I love dogs of all size, but I prefer the medium to big size breeds. :D
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I love dogs of all size, but I prefer the medium to big size breeds. :D
I wouldn't say I was afraid of a dog large or small, but I wouldn't approach any dog unless I asked the owner first. Sometimes, no matter how cute, they can be really protective so I always get an owners OK before I pet them.
Generally, NO. Actually, it's the little dogs I'm afraid of more often.
:D Thanks! I still can't seem to get a signature picture tho, I must be doing something wrong! And I appreciate you cominting on my dogs, I think their beautiful!Quote:
Originally posted by Stenograsaurus
Oh, Anna, I forgot to congratulate you on conquering posting pictures!!! Again, I am in awe over the beauty of your dogs.
I think I perfer large dogs. Not that small dogs are bad, I just like wrestle with my dogs and think sometimes (not always) smaller dogs get a Napoleon complex and get nippy. Most the suggestions I've read for better family dogs are the bigger dogs, labs, goldens, etc.
Large dogs don't scare me at all. In fact, I want a Great Dane, Irish Wolfhound, and Mastiff... among many others. I also love the little ones though. There's something really nice about being able to pick your dog up and carry it around like a baby :D :D :D
When I move into a house, I hope to have several dogs in all shapes and sizes!
I am intimidated by some big dogs, but only when I am unable to sense their motive. Generally I am not afraid, but I stear clear of dogs who "give me the stare" or generally intimidate me.
I was at Petco last month and there was this very beautiful, huge, GSD named Max. Max was terrified to be in the store. He was trembling and shaking, and he had this "stare" that scared me a bit. I talked to him at a distance (I had Graham with me, as I always do when I go to Petco) because I didn't know him, so I stayed away because he did intimidate me. The (12 or so year old ) kid walking him saw that I was talking nice to him, so she felt that I needed a visit from Max. To tell you the truth, I was nervous, because she suddenly came at me with Max and I couldn't tell what Max's intentions were by the expression on his face. I figured if she was visiting with Max then he must be friendly, despite what he appeared to be. Max did end up being friendly, but he was also SOOO terrified because he wasen't well socialized and that was only his 2nd trip to the pet store. He was a big scardy :)
Also, within the first month that I moved into my apartment, there was a lady who was standing at her door waiting for her rottie to go potty. He was not leashed and he was huge. He saw me and Graham and immediately began trotting towards us. It terrified me. I had a hard time figuring out if he had a "friendly, submissive" look on his face, or if he had a protective, aggressive look on his face. I looked at his body posture and he looked to have a dominant posture. I backed away with Graham. He kept getting closer, I kept backing away, then when he was just about "at us", his owner called him and ordered him to come back. He was very obedient and did what he was told without thinking twice. His owner assured me that he just wanted to play, but I was still frightened by this 100 pound rottie coming towards me.
I ended up seeing "Winston" many times since then, and I made friends with him. I learned that the owner was telling me the truth when she said that Winston only wanted to play. He was a sweet dog, but he was also a Shultzhund (sp?) dog so he was very well trained. Sadly, Winston went to the RB around 3 months ago, he was 11 years old and he had bad arthritis.
I am afraid that some big dogs scare me but I also look at their body posture and body language and I can usually tell if they are friendly or of if they want me exterminated :)
One of the main reasons that I have chosen to get a golden instead of a GSD, is because I am intimidated by GSD's and I don't feel that it would be a good move for me. I don't want to have a dog who's breed intimidates or scares me.
The main reason I am afraid of certain dogs, even after their owners tell me that they don't bite, is because so many owners that I have come across are not telling the full truth when they assure people that their dog does not bite. I was lunged at by a Rodesean Ridgeback who's owner said that he didn't bite. After he lunged at me, they scolded him and then told me, "I am sorry, he usually likes women, he usually only goes after men and kids". If she only told me that her dog bit, I would have used more caution and sweet talked the dog from a distance instead of trying to pet it! People are dishonest and that's what scares me!
Leslie,
The "look" that a German Shepherd gives, that serene
intelligent, all's well with the world look, is just what
makes them so neat ! They really can act the 'goofus'
at home. They are not trying to act intimidating, but
they are just interested in everything and everyone
around them and they have a very "direct" look that
they give to everyone.
I agree it's not how large the dog is, but it's behavior
that I use to size up a dog. On my walks with Buddy,
it's only the small breeds that want to challenge us.
Go figure ...Liz.
I absolutely love GSD's but I would never just walk up to one casually and just pet it. They are so magnificant and noble, as well as intelligent and loyal. I absolutely love them, but have seen SO many aggressive ones, GSD's that would rip my head off if I got close enough, to leave a scar on my psyche. I will always love them, and I sure hope to have one some day, but not until I am not intimidated by some of them. My brothers hand was attacked REALLY bad when we were walking to elementary school together when he stuck his hand through a fence to pet the GSD behind it, when she attacked him. It was my brothers fault. He was a little kid, but he was old enough to know better, but it was still terrifying for both of us.Quote:
Originally posted by lizbud
Leslie,
The "look" that a German Shepherd gives, that serene
intelligent, all's well with the world look, is just what
makes them so neat ! They really can act the 'goofus'
at home. They are not trying to act intimidating, but
they are just interested in everything and everyone
around them and they have a very "direct" look that
they give to everyone.
I agree it's not how large the dog is, but it's behavior
that I use to size up a dog. On my walks with Buddy,
it's only the small breeds that want to challenge us.
Go figure ...Liz.
Leslie,
I know what you mean. My brother & I were allowed
into a yard of a relative while we were much too young
to be unsupervised, and my brother was bitten badly
on the leg by the chained Chow in the yard. He merely
picked up the dog's bowl b/c it was empty and he wanted
to fill it. a simple childish gesture, that had bad , but
predictable results. The incident caused a lifelong avoidence
& distrust of dogs. I was not bitten, but I saw it happen.
No, I agree , even though I love all dogs, I would not
just go up to one I did not know & try to pet it, but I'm
not fearful of any dog just because of it's size.
No way do big dogs scare me....considering we have 2 Danes and some various assorted and asundry other large breeds...along with 16 pound Jessie who rules the roost!! hehehehe. You're more likely to be bitten by a small dog than a large dog anyway...Cocker Spaniels are the number one dog for biting and they're little. Anyway...my philosophy is: The bigger the better.
Thanks everyone for your replies on the subject. Before becoming a pet sitter I was a but scared of large dogs but hector cured that for me.
I am however petrefied of German Sheperds as I was attacked by one when I was about 10 yrs old and it has always left a fear there.:(
I don't think it's as much her size as it is the color of her eyes that unnerve and scare certain people. Kia's a people watcher so she'll sit and stare and people will go out of their way to walk around her and avoid her.
I LOVE large breeds. I have small/medium dogs now because beagles are the best ...lol.. but I love Dobermans, rotties, Rodesean Ridgebacks, great danes, mastiffs, pointers, pit bulls, GSDs ...... I m more scared of little dogs then I am of big ones Im leary of poms, and little terriers, and chihuahuas ... little dogs are much more nippier and braver then big ones. On the news the other day a lady was going to press charges on a lady because she was attacked by her five chihuahuas ...lol I must admit that would have been funny to see :rolleyes:
It's weird, but I'm kind of intimidated by average to large dogs. It all started with Lady's Mom [whom my next-door neighborn now owns] bearing her teeth at me all the time. I swear that dog wanted to rip me apart. Before that, I wouldn't have thought twice about being next to an average size/large dogs. But ever since that incident, I hesitate when I see a stray. It's one of the biggest reasons I don't go to the park more often with my dogs: too many stray dogs.