I had a 26-lb. Sheltie who I walked with a leash, on the bayou behind the house, every day.
One day I saw a Doberman running toward us. I looked at my dog and said, “Well, Kinsey, I think that we are both dead!”
When the Doberman got close the Sheltie went into her “I’m-insane-and-I’m-going-to-kill-you” routine, barking and running around in circles!
The Doberman took off running away from us and I just about died laughing!
Usually they will only get aggressive in three situations, they feel their human is being threatened, you come on "their" territory or you have cornered them.
Shasta got out once. She knew better then to go over the fence but she managed to wiggle out through the fence. A neighbor brought her back and said the moment he tried to unlatch the gate she started to growl.
He let go of the gate and she went back into her, "I'm a GOOD dog. Don't ya want to pet me? Huh? Huh?" routine. Not being a stupid man he decided not to try to put her back but took her to his own yard and kept her there until I got home.
She knew what yard was "hers" and that while I was not there no one else was allowed in.
The black and tan markings of the Doberman run from the tiny Chihuahua up through the Great Dane. I had a Miniature Pinscher who was quite large for the breed but still fairly small, though he didn’t know it.
One afternoon we were at one end of the dog park when a regal Great Dane entered the park at the other end. Well, my dog saw her from across the field and he stopped and looked at me, looked at her and looked at me again, for just a moment, as if to say, “I found me a big legged woman!” and off he sprinted to make her acquaintance.
Poor thing was ignored by that amazon beauty. She was thoroughly unimpressed by his charms and just sniffed him and move away... Oh well. That’s life.