Stereotyping........

Current dog
Hmm Shih Tzu- small mop lap dog with napolean complex?Aw cute lil dog...smoochie smoochie mall them and they bite?
At rainbow bridge dog
Rott- big visicious dog of hell likes to eat people and children?  People fear because of size and bad rep.
 
Truth Shih Tzu lovable dog with sweet personality that is a faithful companion dog and is good with kids.  Great watch dog!
Truth Rott: big lovable goofy dog who loves his family and kids.  Yet a protector.

Dalmatians are aggressive. They are not to be trusted. Their brains also get too large for their head and it causes the aggression.
 
They are also dog aggressive. I was told they were dog aggressive by a lady who actually runs a pit bull rescue. I told her I had Dalmatians and I got “the look” from her as I get from everyone when I tell them I have Dalmatians.
 
 
Also, for some reason the DCA (Dalmatian club of America) through no research has decided deaf dogs are unsuitable companions for anyone and should be euthanized when they are puppies. This is all because they “startle when awakened”. These people really need to come & meet Marley, my deaf dal.
 
Jet- when I tell anyone I am fostering a pit, I get ready for it. I have an entire speech down now.
 
 
 
And FYI-I actually love labs, we had a couple chocolate labs growing up that were from hunting lines. They were both spectacular dogs.
 

Someone actually said to me that they wouldn't bother taking a mutt to obedience training, but if they got a purebred they would take it. Like being purebred makes the dog more deserving of proper training.
[:'(]

Max - lab/GSD.  Haven't run into any stereotypes yet - maybe because he's not as large (60 lbs.) as a typical male lab or GSD.  We did run into an elderly lady at an outdoor cafe once who wanted to know "Is that a big mean pit bull who wants to bite my face off?"  Umm.  No. []
 
Joyce

When anyone sees our older dog Buffy with the black marks on her tongue, they assume she's lab and Chow and make references to aggression problems in Chows.  When I tell them that she's lab and Shar Pei, they say "oh, well Shar Peis can be aggressive too"
 
On a funny side note, when I first started dating my DH, an old friend said "you know Hispanics can be very controlling".  I told her he's Hawaiian and she said "oh, well they can be controlling too" [sm=uhoh.gif]

My mother had a dalmation and he was a soft bunny!  Aggression is the furthest thing away from what this dog was made of.  And she had a boxer at the same time.  Both dogs were like peas in a pod.  Aggression seems to be the result of other things, not a breed name. 
 
That is cute Cakana!  The funny and stupid things people may say, and don't even hesitate to shut their mouth while they are behind!
 
But you know about as much as that you expose yourself to in this world.  People that don't know anything about dogs will have so much to say .  It is like people who never had children, telling a person with children what it is like to live with/ raise children.  Totally out of touch with reality.

Since I've gotten Marlowe who looks more obviously houndy than Conrad does, I've gotten a lot of "Hounds are stupid, they can't be trained, they're stubborn as mules, they're lazy."

One of the reasons I've taught Marlowe a few tricks is so I can say, "Watch what my stupid lazy hound can do!"

Aussies will herd and nip children.  (Only if they aren't trained not to)
Hounds are stupid.  (Occasionally "independent", stupid, not on your life) Mine can do everything the other dogs can do, including weave through my legs, and he's smart enough to duck while he does that, so he doesn't knock mom over!
Yorkies are foo foo dogs (Tell that to my little 6 pound tomboy)

Dalmations are all hyper! Well, I guess our Dal actually fit that stereotype. [&:]

He definitely isn't aggressive though. Unless aggressive kissies count! []

Axl isn't a pit, but alot of people here think any kind of bully = vicious, so he's subject to all of the pitbull stereotyping.
 
Most people don't know what Ogre is, and think he's some kind of husky mix, but the few people I see who actually recognize the word "Akita" when I tell them recoil and say "those dogs are mean!" or "those dogs are only good as guard dogs because they don't like people."
 
Pepito is actually my only aggressive dog, and ironically he's the only one people *aren't* automatically afraid of. People will run up to him and try to pet him and I'll have to physically move away from the people and tell them that he doesn't like strangers and is likely to bite. They think that because he's small, he can't possibly be aggressive and must love everyone...and that is he actually *is* aggressive, I must have "made" him that way.[8|]
 
And of course the newpup is mostly pittie, so I'm going to be in for it with him when he gets older. []

OH and what about Jack Russells a/k/a Parson Russells, which is specifically what we have!  I have yet to meet one person who doesn't think these little guys will bounce off the wall if you let them and that they are nippy!  Well, in truth, if you don't exercise the devil out of them, they can be handful but really, for the most part our dogs are very quiet and sedate.  The only time they get excited is when we go for walks, play the ball and/or if someone comes to the door that they feel is their innate obligation to greet and give kisses too!  Energy, yes, but you must learn to direct it is all!

Jack--chocolate lab--labs are crazy hyper and stupid;  chocolate labs are especially crazy;  labs are too common (since that automatically makes them bad pets of course[8|])

 
Oh yeah, I get hyper and stupid all the time.  Those are the LAST two words I would use to describe Slick. 

Most people know nothing about basenjis so they don't really have stereotypes about them.  Because they are fairly small and cute people like to approach them all the time, and they are a bit standoffish to strangers.  People don't realize how serious their personalities can really be, especially when it comes to Kiya interacting with female dogs.  They tend to think it's cute when she gets her mean nasty face going, her hackles raised and her weird basenji growl.  I happen to know it means she's pretty darn upset, so it bugs me when others laugh it off and won't respect my wishes to keep our dogs seperated (this only happens on walks, she's actually a lot better off leash).

Question: "what breed is your dog?"
Answer: "a Fila brasileiro"
The most common response : "brasil-who what now?"

Fortunately my dog's breed is no so popular, only some people know about them, and that is a good thing.



With my spanish mastiff it used to be:

"that's a saint bernard right?"
"no..it's a spanish mastiff"
"but....it kinda looks like Bethoven..you sure it's not a saint bernard?"

and so on....