Dog Stereotype: Difference between revisions

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Often, animation writers use a dog's breed to determine its personality by making it a kind of voiced ethnic stereotype, especially if the name of the breed has a country in it. This has little to do with how the breed ''really'' acts, as anyone who has dogs will attest.
 
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* [[Bully Bulldog|Bulldogs]] often have English accents (playing on the "British bulldog" [[National Stereotypes]]) or are big and dumb. The big part may be due to confusion with two bigger breeds - the boxer and the English mastiff - since English bulldogs are, for the most part, relatively small.
* Great Danes are big and friendly, perhaps boisterously clumsy, and also dumb (the archetypal example being [[Scooby Doo]].)
* Dobermans are often fiercely disciplined soldiers when they aren't [[Angry Guard Dog|Angry Guard Dogs]]s.
* Old English Sheepdogs are lovable goofs who are half blind with their fur covering their eyes.
* Pitbulls (Staffordshire bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, and American pit bull terriers) are portrayed as invariably savage and aggressive. That stereotype is the very reason they are (sadly) the biggest targets of breed-specific legislation (BSL).
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* Sled dogs like Huskies and Samoyeds are generally merry energetic fellows, eager to be on the go for whatever reason.
* Golden Retrievers and Laborador Retrivers are [[Fun Personified]].
* German Shepherds are often portrayed as either [[The Ace]] or [[The Hero]]. Sometimes they are [[Angry Guard Dog|Angry Guard Dogs]]s in works where they are not a main character or not even much of a character at all.
* Collies are often portrayed as [[The Ace]].
* Scenthounds, especially bloodhounds and Basset Hounds, are often portrayed as low-energy and laconic.
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** ''Homeward Bound'''s predecessor ''The Incredible Journey'' (1963) had Luath the young, energetic Golden Retriever, Tao the Siamese cat, and Bodger the wise, noble old bulldog. (These versions, however, didn't speak.)
* (Sort of) averted in the Open Season sequel. The poodle Fifi, despite the name and [[Tertiary Sexual Characteristics]] (including a dainty blue bow), is a male (and voiced by Crispin Glover no less!) He's neurotic but no less spoiled.
* Almost played straight in [[Oliver and Company]]. Dodger is a fast-talking, street-wise mutt [[Jive Turkey]], Tito is a chihuahua with a [[Hair-Trigger Temper]], Georgette the poodle is a spoiled literal [[Rich Bitch]], the [[Ironic Nickname|Ironic Nicknamed]]d Einstein exemplifies the Great Dane's [[Good Is Dumb]] stereotype, Rita the saluki, as per the [[Smurfette Principle]] is the only female of Dodger's gang, and dobermans Rosco and Desoto are the classic [[Angry Guard Dog|Angry Guard Dogs]]s. Only Francis violates the rule, being a well-educated bulldog with an appreciation for the arts and a British accent ([[Irony]]).
* Played with in ''Hulk'', in which two of the Hulked-out dogs are a pit bull and rottweiler, as expected for scary aggressive canines. The third is a scary, vicious ''poodle''.
 
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== Real Life ==
* A weird [[Truth in Television]]--Chihuahuas—Chihuahuas apparently fit the [[Latin Lover]] stereotype, with a dash of [[Discworld|Casanunda]]...it's common to find truly absurd Chihuahua crosses, often with breeds that make you wonder if the little guy used a stepladder.
** Of course, artificial insemination helps.
** [http://ericbogle.net/lyrics/lyricspdf/littlegomez.pdf Oh, I used to have a doggie and I called him Little Gomez/Because he was a Mexican Chihuahua...]
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{{reflist}}
[[Category:ThisCanine Index BarksTropes]]
[[Category:Dog Stereotype]]