# Petsmart Trainer Fail



## RockinIt (Jan 29, 2011)

I was at Petsmart on Saturday when I met a gorgeous two year old male Malinois. I talked to the owner for a bit, asked if I could pet the dog and did. Then went on about my business. Later I saw the man still walking around when one of the trainers noticed the guy. I know the trainer and really like her. She's an okay trainer, but I wouldn't train with her and so far I haven't needed anything beyond basic obedience from a trainer, but as a person she's awesome. As she approaches the man and dog I hear her say, "What a beautiful German Shepherd you have!!!!" 


:rolleyes2: Petsmart :headbang: Trainer :headbang: FAIL :rolleyes2:


----------



## DCluver33 (May 27, 2010)

HAHAHAHAHA oh man that's kinda funny that a "trainer" can't even tell what kind of dog that is.


----------



## RockinIt (Jan 29, 2011)

It wasn't even a hard one to see. I mean...a lot of GSD people asked us if we'd gotten hoodwinked with Millie when she was young. It took her awhile before her coat darkened (she's a sable)...and she's on the smaller size. She's 2.5 years now and stays around 60lbs. A lot of people who know about dogs thought she may be a Mali...but this guy wasn't even like that. Everything about him said Malinois...not one darn thing said German Shepherd.


----------



## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

LOL thats rich. A thrilled the heck out a guy one time when i recognized he had a curly coated retriever. He's had the dog for 5 of 7 years and i was the first person to ever get it right. Pretty freaking hilarious. I understand people not knowing breeds but trainers should be more knowledgable! even petsmart trainers!


----------



## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

Now the trainer knows -- just say "what a beautiful dog" and ask what kind.


----------



## Dejavu (Nov 11, 2010)

Awww, well at least she confused him with another kind of Shepherd.

I still remember vividly how someone mistook my Belgian shepherd Groenendael for a Chow Chow, I was very young then but I still remember how my mind went blank after that comment and I didn't even know what to reply.


----------



## Syaoransbear (Sep 25, 2008)

I always follow the rule that if I'm not absolutely certain what breed it is, I should ask first before making assumptions. If the trainer was absolutely certain this dog was a german shepherd, then... sad.

I usually figure that those who don't know what a malinois is probably aren't active at all in the working/training world. Which is sad when she is a trainer!


----------



## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

Since the dog was a Mal, I don't consider it all that strange... Even if everything screamed Mal there are badly bred GSDs that look more like Malinois and would probably be more common. 

I'm not a trainer, but the other day at training I told someone "beautiful sable coatie" and it turned out the dog was a Shiloh, not a GSD. Then we had a very interesting conversation about the Shiloh breed, as she's going to be breeding when she finishes titling her dogs.


----------



## WarrantsWifey (Dec 18, 2010)

Thats rich.... Malinois, a gsd. LOL!!


----------



## RockinIt (Jan 29, 2011)

Lin said:


> Since the dog was a Mal, I don't consider it all that strange... Even if everything screamed Mal there are badly bred GSDs that look more like Malinois and would probably be more common.
> 
> I'm not a trainer, but the other day at training I told someone "beautiful sable coatie" and it turned out the dog was a Shiloh, not a GSD. Then we had a very interesting conversation about the Shiloh breed, as she's going to be breeding when she finishes titling her dogs.


Millie's not badly bred, but when she was going through that goofy adolescent stage she did resemble one. So far I have seen a lot of badly bred GSDs in this area, but none of them look like Mals...even the GSD mixes (unless of course they are mixed with Mal...which I've only seen one of those...and you could still see the GSD in it. 

I don't claim to be an expert on breeds, but the only Shiloh that I've ever seen and known it was a Shiloh was at our vet's office. It was 4 months old though and just looked like a really big/awkward GSD pup. However the vet tech that owned the dog does come across as though she thinks her Shilohs (she has one other that I know of) are considered GSDs. When you talk to her about how many dogs she has she says, "I have eight German Shepherds. Two of them are Shiloh Shepherds." Before coming to this board I'd never known that they were a different breed, but after reading it here I did do a minor bit of research on it via google just for myself. I haven't said anything to her about it...just smile and move on because I don't know enough about Shilohs to have a conversation like that.


----------



## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

kinda doesn't surprise me, every once in awhile I'll get someone who says,,what a beautiful Mal you have( DUH,,she isn't but thanks for the beautiful part


----------



## Rerun (Feb 27, 2006)

I'm actually shocked how many people recognize my Malinois.


----------



## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

RockinIt said:


> Millie's not badly bred, but when she was going through that goofy adolescent stage she did resemble one. So far I have seen a lot of badly bred GSDs in this area, but none of them look like Mals...even the GSD mixes (unless of course they are mixed with Mal...which I've only seen one of those...and you could still see the GSD in it.


What I was getting at, is most people have never even heard of a Belgian Malinois. The GSD is one of the most popular breeds... So for someone that might not be particularly familiar with the Mal, its not unusual at all to call it a GSD. Much more common than a GSD being called a Malinois. Even from a dog trainer.. There are SO many breeds out there, and even great trainers are going to have plenty of breeds they've never worked with in person. 

Once my LC GSD was called a Tervuren, now THAT surprised me!!


----------



## MikeyMerciless (Jan 15, 2011)

Could be a common mistake... but for a trainer, you'd think they'd know the difference.


----------



## Kayos and Havoc (Oct 17, 2002)

Okay give her a break.... that is actually a relatively common error. In some cases the breeds can look similar depending on bloodlines. 

I mistook a Valhund for a Corgi at a dog show a few weeks ago. It happens.


----------



## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

Would you expect a Trainer to know the difference between these breeds? 


















































Each one was a different breed.

In order, the curly coated retriever, the chesapeake bay retriever, the labrador retriever, the flat coated retriever, the nova scotia duck tolling retriever, and the golden retriever.


----------



## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

Lin said:


> Would you expect a Trainer to know the difference between these breeds?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
Never mind


----------



## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

1) Curly coated Retriever

2) Chesepeke Bay Retriever

3) Is that a Lab? Looks short and stocky?

4) ?

5) Nova Scotia Duck Toiling (sp?)

6) Golden Retriever

Dang I came close


----------



## Blazings (Jan 24, 2011)

Well.. they kinda look a lot like a GSD if you ask me.


----------



## gracieGSD (Jan 10, 2011)

It happens, I mistook a Goldendoodle for a Labradoodle at obedience class and the owner darn near took my head off...I guess the lesson is to aways ask


----------



## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

gracieGSD said:


> It happens, I mistook a Goldendoodle for a Labradoodle at obedience class and the owner darn near took my head off...I guess the lesson is to aways ask


Whenever someone asks me if my black GSD is a black Lab I almost take their heads off too.


----------



## Rerun (Feb 27, 2006)

Lin said:


> Once my LC GSD was called a Tervuren, now THAT surprised me!!


It still surprises the heck out of me when people recognize Dante's breed. Most even pronounce it right!

The others usually say something like, "I know he's got german shepherd in him, but what else is he mixed with?"


----------



## gracieGSD (Jan 10, 2011)

Interesting, because I had a Black Shepherd years ago and no one ever got his breed right...and really, don't the ears just give it away anyway?


----------



## Rott-n-GSDs (Jul 7, 2010)

gracieGSD said:


> It happens, I mistook a Goldendoodle for a Labradoodle at obedience class and the owner darn near took my head off...I guess the lesson is to aways ask


Hmm... maybe you should've just played it safe and called the dog what it really was... a mutt/mixed breed! I'm sure the person would've taken it well... being as they probably paid a lot of money for their "purebred mix." LOL!

The oddest thing Luna (silver/black GSD) has been called is a Norwegian Elkhound.... I guess because of her coloring. Nova (white GSD) has been called a wolf, and I can't tell you how many times my Rottie's been called a Doberman or a "lab mix."


----------



## W.Oliver (Aug 26, 2007)

LaRen616 said:


> Whenever someone asks me if my black GSD is a black Lab I almost take their heads off too.


OK, I just gotta say, I've about had enough of that as well! 

I was at a PetsMart with both my GSDs, and one of the "Trainers" approached...she just fawned over my WGSL, and went on and on about how she was a die-hard GSD person, to which I replied in a jovial tone, "there are GSDs and everything else is just a dog"! She said she was surprised to hear me say that since I had a lab mix puppy!


----------



## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

W.Oliver said:


> OK, I just gotta say, I've about had enough of that as well!
> 
> I was at a PetsMart with both my GSDs, and one of the "Trainers" approached...she just fawned over my WGSL, and went on and on about how she was a die-hard GSD person, to which I replied in a jovial tone, "there are GSDs and everything else is just a dog"! She said she was surprised to hear me say that since I had a lab mix puppy!




:hammer:


----------



## AbbyK9 (Oct 11, 2005)

At least the trainer in OP's story recognized the Mal as some kind of Shepherd.  A lot of the time, when I'm out and about with my Mal, I get "what kind of dog is that?"


----------



## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

I took Keefer to the Pet Expo the weekend before last - we were only there an hour (very small, not much to do or buy), and was asked TWICE if he was a Tervuren.


----------



## Rosa (Sep 18, 2010)

Rott-n-GSDs said:


> Nova (white GSD) has been called a wolf


Yeah i get that with Hachi my wgsd aswell most people seam to think he is a wolf or some sort of wolf mix!  

I wouldn't expect most people to know difference in breeds but for a trainer not to know is a bit of a fail in my eyes


----------



## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

AbbyK9 said:


> At least the trainer in OP's story recognized the Mal as some kind of Shepherd.  A lot of the time, when I'm out and about with my Mal, I get "what kind of dog is that?"


I thought the samething. Think this trainer should get a pass on this one

I have only seen Malinois in pictures, would love to see one in person.


----------



## Konotashi (Jan 11, 2010)

One time someone asked if Aiden (French bulldog) was a boxer. I was like  For real?

A lot of people ask if Ozzy's a Chihuahua, or say I have a cute Chihuahua. Drives me NUTS. Wouldn't care if it was just about any other breed, but a _Chihuahua_?! 
Most of the time though, people just comment on how cute/pretty he is or just ask what he is. His color throws a lot of people off.


----------



## wimmer105 (Jan 2, 2011)

while watching inside edition they said a mal that ran out on a field and grab the ball in the middle of the game was a GSD!


----------



## Powell (Oct 13, 2006)

When I was taking Sophie the long coated Bi-Color GSD for walks on the Cayce RiverWalk NO one got her right....except one guy who said. What a Beautiful Bi-Color Coatie! I said DING DING DING! No one else was close. 

When I was up at Bark in the Park at Chimney Rock NC a few years ago, Jolene saw this Corgi and started play bowing. The Corgi was scared of her. I said "Jolene, the Corgi doesn't understand you and is scared of you..." and the man started laughing and said I was THE only person to know what the dog was.... 

Powell


----------



## BlackPuppy (Mar 29, 2007)

I don't think that's strange at all. People with Malinois do their own training. You hardly ever seem them at AKC conformation shows. Sometimes you see them at AKC agility. 

People think all my dogs are German Shepherds. They think Balto is GSD mixed with either poodle or Airedale.


----------



## BlackPuppy (Mar 29, 2007)

Lin said:


> Would you expect a Trainer to know the difference between these breeds?
> 
> Each one was a different breed.
> 
> In order, the curly coated retriever, the chesapeake bay retriever, the labrador retriever, the flat coated retriever, the nova scotia duck tolling retriever, and the golden retriever.


Yay, I got them all! The trainers where I train would _absolutely_ know the difference because all of those breeds train at my club.


----------



## AgileGSD (Jan 17, 2006)

The Petsmart trainer here thought my 4 month old Belgian Sheepdog/Groenendael was a Schipperke. I actually get that fairly often and find it very strange. If you know what a Schip is, I'd think you'd know that they are much smaller than Belgians. I also get Shepherd mix, Collie mix, Black Collie, Sheltie and occasionally wolfdog/wold hybrid (or a variation - "a cool dog to breed with my wolfdog").


----------



## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

BlackPuppy said:


> Yay, I got them all! The trainers where I train would _absolutely_ know the difference because all of those breeds train at my club.


Show off 

But what about breeds that DON'T train at your club? My Trainer breeds and competes GSDs. I would be put off if he called a Malinois a GSD. But if he looked at that Novia Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever and called it a Golden, I wouldn't think much of it.


----------



## Dejavu (Nov 11, 2010)

AgileGSD said:


> The Petsmart trainer here thought my 4 month old Belgian Sheepdog/Groenendael was a Schipperke. I actually get that fairly often and find it very strange. If you know what a Schip is, I'd think you'd know that they are much smaller than Belgians. I also get Shepherd mix, Collie mix, Black Collie, Sheltie and occasionally wolfdog/wold hybrid (or a variation - "a cool dog to breed with my wolfdog").


Aww, please show pictures of your puppy!! I loved my Groenendael so much when I had one as a teenager.


----------



## lrandf (Nov 3, 2009)

Konotashi said:


> A lot of people ask if Ozzy's a Chihuahua.


well... there is the long-haired chihuahua. My sister has a cream colored Pomeranian and she gets that a lot.


----------



## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

Someone asked me this weekend if Singe was one of those "Belgium Mali-somethings"


----------



## Rowan (Feb 10, 2011)

When I first got Rowan a lot of people though that he was a rottie and would look at me like I had two heads when I told them he was a gsd.


----------



## HankGSD (Oct 28, 2010)

I can see a Belgian tervuren maybe getting confused with a GSD, but not a malinois. I have the privilege of knowing both breeds as K9's at work. I will never forget my daughter, who was about 8 at the time and had grown up with two shepherds at her dad's house, and when she met the malinois she said, "He's small!" 

There are two 10-month-old malinois in my current obedience class. Both of them and their handlers are fantastic. I feel like a big dummy around them.


----------



## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

Lin said:


> Would you expect a Trainer to know the difference between these breeds?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
i must spend too much time researching dog breeds and such because i was able to name all those in my head. but yeah i can see where people might be confused.


----------



## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

Courtney said:


> I thought the samething. Think this trainer should get a pass on this one
> 
> I have only seen Malinois in pictures, would love to see one in person.


 
i see mals around here pretty often. and NOT as military working dogs. the MWDs on base are either dutch shepherds or GSDs. All the mals i've seen have been pets. supposedly there is a breeder nearby which anything within about 15 miles around here.... BYB.


----------



## westallkennel (Feb 3, 2011)

You don't have to know any thing about dogs to become a trainer for Petsmart. They send you to a senior trainer for a month. I have worked with several people who have never even owed a dog.


----------



## Sue Smart (Jul 12, 2002)

Whilst walking my first German Shepherd Candy I was asked by a policeman if I had a licence for my wolf.


----------



## BlackPuppy (Mar 29, 2007)

First time I saw a long-coat GSD, I had to ask they guy what it was. I never heard of them before. I almost asked if it was a Tervuren, but it just wasn't quite right.


----------



## Chowgal (Dec 21, 2009)

That is a fail! 

I got asked if my chow and my chow/lab mix were huskies... All I could say was "Uuuuh... No."


----------

