Wow, did you know German Shepherds...

That's probably coming from someone who doesn't know the difference in a happy, loose, friendly wag, and a swishy, twitchy, nervous wag. 

thats ok..when my GSD was a puppy I had a man tell me "You know shes going to have hip problems in a few years?" to which i replied that she most likely shouldnt since her parents as well as several generations back of her grandparents had had their hips xrayed and certified.. he pretty much ignored my comment and went on to say that "all german shepherds have bad hips when they grow up"

Just for the record, a tail wag, coupled with other signals, can indicate aggression.  A tail wag isn't always friendly. :)  

I completely agree that breed stereotyping is ignorant and many breeds suffer because of it.  JRT's get a bad rap, IMO because people who know nothing of the breed get them and create little monsters.

Very true that a wagging tail, along with stiffness, staring eyes, ears forward and possible hackles raised can be aggressive behavior. T-Bone was just dopey, happy waggin' though. It is a little alarming that people (a la Youtube) can think a dog who is clearly angry is friendly, just because of a aggitated wag.

JRTs do have a bad rap! My grandparents always had and stil have JRTs, and they're good little dogs.

Beejou

My favorite ridiculous breed stereotype is that Doberman's brains get too big for their skulls, causing them to turn and kil their handlers...

I'm almost afraid to go to sleep every night because of this "fact."  I can't tell you how scary it is to go to sleep at night knowing that, tonight might be the night that Bev & Cher's brains grow too big for their skulls, & they kill me. 

I hear that myth at least twice a week. 

I also hear that all dachshunds are mean, & that they are impossible to house train. 

Boxers are, of course, always "hyper" & dumb.

BEVOLASVEGAS

Beejou

My favorite ridiculous breed stereotype is that Doberman's brains get too big for their skulls, causing them to turn and kil their handlers...

I'm almost afraid to go to sleep every night because of this "fact."  I can't tell you how scary it is to go to sleep at night knowing that, tonight might be the night that Bev & Cher's brains grow too big for their skulls, & they kill me. 

I hear that myth at least twice a week. 

I also hear that all dachshunds are mean, & that they are impossible to house train. 

Boxers are, of course, always "hyper" & dumb.

 

I've even seen dogs misread the tail wagging tip. When Crusher is agitated, his tail goes way up high, over his back and slowly wafts back and forth. All other signals are go, and we'll still get idiot people with undersocialized dogs coming up and getting in his face/butt/general space. At least I can distract him now, but last year this time, we had some pretty close calls.

I had a vet tell me that Heidi was doomed to be dysplastic because her back end is extremely curved.    I don't think she ever saw a GSD that wasn't American bred.  This was the same lady that told me that I may be banned from her veterniary practice if I didn't get my 6 month old puppy to be quiet.  Yes...my 6 month old puppy was getting bored after having waited 1 hour in your lobby. 

Needless today, I never went back.

CoBuHe

This was the same lady that told me that I may be banned from her veterinary practice if I didn't get my 6 month old puppy to be quiet.  Yes...my 6 month old puppy was getting bored after having waited 1 hour in your lobby. 

Needless today, I never went back.

Boy am I lucky, I have an in your face, cautioned when handled, would not keep my dog overnight after his neuter dog and our vet office welcomes us back every time, 2 of the vets love his devotion to me and totally ignore his shenanigans and will go out of their way to make sure he is taken care of quickly. In fact the turkey behaves like a perfect gentleman with both ladies when I am not in the room, they even worked with me on cue words so that he could be examined.

Right up there with how aggressive Rhodesian Ridgebacks are , surely you can see their constantly raised Hair???  Or the other side, That RRs are really defectfive Vizlas with Spinal Bifida with that huge scar on their backs, they are being passed off as a designer breed because they are so much bigger than the normal Viz......sigh.... and most of these folks drive cars and have kids.

Bonita of Bwana

That RRs are really defectfive Vizlas with Spinal Bifida with that huge scar on their backs,

And, we have a winner.  People. 

4HAND

I'm told Aussies are car chasers.None of the Aussies I know would peel themselves away from their owners to bother with a car.Ive had my car chased by a lab, a husky and various mutts but never a herder.

Well, they do like a moving target, but you would have to be pretty comatose to have them lose interest in you to go off and chase a car.  Owners who make even the least effort to engage an Aussie... well, there's a saying, "I asked God to send me a true friend.  He sent me an Australian Shepherd."