# Everyone's a critic



## Liljah (Jan 20, 2008)

So today I took Shane to "his" park (it's a public park but Shane deemed it has his and anyone who is there is "privileged" to be playing in that park). Anyhow, there was a lady there just walking around the lake so I took Shane on the other side of the park to do some off lead training and allow him to run around. I looked up and noticed the lady is watching me and Shane. so I called Shane back and placed him back on the lead (in case she had any fears). She then asked if she could come closer.

I allow her, and told Shane "want to say hello?" This means, someone is approaching and I am allowing it, so he will be on his best behavior. Shane's ear perked up, and he stood tall, and waited till the lady approach. She was great, she did all the proper dog etiquett that only a dog person would know...she asked all sorts of questions....but this one question threw me off....

She asks..."what kind of dog is he?" I was taken aback, because one look at Shane and everyone knows...he is a German Shepherd. I never had anyone mistaken him for anything else. I would get "What kind of Shepherd...German or American." But never "what type of breed."

I reply..."He is a German Shepherd." In which she said, "No he isn't, or he has to be a mix dog." I meet Shane's parents, I picked him up from the litter, I raised him since he was 8 weeks old, I would know if my dog was a mix. 

I so kindly asked "what makes you think he is a mix?"

"His ears...they are too pointed and his coloring is all wrong. A German Shepherd should be black and tan. You have black, white and tan." Uhh...ok. "German Shepherd ears are pointed. They are suppose to stand up straight and they come in all sorts of colors. Black and tan, is what majority of German Shepherds are, but there are sables, tri-colors, all black, all white, there is no one set of color."

The lady had then proceeded to tell me I was wrong. "German Shepherd ears are not ALL the way pointed. The tips of the ears should be a little floppy."

Which I try to educate her, no that is actually a defect. And known as "Friendly ears." She goes "No, I grew up with a German Shepherd, and he had floppy ears. He was black and tan and he was pure breed." At this point, I couldn't say anything more. She was looking like a fool, so I said "well, I am sorry, but I disagree with you and my dog is a pure breed."

So I took myself and my "defective" dog on the other side of the field continue training. I do have people always question Shane's coloring, but never as a negative. Everyone I run into loves his coloring and I never, ever had anyone ever tell me my dog's ears are too pointed...everyone's a critic.


----------



## GSDLVR76 (Aug 6, 2007)

Don't you just love it when people think they know everything!! 

I have a guy at work that argued with me about one of the GSDs on K-9 Cops, he told me Rico, the long coat was not a GSD because GSD's do not have long coats. He said he was a Belgian Teurven (sp??). The funny thing is that he was a MWD handler before he changed jobs. I swear I thought he was going to lose his temper when I argued with him and then I told him to goggle a long coat. He hasn't said a word about it since.


----------



## MTAussie (Dec 9, 2007)

haha I have heard similiar comments! I had one guy tell me there is no such thing as a sable GSD! He basically thought that black and tan is the only color a GSD could be besides white. He didn't back down either. I just had to say "okay, maybe you should look it up and see if I am wrong." If only I had an iphone!! 
He was a k9 handler too  oh well I guess they make for entertaining stories!


----------



## GunnerJones (Jul 30, 2005)

unless they are total buttheads I let them know the early GSDs were sable and the Rin Tin Tin saddle types are relativly recent.


----------



## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I have a bi-color and am asked alot what kind of dog is she...


----------



## mikaK9 (Oct 8, 2007)

> Quote: So I took myself and my "defective" dog on the other side of the field continue training.












That's so funny. I've heard the same thing from people. Maybe some of these shows like k9 cops, that feature sables and a variety of GSD's, will educate more people.


----------



## CookieTN (Sep 14, 2008)

Pffft, some people think they know everything.








The pastor of the church I go to has a sable German Shepherd puppy that he got from my uncle's dog's last litter. He thinks that she's a Belgian Shepherd because of her sable color.


----------



## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

i got a good one last week - a guy yells to me "nice collie mix"... i didnt turn around because a) he was talking to someone else or b) he was talking to me and i wasnt in the mood to "argue"... so i shop a little and run into him again face to face...

"hey, i was trying to get your attention back there... gorgeous dog... collie and what else?"

oh... thanks... he's actually a long hair german shepherd

"no way, ha, i hope they didnt rip you off too bad, i dont think there's such thing as a long hair german shepherd... and i know a collie when i see one, grew up with em"

naw, there actually is such thing

"hmph, well i've never seen one" ...as he walks off with his bag of The Goodlife Recipe dog food.


----------



## CookieTN (Sep 14, 2008)

Well, I think that I know a Collie when I see one (though I could be wrong), but I don't see how anyone can mistake a GSD, even a long-haired one, for a Collie.


----------



## Riley's Mom (Jun 7, 2007)

Before I knew there were other flavors of GSD besides the Rin Tin Tin look, I too thought a long haired shepherd was a gsd/collie mix. There are so many different breeds of dogs and varieties within each breed that unless you're a really dedicated all around dog person, you're not going to know this. 

A few people have known Nissa is pure GSD right away







others ask "collie mix?" "she reminds me of Belgian Turv" or "what kind of mix is she?" or any number of other questions in their quest to learn more about her looks. The lady this original post was about, sounds like she understood from childhood that GSD's have just one look and your dog didn't match that so he couldn't possibly be GSD. These are probably the same people that believe Poodles only come in white. 

If you think about it, it's kind of sad - think of all this person is missing in her life. Sounds like she was raised with a very narrow mind.


----------



## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

well i think the key is to be open to learning instead of being ready to accuse someone of lying. even when its as simple as "is she pure" yep "oh, she looks like a mix" i have to stop there because they've obviously got their minds made up, but i suppose they _could_ just be stating their opinion







ive never had anyone get as snarky as the op experienced. i just thought it was funny in my situation that the man was SO SURE that my dog wasnt a lhgsd - then goes on to state that he hadn't seen one before (to even recognize one). hopefully when he sees another one everything will click.... OR... he'll argue that person down too.

i was ALMOST informed recently of wirehaired & miniature dalmations - my eyebrows did some scrunching, but even then i was going to keep my mouth shut until i'd made it to a computer... then we realized that he meant to say daschund and it was all good for a laugh.


----------



## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

but then...

i guess we could always tell them _"well you know i have his pedigree tattooed on my







, i can show you if you'd like"_


----------



## Syaoransbear (Sep 25, 2008)

Chrono is pure black and everyone asks what kind of dog he is, or what he's mixed with. They all look skeptical when I say he's pure bred, and just happens to be all black.


----------



## GSD07 (Feb 23, 2007)

I have the same conversations as above over and over again. One time when I replied that Anton was not a lab mix but a GSD a woman looked back at me and said sarcasticly "Yah, right!" suggesting probably that I was making this up to feel good about my dog or something. Another time I was asked if he was a designer breed. Well, at least it's better than calling him a werewolf which happened too.


----------



## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

Otto has that stock east german build and baby curls unless I spend 20 minutes brushing then straight before we head out. I get it all the time, what kind of dog is that? duuurrr

Never had anyone tell me that they know for a fact he's not a german shepherd, I don't let it get that far becuase if someone is going to be a condescending know it all fool with me, they'll get it back in triplicate. Also, I usually have Morgan with me and there's no questioning what breed she is (although a little kid asked me once if she was a pitbull)


----------



## marylou (Apr 21, 2006)

Misha has double "flaws" - she has a soft ear and a gay tail. I get asked alot what she is mixed with; expecially when she is excited and her tail is curled up!

Chaos is a sable; so I get "boy, he looks like a coyote!". 

I







my imperfect beasties....


----------



## littledmc17 (Apr 9, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: Camerafodderbut then...
> 
> i guess we could always tell them _"well you know i have his pedigree tattooed on my
> 
> ...


That is beautiful can I use it sometime!!!

OMG this thread is killing me, hysterical at how STUPID and IGNORANT people are. Make me want to









Yeah Otto isn't a GSD at all I told you Brady had the same fur when he was Otto's age!!! Morgan a pitbull








now thats funny.


----------



## dhonner (Nov 27, 2007)

I had a woman insist that my (purebred) Allie was part wolf. No GSD would like like she did. (whatever)

I ignore people who insist on telling me anything. I usually say, 'oh that's an interesting perspective' and walk away. Isn't worth my time or energy. 

Now Samson is another story. Our vet insists that he is 99% GSD but I have never seen a coat like his - he has gorgeous, soft white fur on his chest and belly and his tail curls. I thought he had something else in him. But his ears are perfectly pointed, has a stunning muzzle, and huge paws. When strangers ask us what kind of dog he is, now I say, I don't know his DNA but he sure is a loving dog. I get a lot of 'awwwes' with that answer.


----------



## k9sarneko (Jan 31, 2007)

How about this one, my 3 are 68 75 and 85lbs respectively and all well within the height perameters for a pure breed gsd. I was asked if they were "mini" shepherds because the person asking just knew they should be much bigger. Also my smallest female (with a pedigree much better than mine) is frequently accused of being part chow because she has the black "tatoo" birth marks on her tounge and "must be a chow with a partly black tounge" ha ha. Even with a breed that people think they know so well, there is so much ignorance


----------



## BJDimock (Sep 14, 2008)

All my Fidelco girls have fallen in the 60-65 lb range and I've frequently been asked if they're pups.(They've all been over a year old when the question was posed) I was asked not too long ago by a passer by if Ilan suffered from dwarfism. (I think I just looked at him. Not much to say to that.) However, Frodo seems to fall within the average persons breed standard. He is your typical balck and tan and at 4 months, has just lost the roly poly look. He's my mini man! Apparently others think so too, because 2 weeks back, while leaving work, the last client of the day saw him as we were walking out. She hit the floor and called him to her, and as she snuggled with my pup, exclaimed "I had no idea they were breeding mini shephards!! I want one!!!"


----------



## IliamnasQuest (Aug 24, 2005)

I remember when I got my first GSD - a big male named "Dawson" - I was at a training class and another guy with a GSD walked up to me, looked down his nose at Dawson and said "well, THAT'S not a purebred shepherd!". I was kind of taken aback by that because Dawson was the classic black and tan, very masculine looking and no one had ever questioned his breed before. But since he was so big, this guy insisted that he couldn't be purebred.

We went through training classes with this guy (an ex-cop) for years, competed in the same venues and I'm happy to say that Dawson beat his dog on more than one occasion (winning "High Scoring GSD" over Fritz at some shows). And Dawson completed his Utility Dog title - Fritz never did. His owner trained in a very harsh military manner and poor Fritz just burned out and gave up.

The girls I have now are sometimes questioned as Trick is mostly black, and Tazer is a sable and very small (she probably doesn't hit 60 pounds). People seem to want the classic GSD look and expect that anything else is mixed.

Melanie and the gang in Alaska


----------



## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

all in one morning (but at a dog fair so i won't complain)

first
"is that some kind of shepherd mix"
no, he's just a long haired german shepherd
"really? how old is he?"
two in a few months
"ya, he looks young, but still too thin of a body to be a full shepherd - did you see that shepherd over there (a dog i actually know from the park), how nice and filled out he is"
yes, he's 4 and intact

second
"now is he a shepherd mix or somethin?"
he's a long haired german shepherd
"interesting"
(same guy a little later)
"the lady over there is saying she's got a long haired german shepherd"
"me either"
"mumble mumble, collie, mumble, retriever"
"well i wasnt going to argue with her"

third
"oh how gorgeous - a belgian?"
nope, a german shepherd
"really, a long hair? he looks like a belgian or a shiloh"
ya, i get that pretty often
"and you dont think he is"
i dont (with a smile)
*we both laugh*


----------



## valleydog (Jan 18, 2005)

When Molly was a puppy a crossing guard in Northridge asked me if she was a hyena. She was dead serious.


----------



## GunnerJones (Jul 30, 2005)

"Is that a mix?"


"No, it's a Carpathien man eating wolf, so please step back, she's feeling a little edgy today"


----------



## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

> Originally Posted By: MaxGunnar"No, it's a Carpathien man eating wolf, so please step back, she's feeling a little edgy today"


Good one! Better than my FIL's line of 'No, it's an african booze hound' (sorry he's a bit racist but it's still funny)


----------



## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

I get this all the time! Tessa is a sable and no one thinks she can be a purebred. "what's she mixed with?" "german shepherd" "no, where did the color come from?" "german shepherd..." lol. Then I explain sable is actually the dominant coat pattern. 

Tessa is 70 lbs and Logan is about 75 lbs, 24" and 25" tall. I ALWAYS get people saying they're too small to be german shepherds. Drives me nuts! I explain that actually Tessa is at the max height for females under the breed standard.


----------



## LydiaZ (Oct 21, 2008)

I get asked if Franklin is at least part wolf all the time because he is mostly black and he got the flat coat of the white GSD, which is what his mother is. Sometimes people seem so shocked that he is pure bred. I think that there are just alot of mythes to what GSD's really are supposed to look and act like.


----------



## Bridget (Apr 5, 2004)

A while back, a guy at the dog park asked me if Heidi is "a german shepherd or a police dog?" I was a little taken aback and didn't know how to answer. He was the type who wasn't likely to let anyone educate him anyway. Finally, I said "German shepherd," since she is not employed by the police.


----------



## Riley's Mom (Jun 7, 2007)

Isn't the bottom line that we know what our dogs are and that it really doesn't matter what someone else may think or believe? They're entitled to their thoughts whether they be right or wrong. 

So far it's not bothered me at all when someone asks "what kind of dog" questions no matter how they phrase their question or make their comment(s). If they ask, I just proudly say she's a German Shepherd. I haven't found anyone who's been argumentative with me. I've had people that know right away what she is and those that don't just get wide-eyed and complimentary. 

Sure, it would be nice if everyone recognized her as a GSD on first sight, but I don't expect that because I chose a GSD that doesn't look like what the majority of the population considers a GSD to look like. From what I've seen and heard, the standard GSD and maybe blacks and whites are about it for a large number of people. They simply just don't know other varieties are out there.


----------



## CookieTN (Sep 14, 2008)

It's doesn't bother me if someone asks me what kind of dog I have either. It would be when they tell me what kind of dog I have when I get mad. Though I would probably either just walk away or politely tell them that they're wrong if they got my dog's breed wrong. But I may rant online when I got home.








Though, there are people who think that they're dog is something it obviously isn't.
They do have the right to their opinions and I probably wouldn't get too upset unless they were rude about their opinion.


----------



## Caledon (Nov 10, 2008)

I wonder if that woman in the park was my sister. She knows everything and is always right. lol

A friend of mine saw my pup for the first time last week and asked me if she was a purebreed shepherd. I replied, yes, and then he said that the other shepherds he has seen must have been mixed. I just think that he has never seen a german shepherd puppy and was surprised . She does not have a sadle yet.


----------



## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: Riley's Mom I haven't found anyone who's been argumentative with me.


this is _why_ it hasn't bothered you. after being argued down _regularly_ it could start to get to you... just sayin









of course the bottom line is that we know what our dogs are and it doesnt matter what they think, but in some of these instances i think it crosses a line of respect.

my dogs are out with me aaaaaaaall the time and we can encounter 100 people easy in a day - if i mention 5 'arguments', i'm sure there are 15 nods or compliments that i've received as well... not what the thread is about tho


----------



## Liljah (Jan 20, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: Camerafodder if i mention 5 'arguments', i'm sure there are 15 nods or compliments that i've received as well... not what the thread is about tho


You are right -- as much as I get people telling me Shane is NOT pure breed, I do get more compliments and "wow's." But sometimes, you don't want to be bothered and have to explain to that small percentage that "yes my dog is a German Shepherd." That is where the irritation comes in for me, when I explain and yet the person continues to argue.


----------



## nitetrane98 (Feb 23, 2008)

Mack and I were at the river last weekend with a bunch of other folks and their friends and kids, about 15-20 people I guess. After the obligatory shooting sesion we were all sitting around the fire enjoying adult beverages and Mack was blessing everybody with his presence when one of the younger guys' girlfriend asks, "So what is he, like a mutt or something? You could have heard a pin drop until everybody started laughing. Everybody nearly in unison said, "He's a German Shepherd." She said, "OH that's what a German Shepherd looks like, I've heard of them but I've never seen one before." She just didn't know.


----------



## DrDoom (Nov 7, 2007)

I get comments all the time. Bear is a long-stock coat. People constantly tell me he can't be a Shepherd. I don't care, so I don't argue, but it still bugs me. There is one particular "trainer" in our area who has a son the same age as mine. Consequently she is at all the same sporting events we are, and sees Bear all the time. She will tell anyone withini earshot that he can't be a Shepherd, that he is a Belgian Teruvian no question. It is so annoying. Mainly, because it just constantly feeds people wrong info, and the OTHER, MORE IMPORTANT reason is because the people she's telling this to are the same people who will vote on breed bans and doggy laws. The same people who think Bear is a wonderful dog will NOT think he's a GSD and therefore vote AGAINST them. They will not KNOW that the dog they love and talk to every time there's a baseball game is a GSD and will be forced to change because of this ignorant law. THAT bothers me.


----------



## Baby Byron (Aug 20, 2002)

Both Arrow and Sidney were full black long coats and between 100-120 lbs (not fat, big frames). And nobody believed me when I said 1) they were GSD, the long coat kind and 2) they were pure breed. Almost everyone would try to remind me that "wolf-hybrids are illegal in IL you know"... oh well... Gus is also long coat but his coat is red and black. We get the occasional "collie mix" comment or the scrunched eyebrows accompanied by a "I'm-not-buying-that" tone. I understand folks might have not seen a LC before but why does everybody seem to doubt you first these days?


----------



## DinoBlue (Apr 11, 2007)

People are too funny. Just gets me when the argue with me about what they think my dog really is.

I was out with Eyra, my black gsd, last week and a man approaching me yelled out "hey, your dog has his ears up". That was a new one for me. I asked him what _her_ ears were supposed to do. He said that "those dogs don't have their ears up"...we all know what he thought she was







...the look on his face was funny when I said her ears are perfect since she is a german shepherd...


----------



## Mandalay (Apr 21, 2008)

people ask all the time if mandi is mixed with a Lab b/c she has so much black in her coat. my neighbor asked if she wasn't a little on the small side. they have a golden that is about 15 pounds overweight, so i can see why they'd think my not quite 10 mo old 70# puppy is small. mandi is probably about 27 inches now, so i know she is not small, and while she has some filling out to do, she is only 9 months old. 

i wonder if they think the same thing about my 5 mo old skin kid?


----------



## emjworks05 (May 30, 2008)

I always have people ask if my dogs are shepherd/wolf mix. Why they would think that i have no idea. They both look like they are PB.


----------



## Rügen (Mar 19, 2008)

My favorites:
About my white female:

"She is a wolf mix, look at her legs"

"Adolf Hitler had WGSDs. He trained them to kill people"







I walked <u>slowly</u> away from this unbalance young man. 


Haven't heard much about Rugen being a mix. But at the farmers market I did get to have this interaction:

Jack @** said, "Cute Shepherd, but he's going to have serious problems with his hips." (Nice how people talk out of their @** as if it's fact!)
I countered; "No, actually he is a West German Showline The sloped top line is pretty common. His parent’s hips are excellent."
Jack said, "Yeah right, hope you got a guarantee." 
me,







"I did."
Jack walking away, "good for you."

I should have commented on Jack's uncanny ability to see into the future (pup was 4 months old). Or maybe on his super human X-ray vision. 


Sometimes they just get under your skin.


----------



## mjbgsd (Jun 29, 2004)

> Originally Posted By: Caras_GSD
> Jack @** said, "Cute Shepherd, but he's going to have serious problems with his hips." (Nice how people talk out of their @** as if it's fact!)
> I countered; "No, actually he is a West German Showline The sloped top line is pretty common. His parent’s hips are excellent."
> Jack said, "Yeah right, hope you got a guarantee."
> ...


You actually had someone say that to you about a German showline dog? That is so odd, I get many comments on how Isa can walk.







(no offence to american showline dogs)
But the number two questions I get that I get so PO'd about is "why is your dogs so small" and "are they a shepherd." I get this just about every time I go out with my dogs and it gets me so angry that I now just say in a rude tone, "*Yes they're purebred and no they aren't small*!!" I'm tired of people saying stuff like this and I can't keep my cool down. I use to be in 4H dogs and I was in it for 5 years and EVERY year I went to my fair and state fair, there was always people asking me those two questions. So yea, I think I have the right to be a little angry about those questions after hearing them for so long. 
I've also had people ask if Isa was a Doberman, how the f*** do they get that??!?







(excuse the langauge)
I feel for everyone here cause I've been through it. Even the arguing...


----------



## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

I've had lots of people say that about Morgan over the years. Her hips ofa'd fair and she's always had a bit of a wiggle after she's been walking for a while. I used to let it bother me then I got high and mighty to tell people she's a shelter dog and what would you prefer have happened to her if she didn't live with someone who would truly love her?

Oh and the short skinny what's wrong with her why isn't she tall? Used to get to me too. Then I started asking 'Do you know how tall a female shepherd is supposed to be?' When the fool would say 'Um, much bigger' I'd say, no actually, she's as tall as they're allowed to be in germany. Then walk away...

Treating rudeness with rudeness, Oh Yes, That's Me!


----------



## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: mjbgsd
> I've also had people ask if Isa was a Doberman, how the f*** do they get that??!?
> 
> 
> ...


when gia was a pup and about 20lbs lighter - i got doberman pretty regularly. it took awhile for her coat to come in and for the first 2yrs it looked as if she were walking on stilts. on top of that she's a bi color so i halfway understood.

tilden on the other had is a b/r coatie and the first or second day that i got him - a woman wasnt being rude, just naive i guess with an arrogant undertone, she said that he looked strange and that he had to have just a little sheltie (







) or dobie in him. i just told her that google can be an amazing tool in situations like these


----------

