Big dogs vs small dogs?

definitely a big dog person - I've always been around labs and lately goldens and just love the temperament.  Bigger dogs are more like dogs to me not ornaments.  I find the hand baskets, clothing, jewelry, strollers, etc bizarre.  Yes I know that is a personal thing but I think thats what the original poster asked.  I'm not a foofoo and certainly don't want a foo foo dog to play dolly with. 
We adopted a lab mix (found out later lab/great dane) and he is fantastic, sweetest dog you could meet  - and interestingly it comes across to everyone because just yesterday we met someone that commented within minutes that he was a doll (not easy at 95lbs!)  He barks about one bark a week and is known by many as the gentle giant.  He is muscular enough and large enough even now at 1 that he doesn't need to do anything and some people are put off.
Anyway my preference is based on my comfort level and small dogs tend in my experience to be skittish, more aggressive, finicky, more likely to crap in petsmart and definitely louder.  The first quiet small dog I have met is a welsh terrier only recently.  I'm 41 and I dog lover thats a lot of small dogs before meeting a quiet one.
I think the aggression is due to poor training and needing to promote themselves more (Napoleonesque).  The aforementioned welsh terrier came into our house and was on the furniture and all over the place, Bugsy is not allowed on furniture and you should have seen his face.  The couple that brought 'Jake' had no control over him and eventually sat with him on their lap on the couch.  Imagine if I brought Bugsy over to their place and let him run all over the furniture???
I also have problems with people taking small dogs into stores and other places that 'don't allow dogs'.  I often say I'm going to take Bugsy into Target and see what they say - what's the difference?  Yet we know its unacceptable.

Generally I think its the double standard re small dogs and the often lack of training that has completely put me off small dogs
Anyway Bugsy fits our family we are both tall, athletic and big so is he!

BTW what sort of hound is Conrad??

ORIGINAL: kpwlee
BTW what sort of hound is Conrad??

 
He's a bloodhound mix. Conrad is the biggest baby on the planet. His most irritating quality is that he's a bit of a whiner and it cracks me up (well, while also making me sad) when I see people cross the street in order to avoid him just because he's big. And the thing about taking dogs into stores: SO ANNOYING. Either no dogs or all dogs (though I'd prefer all well trained dogs). I hate that my very well behaved, completely non-barking totally non-aggressive Conrad is not allowed in a store when a poorly trained barky, growling, snarling small dog can just go right in.  Grrr. My dog's not aggressive, but watch out for me!

I do prefer larger vs. smaller dogs, but a great deal depends on the individual dog and how well the owners have trained their dog.

I love fox terriers, Jack Russels (and I assume Parson's, too), well-trained cockers, standard doxies, and lots of other dogs.

I've spoken of the ill-trained pekingese across the street from where I work. Three years and they STILL can't stop barking at Sofia as we get out of my car just to walk into the music store. It's so incredibly annoying. These folks are very nice people, but they CARRY one dog around rather than walk her because she won't walk. (Gee, I wondery why? [8D]) And they must have at least five of the things. Just another example of a small dog owner that doesn't train their dogs at all.

Now I have to be super careful coming into the store because someone there has been bringing this MICROSCOPIC Yorkie in that ATTACKS Sofia. This "dog" is so small that it looks like a furry tennis ball running toward us. And the woman is mad at ME, even though I saved her unleashed dog from being eaten. MY dog is always on a leash and under control. Grrrrrrrr.

Sally, your dogs might be just wonderful and I have no doubt they are, but MOST small dog owners aren't so responsible in my experience.[:@]

However, I DO have something to say that hasn't yet been said:

My PERFECT size dog is around 45 lbs. Sofia is my second dog of that size, and I have to say, she's perfect. []

•She's big enough to scare people off if scaring is needed. She could and would protect me effectively. (Okay, so people have crossed streets to avoid being near a "wolf" but it works for me.)

•She fits in the front seat of the car perfectly!

•She's very, very quiet, but vocal when she wants to communicate or alert me to something. (Probably more a function of her breeds than her size.)

•I'm not afraid I'll break her. (Some of the chihuahuas and Yorkies I see are terrifyingly small. Sofie doesn't think they are dogs, she thinks they are PREY.)

•She doesn't take up too much space in the bed, even if I sleep in a single bed!

•She's the perfect size for kids to learn about dogs with. Not taller than the kid, but not so small I have to be afraid the KID will break her.

I LOVE medium sized dogs. That's another reason that as soon as I get my own place I'll be rescuing a Norwegian elkhound or elkhound mix.

I love the giant breeds but won't have one because their lifespan is so short. I just can't take the heartbreak of losing one in such a short period of time. It may be that Sofia will outlive me, who knows? I expect she'll live to be at least 18.

ORIGINAL: Mastiff

I like 'em big!  I love dogs, so that includes every breed and size, however, personally I go for the giants.  I love Saints and Mastiffs and their personalities fit our lifestyle perfectly.  My father has a Newfoundland that is just wonderful as well.

Mastiffs really don't take up that much space because they are an inactive breed.  They aren't running all over the house, they are generally sleeping most of the time on a bed.  The big dogs are beneficial to us in that they are intimidating to strangers, while not having a mean bone in their body.  They don't need to be mean, nor should they be!  Mastiffs rarely bark.  Ours' doesn't even bark when people come to the door or a stranger is at the fence.  He doesn't seem to care, or sleeps right through it. 

Our insurance man came to take pictures of a fallen tree in our back yard.  We had Kato and at the time a Saint Bernard outside roaming around.  I wasn't home and he went into the fenced area to get his ictures.  Most people would never go into the yard of 2 large dogs not knowing them, but he did.  He told me after the fact that "the Mastiff came up to him and clearly wanted to be petted" and "the St. Bernard ignored him and walked away".  I thought he was crazy for doing that, but they are sweet dogs that love people, including strangers.

OEM's are very quiet, lazy dogs.  If that's what you like than it's the breed for you!      

 
I think I'm in LOVE with your Mastiff! I love a calm, laid back dog and your guy really does look like a gentle giant. [] lus, he's gorgeous!

Sally, your dogs might be just wonderful and I have no doubt they are, but MOST small dog owners aren't so responsible in my experience.

 
 
Jeano, I have had the opposite problem. An almost deadly attack on myself and my little poodle  by a Rottweiller. Took a long time before the owner could get the dog off of us. Was a horrible ordeal. My poodle barely survived. A "friendly dog" as they say. A family of very small kids...
 
 An attack by a lab and huskey at other times also. All over a few years. Just taking a walk. We all have our bad experiences.  I live in a gated community with strict leash rules. You still do not know for sure if a dog can get out of a fenced yard. I am always on guard after all I have been through. I know big dogs can be good. I just have not had that experience. I know many, many small dogs. We all have our own preferences.
 
 

ORIGINAL: sallya

Jeano, I have had the opposite problem. An almost deadly attack on myself and my little poodle  by a Rottweiller. Took a long time before the owner could get the dog off of us. Was a horrible ordeal. My poodle barely survived. A "friendly dog" as they say. A family of very small kids...

An attack by a lab and huskey at other times also. All over a few years. Just taking a walk. We all have our bad experiences.  I live in a gated community with strict leash rules. You still do not know for sure if a dog can get out of a fenced yard. I am always on guard after all I have been through. I know big dogs can be good. I just have not had that experience. I know many, many small dogs. We all have our own preferences.

 
I'm always worried that something like that is going to happen when I'm out walking Gingerbread. [] I think a lot of times, a small dog triggers the prey drive of larger dogs, like a squirrel or cat....

I like all dogs, but my preference is big dogs. I;ve had both small dogs and big dogs, and i notice that all the smaller dogs i have are less compliant and just sorta do what they want ( I have 2 JRTs and a beagle at my mom's) My big dogs always listen and are much more calm. I have a truck, so it's not hard for me to take them anywhere. I do hate the way people act around my big dogs though. Many people ask me if they bite, because they're big. When i worked at the vet clinic, the only big dog that bit me was a lab...i've been bit my multiple smaller dogs. But anyway, i like a dog with a lot of endurance who can walk several miles with me, a dog that i can wrestle hard with, one that i can cuddle with, and a dog that can protect me if i need it... a GSD is perfect for me

I think I'm in LOVE with your Mastiff! I love a calm, laid back dog and your guy really does look like a gentle giant. Plus, he's gorgeous!

 
Thanks for the compliment! []   He is very sweet and mellow.  Perfect for us couch potatos!! 

Wow! It seems like everyone likes the bigg úns! My next question is this: In what range would you decide if the dog is "big" "middle sized" or "small." In my oppinion Bailey is small but she is about 25 lbs of doggie and I guess could be thought of as midsized.

I think Max is considered *large* since he's about 62 lbs. but I tend to think of him as *medium* - maybe on the large end of medium. [] We see a lot of dogs that are so much bigger than he is, I really don't think of him as large.

Joyce

I grew up with a Springer Spaniel, Shitzu, and maltese. My favorite are the Springers but my husband for some reason isnt fond of them. Doesnt think their cute! Which is bizarre to me because there pouty faces are just to die for. I prefer Springer size and up a little bit. Buster is the smallest I plan to get at 25lbs. But then again if something smaller comes along that I fall in love with im not going to pass it up just because of its size.
I had a Doberman puppy for a few months that I had adopted but his temperment wasnt working for us. I dont think I knew how to train him correctly becuase he thought he was dominent over me and would growl and nip at me so we had to bring him back. Wasnt his fault I just wasnt used to that type of dog and didnt know how to raise him correctly. Plus smaller dogs work for us right now because of our living situation. We will be traveling often due to military and its easy to pass Buster to a family member if need be because he's small and our family wont be overwhelmed with him.
We plan, after we have children, to get a German Shepard.

Well, Kato was at  the vet last year and was 237 lbs.  We cut his food back and he went up to 245 lbs.  Uhhhh, not a good thing.  He is now eating 5 cups a day vs. 8 cups and it's working.  When he goes for a check-up in Oct., I am really hoping he has lost some weight.  He looks thinner to me.  He packed on the weight after Dudley died and his activity level dropped off.  He should be in the 210-215 lb. range for his size. 
 
The drawback to dogs this size is finding collars, coats, anything to fit.  You have to get most things special from websites that carry XXL accessories.  I did get Kato a nice coat from Jeffers Equine (referred to me by another Mastiff owner).  It's a coat for a foal and it fits perfectly for a cold day.  There isn't much "off the rack" buying for us.  

i agree with jeano. i like a nice medium sized dog. 40-60 lbs or so. amelia fits right in the middle of that range at just over 50 lbs. sydney is a little over 60 and is definitely on the BIG side of medium sized! but we love him anyways! []

i am not opposed to owning dogs of other sizes though. my wife has mentioned wanting to get a pom at some point; and even though they are big dogs, i love greyhounds.

I would guess anything under 25 lbs is small, 25-50 medium, 50-100 large and anything over that giant.  That said, and those are guesses, I don't really consider ANY of my shepherds to be all that big.  Thor, at 90 lbs would come the closest in my mind to a big dog.

big to me is 100+ pounds, and small is anything under 40 pounds. I like a dog I don't have to throw my back out to feed a treat to-- at least knee-high. Other than that, well, it's breed-specific. I don't like labs, just don't. Love the bird-dogs regardless of size (spaniels on up to big setters and pointers), don't like scent-hounds, but sight-hounds fascinate me. Terriers, well, been bitten by too many of them to say I like them. Herding and northern breed dogs are ok depending on the dog, would never want to own one though cause of all that hair; I really like the general "working dogs" like GSDs, dobes, rotties, danes, bully breeds, the big poodles, etc.