Generalizations You Dislike
- Thread starter Linds
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I never really appreciated good photography, till I started taking pictures. Equipment helps, but it's only a part of the equation. my family members think I take great pictures. Mine actually look very amateurish when put next to those taking by people that are real artists and have perfected the craft. I think I take great snap shots, but very, very few good photos
That small dogs (under 10 lbs) airn't "real" dogs 
. That they are all yappy little high strong head cases that are good for nothing but sitting on laps and looking cute. I also hate the generalizations people make about the OWNERS of small dogs. As if I just wanted some cute little fashion accessory. Both of my tiny girls came into my life by chance but I am glad they did. Because they have debunked every small dog myth I ever came across.
With Morrison when people hear what his mix is the usual reactions range from.
"Oh he must not be very bright" (because of the hound in him), "Wow I bet he is stubborn and not easy to train", and "He has hound in him?! You can NEVER trust him off leash".
I also get comments from the opposite end of the spectrum. "Oh he has Lab in him?! That cancels out all those hound behaviors right?" Because we all know Labs are perfect dogs and SO EASY to train.
To be fair Morrison is a pretty perfect dog. But he didn't get that way because he was blessed with some Labrador genes.
. That they are all yappy little high strong head cases that are good for nothing but sitting on laps and looking cute. I also hate the generalizations people make about the OWNERS of small dogs. As if I just wanted some cute little fashion accessory. Both of my tiny girls came into my life by chance but I am glad they did. Because they have debunked every small dog myth I ever came across.With Morrison when people hear what his mix is the usual reactions range from.
"Oh he must not be very bright" (because of the hound in him), "Wow I bet he is stubborn and not easy to train", and "He has hound in him?! You can NEVER trust him off leash".
I also get comments from the opposite end of the spectrum. "Oh he has Lab in him?! That cancels out all those hound behaviors right?" Because we all know Labs are perfect dogs and SO EASY to train.
To be fair Morrison is a pretty perfect dog. But he didn't get that way because he was blessed with some Labrador genes.
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I have heard/experienced the same stuff. I was told when I got both of my chi/terrier mixes that I would have stubborn, untrainable basket cases. And yet both of my girls know just as many commands as my Lab mix and can out run/ out hunt dogs 3 times their size. They are also so incredibly well behaved.
I still get "ick" reactions from other dog people out in the community. And I just want to tell those people to shove it.
I still get "ick" reactions from other dog people out in the community. And I just want to tell those people to shove it.
This generalization was sort of brought up on a thread on another message board. I'm going to copy and paste my response there over here. I do feel that most Rottweilers are not best suited for a novice dog owner. My reasons are listed below.
Yes, I will recommend a person brand new to dogs get an adult Rottweiler from an ethical rescue who temperament tests and fosters their dogs for a decent period of time before they adopt them out. Those are safe "starter" rottweilers.
My generalization that I do not like is the "It's all in how you raise them." Temperament is very genetic. My two dogs have been raised the exact same way...Ocean comes from IPO lines and he will always be a much sharper dog than Lars who comes from more conformation and obedience lines. There are things in Ocean's temperament that I won't extinguish with training and I will have to live with them and manage it.
Yes, I will recommend a person brand new to dogs get an adult Rottweiler from an ethical rescue who temperament tests and fosters their dogs for a decent period of time before they adopt them out. Those are safe "starter" rottweilers.
My generalization that I do not like is the "It's all in how you raise them." Temperament is very genetic. My two dogs have been raised the exact same way...Ocean comes from IPO lines and he will always be a much sharper dog than Lars who comes from more conformation and obedience lines. There are things in Ocean's temperament that I won't extinguish with training and I will have to live with them and manage it.
Maybe it was just a fluke but I knew two Rottweilers (one owned by my uncle and aunt, the other owned by close family friends) who were both the first dog in either home. And they were both AMAZING dogs.
My uncle and aunt ran a cat rescue/foster operation out of their home and never owned a dog in their lives. Out of the blue one day my uncle brought home an 8 week old Miska. She was given to him by a coworker and he just "went with it". This was in the mid 80s. I was born in 88 so my experience with her was past the puppy years. And I don't remember many puppy stories.
But the dog I knew was perfect. Not an aggressive or rude bone in her bottle. She was perfectly trained by my uncle (a major cat person) and knew just about every trick in the book. She was great with cats and often "adopted" orphan kittens. My cousins and I could climb on her, ride on her, generally harass her and she never ever growled or yipped or hurt any of us kids. She would just lay there and take it all while giving kisses and wagging her stub tail. She was a wonderful dog and lived a long happy life. Keep in mind my uncle and aunt had zero dog knowledge and both admit that even after they brought Miska home as a puppy (with two girls at home under 8 years old) they NEVER picked up a rottweiler, puppy, or training book.
Extremely similar to Miska was Sadie. Sadie was a first time dog for my moms best friends. She was actually bought from a pet store :yikes:. She like Miska was around a few years before I was born. So I don't know exactly how the younger years were and how training went. But she like Miska was owned by two people who never had dogs growing up and had ZERO knowledge about dogs or the breed they chose. Yet the Sadie I knew was pretty much bomb proof. She was an affectionate, playful, and fun. She was always trusted not to hurt us kids and she never ever did. I know people will be shocked and appalled but she was so gentle and well trained that my best friend (the owners daughter) and I were able to walk her around the block or to the park alone when we were as young as 8 years old.
I am not saying first time owners should run out and buy a rottie puppy. I just saying of course there are exceptions to any rule.
My uncle and aunt ran a cat rescue/foster operation out of their home and never owned a dog in their lives. Out of the blue one day my uncle brought home an 8 week old Miska. She was given to him by a coworker and he just "went with it". This was in the mid 80s. I was born in 88 so my experience with her was past the puppy years. And I don't remember many puppy stories.
But the dog I knew was perfect. Not an aggressive or rude bone in her bottle. She was perfectly trained by my uncle (a major cat person) and knew just about every trick in the book. She was great with cats and often "adopted" orphan kittens. My cousins and I could climb on her, ride on her, generally harass her and she never ever growled or yipped or hurt any of us kids. She would just lay there and take it all while giving kisses and wagging her stub tail. She was a wonderful dog and lived a long happy life. Keep in mind my uncle and aunt had zero dog knowledge and both admit that even after they brought Miska home as a puppy (with two girls at home under 8 years old) they NEVER picked up a rottweiler, puppy, or training book.
Extremely similar to Miska was Sadie. Sadie was a first time dog for my moms best friends. She was actually bought from a pet store :yikes:. She like Miska was around a few years before I was born. So I don't know exactly how the younger years were and how training went. But she like Miska was owned by two people who never had dogs growing up and had ZERO knowledge about dogs or the breed they chose. Yet the Sadie I knew was pretty much bomb proof. She was an affectionate, playful, and fun. She was always trusted not to hurt us kids and she never ever did. I know people will be shocked and appalled but she was so gentle and well trained that my best friend (the owners daughter) and I were able to walk her around the block or to the park alone when we were as young as 8 years old.
I am not saying first time owners should run out and buy a rottie puppy. I just saying of course there are exceptions to any rule.
Yup, forgot about this one, hate this sooo much. The amount of stressy/overstimulated/barknockingrunoutbeast border collies that never get anywhere in sports, just that I've heard of...is high. It's just like when people tell me that my camera takes great pictures.
Seriously, they should see what comes out if you set it on auto.
Seriously, they should see what comes out if you set it on auto.
"Train-ing!" (said in a singsong voice)
**** you lady, we don't all have puppies from sport breeders who value stability above everything else, and it's taken years of training just to get my dog to the point where he hasn't seriously considered biting anyone all weekend. (This was in regards to Brisbane being a basket case about lure coursing. I haven't met any dog as over-the-top insane about it as Briz. I haven't met anyone who has met any dog as over-the-top insane about it as Briz. Surely training must be the only reason that her dog loses interest and happily walks away from the lure...)
**** you lady, we don't all have puppies from sport breeders who value stability above everything else, and it's taken years of training just to get my dog to the point where he hasn't seriously considered biting anyone all weekend. (This was in regards to Brisbane being a basket case about lure coursing. I haven't met any dog as over-the-top insane about it as Briz. I haven't met anyone who has met any dog as over-the-top insane about it as Briz. Surely training must be the only reason that her dog loses interest and happily walks away from the lure...)
I'm going to say they lucked out. On that rottie board I hang out on here's a sampling of what is going on in their behavior section over the past two - two and a half months (October - August, 2014):
- Dog becomes aggressive when owner present
- Brother & Sister Rotti advice (These two dogs got loose and allegedly "attacked" a couple and their maltese. The dogs' owner has now retained a lawyer for what is legally coming from the couple who allegedly were attacked.)
- Nipping people immediately
- Consistent Protective/Aggressive Behavior
- rottie being aggressive only at night
- Biting Strangers, snapping owners
- 1 year old rott snapped at child
- Snarling while petting
- Aggressive Behavior
- Differentiating between wired wrong and highly stimulated
- Human aggression in pet/novice owned dogs (this was a post by a well known breeder about just all of the above. And I did supply the link to that discussion.)
- Dog becomes aggressive when owner present
- Brother & Sister Rotti advice (These two dogs got loose and allegedly "attacked" a couple and their maltese. The dogs' owner has now retained a lawyer for what is legally coming from the couple who allegedly were attacked.)
- Nipping people immediately
- Consistent Protective/Aggressive Behavior
- rottie being aggressive only at night
- Biting Strangers, snapping owners
- 1 year old rott snapped at child
- Snarling while petting
- Aggressive Behavior
- Differentiating between wired wrong and highly stimulated
- Human aggression in pet/novice owned dogs (this was a post by a well known breeder about just all of the above. And I did supply the link to that discussion.)
But I feel like the people who are failing with "difficult" (or whatever you want to call it) breeds are doing so not because they haven't owned dogs before but because they are not the right match for the breed. It's not "this breed is wrong for first time dog owners" but "this breed isn't right for the majority of dog owners" which isn't a bad generalization. I'd guess most of the people who are having issues with their difficult breed have owned dogs before. Having a bunch of biddable, go with the flow, non-reactive dogs doesn't prepare someone for the opposite. Someone who's had five easy going dogs might make a much worse dog owner than someone whose had no dogs but is the right fit for a rottweiler (or other more difficult breed). Heck first time dog owners are often more flexible/willing to learn and don't get stuck on the "well it worked for all my other dogs so it has to work for this one...even though it's not!" when it comes to solving problems/training.
I really think the most valuable thing people learn from having previously owned a dog is what they really like to live with temperament wise. Sometimes what you think you're going to like/like one paper/like short term and what you really want to live with are very different. So that can be one reason novice owners might not always be the best for some breeds, they think they can live with or even like a certain trait without realizing what it's really like to live with.
I really think the most valuable thing people learn from having previously owned a dog is what they really like to live with temperament wise. Sometimes what you think you're going to like/like one paper/like short term and what you really want to live with are very different. So that can be one reason novice owners might not always be the best for some breeds, they think they can live with or even like a certain trait without realizing what it's really like to live with.
My sister lucked out, too, with a rottie rescued from her local shelter. My parents wound up with her and Maddie was a well-loved member of the family for many years. (Rotties are my all-time favorite breed, and maybe, someday, I'll have one, too.)
I really don't see "you need dog experience before you own a certain breed" as a bad thing. A guy I knew was dead-set on getting a Mal for a first dog because he thought the ones he saw on TV were cool. The man's a human slug and I couldn't imagine a worse fit; luckily his wife put her foot down and nixed the whole deal. Some people should only have toy animals...
I really don't see "you need dog experience before you own a certain breed" as a bad thing. A guy I knew was dead-set on getting a Mal for a first dog because he thought the ones he saw on TV were cool. The man's a human slug and I couldn't imagine a worse fit; luckily his wife put her foot down and nixed the whole deal. Some people should only have toy animals...
She got a rottie from a shelter who was smart enough to not hand over a dog with issues. If the dog was aggressive/whatever on intake, they would have PTS the dog. Like I stated in my post, getting an adult rottie from a rescue who temperament tests/fosters is a safe bet for people getting a first rottweiler.
Playing tug is a dominance game.
If you want to get your dog to do anything you must assert your dominance over it. If it does what you want than it was looking for a pack leader.
All dogs require a fence.
You should have experience before owning this breed. (Its like finding a job. They all want someone to have experience but no one is willing to give you the experience).
If you want to get your dog to do anything you must assert your dominance over it. If it does what you want than it was looking for a pack leader.
All dogs require a fence.
You should have experience before owning this breed. (Its like finding a job. They all want someone to have experience but no one is willing to give you the experience).
Not sure about that, this was just a local humane society in a small town, I don't think they temperament tested or fostered but they did say Maddie was a sweetheart while they pulled a ton of ticks off her. My sister was a volunteer dog-walker for them. Maddie's time had run out and she was on her way to the back room to be PTS when Sis called to say she'd take her.
