Big Dogs & Small Dogs

I will probably always have large dogs (but who knows, once upon a time I never thought I'd ever be so into hounds!), and I used to really dislike small dogs until I met a couple that had actually been well trained and socialized.

I've come to realize that Small Dog Syndrome is actually a human disease, not a dog disease. It's the humans that make small and toy dogs into snapping, yapping little monsters. Their size makes them so easy to just scoop up and remove from a situation, they never actually learn how to deal with the world in acceptable ways. We encountered a tiny yorkie (do they make teacup yorkies because if so that's what this dog was) at the park the other day who was off leash but had ZERO recall among distractions and came racing over to harass my dogs (on leash) and proceeded to herd them together and then start jumping and nipping at their noses. My dogs had no idea what to do and just tried to tap dance around without stepping on the thing. Meanwhile the owner is calling and calling and calling and when she arrives on the scene, she just scoops up her dog and goes "Oooh you little bad doggie you, oh you little monster *giggle*".

Now, don't get me wrong, almost the exact same thing happened a couple days later with an off-leash adolescent weimeraner (no recall, obnoxious teenager, my own dogs on leash not really knowing what to do) but at least the owners of that dog apologized and saw what their dog was doing as a problem. Not enough of a problem to actually put the dog back on leash (because that would require training for loose leash walking and this dog looked like he was probably ready to run the Iditarod) but at least they recognized it as a bad behavior.

I totally agree...Toy dogs were bred for nothing else but to be charming and intelligent companions that could be trained to do endearing things to keep their owners amused.
 
The smaller sized Poodles, Poms, and Bichons really have a long history as circus dogs...along with many other small breeds...they are very, very smart...and can do some amazing things.
 
I've never looked at a dog and equated it's size with it's intelligence.
 
Having owned now Akitas and Beagles I can say the smaller breeds are quite a lot easier to deal with and maintain....most things requiring vetting charge by weight and the cost of flea meds, s/n, food etc is MUCH less.
 
The only dog I've ever met firsthand that I really thought was lacking in brains...was a large dog...but I certainly don't generalize off that dog or his breed. []

ORIGINAL: houndlove

I've come to realize that Small Dog Syndrome is actually a human disease, not a dog disease. It's the humans that make small and toy dogs into snapping, yapping little monsters.

That is so true! They're little, but they're still dogs and that means that they should be able to walk on their own four feet, have good leash manners, not bark excessively, etc. That's how Gingerbread has converted quite a few people that didn't like small dogs. They're amazed at how well behaved he is and I tell them that a lot of it is training.

ORIGINAL: rwbeagles
 
The only dog I've ever met firsthand that I really thought was lacking in brains...was a large dog...but I certainly don't generalize off that dog or his breed. []

I've met some.. err.. not so smart.. large dogs too.. namely, a GSD/Rott mix who's as smart as a doorknob.
But, like it's already been said, I think it's more of a human thing than dog. Many, many people who have small dogs (at least in my area) don't seem to think they need to be trained. And I think thats where my impression of small=dumb comes from.

Personally I prefer medium sized dogs, any smaller than say a bedlington that's to small for me. My heart melts whenever I see a little dog because they are so darned cute my grandmother has a yorkie who has maxed her weight at 4 pounds she is an adorable little thing but way tooo small for my liking, I play with her but I always have to be sooo careful I don't hurt her, I kind of feel bad for her because she is so small my gramma is afraid to let her do "dog" things in fear that she might get hurt. so I definitely prefer medium dogs. bella the yorkie is just as smart as jake and sophie and soo not aware of her size, she thinks she's a watchdog, it is really cute when she barks at everything[]

Up until Max I'd only had small dogs (for me small is about cocker spaniel size) and he seemed so huge to me after I got him home. Twenty pounds ago, I was saying to myself "OMG, what have I done?  This animal is gigantic." Now, at about 60 lbs. he doesn't seem  that big at all.  I think of him as on the large side of medium - and except for the fact that he takes up a little more than his share of the bed, he's the perfect size for me. []
 
Joyce

I have both large and small dogs.  While I prefer large dogs, I have learned that small dogs are just as smart if trained & socialized properly.  I have 3 dobermans, 1 boxer, 1 mutt of a herding persuasion, and 2 dachshunds.  I had always thought that dachshunds were..to be say it nicely....stupid.  I started training & socializing them as soon as they came to me and they are not yappy little dogs nor are they stupid.  I can carry the little dogs around and they make for comfortable lap dogs.  I have changed my opinions of little dogs since getting my two.

I love big dogs and little dogs and anything in between. On who is smarter for a dog to me is on how it was raised. My daughters lab/mix (large)does about every trick in the book and know her commands to a tea. My dog (small)has learned to jump thru a hoop that I got her for xmas and also is learning tricks and commands very fast ( 7 months old). I have seen big dogs, small dogs and in between who it seems like they know nothing. The owners fault there.
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What an interesting discussion - having herding breeds for years, I adopted my first toy dog 5 years ago.   It took some getting used to.  "Companion" dogs mean just that.  I was not used to being constantly followed, watched, hovered over (even in the shower) and they are so darn cute-that I am not as diligent in training as I am my other dogs.
 
The flip side is I am always vigilant with the little guys.  Some dogs are focused on them - and could cause concern...
 
sandy

i think i prefer medium to large sized dogs, but sometimes i think it would be cool to have a little lapdog (instead of a big lapdog ala sydney).

i think for me i prefer dogs with short hair regardless of size though. easier upkeep and all. i know when we were first thinking of getting a dog (before amelia) we looked at min. pins and at the time didnt know which other small dogs really came with short hair other than that. i knew beagles have short hair, but i always considered them not necessarily a small dog even though they are. beagles seem to be one of the sturdier small breeds out there.

Toy dogs (*coughTeeniecough*) make me a bit nervous, because they are so small. I really like ALL dogs, but I'm nervous about dogs that could break from jumping off of something. I like small and medium dogs, and the smaller end of large (nothing bigger than a standard Doberman, to live in my house). Giant dogs would squish me, and I'll squish a tiny dog. Tiny dogs ARE fun, though! You can stick them in your purse, and go drink coffee, and browse at the book store, and have a lap dog day[] Emma's a small dog (not under 12", so not toy) and she can't handle those kinds of days. She wants to be out and about, playing and running and being a wild child. Like cyclefiend, I prefer smooth coated dogs. I keep Emma shaved down, because she has too much hair. Teenie's hair is great. There's almost none[]

ORIGINAL: DPU

ORIGINAL: Dulce Pit Bull

DPU--Is that your dog???

There are a lot of dogs in the picture.  The harlequin Great Dane is Drizzle and my avatar is a Great Dane name Blizzard.  The little guy, oops gal is Amy that I was fostering for a couple of months.  She found her forever home and doing great.
The white one?? That's a Dane???

I like all breeds, they all have their quirks and it's fun for me to interact with breeds that I personally wouldn't keep when I pet sit. 
 
My personal preference is medium to large furry dogs. . .chows, samoyeds, keeshonds, australian shepards, collies, that sort of look. 

ORIGINAL: Dulce Pit Bull

The white one?? That's a Dane???

Yes.

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