On the Issue of Breed Blindness
Have you ever noticed that the most annoying dogs are the smallest ones? I think they get away with so much because of their size.
Think about it. If a German Shepherd or Labrador barked at every person on their walk or jumped on people at the door, they’d never get away with it. I feel like most (not all) big dog owners are way more disciplined with training for this reason.
Which then tells me it’s not a temperament issue, it’s a training issue! The scrawny chihuahuas are the ones barking, jumping, peeing, and lunging. And the owners don’t bat an eye because it’s less likely that they’ll cause actual harm. It does cause annoyance though!
And you know what?? It is potentially harmful! I might be fine if a dachshund were to jump on me, but they could completely knock over my toddler or my grandma. I’ve seen large dogs being trained to ignore other dogs (sometimes for service purposes) and then little dogs lunge at them and break their focus. That could be extremely dangerous for the owner of a medical alert service animal. Or it could be dangerous for the smaller dog! They’re picking battles that they will lose!
If you’re on the market for a dog, for Pete’s sake, please don’t pick a small breed just so you can shirk the responsibility of training. If you’re not gonna train, you shouldn’t own a dog… or at least you shouldn’t take it out on public to make it everyone else’s problem.
← Back to the rage
Think about it. If a German Shepherd or Labrador barked at every person on their walk or jumped on people at the door, they’d never get away with it. I feel like most (not all) big dog owners are way more disciplined with training for this reason.
Which then tells me it’s not a temperament issue, it’s a training issue! The scrawny chihuahuas are the ones barking, jumping, peeing, and lunging. And the owners don’t bat an eye because it’s less likely that they’ll cause actual harm. It does cause annoyance though!
And you know what?? It is potentially harmful! I might be fine if a dachshund were to jump on me, but they could completely knock over my toddler or my grandma. I’ve seen large dogs being trained to ignore other dogs (sometimes for service purposes) and then little dogs lunge at them and break their focus. That could be extremely dangerous for the owner of a medical alert service animal. Or it could be dangerous for the smaller dog! They’re picking battles that they will lose!
If you’re on the market for a dog, for Pete’s sake, please don’t pick a small breed just so you can shirk the responsibility of training. If you’re not gonna train, you shouldn’t own a dog… or at least you shouldn’t take it out on public to make it everyone else’s problem.