MovieChat Forums > Beverly Hills Chihuahua (2008) Discussion > Yet again...Doberman's are agressive bre...

Yet again...Doberman's are agressive breeds but German Shepherds and....

posted 15 years ago by Kahlin83
4 replies | jump to latest

...Chihuahuas aren't. I'm getting pretty tired of the portrayal of Doberman's in film. Very rarely do I see one portrayed as a loyal, loving, affectionate dog. I understand why this is - They were bred as guard dogs and with a docked tail and cropped ears they can look intimidating. However that does have negative repercussions. I'm sure somewhere along the line it's caused more than a handful of Doberman's to end up in the wrong hands or left behind at adoption centers. I can't think of how many times we've been walking ours down the street only to have people cross over to the other side of the street when they see us coming or for little girls to be scared our dog is going to attack them but they fawn over my brother in laws miniature aussie - A breed which is more temperamental than Dobermans.

Furthermore it really irritates me that German Shepherds have been noted to be more aggressive than Doberman's and Border Collie's rank higher in terms of poor temperament and aggressive behaviour. Chihuahuas are perpetually portrayed as cute, friendly dogs that don't show signs of anxiety or aggression yet most of the ill-tempered dogs I've met have either been Chihuahuas, Pomeranians or other small dogs such as Miniature Pinschers. The only reason I can think of is because many owners feel that since they're "such small, cute little things" they needn't concern themselves with the proper obedience training whether from a trainer or just by laying out ground rules - They're still animals.

Now don't get me wrong, I absolutely love German Shepherds and while a Chihuahua may not be the breed for me I do not view them as evil spawns of satan. I just wish film-makers and screen writers would put a little bit more variety in their films when it comes to what dogs are the "bad" ones.

In this film's defense, it didn't show El Diablo biting or baring teeth (from what I can recall) which is a lot better than in other films.

/End rant :P

Life would be much more enjoyable if I had just one thing - Season 8 of the Shield & 5 of the Unit.

[–] WarpedRecord 14 years ago

That's a very level-headed post, and you've gone a long way toward breaking my fear of Dobermans. Of course, this film did nothing to make me appreciate Chihuahuas.

Ultimately it comes down to how dogs are raised – Dobermans are often used as guard dogs, while Chihuahuas are often spoiled and made neurotic by their owners. None of them are bad breeds in themselves, but I tend to go for the middle ground of bulldogs and Labradors – none of whom, I might add, were in this film.

[–] gurrrrrrlllll 14 years ago

Unfortunately, as humans we judge everything by appearance. I mean, physical attractiveness is a huge factor in how we evaluate others and who we decide to be friends with... It's the same with animals. Dobermans could be considered to look evil and dangerous with their black coats, the devil-like ears and other characteristics. I'm sure they're just as friendly as most dogs, but they're just stereotyped. German Shepherds appear somewhat kinder in appearance. I mean, Delgado was a beauuutiful dog. Have you noticed that pugs are always made to be spoiled and pretentious...? Same with poodles. It's just kind of sad because Disney often seems to pair up appearance with a similar personality. And once again Disney has based characters and their flaws on their physical appearance - even if they are dogs! It would be nice to have a role reversal every once in a while.

[–] puschit-1 14 years ago

I don't know what kind of movies you have seen but usually Chihuahuas are shown as little devils that may look cute on first glance but are as rotten and neurotic as their owners.

German Shepards are the perfect police dogs and they are often shown as such. So, while they do have agressive scenes, they seem to be controlled and their aggression is directed against the villains, so nobody cares.

Yes, it's true that very much depends on how the dogs are raised and how the owner treats them, I've seen totally harmless pitbulls and hyper aggressive poodles, but there ARE tendencies in their characteristics and the breeders DO look out for aggressiveness in watchdogs etc. So if I had the choice of three paths, each of them leading past an unchained dog, I'd still take the one with the poodle or golden retriever over the one with the doberman.

[–] arijana13 11 years ago

I love dobies :)