There’s a big difference between a naturally reticent or outgoing dog and a dog with a fundamental temperamental instability.

So far I have only encountered 3 dogs with any sort of mental problems.

1 Japanese Chin – extreme fear, this dog would barely get out from under the couch for the owners, much less anyone else.

2 St. Bernards – two of them, and I think from the same litter, they became hostile to strangers when they grew up(I could play with them when they were pups/young), only grandpa and the neighbour that owned them could handle them after that.

Of course, I have left out the many dogs that are afraid /cautious of strangers, but can be befriended by those with patience, or be cured by simple training.

“Several lions and a cheetah that used to belong to Saddam Hussein’s son Uday are among the major attractions. Some of the animals might seem odd for a zoo in another part of the world. For example, a caged black Labrador that many Iraqi visitors refer to as the “American dog” is a popular attraction.

Shoupe, the public affairs officer, said the Labrador is an object of fascination because it is a purebred, uncommon in Baghdad. But it is unclear why some Iraqis refer to the Lab, a breed prominent in many countries, as the “American dog.”

Edited to note: I’d never even heard of pit bulls until the late ’80s. The big bad bully dog when I was growing up was the doberman. Shepherds kinda, too.

…Actually, it merits its own post when I get the time, really.

Currently, I have the Fox Terror, who came from the vet tech program at a local community college, the yellow Lab who my mom adopted from the shelter, then decided was ‘too big and wild’ and tried to send back, and the Siberian, who came from a rescue after her owner died. The only problems I’ve had with them are that they’re all too clever for their own good- the Siberian can open doorknobs, for example.

A long time ago, I raised Spitzes/American Eskimos. I love the Arctic types, but Spitzes can be little 25 pound Maverick missles with faulty guidance systems. You know it’s going to go off, you just never know when or where…and they cloak it behind a smile that is the very spirit of Christmas.

Regards,
Rabbit.

of course, some part of that is no doubt due to shelters killing the unmanageable head cases first, but that’s no worse than the culling a responsible breeder ought to be doing anyway, so…

Today’s Cockers still contain a few little gems that are true to original breed type, but most of the ones we had to deal with had raging, chronic, painful health problems to go along with unstable temperaments. Dealing with a dog that’s already “weird” is that much more fun when it also has incredible, intractable ear infections. Add in some really, really scary aggression that can pop up with them, and I still won’t pet or really even go near a cocker unless I already know the dog well.

Myself, I generally feel pretty comfortable approaching a pit bull, so long as the owner is around or it’s in a controlled environment. And once they’ve had a sniff and gotten to know me, they’re almost always very affectionate and open for attention, then and in the future.