# Are people scared of your German shepherd?



## DakotaOfNorthK9

Where I am, German shepherd dogs are feared. A lot- I am assuming. Out in public, are people scared of your GSD? 

What happens to me::

1. One time when Dakota was FOUR MONTHS old, someone said she was creepy.
2. When walking, some people will look at me funny or Dakota. Or nasty looks, when looking at Dakota.
3. One time I was at the beach and a little girl walked up to Dakota. Dakota just stood there and didn't jump, and the mother called the little girl with a panicked voice and scared look and the little girl went back. Two minutes later, someone with a Golden Retriever showed up that was pulling, yipping and running around and the little girl walked up to that dog and the mother went and started talking with the person and petting the dog.


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## DaniFani

It's funny that someone said she/he was creepy. I was out with my 12 week old pup yesterday and a little boy said, "your dog is creepy." I said, "well, he's very nice, would you like to pet him." And he came over, very VERY timidly, and my little guy sat back and let him pet him so nicely. Little boy thought it was great. I couldn't believe he thought he was creepy, he's a puppy! lol

I love changing people's perception of the GSD, especially kids. I don't care as much about adults, but I'll stop what I'm doing to let a little kid see that they aren't all mean, scary, dogs.


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## Courtney

Sometimes. By looks only & not behavior.


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## boomer11

i mean what do you expect? people see german shepherds used by police and military. they see videos of shepherds biting bad guys. there is a certain intimidation factor and i dont know about you but my dog sure wouldnt win any beauty contests.


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## llombardo

When they were puppies no, adolescent age yes, more mature no. I find that now that they are older people are intrigued by them. I have more people approach me and they are thrilled to be able to pet a German Shepherd. My dogs don't go out of their way to approach people, but they automatically sit when people approach them, which makes them very approachable. Kids are a whole other ball game, both my GSD's adore kids and seem to prefer them over adults.


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## Carriesue

Kids seem to be the most afraid of my GSD... I've had a mixed bag of results with adults from people acting outright afraid to people gushing over him and taking photos.


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## Xena9012

When people with little kids come over they assume when we say our dog is a puppy that it will be small. When they actually see Xena they get freaked out and don't want their kid anywhere near her even if it's on the other side of a fence.


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## Vagus

My current one: not really, but he's a goofy looking long coat. My previous one: alll the time. He was very tall, mostly black and quite intimidating looking. I'm not really fussed either way though. On a side note - do you have two accounts, or are there just two new people who both have GSDs called Dakota from NorthK9?

My dogs life story


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## David Winners

Sometimes


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## MichaelE

People will almost always cross the street before approaching us so I'd say yes.

You'd have to know the neighborhood though to appreciate that. They're also afraid of the po-leece.


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## JakodaCD OA

mine, sometimes by looks not actions. I guess there aren't many or any, sables in my area, because I'm always getting the "wolf" thing


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## jafo220

I haven't really ran across anyone affraid of Cruz. At least not where they have said anything negative about him in that manner. My family on Christmas this year got a big supprise as they haven't seen him in a few months. They were kind of taken back by his size and exuberance. They sort of leaned back while standing with thier eyes about the size of halfdollars. I kind of chuckled on the inside.

Oh wait. There is someone affraid of Cruz.....our housecat. Couldn't forget Nekko. They just have never gotten along. All I have to do is jingle Cruz's dog tags and it sends Nekko to the basement pronto. Meh, thats about it.


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## doggiedad

my dog isn't offended by what people think of him
so it doesn't matter what people say about him or
their attitude towards him.

some people are afraid of dogs and it doesn't matter 
what breed. if we encounter someone that's leary
i give them plenty of space.

i maintain an ambassadorial manner when it comes
to my dog and his breed.


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## Angelina03

Some are, some aren't. It depends mostly on whether Rocco is paying attention to them or not. If he's looking at them, people seem to be more afraid. If he's just walking by them (like at the pet store), many will pet him and try to get his attention. Either way, most people are very intrigued by him. Last Halloween, lots of us were "trick-o-treating" including Rocco. A little boy saw him, yelled out "a police dog", ran up to him, and hugged him. I panicked for a second because Rocco doesn't respond well when rushed. But to my relief, he just stood there and let the boy hug him. Rocco loves kids, he's just too brute when excited or playful. 


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## Good_Karma

My mother in law was scared of Niko when he was a puppy for some reason. I think she was afraid of the dog he could have been, rather than the dog he grew up to be. Not that he is perfect, but he likes her and would never hurt her.

No one else has ever said they were scared of him, or acted like they were scared of him. Although I do think he made one female trainer I used a bit nervous. He doesn't warm up to women very much for some reason. She never once tried to be affectionate to him, which honestly was probably a smart decision on her part. He is not aggressive to humans but he barks at people he doesn't know well and doesn't want to be touched by strangers, although he will tolerate it for short periods of time.


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## KayForbes

After yesterday the lady that came into my work sure is. I had Stella up on her climb out front in the lobby on one of the bunk bed Kurandas when this lady came in to pick up her dogs. Immediately she asked to pet her over and over again (there is a large sign that says please don't pet me I am in training) I finally caved and said yes. The woman was a larger women and approached her very slowly with her hands out, Stella did what she normally does with strangers and just melted on her side so the woman could pet her belly, when Stella looked away for a slight second the woman reached to pet her and Stella turned and growled. The lady backed off, let her sniff her then tried to pet her again and Stella got really nervous to where I thought she was going to jump off her climb. Finally, the lady left her alone. I've never seen her act like this before I have seen her nervous around new people but she normally warms right up to them.. idk it was very frustrating, I'm not sure to be mad at myself for letting the woman pet her or to be upset with Stella for acting like that :/

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## Gretchen

Some people are. They will cross the street of move off the sidewalk during our walks.
Parents will grab their toddlers hands if we walk by the playground near our park.
I've been told to leave Home Depot when I brought Molly, they lied and said dogs are not allowed. My last visit there were 4 dogs in the store. 
When Molly is at my office, she acts like a guard dog, and they appropriately should be scared of her there.


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## llombardo

David Winners said:


> Sometimes


Is this a real picture of you or someone you know or a pic from the Internet?


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## Sunflowers

You have a breed of dog that most people associate with police and military. What do you expect?

Yes, people fear Hans. Except for those who have, had or know someone who owns a good Shepherd.


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## misslesleedavis1

I had a lady in the post office jump back and scream "get that thing away from me", well my dog was on a short leash and was not near her lol. I would say he does throw the fear into some but that is only by looks not attitude. He does not get all tail waggy or curious to meet people, he just stands there and stares at them. i think that may put people off


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## GSDlover143

misslesleedavis1 said:


> I had a lady in the post office jump back and scream "get that thing away from me", well my dog was on a short leash and was not near her lol. I would say he does throw the fear into some but that is only by looks not attitude. He does not get all tail waggy or curious to meet people, he just stands there and stares at them. i think that may put people off


People can be so rude. -.- I got that All the time with my previous shepherd.

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## misslesleedavis1

GSDlover143 said:


> People can be so rude. -.- I got that All the time with my previous shepherd.
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


It was rude, maybe she was absolutely terrified of all pups, my sons grandparents on his dads side wont come up my drive way..they dont have anything against GSDs they are just plain terrified of ALL dogs


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## trcy

Only the uninformed. The people who matter are not. 

Anyway. I give plenty of space to people while we are out. If they are scared of him I'm not going to make it worse by getting in their comfort zone.


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## ken k

I get a few that are afraid of Max, then I also get the ones that just walk up and start petting him, then ask, while they are petting him, "does he bite", I finally came up with an answer to that question, I tell them, "I dont know hes not mine"


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## trcy

nobody has ever just walked up and pet my dogs. I think it's because I see them coming and can give a "stay away from me" look or body language. They have always asked to pet them. If I don't want to be bother by people when we are out the GSD wears a vest that says "do not pet".


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## Darth_Ariel

There's only been two people who were afraid of him. A woman who is terrified of all Shepherds who walked behind us but wasn't rude and just asked if he bit, and a mom who pushed her son behind her. 

I never really mind, I think it helps that he's small and people are going to assume he's a young puppy for life.


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## misslesleedavis1

When i first got Tyson he belonged to the rescue and i had to walk him with a muzzle on. He had a order from the township of georgina, so the rescue did not want to risk it. So away for the first while before adopting him he was muzzled and i everytime i ran younger men they always went out of there way to stand right infront of my path with there arms crossed staring at tyson and i. It was like some odd act of macho man syndrome. Bizzare  i continued on my merry going around them..has not happened since he does not wear a muzzle anymore.


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## Mac's Mom

I would say mine is more often admired than feared. Except for the Fed Ex guy & the cop. None of the kids in my area are afraid of him. People with small dogs seem intimidated more than anything.


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## GSDlover143

Mac's Mom said:


> I would say mine is more often admired than feared. Except for the Fed Ex guy & the cop. None of the kids in my area are afraid of him. People with small dogs seem intimidated more than anything.


Same. People do this with Zeus. They are more admiring of him cause all he does is wag his tail and shows he's friendly. My last girl Emery was very wolf like. She was a red sable. But many people though she was a wolf of coyote.

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## Mac's Mom

GSDlover143 said:


> Same. People do this with Zeus. They are more admiring of him cause all he does is wag his tail and shows he's friendly. My last girl Emery was very wolf like. She was a red sable. But many people though she was a wolf of coyote.
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


I know what you mean. They are attracted by the shear beauty of Mac and feel comfortable because of his friendly demeanor.


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## MyHans-someBoy

Since he's dropped the big, eager, goofy, puppy personality for the more GSD-like aloof personality, he comes across much less approachable and not nearly as many people do ask to pet him.

The only time I've ever seen him really scare someone was one time at night while we were walking, two guys were approaching us, having quite a conversation, and didn't seem to notice us until Hans let out a deep, serious sounding growl and bark. He continued until I told him it was ok. The two guys stopped in their tracks immediately.

The odd thing was...one of them was Hans' previous owner. 



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## ladyb

David Winners said:


> Sometimes


Hahahahaha!!!! Rightfully so....


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## Alina

As a puppy when i got Ace people would always want to pet and hold him since i got him at only 6 weeks and id carry him around up on my shoulder:wub: but once he hit about 3 months people started avoiding me and him lol hes very dark and intimidating and is getting pretty decent size so even my neighbors are scared  i like it that way tho since i live in a not so gr8 area  to each his own i guess


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## OUbrat79

I live in a town not to far outside of Memphis and I have found that the people who seem most scared of Ammo are older black people. I think a lot of it has to do with the horrible things they had to endure and watched their parents endure during the civil rights movement. 

I am always very careful around people who are scared of him. I will make him sit or lay down so they can walk past him. If they are still scared I will move him to the side away from them. I work very hard to let people know that he is a very gentle dog. 


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## GrammaD

Yes. I really don't care. I used to worry about it, as well as worry that I had failed to socialize him because he doesn't like strangers. Now if people ask if they can pet him I say no. I don't invite children either, although he loves kids and would accept their petting. I've decided it is not a bad thing to discourage people from thinking a GSD is approachable and something they should get for themselves. Huxley is not like my lab, nor should he be, and the breed is not a good fit for most people, imo.


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## GSDlover143

GrammaD said:


> Yes. I really don't care. I used to worry about it, as well as worry that I had failed to socialize him because he doesn't like strangers. Now if people ask if they can pet him I say no. I don't invite children either, although he loves kids and would accept their petting. I've decided it is not a bad thing to discourage people from thinking a GSD is approachable and something they should get for themselves. Huxley is not like my lab, nor should he be, and the breed is not a good fit for most people, imo.


Honestly I think GSDs are better than most family dogs. Not saying others are.not great... But I think they do very well with different types of people. I wouldn't say MOST people. 

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## GrammaD

GSDlover143 said:


> Honestly I think GSDs are better than most family dogs. Not saying others are.not great... But I think they do very well with different types of people. I wouldn't say MOST people.
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


I think they are great family dogs, for an active and engaged family  But, at least where I am, the majority of pet owners don't fall into that category. I also think they require a more.... nuanced ability in terms of training. Again, not common. 

There are also a lot of GSD's like my Huxley out there. He's smart. Biddable. Pretty low drive and basically a couch potato in the house. But his nerves are poor. If he had ended up in an average pet owner home it would not have ended well.


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## GSDlover143

GrammaD said:


> I think they are great family dogs, for an active and engaged family  But, at least where I am, the majority of pet owners don't fall into that category. I also think they require a more.... nuanced ability in terms of training. Again, not common.
> 
> There are also a lot of GSD's like my Huxley out there. He's smart. Biddable. Pretty low drive and basically a couch potato in the house. But his nerves are poor. If he had ended up in an average pet owner home it would not have ended well.


I agree with you: ) not all people can handle that. But they definitely are great!

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## missus_e

My mom is terrified of GSDs, and she told me yesterday that our girl is intimidating. She's _seven weeks old_.


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## MichaelE

GrammaD said:


> Yes. I really don't care. I used to worry about it, as well as worry that I had failed to socialize him because he doesn't like strangers. Now if people ask if they can pet him I say no. I don't invite children either, although he loves kids and would accept their petting. I've decided it is not a bad thing to discourage people from thinking a GSD is approachable and something they should get for themselves. Huxley is not like my lab, nor should he be, and the breed is not a good fit for most people, imo.


So did I. I don't worry about it anymore. I might if I lived somewhere else. Those that Lisl allows to approach and allow her to be pet know who they are and those that move out of our way I wouldn't want them petting her anyway.

She knows and likes everyone at the businesses we patronize in town, and along with my family and Vet, those are the only people she has to be friendly with.


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## meek

I had my 11 month old at the vets the other day and NO one would sit by us in the waiting room. Although I heard a lot of people saying how pretty he is. Well my thought, He's a HAM!


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## JackandMattie

Some are, most aren't. He's the classically recognizable B\T, so I've heard my share of he's a K-9 fearful comments. But we get way more positive reactions, overall. My job has me living in a fairly economically depressed county, and he's just about the most recognizable purebred (big deal with the locals) dog around, so he actually gets tons of compliments. Even my vet told me a couple of weeks ago that's Jack is about the best example of a GSD he's seen around here. Which kinda cracked me up because my puppy mill rescue is handsome in my eyes, but not about to win any awards for conformation  And the vet and his staff beamed when they told me how sweet and gentle he was with them... As if, lol!

But my old neighbors had some irrational fear of him that ended up causing us to find a different house, so it goes both ways. 

One thing I have realized, is that little girls between the ages of 6 and 10 tend to be his biggest fans, and he reciprocates. He is gentler than a lamb accepting their affection. I think he would literally let a little girl lead him to slaughter with a bounce in his stride, poor critter. Good thing I don't have an irrational fear of evil little girls, hehe. He is Too cute with them!!!


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## Ava_Shepsky

A LOT of people (dog people) approach me and ask me about her eyes and whatnot. My neighbor down the street has a two year old and they aren't scared of her nor is the baby. (Ava LOVES babies lol) but my neighbor next door has a day care out of her house and she's scared to death of her even though Ava has never given her a reason to be scared. That same lady's husband loves Ava and repeatedly offers me money for her LOL (joking of course since his wife would kill him) 
But I guess some others are scared of her too as I can clear a sidewalk on a busy street when I walk with her. And honestly I LOVE that feeling! It's one of the main reasons I got a dog that big- so people will stay the bleep away from me hahaha. I'm a small girl. 125lbs at my heaviest! I've been in bad situations before and I just have no fear whatsoever when I've got a 70lb beast of a dog by my side. Not one. 
I'll actually be linking up with a trainer soon to find out if shes got the makings to be any good as a protection dog. That's something I'd love to see her excell at... In a few years though, she's still pretty much a baby


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## GSD_Dakota

Vagus said:


> My current one: not really, but he's a goofy looking long coat. My previous one: alll the time. He was very tall, mostly black and quite intimidating looking. I'm not really fussed either way though. On a side note - do you have two accounts, or are there just two new people who both have GSDs called Dakota from NorthK9?
> 
> My dogs life story



This account wasn't working earlier, it kept saying the password was incorrect so I went on my other account. I don't know why I didn't use that one though lol But yeah Im the same person.


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## GSD_Dakota

Ava_Shepsky said:


> A LOT of people (dog people) approach me and ask me about her eyes and whatnot. My neighbor down the street has a two year old and they aren't scared of her nor is the baby. (Ava LOVES babies lol) but my neighbor next door has a day care out of her house and she's scared to death of her even though Ava has never given her a reason to be scared. That same lady's husband loves Ava and repeatedly offers me money for her LOL (joking of course since his wife would kill him)
> But I guess some others are scared of her too as I can clear a sidewalk on a busy street when I walk with her. And honestly I LOVE that feeling! It's one of the main reasons I got a dog that big- so people will stay the bleep away from me hahaha. I'm a small girl. 125lbs at my heaviest! I've been in bad situations before and I just have no fear whatsoever when I've got a 70lb beast of a dog by my side. Not one.
> I'll actually be linking up with a trainer soon to find out if shes got the makings to be any good as a protection dog. That's something I'd love to see her excell at... In a few years though, she's still pretty much a baby



That does make sense.. I mean, I have to admit, big solid black male German shepherds are pretty intimidating but I know ALL dogs can be nice. But I think intimidating dogs can be thankful at times lol! Just not when they always get nasty looks though


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## GSDlover143

Ava_Shepsky said:


> A LOT of people (dog people) approach me and ask me about her eyes and whatnot. My neighbor down the street has a two year old and they aren't scared of her nor is the baby. (Ava LOVES babies lol) but my neighbor next door has a day care out of her house and she's scared to death of her even though Ava has never given her a reason to be scared. That same lady's husband loves Ava and repeatedly offers me money for her LOL (joking of course since his wife would kill him)
> But I guess some others are scared of her too as I can clear a sidewalk on a busy street when I walk with her. And honestly I LOVE that feeling! It's one of the main reasons I got a dog that big- so people will stay the bleep away from me hahaha. I'm a small girl. 125lbs at my heaviest! I've been in bad situations before and I just have no fear whatsoever when I've got a 70lb beast of a dog by my side. Not one.
> I'll actually be linking up with a trainer soon to find out if shes got the makings to be any good as a protection dog. That's something I'd love to see her excell at... In a few years though, she's still pretty much a baby


Can you post a pic of you dog?? 

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## marbury

Yep. On looks only. I have had people literally run across the road when they realized I had a shepherd or two with me. I live in a 'bad' area. Reactions are racially linked; hate to say it, but there's no way around it. I especially enjoy the parent screaming at their child (who is enjoying petting my calm, delightful shepherd) to "GET THE [explicative of your choice] AWAY FROM THAT DOG, HE BITE YA"


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## GSDlover143

Ava_Shepsky said:


> A LOT of people (dog people) approach me and ask me about her eyes and whatnot. My neighbor down the street has a two year old and they aren't scared of her nor is the baby. (Ava LOVES babies lol) but my neighbor next door has a day care out of her house and she's scared to death of her even though Ava has never given her a reason to be scared. That same lady's husband loves Ava and repeatedly offers me money for her LOL (joking of course since his wife would kill him)
> But I guess some others are scared of her too as I can clear a sidewalk on a busy street when I walk with her. And honestly I LOVE that feeling! It's one of the main reasons I got a dog that big- so people will stay the bleep away from me hahaha. I'm a small girl. 125lbs at my heaviest! I've been in bad situations before and I just have no fear whatsoever when I've got a 70lb beast of a dog by my side. Not one.
> I'll actually be linking up with a trainer soon to find out if shes got the makings to be any good as a protection dog. That's something I'd love to see her excell at... In a few years though, she's still pretty much a baby


You just followed me on instagram huh?  Zeusthegsd

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## selzer

Not usually. Most of the people respect them.


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## Jaxx's mom

Yes.
I have people cross the road, and just give mean looks. 
Today I was very upset when my friends dad (he was joking) said," Here is a fun trick... Wait for a car to come and then let him off the leash and have him run across the road to me!" I was so upset, and usually these remarks don't get to me, but this one did ;( 
And, my friend has an Australian shepherd who is VERY hyper, always jumping and running and getting in jaxx's face, and we know that they don't like each other, yet her brothers insist that they walk keeper while me and my friend play with Jaxx. And when my friend took keeper home her brother said," why do we always take keeper home and she never takes Jaxx home?" 
Well I wanted to say," maybe because I walked from my house to your house. if I take Jaxx back I am not coming back." 
But, I didn't. 
And I kept hearing from her little brother,"he's SO scary!" 
Then, he tried to get Jaxx to jump on him! Then he asks if he can hold the leash! I mean really! It just annoys me! 


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## Ava_Shepsky

GSDlover143 said:


> Can you post a pic of you dog??
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


I tried once and found it too complicated X: LOL shame too as I have like 3,000 photos on my phone...mostly of her. I know people here always wanna see her. 
And yes I did just follow you haha! You can make yourself dizzy looking at her on IG


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## adom

*my husband was bitten by a dog mother*

One day I walked the road with my husband and we saw a small dog was lying on the half slippers around the road and barked.From its barking we know it maybe hurt,so my husband went closer to that small dog and try to help it but suddenly,one big dog came out and bit my husband due to this dog was not too big,so it's not serious.Then we have to go to hosiptal. I just want to say,not all of dogs needs us to help as they thinks we might hurt its child.


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## FortheLoveofChari

First time I ever got a bad reaction to Chari was at Petsmart for Halloween photos. I was in line, and Chari was wearing an angel costume and a lady ahead of me had a pit bull who turned to sniff Chari, she looked back then pulled her dog away sneering at me, then said something along the lines of 'keep your dog away from mine' something about my dog being aggressive. And no lie! Chari just stood in place, tail slightly wagging and sniffed back at her pit bull...but you know...I mean..her dog's breed doesn't have a bad reputation or anything...

I was very taken back by it and then said, "My dog isn't aggressive, she's quite placid.." She would hear nothing I had to say. 

Second, was how many times I was at a fair or festival with Chari and I would end up parting seas of black people. It REALLY was only the black people, of all ages. I never realized how afraid most were. It was VERY RARE to see any white person scooch away or cross the street. 

Third thing was once a white woman, and she came to my door claiming Chari had chased her down the street trying to hurt her dogs. I told her, "I believe you are confused, ma'am, my dog is never outside alone, and secondly she has her CGC...so I find it hard to believe she would be trying to hurt you or your dogs.." She asked what a CGC was I explained "Canine Good Citizen" Then shut the door on her after she seemed to have nothing more to say. Freaking liar woman! Trying to say my german shepherd was trying to hurt her and her dog!


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## Benson**

Benson is 5 months old, to me he looks absolutely adorable, but to the pizza delivery guy, he looks like a human eating beast! I put him on the lead when i open the front door so he doesn't bolt out the door and explain that, and that he's still only a baby but he's still scared stiff of the pup  theres been other times where people guide their dog away from him when we are walking, so they don't meet/sniff/play and sort of shoo him away if he comes up to greet people and children, I'm finding its becoming more frequent as he gets older 









How could anyone be afraid of that face!! ❤


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## David Taggart

> Where I am, German shepherd dogs are feared.


People of any origin would be scared of GSD, only because they look like the wolves. The owners are often upset - why, on, earth, people cannot see their puppy's beauty, friendliness, why should they?! But, here we are again. Posessing and directed by Reason, *humans are mainly led by instincts in their lives*. Do you want to succeed at work? That is an instinct. Do yo want to have wife and children? That is an instinct. Do yo want to have your own house? That wish was programmed in your brain. Are you scared of snakes? That is programmed too. With GSD the story is the same. Please, don't be upset of people, their reaction is absolutely natural. Even pointed ears does matter: people are much less scared of big dogs with floppy soft ears. Another breed is Husky, they are absolutely non-agressive, but people are scared of them. Celected wolves and - definitely they could be the best! - GSDs were never used in Circus, because the Circus theatre will be empty! Probably, Circus is the only place GSD doesn't work. Only through our culture we learned to admire dogs and GSD in particular.


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## Angelina03

ken k said:


> I get a few that are afraid of Max, then I also get the ones that just walk up and start petting him, then ask, while they are petting him, "does he bite", I finally came up with an answer to that question, I tell them, "I dont know hes not mine"


Haha!! Love this! I may use that one myself. 


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## Miika's Mom

David Winners said:


> Sometimes


I love it!


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## Abby142

For the most part people just seem to avoid us. 

We did have one lady in the drive thru line who screamed and refused to serve us (Jade was laying down in the back seat and the lady just saw her through the closed window) and one poor pizza guy, but for the most part adults walk by without much fuss. Some people cross the street but it seems to be out of respect, not fear. 

The little kids are the crazy ones! If they are outside playing when we walk by they come screaming and charging at us. It always turns out to be a good training experience though (for the dog AND the kids)


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## GSDlover143

Ava_Shepsky said:


> I tried once and found it too complicated X: LOL shame too as I have like 3,000 photos on my phone...mostly of her. I know people here always wanna see her.
> And yes I did just follow you haha! You can make yourself dizzy looking at her on IG


I figured it was her hahaha: )

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## Msmaria

Yes, But i understand why. Those ears pointed straight up and the focus stare they get. It can be intimating to some people. I admit I was a bit afraid of german shepherds before I got one. I heard all the bad things about how aggressive they are. They were never on my list of a dog to get. 

When people seem hesitant I tell them hes friendly. Most will then come up and say hi, some others will just keep walking and some others have just glared..lol. Oh well, cant win em all.


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## Miika's Mom

Most people around here are good with big dogs in general. When I take Miika out she gets lots of good comments on her looks (have to give her that) and how well behaved she is, especially for a puppy. This is true even when I take her to the hardware store where you don't normally meet that many dogs. I took her to church yesterday and those who were afraid of dogs in general warmed up to her because she was so friendly :wub: and calm. She has always preferred children to adults, I wonder if that will change as she become one, haha.

My previous puppy, Rufus :halogsd: (29" at the shoulder and 80 pounds GSD/Akita), was the neighborhood ambassador, lol. He knew most everyone as he would go visiting after I left for work (he was always home when I got back so I wasn't the wiser). One place he would go to sometimes was the mechanic's. He would play with the grandkids until the school bus came and then he would make himself at home in the shop and greet customers:welcome:. He would visit other homes and play with the kids until the bus would come and sometimes he would come back about the time they got dropped off so that he could play some more! When Ru and I would be out doing things, occasionally someone would come up and say, "Hi :greet:Rufus!" and then proceed to introduce himself and tell me tales of his visits.

Kids loved having a "giant," fierce-looking dog as a buddy. One little boy called him the coyote king (we have lots of big coyotes out here that he would run off.) 

Now Rufus never hurt anyone with his teeth, those giant paws were a different story. But he could be most intimidating. He had the deepest growl of any dog I have met but all he had to do was stand up and look at someone and they would back down and leave pretty quickly (Ru almost never made a sound which was probably more scary). If they had only known!

All that being said, most folks who are afraid are because they don't know anything except what they see on TV, hear through the worst stories or are afraid of big dogs (or any dog) in general. Let's face it, one of the things we love is the way our puppies look, their general bearing and thoughtfulness of the world around them. For us it is a thing of beauty:wub:, for others it is fearfully  intimidating.


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## Okin

People ask if my dog is a K9 but I don't think an abnormal amount are scared of my dog. There are the people that seem scared of any dog but not more scared of mine. Of course my neighbor has three giant Mastiffs and I live in a city that seems to have more pitbull's than people. I think where I live pitbulls get far more of a reaction than GSD.


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## boomer11

If you want to see some funny reactions then walk/run your dog off leash! It's probably not legal but I walk my dark sable off leash around the neighborhood. I've had one lady drop her groceries and run inside. That one I actually felt bad about.


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## gsdlover91

Some are, some aren't. He's always on his best behavior. But downtown in Chicago, all the bums avoid us, and when out and about some people will avoid. Ive never had anyone scream or be really TERRIFIED. But i have had people not walk down the aisle we're in. Most times though, people admire him, and want to say hello. He gets a lot of attention. I think its his charismatic face that makes people not afraid...


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## David Taggart

> I think where I live pitbulls get far more of a reaction than GSD.


I remember a moment, pretty remarkable. I met my acquaintance in the street, while we talked two mothers with small children asked me if the kids possibly can stroke my dog, and I responded positively. They surrounded us, and...Lucy saw another big dog she knew on the other side of the street. She barked. The happy crowed gethered around us dissapeared in a split second. And, a man was passing by, he just threw at me:" German shepherds are scary! His neighbour's pitbull wouldn't do that to little children!" Yes, it's true, they never bark. People don't bother to know breeds, and people are much less scared of ATS than of GSD.


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## Lilie

Hmmm...I always thought it was me people were avoiding. Never considered the possibility that it could be my dog..........


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## Neko

I took a walk yesterday with Zeus and 3 cars pooled over on our street to say hello and ask how old he was etc... This has been happening for months and nope people are not scared, they are more impressed. Everyone we walk by asks question and tells us they love the breed. Kids run up to him screaming police dog! lol... far from it, but oh well. 

Love our boy and the compliments, but sometimes our short walks take too long.


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## gsdlover91

Lilie said:


> Hmmm...I always thought it was me people were avoiding. Never considered the possibility that it could be my dog..........


 :rofl:


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## pets4life

dakota are you in a big citY?

I noticed in big city like toronto people are scared of my shepherd

BUT when i was in a small city like kingston they were not

Did anyone notice this? People in big cities seem to be more aware and cautious of large dogs.


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## Miika's Mom

pets4life said:


> Did anyone notice this? People in big cities seem to be more aware and cautious of large dogs.


I have found that, in general, people out in the country are less put off by big dogs of any breed. We all know what they are about and respect their abilities and their protectiveness of what is their home and pack. Most dogs are loose but stay close to home. We have learned how to approach and ignore them until we have been accepted. I think people in town/suburbs/cities are more isolated from dogs and are probably more acquainted with smaller dogs or just don't see dogs that often. Out here most people have dogs from the tiny to the giant.

I also have seen a cultural fear in that the Mexicans (particularly first and some second generations) are more afraid of dogs in general. But if they (usually guys) get one they are also much more apt to have a pit, a pit cross, or some other "scary" breed and it is usually kept chained and ignored. (The exception is the chihuahua-type or chichuahua-sized as a girl's or inside dog.) As a general rule, they have a different view of dogs that are larger than say 15 pounds and do not see them as companions as well as protectors.

I am going to take Miika for a walk in the park by the river this afternoon. That will be in town and I will see what reactions I get if there is anyone else out walking this winter day, haha.


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## scout172

No one is scared of my puppy Scout because he is very friendly to everyone he meets. He has never barked at or near a child before so maybe that's the reason no ones afraid..... He is always very happy to see people and that's great!!.


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## marbury

I get particular joy out of going to get my mail in my neighborhood. I always let a dog out with me and we have mailboxes on the road. I'm in a bad suburb, so it's about thirty feet from my door to the box. If there is anybody on the street as far as you can see both ways when my happy-go-lucky dog calmly trots out the door to pee on a bush they literally run like bats out of heck into the nearest shelter. I love it when there are school children way down the street. They scream when they run. None of my dogs have ever done anything remotely intimidating to anybody on the block except bark like heathens at the door when somebody knocks, but even then no one that isn't already one of my friends has ever attempted. I have a privacy fenced back yard, no indoor visibility from the street, and nobody goes out into the front yard to play so nobody has been fence-attacked. It's just purely cultural association.


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## vm53506

Some people are definitely scared of Titan. Maybe that fear comes from his size. But actually he is a very good boy and will humor most that wish to pet him. I emphasize most.


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## lennyb

When I take my boys for their walks or to the park people definitely won't come anywhere near us or they cross the street. Its kinda funny because neither of them would so much as hurt a fly. But my boys do get vocal sometimes but mostly they just look at what's going on around them.

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## Myah's Mom

I've seen the full continuum with Myah. Some people have "big dog" fear, while others simply have dog fear. Can't do anything about those people.

For the rest, we have folks that are familiar with the breed that come up and fawn over Myah. Others, not familiar, range from cautious to confident.

I take Myah to the playground to play in the sand with the children. Not having small children myself, I've done this ever since she had all her shots at 16 weeks. She loves it. She will let kids "brush" her tail with their toys, she digs in the sand with them, will climb on the equipment to go over the rope bridge, etc. Again, there is a full continuum: the toddler that happily wobbles over to see the "doggy", the elementary kids who instantly recognize a new best friend -- and the people who flee for their lives, angry that there is a "dangerous dog" in their midst. 

For people that come to our door, if they are dog savvy, they realize Myah is only "alert barking". She will love whoever I let into the house. But, I've also seen door-to-door sales guys bolt the minute they see her, motioning for me NOT to open my front door. ha ha ha ha (she would never hurt them).

Now, I DID foster a very dangerous shepherd once, that did bite 3x's. People SHOULD be fearful of him, and I made sure he wasn't put into those situations. Very sad fate for that dog. 

But Myah? She's of wonderful sound mind. The PERFECT GSD. :wub:


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## jaudlee

funniest moment was when i was walking my dog and i hear a "WOAH!" then hear "hey can you cross the street" from maybe a 13 yr old boy. kids nowadays....


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## havery

I've strangely had a couple recent instances of this when it's never been a thing before for us :-/

Last week I took Sofie with me to the pet store, they were having a drive out front so there was a lot of people and pets. She's still pretty hyper so I keep her on a short leash, but sweet as can be to people and dogs assuming they don't start trouble, but she never instigates. Everyone was asking the typical, "Does she bite? She's so pretty!" that they don't ask the yorkie owner, but overall she was loving the attention. Then a teenager with slouched shoulders, baggy clothes, and his hands deep in his pockets walked by, and he purposefully made a wide circle around her, staring as she walked by. "She looks like a police dog." is all he said. "Yeah, she does," is all I answered and he walked away quickly, almost running. Of course, she picked up on the body language of him (and me, I'm sure), and is standing by my side at guard until he left. Stupid kid.

Day before yesterday we adopted an older male GSD. He's a bear. Seriously, long black coat, the frame for a 95+ lb dog (he's 86 right now but he needs to muscle up), he looks like a bear. It's comical once you actually look and see the goofy grin and huggable personality. We took him to the vet yesterday. Once someone walked in, saw him, and hugged the wall while they talked to the receptionist. When we were leaving, my husband opened the door and let him through first into the waiting room while he held the door. There were 5 people near the door, every single one took at least a step back. One lady clutched her chihuahua closer and said, "Oh! That leash is really long!" I just kinda laughed and went on about my business. He's the opposite of scary as long as you don't base "scary" on size!


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## Sp00ks

I took Dagr (8.5 weeks) to the Tractor supply to pick up dog food as one of our first outings. Of course everyone loved him. I put him in the cart on our way out at the checkout. 

The high school girls running the registers loved him and this lady walks up and starts petting him. I told her to be careful of the puppy teeth. She asked what breed he was and I told her GSD, the next question was "I would love to have one but, Aren't they vicious?". 

Of course I went into full on embassador mode but told her she probably should not consider one.


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## GSDluver4lyfe

People usually stare from a distance and shout from across the street how beautiful my boy is. I've had a few dramatic experiences with people seeing him, screaming bloody murder and running but those are far and few between. Cause screaming and running is a wonderful way to detract attention from yourself  

Very rarely do people attempt or even ask to pet him but many do approach me to ask about him. Every other dog I've owned would be rushed when out in public to be pet, but my current boy, not so much. IDK what it is. If they only knew he was the biggest mama's boy and a great source of entertainment!


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## Baillif

I've been told Zebu looks like the dog that meets you at the gates of ****. Going to assume that is a yes.


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## halo2013

Yea halo she's all bark everyone acts as if she's a rabid animal. They usually dont give her a chance to say hi. 

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## halo2013

DakotaOfNorthK9 said:


> Where I am, German shepherd dogs are feared. A lot- I am assuming. Out in public, are people scared of your GSD?
> 
> What happens to me::
> 
> 1. One time when Dakota was FOUR MONTHS old, someone said she was creepy.
> 2. When walking, some people will look at me funny or Dakota. Or nasty looks, when looking at Dakota.
> 3. One time I was at the beach and a little girl walked up to Dakota. Dakota just stood there and didn't jump, and the mother called the little girl with a panicked voice and scared look and the little girl went back. Two minutes later, someone with a Golden Retriever showed up that was pulling, yipping and running around and the little girl walked up to that dog and the mother went and started talking with the person and petting the dog.


I hate nothing more then breed prejudice people. It just pisses me off. Not every dog is what one would've been
Otherwise st Bernards be banned because cujo was crazy

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## halo2013

My thoughts are if your breed prejudice fine that's your problem. But my dog is like my kid and ill protect her like one. So doing spiteful things like I've heard being done will just start an all out problem

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## mcdanfam

Yes! The first trainer, which had good reviews online...kept referring to our two 3 month old pups...as "bully breed"....she had only negative things to say about shepherd as she was trying to train us. Saying you have to correct them super hard to get the point across because they are so bullheaded and dominate.....needless to say the third negative thing she had to say about them....we grab our furbabys and left. Our female at a year old has already passed her therapy dog test and has cheered up many patients and will be helping kids learn to read staring in February. Bully breed....I think we should label the people that cause the issue that get dogs labeled bully breeds. I think a dog is who it is because of the humans it has come in contact with! 


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## selzer

Breed prejudice is something that we have because we choose to own a breed that is:

1) Extreemly popular -- not only has it been #2 or #3 on AKC registrations, it is a breed that has a lot of unregistered dogs as well; 

2) Originally bred to herd sheep and guard the flock, and has pioneered as a military working dog, and police dog, to do these jobs, guarding and _biting people _is part of it;

3) The breed is large, has upright ears, a toothie grin, an I-mean-business bark, and is normally dark in color, even possibly resembling wolves in many minds;

4) The standard calls for an aloof temperament. This is not a dog that is generally all wags and falling all over itself to get pets from every one;

and 

5) The dog has a repuation for dog bites. Most of the people you will meet will know someone who was bitten by a GSD. Now, they may not have all been GSDs, but it doesn't really matter. It is not what they are, it is how they are perceived to be that makes a reputation. It is what it is.

One would need to have lived on a desert island to be unaware of a GSDs potential breed bias. Many of us have the breed and love the breed, because they are impressive and interesting creatures. Hagrid would approve of them. 

You cannot go out and get a breed like GSDs, Rottweilers, Pitbulls, and then cry foul, people are scared of my dog. If you want a dog that no one is afraid of, get an English Setter.


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## alexg

It does not help that according to the statistics collected by the insurance companies the GSD is #1 breed that is most likely to bite.


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## havery

halo2013 said:


> My thoughts are if your breed prejudice fine that's your problem. But my dog is like my kid and ill protect her like one. So doing spiteful things like I've heard being done will just start an all out problem
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


I'm super paranoid about keeping an eye on my dogs because of spiteful people. When I was a kid I grew up with a Doberman (as in when she was a puppy she slept next to my crib and woke my mom up when I tried to climb out). The neighbor was scared of her just because she was a dobbie. They sabotaged the gate to try to either try to get her to bite someone or get her run over and eventually ended up poisoning her with antifreeze. The local law wouldn't investigate because 1) it was "just" a dog and 2) it was our fault for having a "dangerous" breed. 

I'm not really concerned with why people are scared. I'm concerned with what people will do because they're scared.


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## Sarah~

Yes, but they are much more scared of my little pit mix. Eko gets the scared looks and some people have backed away, and some say that's a big dog! He scares the pizza man. And his bark is pretty scary too, I even jump if I'm caught off guard. He does what I wanted him too, looks intimidating and keeps the bad guys away. Xena is barely half Eko's size but she gets the most stares, nasty comments, and people avoiding us.


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## GSD Dad

I have a large off leash dog park (13 acres) near my house that seldom has anyone using it, so that's the only reason I go there. More times than I can count I have watched other people pull up in their cars and not get out with their dogs (presumably because of Thor). He cares more about his ball than any other dogs, and honestly pays them minimal attention as long as they are not aggressive, but as soon as he hops back in my truck and we pull out to leave, they will get out and let their dogs run free. It used to really bother me, but I honestly find it laughable now. It's their problem, not mine and Thor's. 


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## Shaolin

Yes and no. Finn doesn't look like a normal GSD, so most people are just put off by size and nothing more. It's not until they are petting him and ask what he is that they suddenly back up and get all weird about him being a GSD.

The ones who know what he but don't know him usually stay far away from him even though he'd rather love on everyone he meets. I've had people cross the street or pick up their kids out of fear. I was not allowed in an obedience class because he was going to attack the smaller breeds because he's a "dangerous breed". He wasn't even six months old.

The upside is, it's opened a whole new world for me when it comes to dog owners. I'd rather be around "bully breed" owners because their dogs are usually extremely well mannered and well trained versus non "dangerous" dogs


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## sarah1366

I get wide birth when people see 2 shepherds walking towards them snd mine do behave when people approach but I think most people terrified of big dogs anyway 

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## halo2013

mcdanfam said:


> Yes! The first trainer, which had good reviews online...kept referring to our two 3 month old pups...as "bully breed"....she had only negative things to say about shepherd as she was trying to train us. Saying you have to correct them super hard to get the point across because they are so bullheaded and dominate.....needless to say the third negative thing she had to say about them....we grab our furbabys and left. Our female at a year old has already passed her therapy dog test and has cheered up many patients and will be helping kids learn to read staring in February. Bully breed....I think we should label the people that cause the issue that get dogs labeled bully breeds. I think a dog is who it is because of the humans it has come in contact with!
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Exactly. A dog is an image of what a human makes it. We as humans have no one to thank but ourselves. And anyone who is breed prejudice in my opinion should be treated the same way "oh you've had tickets and citations?" So your a crazy ass criminal keep as far as humanly possible from respectable civilization. And let let them first hand see what it feels like to never be trusted over stupid ****


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