"_____" breed is not like other dogs!

[PlottMom]

Originally Posted by AdrianneIsabel

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

True fact.

And also how I feel about Daisy lol

[sillysally]

Originally Posted by JacksonsMom

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

Originally Posted by sassafras

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.

[Tahla9999]

Yeah, I dislike the attitude " my breed is too difficult, only the most special can handle them!" It not people on this forum, but I find that a lot of working dog people have this smug attitude. Yes, most people wouldn't want to deal with true working breeds, but don't feel yourself better because of it.

I think it is all about the "what I don't want to deal with" and "what I can't handle." Too different statements that tend to get mix up. I would admit that there are lot of breeds that I don't want to deal with. I don't want to deal with maintaining a Puli's coat, or deal with the size of a Mastiff or the stubbornness of a Basenji. That doesn't mean I can't handle them. I just would prefer not too! There are a few breeds that I feel like I couldn't handle, like the caucasian ovcharka, and that is partly because I would never live in an environment suitable for it(city living for me).

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.

This. If the most difficult breed ended up on my doorstop and I decided to keep it, I would adapt to that dog's needs. Whether it is dealing with a Mali, dealing with a Puli, or dealing with a Basenji.

[puppydog]

To me, no breed is like any other breed. Otherwise why do we have breeds?

[BostonBanker]

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.

Heavens, yes. I had two instances when Gusto was young, and people would ask me what he was ("Half border collie, half we-don't-know"), and they would look pointedly at me (I'm overweight) and say that there was no way I was going to handle him when he was older. These were non-agility, random pet people I didn't know. I'm pretty sure the daily training and 1 to 3 hours of off leash exercise my dogs get nearly every day is more than most pet people give their dogs.

I used to find it annoying when people would start in on their "but my breed is more special than most" spiels. Interestingly enough, I see it less in the real world and more in the online world. We certainly see it on this board. I don't think there is a single person who means it in an unkind or hurtful way, and it is never phrased that way.

But I came to a conclusion. *Every* dog deserves to have someone who thinks they are the most spectacular, individual, unique, fantastic creature to touch the earth. It isn't meant to take away from other dogs, or to look down upon the people who don't have them. It is simply a way of honoring what is so special about the dogs we know. So I now smile when I see that border collies/mexidogs/filas/whatever are so different and special and I just don't get it.

Because I know the real truth. Rescue dogs have something so unique about them, and such a different bond with their owner than dogs who were purchased, and if you don't have one, you don't get it

[Catsi]

Originally Posted by BostonBanker

Heavens, yes. I had two instances when Gusto was young, and people would ask me what he was ("Half border collie, half we-don't-know"), and they would look pointedly at me (I'm overweight) and say that there was no way I was going to handle him when he was older. These were non-agility, random pet people I didn't know. I'm pretty sure the daily training and 1 to 3 hours of off leash exercise my dogs get nearly every day is more than most pet people give their dogs.

I used to find it annoying when people would start in on their "but my breed is more special than most" spiels. Interestingly enough, I see it less in the real world and more in the online world. We certainly see it on this board. I don't think there is a single person who means it in an unkind or hurtful way, and it is never phrased that way.

But I came to a conclusion. *Every* dog deserves to have someone who thinks they are the most spectacular, individual, unique, fantastic creature to touch the earth. It isn't meant to take away from other dogs, or to look down upon the people who don't have them. It is simply a way of honoring what is so special about the dogs we know. So I now smile when I see that border collies/mexidogs/filas/whatever are so different and special and I just don't get it.

Because I know the real truth. Rescue dogs have something so unique about them, and such a different bond with their owner than dogs who were purchased, and if you don't have one, you don't get it

Never a truer word spoken.

[AdrianneIsabel]

Originally Posted by Tahla9999

but don't feel yourself better because of it.

What is so very wrong with pride?

This. If the most difficult breed ended up on my doorstop and I decided to keep it, I would adapt to that dog's needs. Whether it is dealing with a Mali, dealing with a Puli, or dealing with a Basenji.

We're all different and that is why so many different types of dogs exist.

I know my limits and I would promptly find a home for a dog not suited here in an effort to benefit them, I know that I'm not designed to make every type of dog the happiest it can be and not every type of dog is designed for my lifestyle. I don't honestly think people are doing dogs any favors saying they don't feel the need to research breed/type needs and select 15 yr long companions based on such needs and desires.

[elegy]

Originally Posted by Tahla9999

This. If the most difficult breed ended up on my doorstop and I decided to keep it, I would adapt to that dog's needs. Whether it is dealing with a Mali, dealing with a Puli, or dealing with a Basenji.

I think, unfortunately, you are in the minority there. Hence the huge population of dogs in the shelter- a lot of people don't adapt to the needs of dogs they choose to bring into their homes.

Luce was a huge eye-opener for me when I brought her home. I got way more dog than I was expecting. It is who I am to adapt, to grow, to learn how to meet her needs. But most of the casual dog owners I know? Wouldn't have.

[sassafras]

Originally Posted by Tahla9999

I think it is all about the "what I don't want to deal with" and "what I can't handle." Too different statements that tend to get mix up. I would admit that there are lot of breeds that I don't want to deal with. I don't want to deal with maintaining a Puli's coat, or deal with the size of a Mastiff or the stubbornness of a Basenji. That doesn't mean I can't handle them.

Very well said. What someone CAN do and what someone WANTS to do are very, very different things.

Originally Posted by AdrianneIsabel

I don't honestly think people are doing dogs any favors saying they don't feel the need to research breed/type needs and select 15 yr long companions based on such needs and desires.

Well it's a good thing no one is advocating that people do that, then. Not sure where that even came from in the context of this discussion, honestly.


For me it has nothing to do with pride or arrogance or being insulting or anything like that, it's just that really who knows what kind of dog might click with what kind of person? If I had been on Chaz before I got Squash, I wonder how many people would have told me I couldn't handle a working line Alaskan cross being a middle aged fatty living in the city with no previous mushing experience. And yet here I am with an awesome dog I adore enjoying a new sport I wouldn't have otherwise.

No breed is so special that only a very elite subset of dog owners can handle them or can't adapt to them. It's far more about the owner and their willingness to adapt and be flexible and be clear about what they do and don't WANT to handle than any particular breed of dog IMO.

[AdrianneIsabel]

My response was directly connected to the post I quoted.

I am surprised so many on this forum have gotten and care about people's concerns and warnings dealing with breeds. Sometimes I really think people misunderstand, a lot.

I specifically said that ime kelpies are not the easiest, most ideal breed for sports that benefit from biddability of training as opposed to shaping instinct. I did not say "you cannot handle this breed and cannot go far with this breed." I worry however people seem to think one statement means the other.

When someone says they want a mal but hate dogs that follow you with their noses up your butt and I say this breed is doubtfully ideal for you then it is for the benefit of the situation, not some form of snarky snobbery.

When I post "tell me about tollers, deerhounds, whippets, and _____" I want genuine reasoning to see why this breed may or may not suit me. I don't take offense if someone says," you seem to prefer biddable dogs, be aware this breed can be hard to bargain with."

Maybe this is far more about sensitivity and semantics than breeds and suitability.