A totally random question

    • Gold Top Dog

    A totally random question

    As some of you may know, I am leaving the UK sometime in the next year with my SO, and after we move, we're going to get another dog.  (Moving with 1 dog is our limit, lol.) 
     
    My dream is to actually get TWO more dogs - a rescued, young St. Bernard and either a Pug or a Frenchie.  I'm not concerned about Ben with either of those dogs individually - he plays nicely with dogs both big and small, but I am concerned about having those 2 together.  Is it foolish of me to have such a little dog around such a big one, for fear it may be stepped on or otherwise squashed?  Are there people around who have successfully mixed very large and very small breeds in one household?  Maybe it's like elephants and mice? LOL.

    I did once know someone with a Newf and a Pug X - the Pug ruled the roost lol. 
     
    Any and all advice welcomed.
     
    Kate 
    • Gold Top Dog
    With proper socialization, I don't see why you couldn't have a large dog & a small dog, along with Ben, who appears mid-size to me.  We have 3 dobermans that live alongside 2 dachshunds with no problems.  Over the holidays the dachshunds got to hang out with my cousin's English Mastiff (he weighs around 150 lbs)  they loved him and he really liked them.  Previously the mastiff lived with a yorkie with no trouble.  I guess the important thing to keep in mind is that ground rules need to be set from the start.  The dobies are not allowed to roughhouse with the dachshunds.  They are allowed to sleep together, but play times are done seperate so that no little dog is ran over by an excited big dog.  More than anything, just use common sense in training them from the start.
    • Gold Top Dog
    my wife would like to get a small dog too. i am concerned about sydney interacting with a small dog. my wife likes pomeranians. sydney isnt aggressive towards dogs at all, but he does get carried away with the roughhousing sometimes. if he didnt play so rough, i wouldnt think twice about getting a small dog.
    • Gold Top Dog
    I've had 3 scottish deerhounds with 6 chihuahuas in the house in peaceful existence. I currently have a terv and mal (5 mos. and 2 yrs.) doing zoomies every waking moment with a chi mix...it should be fine. Just get the smaller dog first, so that was y you can see what kind of big dog will tolerate a little bean[:D]
    • Gold Top Dog
    I agree that with proper socialization a big dog would do fine with a smaller dog. I have an Akita and an English/American bulldog mix who do fine with my chihuahua. The bulldog does fine with ANY animal, so it's not a surprise with him...but my akita has a VERY strong prey drive. Despite that, he's never made any kind of move on my chi at all. He seems to realize that he IS a dog, and not prey, and treats him like any other dog. *Most* larger dogs that my chi has been exposed to, even ones with a strong prey drive, definitely seem to recognize him as another dog after giving him a good sniff. That's just been my experience though. I'm sure there *are* plenty of dogs out there who would see a smaller dog as prey and go for one. I've just never met one myself.
     
    So I think that yes, it could definitely work, depending on the dogs. I'd just go about it slowly and be sure to carefully supervise their interraction until you're sure of the larger dog's intentions.
    • Gold Top Dog
    Yup, I agree with everyone else, my sister has two chihuahua's and I lab and I have one chihuahua, my brother has a pit mix

    We get together all the time for play dates, it's so fun :)
    • Gold Top Dog
    at my grandparents they have 2 boxers that for some reason take orders from the 2 chi's they have. they have never hurt each other, purposefully or accidentally. it may help that the chi's were there first, maybe it has given them a higher status.
    • Puppy
    I have Borzois, Whippets, Shelties and a 120 lb shep/newfie mix. I have visiting dogs such as Bichons and a Dobe puppy. They all get along great. The Shep mix did want to eat the cat for the first few months, but he is now very good with him. The big dogs learn how to deal with little ones under foot. Ususally the big dogs are the ones that watch out for the little dogs. The little ones are faster and can get under legs and trip the big guys, hence the big ones watch the little ones so they don't get tripped up. I think the funniest moment was when the Bichon puppy figured out that the Dobe puppy was trying to play. Dobes are way rougher when playing then a Bichon is. Once she figured out that he was not trying to hurt her but play with her, they had a blast.
    As long as their temperaments mesh well, it shouldn't be a problem.
     
    Kari
    • Gold Top Dog
    Thank you [:D]  Getting the answer I want to hear always makes me feel like I've won something, lol. 
     
    To the best of my (researched) knowledge, Saint's aren't especially known for their prey drive, so I'm not really worried about the little one being food.  I'm more worried about the big one being a great clumsy oaf. [;)]  That being said, if I get the small dog first and then bring the Saint into the house, and am very careful, it sounds like they could learn to coexist.  Thanks!
     
    Now Jaime, if you see this, do you know of any Frenchie breeders/rescues in British Columbia?  I'd not really be looking at a puppy necessarily - an adult who needed to be rehomed would be great.
     
    Kate
     
    • Gold Top Dog
    It's SOO incredibly cute. Knox (the mal) will lay down on his side with his mouth open and let Eros (the chi) bite at his gums and teeth. The worst thing that Knox has ever done to Eros was roll on him. And it wasn't even hard...
    • Gold Top Dog
    I have a friend who has two Boxers, an oversized Pit, and a four pound Chihuahua. The Chi gets stepped on occasionally, but he gets revenge[;)]
    • Gold Top Dog
    My sister has two great danes, a golden retriever and a little 10 lb rat terror (not a typo - she's a terror!) Little Sparky rules the Danes. It is hilarious to see her hanging off the middle of a rope when the big dogs play tug. The big dogs favorite game is "chase the Sparky." CATCH the Sparky is a big no-no and Sparky rarely has to remind them of that rule. One face full of terrior fury is usually enough for any dog!
    • Gold Top Dog
    Well, as everyone else said, it can be done.  Just for reference, my biggest is a large Lab mix weighing in at about 80 pounds, and my smallest is a Pomeranian mix that weighs around 14 pounds.  We've never had a problem.
    • Gold Top Dog
    Fantastic, thanks everyone.   I can't wait until after the move!
     
    Kate
    • Gold Top Dog
    Not to burst your bubble, but things do happen.

    One time this Pom and Zeus were outside together... supervised even.

     Zeus  was pretty much minding his business, just sniffing here and there.

    The pom went into a major zoomie and  crashed head to head with Zeus.

    Of course it didn't bother Zeus in the least.  But the pom went into a major seizure and had to have emergency vet care.