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Do People Know Your Breed?

13K views 42 replies 35 participants last post by  Dobergirl  
#1 ·
When you are out walking, or at the park or anywhere public with your dog, do people know your breed? Or do you get the "what breed of dog is this?" sort of question? Have you ever had a strange breed comment that makes you realize that some people do not know about the dog breed that they own?

90% of the time, people would know the breed of my dogs here. or I should say "kindda" know my dog's breed. "Kindda know" because some attribute a a group type that isn't actually accurate to the maltese breed.

It always goes something like
Person: "Adorable! Maltese terrier, right?" or something in that line that has "terrier" in it. The fact is, these aren't terriers. I've been getting these comments lately, and I see myself repeating myself over and over.

I shared this with some other maltese folks in other places and to my surprise, others mentioned that they came across some other people who think that maltese are spaniels type of dog. Go figure!

LOL but the comment that made me giggle which I received in one of my dogs' videos in youtube was from someone saying that he also has a maltese, but his maltese is "black" :eek: makes me wonder if this guy ever did his research on the breed which he claims to own :confused:

I guess that I will forever be saying to some people that maltese aren't terriers nor spaniel. And that they only come in one color: SnowWhite!

So do people know your breed?
 
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#2 ·
Ive encountered very few people that know what my Chinese crested is.
The others are Aussies and border collies.. Most people know but I've had a lot of people call kitty, the Aussie, a border collie.
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#3 ·
My White Swiss Shepherd has been called Husky, wolf dog, German Shepherd, Labrador... :ponder:How can they see a Labrador in my dog? :confused: It's just... weird.

Anyhow, the strangest breed comments of other people of their dogs...
Well, there is this lady who owns a 'Golden Retriever', or so she says. Doesn't matter that her dog is 8 inches larger than the average Golden, is stark white and has way longer hair and... just plain doesn't look like a Golden Retriever. I haven't told her to her face, but she owns a livestock guardian dog. :rockon:

Awesome dog. It's a Polski Owczarek Podhalanski, otherwise known as the Polish Tatra Sheepdog. Don't see them very often, but this one is the real deal. It's so funny she really claims to own a Golden Retriever :D Oh well, who doesn't know, doesn't mind...

This is what the dog looks like: (not actual picture of the dog, but this one closely resembles it)
Image

Anyone see a Golden Retriever? :p
 
#36 ·
Definitely don't see Golden Retreiver. If you wouldn't have named the breed I would've thought Great Pyrenees.
 
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#5 ·
I've had folks ask if my boys were the English Cream Retrievers and when Noah was a puppy and had a short coat people would swear to me I got a white lab. If only they could see him now. I live in the city and so many people have never seen a Great Pyr or any version of the LGDs.

On the odd occasion, someone will actually name Great Pyr, Akbash or Kuvasz in lieu of polar bear. ;)
 
#6 ·
My basset always gets confused for a beagle. Many exclamations of "what a cute beagle puppy!" as we walk around in the parks or apartment complex follow us. His ears are much longer than a beagle, he is so much more wrinkly, and his legs are so short and will never be as long as a beagle's.
Back when I has my corgi almost no one knew what kind of dog he was. Everyone would ask me "what breed is that?" It's mostly due to unfamiliarity with the breed, since he was an amazing looking corgi.
 
#7 ·
I always get "wolf mixes" when I walk my GSD mixes around. They really seem to frighten people around here. I've had people turn and walk the other way, and once, in a drive through, the workers refused to hand me my food out of the window because my dogs were in the car. :eyeroll:
 
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#9 ·
Lol... I get what mix is she? or confused looks, and interesting colors...? Or what colors doesn't your mutty have? I just look at them, she's pure breed Australian Cattle Dog, and her color is called blue.

I love my pup :D :D :D :D

Image
 
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#10 ·
Very few people know what my pekes are. Most people just ask.:p
When they do guess, they are normally way off!
Pearl has been called a Maltese, Shih Tzu, Lhasa, and Pug mix... once even a cat (a very young child- maybey 4?).
I had a women insist that Pearl was a Maltese because she just knew that pekes can't be white. She still didn't believe me after I explained the difference between the Pekingese and Maltese and also told her that pekes can be white, its just not the most common color.
LeRoy is similar. He has been called a Shih Tzu, Lhasa Apso, and Pug mix...

Penny (Min Pin) is sometimes called a Chihuahua. However most of the time she is called a Mini Doberman. :rolleyes:

I have only had Dash for a few weeks but he has been called a lab, hound, and doberman mix, simply because he doesn't have cropped ears. And several people have said that they didn't know Dobes came in any color other than Black and Tan...
 
#11 ·
I must say the most "Man what?" moment was when I was out with Prowl when he was about 12 weeks old and got a "What a nice cocker spaniel you have" The lady would not believe that he was a PB border collie because he looked just like her spaniel at home.

My mother has Havanese and she usually gets asked if they are Shih Tzu, Maltese, Lhasa's, and once, a Coton de Tulear.
 
#12 ·
A lot of people take my standard poodle for a labradoodle. I keep his coat short all over, so to some extent I can understand the confusion. They often react surprised when I tell him that he's a standard poodle. I guess people expect poodles to be fluff covered ;)
The farthest off ever was a man who mistook him for a terrier ... :cool:
 
#13 ·
Do you guys get offended when people guess your dogs' breeds and they're wrong? I'm always scared to say "Oh what a cute xyz" because I think I'll be wrong and the owner will look at me disdainfully like I'm just a mutt-loving uneducated person :p I once asked a woman what kind of dog she had and she responded snootily, "Uh, Cocker Spaniel" in a 'duh you idiot' tone. (But it had a really weird cut and looked more like an uncut maltese mix than a cocker.)
 
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#14 ·
I don't because people just don't know. Nowadays there are so many breeds and so many mixes.
Even with Alex, people know what a Great Dane looks like... they're all tan, right? They aren't used to seeing Harlequin so they automatically think Dalmatian. I'm happy to explain his color... though I would be upset if someone argued with me and told me I was incorrect :)
 
#15 ·
My little ones get mistaken for Shih Tzus which I can sort of understand, I suppose.
I don't get offended...but I love it when they just ask what they are but I tell them, then they say, "No, no ....that's not it" :rofl:

Someone once told me that Heidi (English Mastiff) was an Anatolian Shepherd.
I said: Hmm maybe, she does like her stuffed sheep a little too much :D
 
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#16 ·
my harlequin is called a dalmatian ALL the time or a dal mix. My brindle dane is called a pit bull a lot... Yeah... A pit. And they were both called dobermans the one day. Really? Interesting looking dobes for sure! The only reason that one kills me is the girl said they were her favorite breed and she ALWAYS wanted one... Hmmm.

I don't get mad when people don't know. The only thing I get annoyed at is the "put a saddle on that thing!", "that's not a dog its a horse", and "how much for a pony ride?" comments... Its so old and irritating.
 
#17 ·
People always get mine right. "aw what kind of mix is he" and the frightened looks and running away with Glacier around makes it clear people know hes a pit
 
#18 ·
I have a big black greyhound. He has been mistaken for a great dane, whippet, italian greyhound :ponder: and doberman. He is on the lean side (even for a grey) even though he free feeds so I often get that he's too skinny. He has already gained 20# so I am sensitive about his weight. He is a healthy boy just lean. The one that kills me is people go "OMG he's soooooo big, how much does he weigh?" When I answer 85# they go "wow, he doesn't look that big." Make up your minds people!!!! He's either big or small, he can't be both.
 
#21 ·
Maggie gets called part mastiff because she has more lip than a great dane should have and she has droopy eyelids. Bos, my dane/ridgeback mix gets called a pit mix and he has even been called a "giant pit bull". I think most people just assume he is the same kind of dog as Maggie. Mojo gets called a dalmatian, but that kind of is a given for anyone with a harlequin.
 
#22 ·
When Luke was a pup I got a lot of "lab" comments...until of course they asked how old he was and I'd tell them he was only 3 or 4 months old and already the size of a lab lol.
I've been asked if he's pure bred because he's black, or his ears aren't cropped...but generally speaking now that he's older everyone pretty well knows what he is, especially given he's larger than most danes they've met, so there isn't much else he COULD be lol. The ones who ask what he is I think actually already know or have a good idea, they just want to make sure:D
 
#23 ·
oh yeah, my girls also get called greyhounds all the time.

i think what it is with danes is most people do have a good idea of what they might be, but i hear from so many people that they have never seen one in person before. so i think that makes them think that it has to be some kind of mix or something because theyre kind of that breed you only ever hear about and never see :D
 
#24 ·
Most people know what Lazy is, but most people ask what kind of a mix Whisky is and I say "she's pure Australian Shepherd" and they usually respond with "really, but she has a tail/doesn't have a white neck ring" and I respond with "Well not everyone is born with blonde hair". There was really only 2 people that knew what she was and that was a neighbour who had an aussie and a person that just knew what she was.
 
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#25 · (Edited)
When you are out walking, or at the park or anywhere public with your dog, do people know your breed?
Very rarely. They will guess "husky" most often, followed up by "Pomeranian"

But yesterday a guy in the park surprised me entirely by saying "... American Eskimo, right?" and I said "You bet." Then he said "Miniature?" and I was shocked, and said "Yes she is!" and finally he said "... 'bout 3 months old?" (she's 16 weeks) and was was laughing at this point and said he was pretty much right on.

So that was a pleasant surprise ;)
 
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#26 ·
Not the full extent of it, anyway lol. Most people are pretty quick to point out that she has Lab in her but I do get alot of questions too!

People commonly think Mae is mixed with Rhodesian Ridgeback, Pit Bull, Doberman, Great Dane, or Hound (? what type, I dunno lol). But in reality I suppose it's a possibility? She's adopted, anything could be true haha.
 
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