I must have trained him properly...

[Mikos_Mom]

Most people are just ignorant of the most all dog breeds.

This is true. It's not really something that someone "needs" to know... so unless they're very interested and go about researching the various breeds, they're likely just to know of the "popular players" and the breeds seen a lot on tv... GSDs, Boxers, JRTs, Cockers, Poodles, Labs, Goldens, etc.

My SO is always amazed when we see a lesser-known breed out and about and I know what it is... One day we were @ the dog park and I said "oh that's a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever" ... without a saying a word to me he went over and asked the owner what kind of dog it was. Hahahaha... he didn't believe that I knew what I was talking about! When the owner confirmed that I was correct, my SO was absolutely floored! Yes, I am a wealth of useless info when it comes to dog breeds. If only I could make some $$ with that useless knowledge!

 

[Justicemom]

This is true. It's not really something that someone "needs" to know... so unless they're very interested and go about researching the various breeds, they're likely just to know of the "popular players" and the breeds seen a lot on tv... GSDs, Boxers, JRTs, Cockers, Poodles, Labs, Goldens, etc.

My SO is always amazed when we see a lesser-known breed out and about and I know what it is... One day we were @ the dog park and I said "oh that's a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever" ... without a saying a word to me he went over and asked the owner what kind of dog it was. Hahahaha... he didn't believe that I knew what I was talking about! When the owner confirmed that I was correct, my SO was absolutely floored! Yes, I am a wealth of useless info when it comes to dog breeds. If only I could make some $$ with that useless knowledge!

In my job it pays to know my breeds as people don't tend to trust you if you can properly ID their breed. As a result I read alot about breeds including the rare ones.

One day I saw a dog sitting in the lobby. OMG is a Norweign Buhund. So I walk out and ask the owner if her dog was a Norweign Buhund. The look of her face was priceless. I swear her jaw hit the ground. Yes it is. HOw did you know? nobody knows what she is. I did finally confess that the AKC gazette had a feature on the breed and I had just read it the night before. But come on, what are the chances!

I was also pretty proud of myself for correctly IDing the Tibetian Ridgeback. Puppies are impossible though, especially coated breeds. They look so different so unless you've seen pictures of those rare breeds as babies. Forget it.

 

[Mikos_Mom]

In my job it pays to know my breeds as people don't tend to trust you if you can properly ID their breed. As a result I read alot about breeds including the rare ones.

One day I saw a dog sitting in the lobby. OMG is a Norweign Buhund. So I walk out and ask the owner if her dog was a Norweign Buhund. The look of her face was priceless. I swear her jaw hit the ground. Yes it is. HOw did you know? nobody knows what she is. I did finally confess that the AKC gazette had a feature on the breed and I had just read it the night before. But come on, what are the chances!

I was also pretty proud of myself for correctly IDing the Tibetian Ridgeback. Puppies are impossible though, especially coated breeds. They look so different so unless you've seen pictures of those rare breeds as babies. Forget it.

That reminds me of the time I ID'd a Belgian Turvuren... I though the owner was going to kiss me!!!

 

[mcemily]

There don't seem to be many Shelties around here. We encountered one at the dog park the first time we went, but have never seen another one since. Lerwick is always regarded as an Exotic, and we get a lot of "what kind of dog is that?" from people. I'm always happy if somebody asks "Collie or Sheltie?" because at least they're in the right ballpark! And on those rare occasions when someone knows he's a Sheltie without even having to ask, I'm really impressed! So far every such person has either owned a Sheltie themselves, or knew someone who did. I don't think we've ever encountered someone who recognized Lerwick as a Sheltie who did not have personal experience with the breed.

Of course, he is still a puppy (and not a particularly fluffy one at that), and like Dr. Shelli said, puppies can be really hard to ID if you're not familiar with the breed. I'll be interested to see if he is more easily identified once he's an adult.

 

[k9kreationz]

Go Dad!!

I grew up with a Sheltie, so I wonder...would my folks have corrected a person? Or just let them think what they wanna think? Hmmmm.....

I LOVE when people say "what a beautiful Sheltie" or "oh look, it's a Sheltie". I heard two women talking one day, one say, "oh what a cute mini Collie" and the other said, "no no, it's a Sheltie". Like you said, makes me want to hug a random stranger. But alas, like others, most people either had them, or know someone that did, or what not. Otherwise, people think their Collie's.

Long ago, I made a chart of BC/Aussie/Sheltie/Collie and found all sable ones so people could see the difference. Just cuz it's sable/white doesn't meant it's Lassie dangit! Hahaha.

Lastly, I try to know my breeds, but if I am not sure, I just ask in two ways, either "is that XYZ or ABC?" or "what breed is your dog?" I try NEVER to assume because I hate when people think that of my dogs, lol. Oh, yesterday, as I'm standing in the rain, this woman comes up to me talking about Shelties (she had them for years). I finally asked her, "is that a big Shiba, or a....is it a Jindo?" She said, "wow, people rarely get either right, but he's a jindo". The dog was as tall as Koji, but I've seen some big Shiba's.

I am sure people with "lesser known" breeds are so happy when others can identify them correctly. I thought Sheltie's weren't that unknown, but I guess they are. Darn Lassie. LOL.

 

[Eleore]

Awesome dad is awesome

I drove him crazy with the Sheltie thing, but the truth is that Lucien won him over. When he arrived he was "The dog will be OUT OF THE BEDROOMS!!". Fast forward 8 months, and he was giving him food under the table, getting him on the bed and using his own coat so that Lucien could sit in the coach without ruining it with his paws. Heck, when I tell him not to feed him on the table, he tells me that he's "entitled to spoil his grandson"!!!

He actually wants a Sheltie when Matt (our GS) passes away, as Lucien is coming with me. I love him for that but I can't be enthusiastic about my big boy not being around

Just cuz it's sable/white doesn't meant it's Lassie dangit! Hahaha.

... or female!

 

[BarbV]

In my job it pays to know my breeds as people don't tend to trust you if you can properly ID their breed. As a result I read alot about breeds including the rare ones.

One day I saw a dog sitting in the lobby. OMG is a Norweign Buhund. So I walk out and ask the owner if her dog was a Norweign Buhund. The look of her face was priceless. I swear her jaw hit the ground. Yes it is. HOw did you know? nobody knows what she is. I did finally confess that the AKC gazette had a feature on the breed and I had just read it the night before. But come on, what are the chances!

I was also pretty proud of myself for correctly IDing the Tibetian Ridgeback. Puppies are impossible though, especially coated breeds. They look so different so unless you've seen pictures of those rare breeds as babies. Forget it.

I commend you for that.

One of the best vet's I ever had actually knew something about Shelties. And she knew that certain heart worm medications were not good for them. Now granted, that was years ago, and medications have changed, but I sure appreciated that she understood meds and how the affect certain dog breeds.