German Shepherd... Dangerous breed?

[Jake71]

Seriously?

I thought pitbulls were the new target?

Used to be Dobermans and Shepherds, then late 80's Rotts and pits... now just pits...

?

I was wondering why 3 small groups of people crossed the street before we got to them....

seriously?

German Shepherd is NOT a scary dog....

<confused>

[Kayos and Havoc]

Sure they are..... so are poodles! LOL!!

I was walking Havoc at the park tonight and heard a mom scream at her kid "to look out for that dog" who was running in our general direction. My friend who was walking toward me with her mini schnauzer did not get the same warning. We went over to the tennis courts and trained for 45 minutes while the mom watched the "scary dog" as her kids played.

[RazinKain]

Not sure what world you're living in, but a GSD is definately a 'scarey' dog if you don't know it personally. Even being very familiar with the breed, I bet you still wouldn't put your arm through the open window of a parked car with a GSD in the cab.

[GSD_Xander]

Maybe they just had really bad allergies...

...but - to be serious - when I go for a walk with my daughter if I see someone on the sidewalk approaching with a dog - be it large or small - I will give the dog and handler a wide berth. It's just that I don't know the dog and more importantly I don't know the handler.

That being said though I do think that people often see certain breeds as "dangerous" or violent breeds and so some people fear them.

Dog Attack Deaths and Maimings, U.S. & Canada, September 1982 to June 25, 2010 - By Clifton Merritt - DogsBite.org

[MikeyMerciless]

Maybe not to you or most of the other people on this site, but to non-dog lovers or people who just don't know much about them, they ARE pretty intimidating. Especially on all the shows and movies where the GSD police dogs bite someone's arm. Some people think they'll bite anyone like that.

[Jessiewessie99]

Too many people, dogs in general(including Chihuahuas) are scary. Sometimes they just had a bad experience and are now scared, some are ignorant and listen to everything they in the media.

GSDs have always been labeled as "dangerous", just Pitbulls are more talked about. GSDs do have an intimidating look, but that doesn't mean they are dangerous. Same goes for Rotties, Dobermans, and Pitties.

I live in an area where people associate GSDs with Police Dogs and think mean dog. I have friends and classmates who live in not so good neighborhoods and were a little intimidated by my dogs, but I introduced them and they were at as scared. I will also tell them about the GSD breed. I also do the same when I am working at the shelter. If a person comes up and asks about the dog and its breed I will educate them, I do alot of that with Pitbulls.

If someone is scared of my dog it could be for a number of reasons. But if they come up to me or start spouting stuff such as "German Shepherds are vicious dogs and can never be trusted" I will try and educate them, but if they still want to be mean, then I just leave them alone. But if I am at Petco or out walking and someone gets a little tense when they see my dog I will ask if they would like to pet my dog to show he/she is friendly. If the person says no then I don't push them, if they say yes, I teach them the proper way to introduce yourself to a dog and let them pet my dog.

It all depends on the situation and the person. Some people have a fear of dogs because of being attacked by a dog, and some are just ignorant.

The best way is to educate. Sometimes they will listen, sometimes they won't.

[ponyfarm]

I am afraid more of all the dumb dog owners. "Can we let them sniff? He's friendly!" "He loves kids!" "I just train him myself..we are that good"..etc.

Now thats some scary stuff and good reason to always avoid those you don't know!!

[Davey Benson]

Originally Posted by RazinKain

Not sure what world you're living in, but a GSD is definately a 'scarey' dog if you don't know it personally. Even being very familiar with the breed, I bet you still wouldn't put your arm through the open window of a parked car with a GSD in the cab.

Which is one of the reasons I love to take mine with me when I run errands in town. Who's going to pull a smash and grab when theres a large GSD sitting in the passenger seat staring at ya, with her ears pricked up!

[Chicagocanine]

People all the time used to cross the street to avoid passing by when I was walking my well-behaved Golden Retriever in heel position, so it's not just German Shepherds. I think some people just are afraid of any medium/large type of dog.

[EJQ]

Unfortunately, GSDs are listed among the breeds that will bite unprovoked. That includes Poodles, Rotties, Pits, Dobies & some others that escape me right now. The number one dog for toddler face bites is the Golden Retriever (I read that in some insurance publication). I've been around GSDs for 37 years and I can guarantee you that, even though I have a good understanding of their body language etc, and I'm not afraid of them, I would not offer my hand to a GSD that was sitting in the back of a pick up truck or on the front seat of a parked car. I will admit that nothing scares me more than an untrained dog, GSD or not.
All that being said, I would say that our breed demands respect but I do not consider them to be dangerous.