Big dogs vs. small dogs

JRTs are another dog you might consider, if you decide you don't want to do the grooming. A Schnauzer doing agility would be awesome!

Little dogs are tougher than the look. Mine have learned to stay out of my way, from being stepped on. They're a bit harder to housetrain, IMO, though some folks never have a problem. Emma was my first really little dog. My mom has a dog who is short, but weighs in at just over 40 lbs. He's more of what I'd consider a medium sized dog.  I had a hand in raising him She got him when I was 9.

Little dogs are a *lot* of fun. Well trained little dogs are especially enjoyable to be around. I'm going to be looking forward to show-groomed agility Schnauzer photos.

ORIGINAL: jennie_c_d

A Schnauzer doing agility would be awesome!

I already know one that does. He's a zippy little thing, too. []

ORIGINAL: jennie_c_d

Little dogs are a *lot* of fun. Well trained little dogs are especially enjoyable to be around. I'm going to be looking forward to show-groomed agility Schnauzer photos.

He'll be well trained. I am not equipped to handle 2 dogs that don't have the same "rules", regardless of size differences. My brain can't cope with letting one get away with something and the other not...I'd keep getting mixed up! LOL. So he'll have the same training as Ben (who himself is still being trained...silver CGC next.)

You'll get photos.

I own big and small right now.  The key is training just as though the dog is big.  If you don't want it to bark constantly you train it not to.  My little ones don't get away with jumping on people; it's rude no matter the size of the dog.  Each breed has it's own "normal" behaviours I think.  My pug and shih tzu like to be close but usually not on, while both of my chihuahuas love nothing more than to drape themselves on me (very nice in the cold months!).  It's also really nice to know that they can get exercise in the house when the weather is bad.  They often do more than you think they can or will; my pug loves to swim with our lab even though he's something of a sinker!

All small dogs are not the same at all. A Shih Tzu is very different than a terrier. My doggie is very quiet, trained to do many things including obedience and super friendly. I groom Trudy and it is a joy.

The Schnauzer bark is hard for some people I think, a bit of a scream, but they would probably be good for agility. 

Calm dogs are best for me,  I had a poodle and a cocker spaniel that were great. If you want an active dog, look at terriers, Schnauzer, JRT, etc. For agility, there are a lot of little ones to choose from. Shih Tzu's do agility, but I wouldn't. I like to be careful with the backs of doggies. She does jumping for fun, but not all day. 

Depends what you want. Small dogs differ greatly. It is SO easy and fun to take a little doggie on vacation. Some of the small guys don't shed and that is wonderful.

You do have to watch out and protect them.  The small breeds I love, like the Shih Tzu are just precious! Easy to cook for too! Clean, super smart and loving.  

ORIGINAL: Cita

This might be a "lap dog" thing, but Rascal is either "on" or "off." If he's not running around with the zoomies and pouncing on toys he's sound asleep, preferably curled up as close to me as possible. I love that when it's not "play time" he settles down quietly.

 
No, that's just a papillon thing.  Run run run run and go go go go then crash.  Then run and go some more. 
 
Small dogs are very different in personality and temperament.  Some smaller breeds that excel in agility are papillons, jrts, shelties, but basically anything could work.  Those just seem to be some of the more common ones. 
 
Small dogs work just like big dogs except that they're smaller.  lol  This does mean bending down more often in some cases.  You can teach them to not bark, you cna teach them obedience, etc.  Beware like Cita says that people especially little kids want to hold small dogs that aren't theirs.  I don't allow them to at all.  I just don't trust other people. 
 
Cheaper to feed, easy to travel with... Many small breeds are highly intelligent and highly trainable, but that varies. 
 
Honestly, if you decide a smaller breed is right for you, I think you'll find they're just as fun and just as much dog as a larger dog.  They can make great companions.

We have two dogs - one belgian mal (the big one) and one mini schnauzer (the little one). The thing that I love about the mini schnauzer is that she like a big dog in a little package. You won't find her waiting to be carried down the stairs, toted around in a purse, or otherwise doted on - she wants to be where the action is! She's very intelligent, got incredible drive, and is (generally) a pleasure to have around. The thing that is different about her from our big dog is that at the end of the day, she does want to lay on my lap and cuddle up, which I enjoy. Her barking can make me want to cut off my ears sometimes but that just goes with MS ownership. []

Nothing wrong with doting on a small dog.  Some were bred for that and only to be companions. ( Shih Tzu, Maltese ) They were bred to be with the owner and love to be doted on.

My father always had large dogs all his life... he had one that him and everyone who met the dog claimed was THE SMARTEST ever (it was a mutt).  This dog never bit anyone...but if you went into my house and TOOK something... he will bit your pants and refused to let go until his master came out and told him to let go... and this dog was never professionally trained or anything.  He was so smart, at the end, someone poisoned him to try and rob our house.... and my father said he threw up blood at the outside of everyone's window before taking himself into the woods and dying there....

Anyways....my mother hates animals...so when I took CoCo home... I knew she had to be a small dog or my mother would have a bigger cow than she was already going to... lol (I still live at home but dont ask permission to do anything.)  At first glance, my father laughed at CoCo cause she was so little and silly looking.  Even though she was a terrier, she was/is so easily trained.  ie.  She rarely EVER barks at anything.... only at the other dog in the mirror, but if you tell her "enough" she stops right away.  She used to dig when she was a puppy, and after being told no a few times, she hasnt dug since then.  My mother, who never plays with her/feed her etc. told her to get down from the sofa a handful of times..and ever since then, CoCo will NOT jump on any sofas.  She will ask to be invited on, and if you ignore her, she will sleep at your feet.  And if you do pick her up and put her on the sofa, as soon as she sees my mother, she jumps right off.  Also, she was easily house trained.

Now after she has killed a mouse, a bunny, and an oppossum, my father thinks shes the greatest thing ever, a big dog in a small dog's body...
 
The only down fall is.. I know she will never be able to protect the house or anyone in it! lol she loves EVERY BODY.  When the doorbell rings, usually a dog will bark...CoCo will actually run to the door and whimper!!

Maybe I'm a little biased.... but I think she's the best doggy ever!  She loves little kids, and saw two babies at once for the first time the other week... she stayed a distant from them, looking at them wondering what they were (4 months and 9months.) cause everytime someone was talking to them, she thought they were talking to her...but after a while...she went over to the babies and tentively licked their feet....it was so cute.

Anyways... yes... my first Westie, and I think they're the best. 

All my life I've had big dogs.  This time I got a small dog and am loving it.  I have never gotten a dog for protection though.  Have always gotten dogs to be companions.  It's kind of like having a puppy forever only a well behaved one.

[color=#660033]Especially when they're puppies you have to be careful not to step on them. They always seem to be right under you feet and they somehow manage to be all the way across the room one second and RIGHT behind your feet the next. []

I think most little dogs want to spend more time close to you. Like dubilpie mentioned, from what I've seen, big dogs will hang out in the same room, but go lay in a corner or something. Mine ususally want to be closer than that. 

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Its true about stepping on the little dog. My son has a long hair'd Chi and said he almost killed her a couple of times...being used to the big dogs we had.
But I have a big dog...a very big dog and she also wants to be close to me.  Not sure about other breeds...but the Great Dane CAN'T get close enough to you...and for long enough. I have more ictures of Bubblegum AND Ollie sitting on our laps than you can imagine.
Someone said get a small dog that acts like a big dog... well,,,from what I can see by many small dogs in my neighborhood and my sons chi....small dogs THINK they are large dogs...barking and going after my big dog...and then mine runs away like she is the small dog.
USUALLY! 

OT - Coco, funny, i just met a chocolate lab puppy at the dog park yesterday named Coco Chanel and I thought it was such a cute, funny name []
 
Kate -- WHoo-hoo!
 
Small dogs rock.   I can say that not only having owned them.  But having been converted as a BIG DOG ONLY person.  Big dogs are awesome, don't get me wrong, I will in fact soon have one.  BUT I must say that I've developed a bond with my small dog that I didn't know about.  They are so easy to snuggle, and lay in your lap that I've adopted more of a 'baby' attitutude towards them.
 
Don't confuse that with them being spoiled brats!  They must still be olite and listen.  I just mean that when your little guy curls up on your lap after a tough day... it's special and wonderful.
 
I say GO FOR IT.  But you already knew that [] 

I don't have any experience to add with small dogs, however, I am chuckling as I read this in that Tyson has many of the qualities described as small dog qualities... Tyson is snuggly, lap-doggy, gets under your feet, follows me around "like a lost puppy" (lol), he loves attention, he is *so* velcro that he will practically never lay on the other side of the room as most other people's big dogs do... Small dog in a big dog's body?? []

Hi -- sorry it's taken so long for me to 'get' here - it's been a busy week.
 
When you're talking arthritis, you have to remember to think "ten years from now".  Not "today".  And you have a lot of mixed health issues to deal with.
 
"under your feet" -- all dogs.  big.  small.  young. old. -- they are ALWAYS **SIGH** under your feet. 
 
soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo since I'm majorly NOT good on my feet (my balance absolutely sucks), we have this wonderful command that we've taught ALL the dogs.  "Go THAT way" and POINT.  All you gotta do is have a verbal 'party' the first time they move where you point and it's a grand GAME that morphs into this wonderful, incredibly HELPFUL command!!  It's great for all sizes.  truly truly truly.
 
I am, quite honestly, far far far more of a 'small dog' lady than a big dog person.  Two of our three are 'medium sized'.  That is specifically a compromise for David and I.  He's definitely a big dog person (and would love a dane).  But our house is far far too small for a dog of any large size (particularly when doing more than one dog in the house).  My kitchen is probably too small for Drizzle to turn around in!!! (*grin* DPU, Drizzle would have to live here all by herself!!!). 
 
But beyond that, my first dog that was "mine" (a street stray I hauled in and made "mine" when I was just out of college at 19) was a pom/peke mix.  Prissy used to ride everywhere on my SHOULDER.  She was about 10 pounds and totally "portable" and it was wonderful.  But we'd cuddle by the hour -- her on my lap, and it was nothing for me to pick her up even when I was far more arthritic (remember I have rhematoid - I've been arthritic most all my life) I could STILL pick her up very easily.  So when she was 20 and I was 39 it was DO-able. 
 
Now I can pick up Billy or Luna IF I have to.  I can pick them up to get them in the car to get to the vet.  But 35 pounds is MY limit.  It's as far as I can go.  Both Luna and Billy are very affectionate, but I can't schlep them around like I did Pris.
 
Kee is about Prissy-size (she IS a peke).  But she IS an unusual peke in that she's very docile, very very 'laid back' and sweet.  Peke's tend to come in two distinct personality types depending on breeding and skull structure. 
 
Your small dog personality differs widely just like big dog personality does.  But a small dog does NOT have to be yappy at all.  You just teach them not to be.  It's all in what you, as the owner/guardian/alpha require and teach them.
 
Do what's practical for you ... pick the personality traits that are the most important to you in a 'big dog' and you can find those in a small dog.  You're either a terrier person ... or NOT.  You're either a hunting dog person ... or NOT. 
 
There's no wrong answer there.  There's only a YOU answer.  A schnauzer is not *my* idea of nirvana -- just cos I'm *me*.  But it might be yours.  Go for it!!

ORIGINAL: sallya

Nothing wrong with doting on a small dog.  Some were bred for that and only to be companions. ( Shih Tzu, Maltese ) They were bred to be with the owner and love to be doted on.

Didn't mean to imply that there was. I was just saying that one of the reasons that I like my MS is that she is like a big dog in that respect - I enjoy my dogs' companionship and cuddling but I also enjoy dogs that jump in the action. []

It is just that a lot of people talk about that. Some dogs were bred for companionship and need lots of  attention.