The Five Worst Date Bait Breeds

1. Pit Bull. There are lots of sweet, gentle Pit Bulls in the world, and most Pit Bulls love people and are great with kids. No
matter how nice your Pit Bull may be, understand that, with the breed’s fierce reputation, lots of people won’t come near these dogs. Some communities have banned Pit Bulls and related breeds. Expect people to cross the street to avoid you if you have a Pit Bull, even if your dog is a wonderful, friendly, sweet soul.



2. Rottweiler. Like Pit Bulls, too often Rottweilers are given a bad rap, unfairly. These loyal, intelligent, trainable dogs can be fabulous pets for singles and families alike. But here’s a hint: Any breed that is the subject of a cult classic movie named Rottweiler: Dogs of Hell may lose you more friends than it wins you.



3. Yapping Little Dogs. Some people don’t like little dogs, period. No one likes yapping little dogs. These dogs can even irritate their owners.



4. Dogs With Elaborate Hairdos. People who show their Poodles learn to love all the fluff and pompons. Not the rest of the world. If your Poodle or other breed is trimmed like topiary, expect derisive laughter, not love.



5. Chinese Crested. These dogs are usually born naked, except for tufts of hair on their heads, feet and tails. No matter how smart, funny and just plain lovable these little guys are, even many of their owners admit they look a little bit like space aliens. It doesn’t help that Chinese Crested are the perennial winner of the World’s Ugliest Dog Contest, held annually in Petaluma, California. In fact, a Crested named Chi Chi is in the Guinness Book of World Records for winning this dubious title the most times—seven in all.

THE 10 BEST DATE BAIT BREEDS

1. Golden Retriever. Friendly and non-threatening, a Golden is the ideal date bait dog. With their happy faces, glistening fur and wagging tails, these dogs make humans feel good—and brave enough to say hello to the person at the end of the leash.

2. Scruffy Terrier Mix. Small terrier mixes can be the cutest dogs in the world. Bright eyes, an adventurous soul and the waifish tousle of hair compel people to come over and coo. Bonus points if the dog came from a shelter with a sad story—and has a fabulously happy life with you.

3. Collie. One word: Lassie. Who doesn’t have childhood memories of yearning for this dog? Especially if you’re looking for a love over 40, this dog will bring people to your side.

4. Afghan Hound. Elegant, aloof and hairy, this exotic breed isn’t the kind of dog people will hug. However, they will stop in their tracks and say, “Wow!”

5. Labrador Retriever. There’s a reason Labs are the number one dog in America—we just can’t help but love these mugs. Half of America has a story about a Labrador they once loved, and will share it as they pet your dog.

6. Pug. Very hip thanks to the Men in Black movies, Pugs are friendly, happy, comical dogs who invite a conversation. They’re small enough to be portable, but big enough to be sturdy pals. Note: At Pug parties around the globe, lots of people seem to feel compelled to dress their Pugs in outfits, reminiscent of Miss Piggy. Don’t dress your Pug in clothes if you’re hoping to meet a normal human.

7. Saint Bernard. Nothing has quite the “awwwww” factor of a big, sweet, lovable Saint Bernard. They’ve got the big eyes and round heads that we’re genetically programmed to respond to the way we respond to babies. They have giant size without intimidation, and are a guaranteed conversation starter. (Get used to people asking, “How much does that dog eat?!”)

8. Tiny Dogs With Big-Dog Confidence. A lot of people are turned off by Yorkies, Maltese, Toy Poodles and other pintsized pooches. However, if one of these tiny toy dogs is a confident, friendly little guy who looks people in the eye and sort of shrugs as if to say, “What’s your problem?” you and your dog will soon have a small army of admirers.

9. Beagle. There’s no friendlier face than a Beagle. This breed seems simple and straightforward, kind of a Midwestern working-guy dog in a convenient package.

10. Old English Sheepdog. Fuzzy, furry and funny, Old English Sheepdogs invite a hug. And you’ll spend hours answering the question, “How does that dog see anything through all that hair?” clothes — especially giving female Pugs highly feminine

Dogs as Date Bait: Why It Works

The traditional methods of meeting a potential love interest just don’t work very well. Meet someone at a bar? I’m more likely to orchestrate an intervention than ask for the guy’s phone number.Find romance at work? Can you spell sexual harassment lawsuit?You can’t be seriously looking for love at the grocery store. Comeon! If you see someone suggestively caressing the melons, your firstthought isn’t, “Now that’s a normal, functioning adult.” One book I read suggested that singles hang out at banks, since employed people go there to make deposits. But it seems the employed person you’d meet would likely be a police officer or FBI agent during what could be a rigorous and ugly interrogation.

Happily, the answer to the problem is probably lying at your feet right now. Yes, once again, you’ll find that a dog really is man’s (and woman’s) best friend. Your dog is ideal date bait.

Scientific studies have proven it: You’re three times more likely to have someone stop and talk if you have a dog with you. Psychologists tell us that people with dogs are perceived as friendlier, more approachable and just plain nicer than those without canine accomplices.

If you’re a dog owner, you know the drill: Walk someplace alone andyou’re ignored. Walk the same route with your pooch by your side and people will stop and talk. And they aren’t just talking to the dog—they’re making eye contact and talking to you. If you play your cards right, your pooch really can lead you to smooch.

There are several reasons why this happens:

- Humans are hardwired to love puppies. We find baby mammals of almost all kinds appealing—and puppies fill the bill in spades. Baby mammals have round heads, large eyes and soft features, and we’re biologically driven to look at them, touch them and care for them, just as we are a human baby.

- “Infantile features have such a strong effect on us that just looking at a pup can change the balance of hormones in your body,” writes Patricia McConnell Ph.D., a dog behaviorist and ethologist (a person who studies animal behavior as the interaction
of evolution, genetics, learning and environment) in her book The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs.

- Some breeds have the soft, sweet looks of puppies even as adults: from Chihuahuas to Cocker Spaniels to Saint Bernards, we’ve bred dogs that retain the round head, large, luminous eyes and curvy body of a puppy throughout their lives. And we respond with our hormones

- When people stop to pet your puppy—or your puppy-like adult dog—they experience a feeling of maternal or paternal instinct and softness that carries all the way to the human who’s with the dog.

- Dogs give us permission to talk. “It’s like when people wear a T-shirt that says something funny—they’re inviting people to look at them,” But walking your dog does something more for you than any T-shirt could. While a funny phrase on a shirt might
make people laugh, it’s just a shirt. You and your dog are a pair, a team. “It gives the message that you’re capable of some kind of caring and nurturing,” Of course, it doesn’t work to buy a dog just to impress potential dates. Most of what makes us attractive is the loving, nurturing, caring relationship we have with our pets, and
you can’t fake that.

- Dogs allow us into intimate space. Although our personal space requirements vary by culture, all human societies have very clear (although unspoken) rules about how close you can be to another person without being rude. For example, in the United States anyone who comes within eight to 12 inches of your body is in your “highly personal” space. This space is seldom entered in public, and is usually reserved for our lovers, children and close family. Twelve to 36 inches is the space we usually reserve for good friends, and most business transactions and social conversations
take place four and a half to five feet away.

- Think what happens when you walk your dog. When people stop to pet your dog, they are often only inches away and may even touch you. They’ve waltzed right into your personal space. Your body is already treating this person as a close friend. I used to live in a condominium along the riverfront of downtown Portland, Oregon. It’s an area that has lots of restaurants, small shops and upscale bars—a popular first-date
place. When I’d take my little six-pound Papillon out for walks, it was easy to spot people who were on their first date and liking each other—but not quite ready to touch.

- Maybe some of it’s just plain magic. One study followed a woman walking a Labrador Retriever. Three times as many people stopped and talked with her when she was walking her dog than when she was alone. Several studies have documented the ability of a dog to break social barriers. These studies followed children who were disfigured by accident or disease. When the children were accompanied by a dog, everything changed. Instead of being isolated, people of all ages stopped and talked with the children. “It’s usually threatening to talk to a person in a wheelchair, or any stranger. The dog makes the person seem less threatening.” Whether you’ve got a serious disability or just feel a little insecure, your dog will break down the barriers you could never crack on your own.

- We have literally evolved together. The magic of our relationship with dogs is lost in the mists of our earliest history.