Big Black Dogs and A Walk In The Park

A friend of mine has a Doberman Pinscher. She adores her dog and takes her everywhere and to every kind of training class you can imagine. They do tracking and trick training and run 5ks and 10ks together. They're a great pair.



While walking with a friend and her Golden Retriever, my friend and her Doberman, Poppy, were ambassadors for the breed. Dobermans are Big Black Dogs who were originally bred to be guard dogs and have a reputation for being aggressive toward strangers and loyal to their owners. Because my friend is aware of, but saddened by, the belief that Dobermans are dangerous dogs, she is diligent about leash manners and socializing Poppy. She can take Poppy anywhere and feel secure that Poppy will be comfortable, friendly and safe.

The Golden Retriever Poppy was walking with was not so well-behaved. The Golden was on a Flexi-style leash and walking ahead of its owner, crossing their path back and forth with no control or input from the owner. Being in a park, on a walking and bike path, there was enough width to accommodate the Golden's unstructured walk, but when a bike rider approached, he rang his bell several times to get the group to move over a bit. My friend and Poppy stepped to the side of the path, stopped, and Poppy sat down and they waited for the rider to pass. The Golden was barking at the rider, and its owner had difficulty retracting the leash and getting her dog to listen to her. The rider could not get by because of the length of the leash crossing the path. The Golden's owner apologized saying she was trying to get her dog under control. The rider said, "It's not that Golden I'm worried about. It's that Dobe!"

The big black dog who was calm, polite, and following its owner's direction, was feared while the barking Golden Retriever who was not under any kind of safe control was not a concern. Big Black Dog Syndrome.