# People are afraid of my dog!!



## muddypaw (Jan 8, 2012)

I was walking my 9 month old GSD (on leash) the other day and two teen girls are walking towards me. I taught Shadow a command "pass" that she will go off the sidewalk onto the grass to let another person pass. So we did that....The girls start jogging when they get about 15' away from us, and I am not paying attention to their conversation until I hear "yeah, and it's probably_ trained to KIll!"..._

Then my hubby is walking Shadow off leash on a greenbelt when a woman with a small breed looks up from the ground, sees them coming towards them, and FREEZES! Jack calmly calls Shadow over, clips the leash back on and walks past this woman who seems terrified of our dog. 
She's only 65 pounds and not even a BIG dog compared to some.

Have you guys had stuff like this when you go out with yor dog and what's the best way to deal with it? Shadow is NOT aggressive towards people OR dogs, is trained and pretty well behaved ( for the most part).


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## idahospud49 (Jan 28, 2011)

ALL the time with Amadeus when I lived in the valley. People just have an inherent fear of GSD's a lot of the times. I remember one time walking home from the park where little kids had been petting Amadeus and walking towards this house. There were several children playing outside, the mom sees us 100+ft away, and starts FREAKING out. She calls all of the kids to her and makes them stay right by the door until we pass. All we were doing was walking. He wasn't pulling, growling, barking, or anything, just walking calmly on the leash.


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## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

I understand that some people and dogs are afraid of Stosh too, he's big furry and dark. I do just what you and your husband did- just keep walking and let Shadow's actions and behavior speak for her...and you for training her so well!


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## CookieTN (Sep 14, 2008)

Yup, I got comments like that once in a while. People would say things like they'd never own a GSD because they heard they turn on their owners, and such. Once someone said I ought to have Cookie put down just for being a GSD...I was perfectly livid, but I didn't tell them that...I printed out a bunch of cute pictures of Cookie being sweet and shared those with them.
Lots of visiting people were afraid of Cookie, but we respected that and put her up in a small room during their visit.

IMO, the best reaction is to respect their fear, and try your best to make sure your dog is a great example of the breed. You're probably not going to change many minds by meeting fire with fire.


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## Whiteshepherds (Aug 21, 2010)

CookieTN said:


> IMO, the best reaction is to respect their fear, and try your best to make sure your dog is a great example of the breed. You're probably not going to change many minds by meeting fire with fire.


:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

with Riley, yes people make it a point to go AROUND us. He's a large black dog and he's good with people. Other dogs he's iffy on. 

with Shasta, people flock to her. She started showing me today she'll tolerate their touch but is far more interested in everything else BUT them. Definitely a first. She watches people but moves on. Though it does also seem to vary by location the reactions we get.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

ignore peoples behaviour because they're afraid of your dog.
be a good dog/breed ambassador. speak kindly and give them
plenty of room. i like the "pass" command you taught your dog.
i say "other side" and my dog switches sides whether he's
leashed or off leash and it doesn't matter which side he's on.


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## Germanshepherdlova (Apr 16, 2011)

When I am walking my dogs and another pedestrian sees us coming and doesn't cross the street-that is what surprises me. I guess the first time I was walking Brutus and a person crossed the street when they saw us coming, it sort of stung. But then after that it seemed that most people were crossing to the the side of the street when they'd see us coming-that was when I realized that he'd lost his puppy look that used to have people flocking to him and had become the big and scary GSD. He is almost three now so I have gotten used to it. No big deal-I don't really care what people think anyhow.


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## Miss Molly May (Feb 19, 2010)

I was walking the foot path at the local beach with Molly and we did our usual thing move off the path with Molly when people pass by to give them there space. One lady walked by and said "those things should be muzzled" I was mad for a second then I just smiled at her and told her "have a good day"


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## brembo (Jun 30, 2009)

I have never heard that "GSDs will turn on their owner". Knowing my dog the way I do, it's inconceivable to me.


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## I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO (Oct 4, 2006)

Yep, people crossing the street has become normal to me as well. I've even had a woman clutch her purse and run into someone's front yard- I told her my dog wasn't going to rob her 

On the other hand, when we take Mikko out to street fairs and pet stores, things where most people probably think I wouldn't take a mean dog to, he gets tons of compliments and pets.


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## vicky2200 (Oct 29, 2010)

I have this problem occasionally with Ditto, usually if I take her to an event (such as a festival.) I really don't understand how someone can be afraid of her because she doesn't look scary at all. Some German Shepherds do have a more tough appearance and I can understand how someone who isn't a huge fan of dogs could be afraid of them. But seriously, Ditto? The worst part of it (for me anyway) is that these people actually think that someone would bring a vicious or unpredictable dog to an event where there will be many people. How stupid can you be?! If I saw a dog at a well occupied occasion, I would assume they were well behaved. I would ask before petting the dog still, but I would understand that the dog likely is a people lover. I usually handle it by just ignoring them the best I can and focusing on the people who enjoy my dog. Occasionally, someone will say something directly to me (you shouldn't bring that dog here" and I usually dont have to respond because they just walk away. In response, assuming they had the courage to wait for one, I would tell them that my dog loves people and would never hurt anyone. If they still insisted, I would tell them that there are no signs saying no dogs allowed, so quite frankly their opinion isn't relevant. Usually I just get the dirty looks and people pulling their kids close to them as they walk by though. Which is funny, since she usually has a crowd of little kids around her.


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## EchoGSD (Mar 12, 2010)

My sister-in-law once told me that my GSD "scared the **** out of her". This despite the fact that my dog is calm, stable, friendly, CGC and TDI certified, has earned AKC obedience titles and is very well mannered, and has never once shown any aggression of any sort toward her, her children, her dog, or anyone else. I guess some fears are just beyond reason -- kinda like my terror of spiders. I'd cross a sidewalk, street, city block, etc to escape potential contact with a spider. Shiiiiiivvvvverrrrr.


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## KaiLouie (Jan 7, 2012)

CookieTN said:


> IMO, the best reaction is to respect their fear, and try your best to make sure your dog is a great example of the breed. You're probably not going to change many minds by meeting fire with fire.


I completely agree! I like the way you put this.

I was once walking Louie (leashed) and woman who was walking her Pomeranian (off leash) took one look at us, screamed "Brutus!" ran and scooped up her dog. She then laughed at herself and joked, "I was just worried for _your_ dog." I had to laugh at Brutus and his owner


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

You never know what brings on someone's fear. It could've been a bad experience with a GSD. It could've been a bad experience with any bigger dog. Could just be a person is afraid of dogs, period. 

This kind of stuff doesn't bother me in the slightest. You can't know what people have been (or not been) exposed to. I had a fear of GSD's and Dobermans for awhile, due to childhood experiences with neighbors.

If they're afraid and crossing the street, that's ok, even though I always give passers by nice, wide berth. Little snide comments are not okay and might get a return snide comment from me. Haven't had that happen, though.


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## muddypaw (Jan 8, 2012)

Yes, I've had the cross to the other side of the street thing too. What amazes me is that children want to pet my dog, while the adults are the ones who are scared. 

I guess I'm not the only one experiencing this. Shadow has a really black mask, and I thought it was just her that looked scary or something. 

We went to the greenbelt and two people were watching us. I was down hill and let Shadow off leash, and she did her little leap and run. The people laughed and one said " boy, that dog sure is happy!" At least they were nice for a change!


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## Midnight12 (Jan 6, 2012)

I'm used to this also, but rosie always looks like don;t you want to meet me' tail wagging She is a real people lover and thinks everyone should like her as much as our big family does lol


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

muddypaw said:


> Yes, I've had the cross to the other side of the street thing too. What amazes me is that children want to pet my dog, while the adults are the ones who are scared.
> 
> I guess I'm not the only one experiencing this. Shadow has a really black mask, and I thought it was just her that looked scary or something.
> 
> We went to the greenbelt and two people were watching us. I was down hill and let Shadow off leash, and she did her little leap and run. The people laughed and one said " boy, that dog sure is happy!" At least they were nice for a change!


But children, generally, are happy-go-lucky and not afraid of anything until life teaches them otherwise. Their parents -- not so much. They're adults and worried for their kids. Perfectly acceptable. In fact, that's how they should be. They shouldn't allow their kids to approach your dog. They, as adults, should approach YOU and your dog first, if at all. Many GSD owners do not want to be approached by strange adults, much less children. 

Don't take offense, as none is really intended.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I do not mind when people are afraid of my dogs. 

I make sure that I have them under control. 

Even if I am working off-lead, I will snap the lead on, in order that they feel more comfortable with my level of control. 

I do not force my dogs on people. 

I do not make them get up close and personal. 

I keep out of their way, and the dog under control. 

But if they think that my dog can and will chew their arm and face off if they try something stupid, I have no problem with them thinking that.


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

I call my dogs back to heel position if we are going to pass people, and walk so that I am between the person and my dog, in case the person is scared.
If they say weird things, I either ignore it or if they seem interested in her (depending on the location/situation/vibes) I will ask if they want to pet her.


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## BGSD (Mar 24, 2011)

I don't think I've ever had anyone express fear toward my GSD. Maybe it depends on where you live. Most people in my area express interest in him and compliment him.

Although people with very small breeds do tend to pick up and hug their dog while they're passing us. I always found that funny, even though I keep my GSD on a very very short leash while passing others.


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## Davey Benson (Nov 10, 2010)

That is funny. For me it could go either way, when I'm out with my girl and I see that sort of reaction. If I want to just 'egg them on' a little bit more I could call out to callie "common over here KUJO!" (or killer or some other scary name) or if I want to make the other person feel ridiculous, I could say "comon over here FLUFFY" (buffy? Sparkles?) :rofl:


On time I had my BC and my GSD in my truck, and someone come over to the window on the passenger side to pet the cute doggie (the border collie of course) and I told her that he might snap at her. She said she wasn't to worried about the german shepherd because she was in the back seat. I told her "I wasn't talking about the german shepherd".


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## mysweetkaos (Sep 20, 2011)

I was just talking about this with my husband this weekend. Seems like everyone in our subdivision knows Kaos....so we don't get any real fear reactions, crossing the street etc when he is out. Only time we do...it is normally someone I've never seen around before. Now out walking Sherman (9 months)...who to me looks completely harmless, from his dinky head down to his floppy ears and rapidly wagging tail....people cross the street or hurry past us (he is always off to the side in a sit) all the time. We have gotten a lot of "that's one bad looking pit" comments as well. He is actually a Mastiff/ GSD x. My own FIL is scared of large dogs....he is very used to and unafraid of Kaos now....but when they came down over the holidays he was intimidated by Sherman. I don't take their fear personally....heck I'm afraid of mice, so as long as they are respectful...I'm the same.


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## chicagojosh (Jun 22, 2010)

Miss Molly May said:


> I was walking the foot path at the local beach with Molly and we did our usual thing move off the path with Molly when people pass by to give them there space. One lady walked by and said "those things should be muzzled" I was mad for a second then I just smiled at her and told her "have a good day"


One lady for abosultely no reason told me to have Cody muzzled. I told her that her husband should "muzzle" her. LOL... i was dying laughing...she was not


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## mysweetkaos (Sep 20, 2011)

chicagojosh said:


> One lady for abosultely no reason told me to have Cody muzzled. I told her that her husband should "muzzle" her. LOL... i was dying laughing...she was not


WOW that made me laugh....but I have to say if you said that to me, you might not be so cute without your front teeth


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## chicagojosh (Jun 22, 2010)

mysweetkaos said:


> WOW that made me laugh....but I have to say if you said that to me, you might not be so cute without your front teeth


lol, my friend and i were dying, cause it's like it was on the tip of my tongue waiting to be said


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## mysweetkaos (Sep 20, 2011)

chicagojosh said:


> lol, my friend and i were dying, cause it's like it was on the tip of my tongue waiting to be said


Sometimes people just make it too easy After 9.5 yrs of people asking "does he bite?" when I have Kaos out in public...I've started giving dumb answers. Last time I was asked, I replied with "only on Tues..oh  what day is it?...I better get him home"


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

LOL at the quick comebacks posted above!  Sometimes humor is the best device, even if the other party doesn't get it!


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

True story - I was walking a chihuahua mix (that ironially was black saddle/tan dog) but all of 5-6 pounds, had a lady walking with her child cross the street staring very fearfully at mini cujo.

The little dog was a sweetie too......

I've found that the reactions I get to my GSDs are bi-polar. People are either very positive and excited to see a GSD and want to pet or ask questions or they show fear.

Going through McDonalds drive thru one day had both of the kids in the back of the SUV. The young lady at the window where they hand out the food said 'ooooo viscious dogs'. Well Ilda was being a wee bit pushy trying to get her head out of the window, no barking or growling, just sniffing. She loves McDonald's french fries....and that's what I told the lady too...."It's the fries she wants!"

Next time I went through the drive through the manager asked if he could give my dogs a treat. So the dogs get free fries but I don't, what's up with that?!


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

I always laugh because people are TERRIFIED of Stark and before when he was going through a reactive phase, I could understand why.. but now? He doesn't even notice other people. They are terrified of him and will literally RUN down the hallways to get away from him in my building.

BUT.. The most hilarious part is that they are ALL OVER "sweet Zefra" . She is all of 55lbs, 22' at the withers and wiggles from tail tip to nose whenever she sees anyone come near her (if they look at her or not.. lol)... but she is my mouthy, jumping machine when she is excited... lol.

That's right folks, be afraid of the big soft, mellow dude but want to cuddle with my wild, mouthy, jumping, air snapping when excited machine... smart, real smart... LMAO.


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## WendyDsMom (Nov 18, 2011)

I have a GSD because I actually prefer people I don't know to be intimidated by the dog. It makes me safer hiking in the woods by myself or with my kids, walking in a park at dusk or dawn, walking around a city.

Wendy is in training - but Kayla used to stare down strangers and unless I told her it was fine - she kept stare down turned on. If someone smiles at me and starts communications, then Kayla would be told to stand down.

Someone once told me that I should muzzle her - I asked why they weren't muzzled: They were making way more noise than my quiet German Shepherd. I got stink eye - and kept my front teeth 'cause Kayla was in Stare Down mode.....


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## GSDkid (Apr 19, 2011)

I'm not trying to say I'm proud that people are terrified of my dog but it definitely makes them think twice about approaching her. Which is a benefit. It gives them more awareness that they are to be subtle when approaching ANY dog. 

My dog LOVES kids. When my nieces and nephews come over, she loves to go on a licking spree. Traps them in the corner and just showers them in drool. We went on a walk with my nephew one time, he's holding onto her collar (He's 2 yo) and a lady walks buy with her Yorkie and immediately picks up her dog and says to me, "Aren't you afraid it'll attack that child?" and passes by me. Seriously? lol. 

It's fine. I trust my dog but not to the fullest so I thank them for preventing any unnecessary actions.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

People that know my male know he is a sweetheart, he loves everyone but people that dont know him are afraid of him and I prefer it that way. If the person does not seem like a threat to me I will tell them that he is friendly but to others I say he cant be touched.

In my neighborhood everyone thinks he is mean and that he will bite and I'd like to keep it that way.


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## Stella's Mom (Mar 8, 2011)

Yes there is one couple that walks their small dog in our neighborhood that always crosses over to the other side of the street when she sees us coming.

Stella has never gone after any other dogs other than to say hello to some of her friends. If we see dogs we don't know I either put her in a sit, a heel or look at me while walking command. 

Oh well. Some folks are just afraid and without knowing their history with GSD's or other large breed dogs it is hard to speculate as to why people act fearful towards our non aggressive dogs.


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## ozzymama (Jan 17, 2005)

Maybe it's not always fearfulness. I cross the street if I see another dog coming, whether I have my dogs with me or am alone. When I was working through Oz's reactivity issue I realized how much better it was to approach, see and subsequently pass at a distance. Now he can walk through a crowd, do nothing, just walk and ignore. But if I saw someone coming and crossing the street wasn't an option, I pulled Oz and Sandi off the street and put them in a sit until the people passed.
I cross the street if I can or give a heck of a berth to the dog and owner. I don't know if the person holding the end of the lead is capable of controlling their dog. I don't want dog slobber on me or hair or a muddy paw. 
My rules have always been, someone walks by, butt on grass or gravel, pay attention to me and me alone. I served me well not long ago when I was out with both dogs, dh and the stroller. I had Oz, and Dolly, strange dog on a flexi darts up to us. Dolly is young, working with her, I've had her 5 months, perfect is a long way away, anyways in the tangle of dog invading space, Dolly reacting (in interest she's a very sweet dog), tangle of leads because Dolly was on one side Oz on the other, I dropped Oz's lead. He went over, parked his butt on the grass watching it all. Dh was shocked, I was like, he is well trained, I just don't make a big deal of him doing tricks to impress others LOL. I was like, walk him on a country road with a car coming, he'll haul your butt into the ditch, because he was trained off the road, butt on ground, not as easy in town.


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

LaRen616 said:


> neighborhood everyone thinks he is mean and that he will bite and I'd like to keep it that way.


I think people in my neighborhood think that too, because Bianca will bark a lot if anyone comes near the house. I don't mind if people think that and I don't stop her from barking at the window, as long as I can tell her to stop and she will listen, which she does, it's fine with me.

However if we walk 3 blocks to a street where a bunch of kids live, it's a different story.  The kids there all come over to ask to pet her when they see Bianca, ask me a ton of questions about her, etc... If they see me without her they ask where she is. A friend of mine lives on that street so I go there fairly often so the kids know Bianca. Although actually it's funny because there is also a street 3 blocks in the other direction that is the same (a bunch of kids who always stop us to pet Bianca.) There are always one or two kids who are scared and the other kids try to get them to come and pet the dog too.

When we are out places I'm sort of mixed about it. On one hand I do like that people are a little more wary of a GSD because we sometimes walk at night and I feel a little safer. On the other hand I go to a lot of events and festivals and things with her and it's fine with me when people come over to pet her (she loves it) and I don't like it when people act like they think she's going to eat them or something.


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## NewbieShepherdGirl (Jan 7, 2011)

When we're on a walk I usually move over onto the grass when we see people and put her in a sit. This acomplishes a few things in my mind.

A) For the person afraid of big dogs or German Shepherd's specifically, it allows them to pass without too much anxiety.

B) For the "All dogs love me person" I have put enough distance between us to stop and unwanted activity between them and my dog.

C) For the creeper who sees a little 21 year old girl walking by herself this provides them with an opportunity to see my dog is trained. In what? They don't know, but if I saw her and she was listening so well I wouldn't risk it. If it's a really creepy looking individual I'll use Russian and a hand command (she doesn't know the Russian commands anymore but she'd sit if you said "potato" and gave the sit hand signal.)

But to kind of comment on the original thought, I've had mixed encounters. I live in a college town currently (and one with a big vet school at that) so much people are really friendly about her. I really should be walking her on campus to get some socialization in because so many people are respectfully friendly with her when I have done it in the past. When I walk her in a more residential area I sometimes get a fear reaction from parents who seem to be scared she'll eat their children. In a way I'm ok with this. It means we don't have a bunch of kids hanging off of Sasha, which she wouldn't like at all (she wouldn't bite, but she wouldn't like it.).


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## CookieTN (Sep 14, 2008)

Davey Benson said:


> That is funny. For me it could go either way, when I'm out with my girl and I see that sort of reaction. If I want to just 'egg them on' a little bit more I could call out to callie "common over here KUJO!" (or killer or some other scary name) or if I want to make the other person feel ridiculous, I could say "comon over here FLUFFY" (buffy? Sparkles?) :rofl:



My dad used to like to do that. =P Someone would be coming in whom he knew was afraid of dogs, and he'd go "Stay, Killer!" (The dogs were always put up by that point, though.)


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

Geesh, leave it to me to be the bummer of the crowd , but when you get upset with others who are afraid, when you do little snide things like calling them Killer or Cujo... do you ever wonder if you are just furthering the public's perception about the breed? 

Ok, it's funny to have a post like this, but in real life, we're probably all better off, pb GSD or whatever you own, (my boy is a mix, but he would fool many who didn't know better that he's not pb WGSD, and many mixes would fool the general public,) to be a good representative of the breed and breed owner. If we intensify the public's fear or resort to sarcasm or other actions, we really just set things back for ourselves.

Sorry to be so serious!


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## CookieTN (Sep 14, 2008)

chelle said:


> Geesh, leave it to me to be the bummer of the crowd , but when you get upset with others who are afraid, when you do little snide things like calling them Killer or Cujo... do you ever wonder if you are just furthering the public's perception about the breed?
> 
> Ok, it's funny to have a post like this, but in real life, we're probably all better off, pb GSD or whatever you own, (my boy is a mix, but he would fool many who didn't know better that he's not pb WGSD, and many mixes would fool the general public,) to be a good representative of the breed and breed owner. If we intensify the public's fear or resort to sarcasm or other actions, we really just set things back for ourselves.
> 
> Sorry to be so serious!


Eh, it wasn't me...my dad's just like that. He didn't care if they were afraid of our dogs...he just likes to poke fun at people sometimes, in the spirit of fun. (He thought it was hilarious when one person admitted to being afraid of Poodles.) Otherwise, he respected them.
I'm kinda on the fence about it. Right or wrong, it's not something I'd do.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

chelle said:


> Geesh, leave it to me to be the bummer of the crowd , but when you get upset with others who are afraid, when you do little snide things like calling them Killer or Cujo... do you ever wonder if you are just furthering the public's perception about the breed?
> 
> Ok, it's funny to have a post like this, but in real life, we're probably all better off, pb GSD or whatever you own, (my boy is a mix, but he would fool many who didn't know better that he's not pb WGSD, and many mixes would fool the general public,) to be a good representative of the breed and breed owner. If we intensify the public's fear or resort to sarcasm or other actions, we really just set things back for ourselves.
> 
> Sorry to be so serious!


Well, I like my animals names, I dont care to have a Princess, Angel or a Buddy, I am a bit dark so I prefer darker names and I like creative names. I dont give a hoot who likes the names I have chosen for my animals and the funny thing is alot of people like their names. My dogs are very friendly to people and other animals the many people that know me know that my dogs are good dogs and giggle about their names because they are the total opposite of them. 

If I am out walking my dog and come across someone that doesn't look like a threat I will stop and let them pet my dogs but I am not going to let everyone know that my dogs are friendly because that just puts me and the dogs in danger. I live in the ghetto, I was stupid and bought my house and I am stuck in it because I cannot move out before 3 years. My next door neighbors are literally drug dealers, alot of scary people come and go from their house all day long and I am only 15 feet away from their house. They fear my dogs and I prefer and NEED it to stay that way. I am a 23 year old single girl that is basically handicapped living alone in the ghetto. 

So to good people my dogs are friendly, silly and loveable, to the bad guys they are mean and protective.


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

LaRen616 said:


> So to good people my dogs are friendly, silly and loveable, to the bad guys they are mean and protective.


Sounds like a good policy to me. Didn't mean to offend.


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## LoveEcho (Mar 4, 2011)

I've had the occasional fear response, but that's very rare compared to the overwhelmingly positive response. I take Echo EVERYWHERE with me, and I always get people gushing over how beautiful he is, how much they love shepherds...and I get a surprising amount of "normally I'm terrified of shepherd's but he's just so gorgeous". He never really outgrew his puppy face-- even at 90 lbs, he's way more "cute" than "regal"... he just looks goofy. And acts goofy (see my avatar). I like to think of him being a good breed ambassador-- he was a celebrity at the hospice center where my DH's mother was, and now he's a daily visitor at the nursing home where his grandmother is, and people ask for him when he's not with us. I think it's hugely a function of where you live-- in northwest CT, it's a lot of farmers, who I think tend to be more open to big/working line dogs. When I travel for work, I do like to take him with me, as a 100lb woman...he gets what I call his "lunchtime stare" around strange men-- it's really just him being curious (and anyone who knows dogs would see that his tail is up, ears up, and he's relaxed), but it's quite a deterrent


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## BrunoB (Dec 28, 2011)

I have people avoid me and Bruno when we go for a walk. I don't know if they are afraid of the dog or me though. Could be both. I'm 6'2", 210 lbs, shaved head and goatee. I'm more aggressive and ill tempered than Bruno will every be, tenfold. Maybe they sense that. 

It's not the dog, it's me.


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## DaisyDog (Nov 8, 2011)

I have people tell me that Daisy is "scary" and I think, she is the sweetest dog! I had a yorkie for 17 years who was way more aggressive. I actually used to pick her up when passing other dogs because she was known to go for their ankles and bite. I would always tell the other dog owner, it's not your dog that scares me, it's what mine will do to yours! LOL That little dog was much harder to control at 7 lbs then all 65 lbs of my crazy Daisy!

I'm learning to let go of the snap judgements of Daisy, but like another poster said, I don't mind people being afraid of her if I'm walking her alone somewhere.


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## ayoitzrimz (Apr 14, 2010)

Just stop listening. People have a right to be afraid of things, rational or irrational. Not many people can read dog language the slightest bit. Some people are just afraid of dogs in general. Even people that like dogs may be afraid of a GSD. Remember they have perky ears (have you ever seen a dobe with natural ears? not as intimidating...), and a big set of teeth. The sables (like mine) also conjure up images of K9s. Dont pay them any mind. They don't know your dog is friendly or sweet, they are just going to self preservation mode and staying clear. Show them what a good friendly dog you have - a true representative of the breed and hopefully that will help change their minds. If not, just move on and forget it...


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## Pepper311 (Sep 11, 2011)

Where I live it's a very dog friendly community. Just another reason i love where i live. Most people I meet love GSD they dont fear them. Even pits are excepted here. Unless it's a tourist they tend to not be as excepting of a pit bull running on the beach. 

People that don't like dogs don't like any dog.


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

A fair point. 

Thought it over too.

In red, ultimately we cannot control how other people percieve our dogs. Usually once we are adults and have made up our minds nothing will change it.

I think if someone is behaving fearfully but NOT saying anything the proper thing to do would be respect their space. Put your dog in a sit to alleviate their fear and let them pass by peacefully.

Now if someone makes a snarky comment like 'you should muzzle that dog', especially if my dog is behaving well and I've been respectful of their space all bets are off.

I've not had that happen to me personally, but if someone were to catch me on a bad day (no one is perfect) it would be better to put them off guard with a wee bit of sarcastic humour, me thinks, then telling them what we really think.

Having said that I'd have to say that overwhelmingly people are positive about my dogs. Sometimes over the top too. What catches me off balance is the occasional fearful person who behaves like the dog has already (somehow) attacked them.

One other thought I've pondered. I had an ASL dog back in the early 80s. I took her to lots of places and now that I think about I just don't recall people reacting overly dramatic about my dog (positive OR negative). I've not heard about a big uptick in GSD attacks in the last couple of decades so I'm wondering why, or what, is the driver behind the fear based reactions? Is it media, including fiction based media like movies, is it all the dog training shows on TV which often show some of the worst case scenarios? 





chelle said:


> Geesh, leave it to me to be the bummer of the crowd , but when you get upset with others who are afraid, when you do little snide things like calling them Killer or Cujo... do you ever wonder if you are just furthering the public's perception about the breed?
> 
> Ok, it's funny to have a post like this, but in real life, we're probably all better off, pb GSD or whatever you own, (my boy is a mix, but he would fool many who didn't know better that he's not pb WGSD, and many mixes would fool the general public,) to be a good representative of the breed and breed owner. If we intensify the public's fear or resort to sarcasm or other actions, we really just set things back for ourselves.
> 
> Sorry to be so serious!


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## Pepper311 (Sep 11, 2011)

All strong big breeds get this reaction every now and then. Try being a pit bull owner. My pit loves the water and went running right for the lake. A dad with with his kids on the beach and ran no kidding he grapes his kids and ran. He was already 20feet away. But he did not see us because meatball our pit ran ahead. I saw him the whole time he did not even see the family all he saw was the water. he was not running at them he ran by them 20feet away. 

So I am use to people being weird around my dog. Now with my shep no one is afraid of her but she is not that big. In my town it is very dog friendly and most people really love shepherd here. I had a mom of young kids come up and ask if she could pet my dog because she had a GSD growing up. Most people I meet in my town love GSD well the ones I have met anyways. It's normally tourist that are the ones that get weird around any dog. 

It's a mountain town people take there dogs every where up here. You can get a ski pass for your dog at our local mountain.


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

Yes. Titan is a 100 lb, very fit and powerful boy. When one of my neighbors walks by with her 2 yorkies regardless of Titan being leashed or not (deplending on what we are doing, as he's very very trained off leash and won't even leave the yard if we are out front.) she will ALWAYS pick up her little guys and walk rather quickly past us. and she's always EXTRA nice to me.. not sure if that's the "monster" I live with or because she always sees me in my militart uniform.. but I digress. Lol. I have also actually heard, from a past co-worker, "Have you seen Young's dog?! He probably eats babies!" That one just made me laugh. Being that I got him initially as a guard/companion for me being a single female.. it actually doesn't bother me when people are terrified of him. I also walk him with a head collar some of the time if I feel he is going to give me attitude that day (he has a personality let me tell you.) Most people who never used one assume it's a mussel, I either get "Is he a working dog?" Or just terrified looks as we turn corners while people move out of our way


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## PatternDayTrader (Dec 1, 2011)

All the peter pan choir boys and girls I know are afraid of my dog. 

I guess some people are dominated by their imagination, no matter what real evidence is presented.


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## 65Champagne (Nov 15, 2011)

I have never admitted this before, but I don't like clowns. I think they are creepy, and hiding some weird psychopathic tendencies. I guess someone's fear of my GSD makes a lot more sense. A mother pulling children aside or walking around me is their choice, and I respect it (as long as they are not wearing a red rubber nose).


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

chelle said:


> Geesh, leave it to me to be the bummer of the crowd , but when you get upset with others who are afraid, when you do little snide things like calling them Killer or Cujo... do you ever wonder if you are just furthering the public's perception about the breed?
> 
> Ok, it's funny to have a post like this, but in real life, we're probably all better off, pb GSD or whatever you own, (my boy is a mix, but he would fool many who didn't know better that he's not pb WGSD, and many mixes would fool the general public,) to be a good representative of the breed and breed owner. If we intensify the public's fear or resort to sarcasm or other actions, we really just set things back for ourselves.
> 
> Sorry to be so serious!


Cujo means "indomitable force." My mother decided on the name when he was a puppy. My sister looked it up -- she had never seen the movie or read the book. My mother did. And Cujo was an awesome dog, great with the kids, and everything until he was bitten and got sick. 

Yes, we have a Cujo. He is not adding to the negative perception of the breed, unless it is in being oversized.


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## PupperLove (Apr 10, 2010)

I have noticed that alot of people just tend to look at Jackson rather than comment or even talk to me, lol! Like they're afraid that if they say the wrong thing I'll unleash the beast!! But that's 100% fine with me because I absolutley hate when people come up and want to "pet the dog". But I'll usually be the one to cross the street first just to avoid any potential confrontation.


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