Black Dogs

I've heard the same thing and I don't understand it either.  Max is the first dog I've had in years that  wasn't black, and there sure wasn't anything scary about the little black cock-a-poo/terrier or the little black cocker/lab. []
 
Joyce

I do think that the general public sees black dogs as more threatening. Just to give you an example, this was the discussion I had with my brother before I got Neiko:
 
Me: I think I want a tri-colored (black/tan/white) and not a merle
Brother: Why? Black dogs are so intimidating looking.
Me: Exactly! I hike in the woods by myself. I want a dog that looks intimidating.
Brother: Oh, good point. I didn't think of that.
 
Of course, I got a merle but that's beside the point.

I've heard the same thing too, lots of times ..which is stupid I think. My aunt has a black poodle, I have a black chihuahua, my niece has a black lab, my sister has a black pit bull and my other sister has a black terrier/shih tzu mix. Obviously our family doesn't consider them intimidating or scary looking. []  IMO, looks shouldn't play the biggest part on if you get the dog, the inside is what counts.

I think a lot of people are more cautious of black dogs, especially 'big' black dogs. Culturally black is often considered to represent bad or evil, while white is good or angelic. We often respond to colour on a subconscience level. Maybe it comes from the old cowboy movies - black hat vs white hat LOL. More specifically to dogs, I would say that it is harder to see the expression on a black dogs face as their eyes can virtually disappear. My dog is big and black and I often notice that people are more nervous when we pass on the street. The up side is that on the rare occasion I have to leave my dog tied outside the local convience store or sitting alone in the car for a few minutes I worry less that someone will snatch him. He does have these wonderful tan eyebrows however that adds a lot of expression to his face.

I think a lot of this comes from shelter environments too and petfinder- it's a LOT harder to get a good appealing photo of a black dog (especially a solid black dog), and in a dimly lit shelter (and most older 'warehouse' type shelters aren't real brightly lit), they tend to blend into the shadows. 

My dog is big and black and I often notice that people are more nervous when we pass on the street.

 
I never realized this until now, but maybe this is why when we are at Petco, people don't usually want to pet Pedro. (he's black) They'll almost drool over how cute Chico is, yet the dogs look almost identical. They have almost the same markings and everything, but they like Chico better ..because he is brown? Makes no sense to me.

Black dogs are harder to see and their expressions are harder to read.  This tends to make people AND other dogs more weary of them.
 
I've always loved black dogs and cats and have always had one.  I do not find them particularly intimidating - they are just dogs to me, who happen to be black.
 
However I had a sudden appreciation for the scariness of black when I was walking Cole one afternoon and frightened a black man who was riding toward us on a bike.  He must have passed a dozen dogs but when he saw us, he got off his bike, walked as far off the trail as he could to give us a wide berth, put his bike between him and Cole (white knuckles on the bike I might add) and did not take his eyes off us.  The look in his eyes was of complete and utter terror.  I passed him as quickly as we could and just said, "Dont worry, he's a friendly dog!"
 
My cousin used to own two black Labs and lived in the city, she said people would jump over fences to get out of her way when she was walking them.  [:-]

ORIGINAL: IrishSetterGrl

This is a very random thought, but here goes.

Coincidentally, this was just brought up as a off-topic dialogue in a nearby thread. 

Yeah we hear this all the time and it is really hard to see a pattern.  Sometimes the black dogs goes so fast while at other times they stay put.  I myself have not have any problem placing a black dog and as a matter of fact they usually go within 3 months.  It is the hounds that are hard to place.

My sister was afraid of black dogs.  I have a black Great Dane and when they met she expressed her fear to me.  It only took her a minute to get over her unfounded fear. 

I get the same kind of reaction when I walk Grady with a G/L on.  I doesn't help that he HATES his G/L & walks with a grumpy look on his face.  I usually get people giving me a wide birth when we're walking.  Quite honestly, I don't totally mind since I usually walk him by myself & you have to be careful these days.  I think that most people on this board & I know that Grady is a total goofball & is generally gentle bu I don't mind if strangers on the street think that he's mean when I'm walking him.  I DO care what my neighbors think of him & they all know he's a nut job.

I have a definite attraction towards black dogs (can't imagine why [8D]). When I look through pictures on Petfinder, I always have to click on the solid black dogs and read their stories. It's sad if they really are less adoptable. People are so odd.

I was talking to a guy last week and mentioned our black lab, Sassy, and the problems we'd had initially with her and our other dog and he said "well, black dogs are more aggressive, so that makes sense".  I couldn't believe my ears [:@]

ORIGINAL: cakana

I was talking to a guy last week and mentioned our black lab, Sassy, and the problems we'd had initially with her and our other dog and he said "well, black dogs are more aggressive, so that makes sense".  I couldn't believe my ears [:@]

 
WHAT?????????? [sm=eek.gif]
 
I won't tell Grady that.  He's happy being a clown.

WHAT??????????

 
I know, that was my reaction too.  I'd actually 1st heard about the problem with shelters and rescues finding homes for black dogs, especially large ones, on this forum. It surprised me then, but when this guy, who seemed intelligent, actually said it, I was shocked.  Do people actually think that there's a color gene that would make a difference in temperment? I've had black dogs, large and small, all my life, except for my samoyed.  I'm sure glad some of us are color blind []

Where I live black is beautiful. My dad , my neighbor, my daughter, and two friends all have black Labs. I once had a black Cocker Spaniel. Another friend has a black poodle mix. I could go on and on.
 

I'm sure glad some of us are color blind  

 
I agree