot own a Pit Bull or any breed in that family. There are bans and restrictions on dog owners trying to rent an apartment or condo advertised as a dog friendly rental property.  Even some “dog friendly” vacation rentals won’t allow certain breeds on site.  A few insurance companies have a hit list of breeds that won’t be covered should there be a claim. 

Responsible and knowledgeable pet parents know when there is a news story about dogs on the rampage attacking people and other pets,  the breed will be blamed even though it is the fault of the owner.   The dogs may have been dumped somewhere, homeless dogs may pack up with other unwanted dogs, neighborhood dogs may be allowed to roam free, a dog may have escaped from their imprisoned life chained to a tree, post or dog house and undervalued, ignored, abused, not exposed to life, or were sacrificed as an ego boost for a human and stuck with a puppy mill type life.

It is understandable for someone who has been bitten by a dog  to have a fear of dogs in general or a specific breed or breed mix that delivered the bite, no matter if it was provoked or not.

Don’t think as a pet lover you are alone in your breed bias.  Vets are not immune from breed prejudice along with some trainers and groomers.  Maybe their experience with certain breeds has been negative so they are wary. Understandable. Some groomers and Vet techs automatically put a muzzle on certain breeds.  Some trainers and owners use harsher training methods just due to breed.  

When I brought Chase to a Vet for his first visit after his arrival to Washington state the Vet, who I had not used before, took my 9 week old Dobe pup from me put him on the table which was fine and in a split second put my puppy on his side on the stainless steel table to “test for dominance” since he “was a Doberman.”   Needless to say, I haven’t been back to this person nor have recommended this Vet to friends or clients. 

cDiane Rich 2012

When I took Fraser, my Doberman to two professional trainers, I thought, for a mock pet therapy test over 12 years ago, these “trainers” were rough and to me abusive with him throughout their process. He performed but became a little shut down due to their manhandling him and they said he would never make a good therapy pet.   I asked if they had ever worked with a Doberman before or tested a Doberman for therapy service and both trainers said no. I learned later their handling of him was not policy or procedure for this therapy organization.  Their abusive methods and obvious fear and breed prejudice was the reason I became an evaluator for a therapy organization so no one would have their dog endure stupid, inexperienced and biased handling. Meanwhile, Fraser went on not only to pass his therapy test but helped me start two therapy programs in Seattle, one program with children dealing with life threatening medical conditions.  Fraser also helped me work with clients who had a fear of dogs in general or my breed in particular due to being bitten at some point in their life.  

Therapy dogs need to be trained to not only accept a hug and face to face greeting with strangers, but enjoy that type of interaction. Otherwise, not a smart move to make with an unfamiliar dog.

cDiane Rich 2012
Camp Korey, a summer camp for children

Parenting certain breeds holds owners to a higher standard in the court of public opinion with regard to that dog’s public behavior and training.  Should you parent one of “those breeds” it is wise to train and socialize the dog to a higher level than just puppy classes.  Hopefully your breed may go on to become a local ambassador for the breed. Something to think about.

When you choose a pet professional be it a Vet, trainer, groomer, or day care provider you have every right to interview this person as to their experience with dogs in general, handling philosophies and their experience with your specific breed so they don’t screw your dog up. 

If you daycare or board your dog, observe how they treat all the dogs. Webcams are great but much goes on outside the camera’s watchful eye.  If you opt to board and train you must be 100% clear on what methods are used on your dog in your absence.

Bottom line, are there vicious dogs? Absolutely. Are there stupid owners who choose to stay uneducated about proper pet parenting, unfortunately. Are there people with a legitimate fear due to past experiences or learn breed prejudice handed down to them by family members, yes.  Is it easy to continue to fear or be concerned about certain breeds, of course.  I am hopeful at some point you have the opportunity to meet an ambassador of the breed you fear to help you move forward.

Unbiased Woof,
Diane
Diane Rich Dog Training, LLC
http://www.spokesdog.com
askdiane@spokesdog.com
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