"_____" breed is not like other dogs!

Right. This!

I only mind that kind of statement when it's made in snobbish context, or on a level of unhealthy admiration. I see it the most with herding breeds (and especially BCs/malis) and guardian breeds. While it is often true, the context is what can be bothersome, to me.

Do people really make others feel less than worthy when they say "this breed is not an easy breed and may not suit you"?

That doesn't bother me at all.

It's when people say it because their breed is OBVIOUSLY just *better* (insert snobby nose) and you couldn't POSSIBLE understand!

That drives me nuts.

Honestly I just ignore people when they say it.

It may have meant something at one time but everyone says it so much there isn't really much weight behind it.

That doesn't really bother me. I've been known to warn people against certain breeds. My grandma was talking about getting a Boxer puppy, and I just don't think it would have suited her AT ALL so I warned her and talked her out of it.

But sometimes I find people to be snobby about it. "Yorkies are not normal dogs! They can't walk for 4 miles!" kind of thing bothers me. lol. Because it's simply not true. It can be how your raise it, or it could just be individual personality but a Yorkie is not "above" being a dog because they're "special" or "not like other dogs". Every yorkie I've ever known as loved rolling in crap, eating sticks, and running around as much as any other dog, I guess is my point. That while someone who may have a preference for a Mal probably would never seek out a Yorkie, but that doesn't take away that underneath it all, they're both still dogs. I dunno, bad w/ words tonight, like I said lol.

I think people read that into the statement more often than they should.

Then again, I may be snotty, I don't really care what most people say 'cause I'm just not like most people. ;P

FWIW, I don't think you're snotty! LOL.

No, because quite Frankly it's their opinion and more often than not, I'd say that about them owning any dog, let alone the breed they have. Somebody else may think the same thing about them.

It's just plain annoying.

Yeah, I think this is what mostly drives me nuts too.

In my breed it's often used to brush off why people dedicate whole rooms as bathrooms for their pugs (young, old, whatever, they **** inside) or why they won't come outside when it's above 15C or why they won't let their dog off leash or why they won't let their dog do agility or anything active. You see what i'm getting at here, it's more of an avoidance thing in my breed but it's also snobbish in a way too. Pugs are just too special and fragile to be normal dogs.

Besides the fact that Izzie and I enjoy doing things together, the snobbiness of Pug people is a major reason we do what we do.

I think it's similar in the Yorkie world. Sounds the same! lol.

It irritates me a lot when people say I'm not suitable for xyz dog. Especially having met me for 10 minutes, how do you know what is suitable and not for me.

The worst one I've gotten was because you have a Papillon, a TOY dog, there's no way a herding breed would be suitable to you. That really pissed me off, plus his dog was the one harassing mine while mine was playing fetch and stealing all our tennis balls without dropping it when asked.

It bothers me coming from people that don't know me. It's as if I met someone on the street, talk to them for 10 min and said you can't be a teacher, or mom, because you're not fit for it.

If it's coming from someone that knows me pretty well, knows what I want/am used to then no it doesn't bother me.

I've never said Papillons are not like other dogs ever to anyone. When people ask me what they're like I do tell them they're energetic for small dogs, but not extraordinarily different.

Yeah there's a wide variation in dogs but a dog is still a dog. I like how Paige described it.

I have no problem with people saying "yeah they're pretty intense compared to most dogs out there." If you made a "dog intensity" graph most e.g. Malinois are going to fall in, I dunno the 90th percentile. So I don't think it is an erroneous statement to make.

That said it does rub me the wrong way when people try and pump their breed up as "dog gods" or something similar. It just silly. Or when I hear stories like Michiyo-Fir's. Go ahead and tell someone your opinion of a breed but the snobbish elitist bs we can do without thanks!

Lets be honest, Shamoo is better than most dogs. There is nothing elitist about a true statement.

I have no problem with saying X breed isn't like a generic dog because often times they're not. We can accept that some breeds tend to be born of the yap stick, fetch, love water, herd inanimate objects, point, bay, howl, chortle (I think that's what that basenji noise is), heel anything walking, tend to be dog aggressive, are cat like or love everyone but for some reason we can't say that X breed is like any other dog? I have no issue with this... but at the same time you can't say that your dog isn't a dog at heart.

I think not pointing out what makes breeds special and different is a disservice to them.

But what is a "generic" dog? The thing is, by saying that, you are imposing your thoughts of a "generic" dog on everybody else.

Ask 10 people what a "generic" or "ideal" dog is, you'll get different answers.

A dog that is easy to walk, leave home loose, take on a picnic, take to the park, will bark but not attack, friendly, active but not annoying, etc. That is the "ideal" for most of my clients.

My ideal differs a bit but mostly I agree with my clients, I want all of that and more in biddability and stamina and work ethic. However, Arnold and Shamoo are pretty much "your normal dogs" if you don't pay attention to their dog v dog interactions.

I understand what you're saying though. I also believe Kat is right to say that refraining from describing and distinguishing each breed is doing an injustice.

I would agree with this. I think it's the primitiveness of the type that makes them "different" than most dogs you meet on a daily basis.

Cricket, Talla and Siren are from a feral population.... and their ancestors have been feral for hundreds of years. So they're scary smart and resourceful.... "wily" is a good word for it. There's a duality to everything with Mexidogs - they're like walking contradictions of themselves! I find their interactions with people fascinating, because they have a deep rooted instinct telling them that they need people, but they shouldn't trust people.

They grow up fast - they spend very little time being puppies, because in their natural habitat.... puppies don't survive long. Through natural selection, their maturation (physically and mentally) has changed to favor dogs that grow up very fast. Only the cunning ones - the ones built for ultimate survival on the fringes of society - live long enough to reproduce... which is somewhat sad, but also VERY cool when you stop to think about it. And not something that is mirrored in many other (if any) established dog breeds.

Honestly I do find it kind of annoying. For one thing, saying "X breed is not like other dogs!" is sort of lumping all other breeds together. There's X, and everything else. Meanwhile, owners of breed Y and breed Z are saying the same thing... it just reminds me of the "we're ALL special!!!!" kind of thing. Not all breeds are like each other, or we wouldn't have breeds. But there is NO breed so special that it is unlike all other breeds.

It annoys me even more if there is a stated or implied "only X kind of person can handle owning Y kind of breed." I think any truly dedicated owner who is willing to be flexible can handle owning almost any kind of breed.