does it sound like I'm afraid of dogs?

[alien girl]

if i'm told the dog is friendly, or if the dog wags its tail or licks my hand, or if i see someone walking by it and it does nothing, then i dont have a problem. if it's a lab or golden retriever, the gentle breeds, no problem.

when a horse size dog put its silky paws on my shoulders and playfully bites, it's cute and hilarious.

but when walking in a place with many homes or factories and garages, i'm afraid, because i think these are vicious dogs. very afraid.

and if i see a large dog, and it doesnt do anything to assure me it's friendly, and no one walks by it, i'll cross the road. (if it's not a lab)

i love dogs, i'm an animal lover, crazy about them. will rub my nose against theirs and kiss their furry heads. fascinated by all animals.

 

[Kari Suttle]

I'm like this too. I'm afraid of big dogs that aren't the known gentle breeds (labs, retrievers, etc). If its not acting openly friendly and it owner isn't with it, and its a large dog, I'm usually scared of it. I love animals and i love friendly dogs but i can be just as scared of them.

 

[Etzelaire]

Hey dogs can inflect severe damage it's not a bad thing keeping an eye on them. A specialist on a TV programme says the best you can do if you don't know how it is going to react is not staring at it, lowering a bit your sight and walking slowly away. They don't prey on people just for fun, only defend their territory as lomg as you keep away from it your safe

 

[Ste11aeres]

Please please please don't judge a dog's behavior by its breed. A dog's behavior can't be predicted from its breed, just like a human's behavior can't be predicted by race/ethnicity.
Don't touch dogs that are strangers.
One troublesome thing, is that some people purposely train their dogs to be aggressive, because they think that is the way to get a guard dog.
Stay calm, if you are anxious, it makes dogs anxious, but if you are calm, it makes dogs calm. They feed off your energy, and your calmness creates a safer situation.
Most important, learn to read a dog's body language, so you can tell whether the dog is in a calm, submissive state, or an alert predatory state. Canine Body Language | ASPCA

 

[AsheSkyler]

I have a very healthy respect of animals above a certain size, or are a certain species like snakes, spiders, raccoons, and hippos. I adore German shepherds, but I'm cautious because they are so big (especially the monstrous Sampson I once knew, although his greatest danger was either the tongue or tail) since I know if it turned on me there would be little I could do to defend myself against them. Little rats like my chihuahua/shitzu mix I know I can smack with a fly swatter and that'd be the end of it. I won't antagonize them though, I treat them like people. If they're friendly I'll pet them and play with them, and if they're grumpy I'll give them their space.

 

[Ste11aeres]

I have a very healthy respect of animals above a certain size, or are a certain species like snakes, spiders, raccoons, and hippos. I adore German shepherds, but I'm cautious because they are so big (especially the monstrous Sampson I once knew, although his greatest danger was either the tongue or tail) since I know if it turned on me there would be little I could do to defend myself against them. Little rats like my chihuahua/shitzu mix I know I can smack with a fly swatter and that'd be the end of it. I won't antagonize them though, I treat them like people. If they're friendly I'll pet them and play with them, and if they're grumpy I'll give them their space.

I've seen videos of Cesar Millan where he held a tennis racket not to hit the dog with, but to use as a shield to hold in between himself and an aggressive dog. as mentioned in the bottom of this blog post. http://www.cesarsway.com/dog-whisperer/episode-archive/season-3-episode-10A stick, large bag, etc, can serve the same purpose.

 

[AsheSkyler]

I've seen videos of Cesar Millan where he held a tennis racket not to hit the dog with, but to use as a shield to hold in between himself and an aggressive dog. as mentioned in the bottom of this blog post. http://www.cesarsway.com/dog-whisperer/episode-archive/season-3-episode-10A stick, large bag, etc, can serve the same purpose.

A very wise idea. The last time my husband and I decided to take a leisurely walk down some of the roads here, he kept a stick for the same reason. There are a LOT of dogs nearby.

 

[alien girl]

A very wise idea. The last time my husband and I decided to take a leisurely walk down some of the roads here, he kept a stick for the same reason. There are a LOT of dogs nearby.

violent dogs, or the friendly fluffy type?

 

[Ste11aeres]

violent dogs, or the friendly fluffy type?

I've seen cute fluffy little dogs that were violent.

 

[Cali Cat]

[Dogs] don't prey on people just for fun, only defend their territory as lomg as you keep away from it your safe

That is true up to a point. If it is one single dog, it is much less likely to attack a human who is giving it a lot of space. However, if there are two or more dogs loose together, they can go into this pack mentality and attack a human like a pack of wolves would attack a deer. It happens a lot in my area because there's a lot of low-information types who don't think it's necessary to keep their big dogs locked up.

 

[clg114]

Someone said that no certain breed was more aggressive than another. I think that is true for the most part, however I can think of one exception to that rule. My wife and I have five Chihuahuas. These little dogs do not tolerate other dogs or people that they do not know. And they are very aggressive, to the point that you have to protect them from their own actions. They will attack animals that could easily kill them. I do not think we've done anything to make them aggressive, except maybe spoil them. Cali Cat probably has the right idea about a pack mentality, they seem to all act together.

 

[alien girl]

That is true up to a point. If it is one single dog, it is much less likely to attack a human who is giving it a lot of space. However, if there are two or more dogs loose together, they can go into this pack mentality and attack a human like a pack of wolves would attack a deer. It happens a lot in my area because there's a lot of low-information types who don't think it's necessary to keep their big dogs locked up.

you can say the same about people...

 

[Ste11aeres]

That is true up to a point. If it is one single dog, it is much less likely to attack a human who is giving it a lot of space. However, if there are two or more dogs loose together, they can go into this pack mentality and attack a human like a pack of wolves would attack a deer. It happens a lot in my area because there's a lot of low-information types who don't think it's necessary to keep their big dogs locked up.

Also, research shows that most dog-related fatalities are from dogs who've had limited human contact, never developed relationships with humans, and therefore ended up looking upon humans as they would look upon a potential prey species, instead of a potential-pack member species.
They don't have to be feral dogs, a dog kept chained in someone's yard with no actual relationship with its owner, can count. And, while there is no breed that is inherently aggressive, people are more likely to treat certain breeds in that calloused neglectful way.