# does your dog dislike little white dogs (LWDs) ?



## Buckelke (Sep 4, 2019)

I googled the question and did not find an answer but I have heard many dog owners lament their dog does not like little white dogs. Soooooo. Survey time!

I have no experience with any of my GS's and LWDs but we did have a PB who hated them.


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## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

Samson has growled at a few that had been groomed to have a round shaped face. The big brown eyes staring at him out of that white circle looked like a creepy human child. "Redrum redrum"👻


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## 3ymum (Oct 12, 2021)

Buffy doesn't mind white dogs but she certain shows less interest in small dogs.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Seger didn't kill the one that was barking in his face on the end of the flexi but I think it's because he loves me more than hated the dog.

Jax hated Labs. HATED them. Goofy, happy, Labs bouncing in her face. HATED them.


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## WNGD (Jan 15, 2005)

I had a bitch that hated small dogs after being attacked by two off leash ankle biters as a 12 week old. 
White? No difference


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## doubleroll (Jul 5, 2011)

Hmmm...just watched a YouTube video by Robert Cabral about GSD attacking a small white dog. Small white and black dog walking on leash, GSD runs out and immediately attacks the white dog. Difficult to watch...

Vienna lives with a small Chihuahua but barks at all dogs small, large, black or white...LOL


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## Verachi (Mar 22, 2021)

Nope. Vera is very dog neutral except with Chi. She loooves Chi and insists they need to be making contact while she sleeps 🙄

I have only seen her react aggressively towards dogs that have been off leash that charged us growling. Those few instances have been medium/large dogs


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## perrymel (Oct 28, 2021)

Gabriel does not like little white dogs, and pretty much any little dog. He doesn't over react but I hold the leash firm just in case. Unfortunately he has been charged and and always barked at by little yappy dogs. Mostly he ignores, so I am happy. But why do those little dogs always want to take on a big guy !!


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## drparker151 (Apr 10, 2020)

The dog we gave to son as therapy dog hates little white dogs, but she has been attacked three times. Those LWDs seem to want run straight at other dogs and just start biting and of course the owners see no problem letting them be off leash. 

I get a much more aggressive posture and ready for action if see an off leash LWD than if I see an of leash pit bull.


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## Ringhram (Sep 4, 2021)

Thena was terrorized by a shih tzu when she was about nine weeks old. I have kept her away from little dogs ever since, so I don't really know how she would react. However, my guess is that she would view one much as she views squirrels.


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

Mine was attacked repeatedly by little dogs on walks and now reacts to them. It’s ruined our local walks. I wish everyone trained their dogs, small or not. It’s not fair to everyone else. I can’t stand them so it makes sense my dogs don’t either.


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## Leah00 (12 mo ago)

I sincerely hope not since we have a little white dog. 😅 Maybe his brown spots will save him?? 😂


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## drparker151 (Apr 10, 2020)

Leah00 said:


> I sincerely hope not since we have a little white dog. 😅 Maybe his brown spots will save him?? 😂


Your dog is fine. This is the kind of LWD I'm referring too.


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## tim_s_adams (Aug 9, 2017)

Personally, I've heard so many stories about dogs that were attacked by a specific type of dog, immediately removed from that situation, and pretty much isolated from any chance of another encounter with a similar type dog, then amazingly hates that specific type of dog the rest of their life.

It wasn't caused by the initial "attack", and I put that in parentheses because 9 times out of 10 the attack did not result in any injury to either dog, what does the damage is what follows!

Immediately remove your dog, and of course you're upset, so the dog marks that. Then purposely avoid that type or look of dog in the future, allows your dog no chance to recover from that bad experience. Basically it solidifies what it "learned" from that bad encounter. It's exactly what you shouldn't do!

Over the years my dog has had a few spats with other dogs. I didn't leave afterward. Nor did I keep the dogs apart for more than a few minutes. Sometimes both dogs forgive and forget and just move on. Other times, both dogs will just agree to disagree, or stated another way, dislike each other, but consensually maintain a buffer between them.

Much much better outcome! No lingering connection to a particular color or size or breed, because they meet others of the same type that are cool.

To be fair, I should also mention that sometimes two dogs just really don't like each other (males are like this at times!). Perfect training situation IMHO! Teach the dog a solid "leave it" and rock solid recall. He doesn't have to be "okay" with another dog to leave him alone. To make that work, you have to be good at reading the signs that your dog is leading up on the other dog - the stare, the stiff body, the posture, the eyes - preempt the load with a "leave it" followed by a recall, or a let's walk, or some other activity. Again, great practice, and it helps your dog understand that it isn't a color or a size or a breed, it's that one dog!

So think about how your reaction flavors how your dog interprets a spat or "attack" in which no real damage is done...


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## drparker151 (Apr 10, 2020)

I'm not talking about a spat or a greeting that turns into a dust up. Full on charge and just starts biting. Then if my dog defends itself against this psycho, my big dog is the aggressive breed picking on the fur baby. 

We didn't make up our minds until the third different dog did this. You're right it is not the dog, it is the typical owner of these dogs. Who have not done any training at all, think thier dog is special and doesn't have to be on leash even when there are leash rules.


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## davewis (Jan 7, 2020)

I am not sure why, but dog behavior, in general, seems to be improving in my neighborhood.

My hypothesis is that a lot more kids are walking their dogs after school. For the last five or six years, tensions and tempers have been running high in our neighborhood. Pick an issue and someone is mad about it  It can be seen in everything we do. Adults waking their dogs also seem to carry those chips on their shoulders.

This spring a lot more kids seem to be walking their dogs after school. The kids seem to be doing a much better job of cooperating rather than competing for space. Dogs are put in a sit as someone else walks by. Little kids trying to teach dogs as big as they are to heel. The best is when kids cross the road to allow a young puppy to explore without getting startled by their very exuberant lab.

It is refreshing.


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## Hopps (Dec 5, 2021)

LuvShepherds said:


> Mine was attacked repeatedly by little dogs on walks and now reacts to them. It’s ruined our local walks. I wish everyone trained their dogs, small or not. It’s not fair to everyone else. I can’t stand them so it makes sense my dogs don’t either.


This is what happened to Fern over a month ago  Luckily she wasn't attacked because my mom stopped them but it was pretty close. She had to hold the little dogs back while controlling Fern from growling and attacking. The owners (somewhat elderly) lived across the street and didn't even know the dogs were out. They were yelling "BAD DOGS", grabbed them and didn't even apologize. We bump into them all the time, when we walk by them he keeps walking closer to Fern and lets his dog bark, super annoying. 

Fern and I were hanging out on the front lawn and 2 dachshunds ran onto our property to attack Fern. Luckily they controlled the flexi lead so they can't reach us but Fern got super fired up. The lady is really nice and says hello to us but the man gives us dirty looks if he's not with his wife. He yelled "GREAT NOW WE HAVE TO GO AROUND".

I'm not gonna lie, I"m very salty about Fern becoming reactive because other people don't want to control their dogs. Her reactivity is 1000x harder to fix since dog reactivity makes be a weak and anxious handler due to bad experiences in the past!


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## pippin21 (Dec 29, 2021)

Millie is only a baby but she likes all kinds of dogs (except when an irish wolfhound came running off leash and she was obviously scared - that thing was huge). There is many little white dog walkers near me and 95% are friendly. You get the occasional yapper who doesn't shut up barking so Millie starts barking back but it's rare.


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## Chloé&Buck (Jul 1, 2020)

Buck is a bit more intense in focus on small dogs... I think the small size and skittishness of them ingnites a little prey drive in him.

Plus, a lot of little dogs are quite loud and/or fearful, so possibly not the best association?

But on the other hand, when he does meet a CONFIDENT little dog, he's fine, so I guess it's more about the energy than the size itself.

There was a Yorkie when we went to my trainer's for our forst session and when we allowed them to make contact offleash at the end of the session, Buck had a blast with that little guy.

He was not the least impressed by Buck's size, he's so used to see all types of dogs at the center... 
I think the best advice to give to small dog owners is to treat theml like actual dogs and make sure they have enoug experience to be calm and confident. 
It's interesting to see that most people who create fearfull dogs don't seem to realize it's a problem as they are actually teaching them to act like prey... (running away flat out, screeching)


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## Chloé&Buck (Jul 1, 2020)

About the white color, I'm not sure. Could they simply stand out more? lol

Yesterday, I was about to unleash and let my dog romp a bit in an open prairie. Suddenly a little Westie comes running out of his yard (unfenced) and does this whole charging scene a lot of little dogs do: charge/flee, charge/flee, barking his head off all the way of course.

Well I was glad I hadn't unleashed... given how unexpected and fast it was, I'm pretty sure Buck would have gone after him full speed and into this unfenced yard. He wouldn't have hurt him, but would certainly have terrirozed the poor thing.


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## Ringhram (Sep 4, 2021)

tim_s_adams said:


> Much much better outcome! No lingering connection to a particular color or size or breed, because they meet others of the same type that are cool.


I agree with this--it isn't the breed so much as it is the behavior of the little dog, the GSD, and the dog owners. I know several LWD's (and little tan dogs and little grey dogs, etc.) that are sweet, obedient, and just plain fun. I would not mind owning such a dog. However...

I previously mentioned an issue with Thena when she was 9 weeks old. She was small for her age then, and about the same size as a LWD. I was leash training her on our street. Out of nowhere, a shih tzu appeared, growling, biting, and barking. The owner looked on and continued drinking her cup of coffee on her porch, completely unfazed. Thena was terrified. I am sure she remembers the shih tzu (she remembers everything). I thus keep her completely away from small dogs because I do not want her to take out after one as she does the squirrel and hurt someone's pet.

If I let my GSD do that to passers-by, I would be cited and sued, and my dog would likely be confiscated and euthanized. LWD's and other little dogs seem to get a free pass because they are too small to really hurt someone. Unfortunately, it is exactly the same behavior as demonstrated in an untrained and unruly GSD--just no consequences for the owner.


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

Leah00 said:


> I sincerely hope not since we have a little white dog. 😅 Maybe his brown spots will save him?? 😂
> 
> View attachment 583773


Fluffy white dogs, Maltese, Bichon, Havanese. Or any little dog that is allowed to chase, attack or yap at other dogs without any kind of training or control.


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

Hopps said:


> This is what happened to Fern over a month ago  Luckily she wasn't attacked because my mom stopped them but it was pretty close. She had to hold the little dogs back while controlling Fern from growling and attacking. The owners (somewhat elderly) lived across the street and didn't even know the dogs were out. They were yelling "BAD DOGS", grabbed them and didn't even apologize. We bump into them all the time, when we walk by them he keeps walking closer to Fern and lets his dog bark, super annoying.
> 
> Fern and I were hanging out on the front lawn and 2 dachshunds ran onto our property to attack Fern. Luckily they controlled the flexi lead so they can't reach us but Fern got super fired up. The lady is really nice and says hello to us but the man gives us dirty looks if he's not with his wife. He yelled "GREAT NOW WE HAVE TO GO AROUND".
> 
> I'm not gonna lie, I"m very salty about Fern becoming reactive because other people don't want to control their dogs. Her reactivity is 1000x harder to fix since dog reactivity makes be a weak and anxious handler due to bad experiences in the past!


She is lucky she wasn’t bitten. My friend has two small rescues that are both trained and well behaved. A dog came roaring out at them loose and tried to bite one of his dogs. He reached down to pick up his dog and the other one gave him a bed puncture bite. The owner said she was sorry, then left!


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## Leah00 (12 mo ago)

LuvShepherds said:


> Fluffy white dogs, Maltese, Bichon, Havanese. Or any little dog that is allowed to chase, attack or yap at other dogs without any kind of training or control.


He’s actually a mixture of mostly Havanese with some Maltese and Poodle and a smidge of other small, yappy breeds. I always assumed the Havanese is where he gets his sweet, playful nature and non yappiness based on other Havanese I’ve met.


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## CactusWren (Nov 4, 2018)

Jupiter, who started puppy training at 11 weeks, went to the dog park without incident every day, met other leashed dogs without any issues, and was allowed to accompany me--off-leash--to get the trash and recycling bin at the street and back, once saw a white toy poodle in our front yard and fur-missiled right to it, attacking it while its poor owner tried to fight him off (no one was hurt, thankfully). So, yes, it does seem that Jupiter doesn't like small, white dogs.

It never did anything to him besides possibly previously barking at him on earlier walks. 

At the elementary school I used to take Jupiter to in the mornings, there was a lab who also hated small white dogs. I actually witnessed this once, when someone brought a small white poodle and the lab bolted across a huge field to go after it (but didn't bite it).


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

Leah00 said:


> He’s actually a mixture of mostly Havanese with some Maltese and Poodle and a smidge of other small, yappy breeds. I always assumed the Havanese is where he gets his sweet, playful nature and non yappiness based on other Havanese I’ve met.


I was talking to a woman whose daughter has an adult Havanese that is highly aggressive. They didn’t know why.


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## Leah00 (12 mo ago)

LuvShepherds said:


> I wa talking To a woman whose daughter has an adult Havanese that is highly aggressive. They didn’t know why.


How sad. I guess it’s similar to any breed where there will be aggressive or fearful dogs sometimes. Generally the Havanese temperament is playful, friendly, and affectionate. They are most definitely my favorite small breed. Our little guy has been hands down the sweetest dog I’ve ever had.
I used to have some negative feelings towards small dogs until he came along.


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

Leah00 said:


> How sad. I guess it’s similar to any breed where there will be aggressive or fearful dogs sometimes. Generally the Havanese temperament is playful, friendly, and affectionate. They are most definitely my favorite small breed. Our little guy has been hands down the sweetest dog I’ve ever had.
> I used to have some negative feelings towards small dogs until he came along.


She said they baby her a lot. She spent a lot of time on their furniture or being carried around. It could be genetic or something as simple as rewarding her for behaving in an aggressive manner because someone things it’s funny. I never met the dog just heard second hand.


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## Hopps (Dec 5, 2021)

LuvShepherds said:


> She is lucky she wasn’t bitten. My friend has two small rescues that are both trained and well behaved. A dog came roaring out at them loose and tried to bite one of his dogs. He reached down to pick up his dog and the other one gave him a bed puncture bite. The owner said she was sorry, then left!


Yes Fern was very lucky for sure! It's such a shame how a lot of owners are irresponsible but also very selfish. If it was an accident I would be annoyed but understanding. It sucks when the other dogs owners are non chalant about it or even downright aggressive!


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## Ringhram (Sep 4, 2021)

tim_s_adams said:


> Basically it solidifies what it "learned" from that bad encounter. It's exactly what you shouldn't do!


@tim_s_adams, THANK YOU! This weekend, we were walking with Thena and encountered a nice, well-trained little cream colored dog (a toy poodle). We remembered your post. The dog owner knows my husband, so he approached with his dog calmly heeling. Thena and the little dog were safely on-leash, so instead of removing the larger dog, we waited to see what would happen. 

Both dogs wagged at each other, then thoroughly sniffed the other as in every other canine greeting I have ever witnessed. The encounter ended with Thena voluntarily assuming a "down" position so she and the little dog could easily touch noses. Neither dog barked or growled, and there was no display of aggression whatsoever. Instead, there were lots of wags all around. 

Wow.  Just wow.


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## Moxy (Aug 3, 2012)

We have a little golden dog who is going white in the face from age. Zo likes him just fine. She is impartial with her disdain for other dogs outside of her family. Big, small, dark, white....doesn't matter. To be fair, she was attacked by the former neighbors ' dog twice when she was a puppy - once in her own yard when he charged into our yard and snatched her from between my feet before I could react.


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## finn'smom (Oct 4, 2019)

My mother had a little barky Maltese, Finn was actually very careful of her. He learned as a puppy she was going to bark, no matter what.. and that he wasn't allowed to touch! He managed to maintain that composure around her until she passed. He knew the rule was avoid her, if she barked he'd run off to check the windows and see if it was worth joining in... if she was anywhere on the floor he'd take the long way around so as not to run her over or get in her way. She was not at all receptive to attention from other dogs, and a growl would quickly turn to a grab at whatever part of the other dog was closest to her. My Corso was a slower learner when it came to her.. he knew the rules but still had to see if he could befriend her every now and then. She caught his jowls more than once, thankfully his good nature allowed for her to never become a snack.

The only other encounter with a little white dog was walking Finn in town, little white dog loose in front yard bolts across the street barking - headed straight for us. Finn actually surprised me that day as I didn't expect a good ending if that little white fluff got to him. He maintained a loose leash, walking forward until it got too close for his comfort I suppose - he turned his head and let out one big bark at it.. little dog spins around and scurries back home to an owner that had suddenly appeared. The guy had the gall to yell across the street at me that I shouldn't have such an aggressive dog out in public lol so I offered him my spare leash seeing as he didn't seem to have one of his own!


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## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

this is interesting. I had my big-boy with me and we were coming out of some woods after successfully finding a "lost person" while man-trailing. We were all chatting and relaxed and I wasn't paying attention of who was around us. Suddenly my dog went after a LWD walking with his people down a jogging track. I hung onto my boy's tracking line for dear life! It was so NOT something I would have expected of him. Maybe he thought it was a rabbit. No idea. No one was hurt but the little dog's owner was frightened and told me to Train My Dog! Of course I agreed with him. 
Brought my dog back to our truck and let him cool off for awhile. Never knew why he thought this was the thing to do.


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## tim_s_adams (Aug 9, 2017)

My dog has chased, but not harmed, several dogs over the years. In fact, she has never bitten a dog that didn't bite her first, and usually if not always will just turn away from most dogs when they threaten to bite (without an "actual" bite).

When bitten, she will almost always respond in kind, unless it's a much smaller dog or a dog in a muzzle. She was seriously attacked by a dog her own size wearing a muzzle once, and she started to respond in kind, but decided against it and let it go. I was, and am still impressed with that one...


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