"smaller" dogs

LOL Bassets just melt me... but you are right Gina, they are quite heavy!! Maybe I just can't go down 50 lb?

hmm....maybe a Pug? I like Pugs. If they weren't such a scary breed in terms of breeding/whelping that's what I'd have.

Jewlieee

 I have an itty bitty tiny house too (1k sf) and ahve 4 dogs. I never thought I'd have 4 dogs in such a small house but I found that the size of the house vs the size of the dog really doesn't matter. 3 of my 4 are pretty mellow in the house. Abbie is still quite the spazoid but she hasn't reached a year yet. I take the dogs away from the house every day for their exercise and for my mental sanity so living in such a small house isn't an issue at all. The issue is crate sizes! ugh. I can't wait to be rid of all of the crates.

 

My house size was a concern at first, and one of the reasons we initially got a sheltie instead of a collie, but I found that they all want to be in the room with me regardless of how much space is available. We take ours out to the park and the lake and whatnot for exercise too, so no issue there. I hate hate hate the crates too though.

Dog sizes....my smallest is 26 lbs and he feels medium to me, even though I know he's technically not. I'd love to have a smaller dog one day.

I always considered myself a "big dog" person and many people were surprised when I got a Klee Kai.  I couldn't help myself, they're so cute!!!

Now I'm definitely realizing there are benefits to smaller dogs.  Kaiser is 14.5" tall and 14 lbs.  I like being able to pick him up and cuddle him.  I like being able to physically place him where ever I want.  He's very mobile, doesn't take up much space even in a crate and he doesn't eat much.

I've also learned that XL dogs (Luke is 27" tall and 84 lbs) have a harder time in agility, a sport which I've grown to love.  He just cannot physically make it through a course in the same amount of time as a 21" Border Collie (or any other smaller/lighter breed, for that matter).  He has to slow down to go through the 24" tunnels and weave poles spaced at 20/21" require a lot more bend in his body than for a smaller dog.  He tries his heart out and we still struggle with making time at the Elite level in classes like weavers that are made up of just weaves and tunnels.  These are issues that I'll never have to worry about with Kaiser.

My next breed will likely be determined by how good Kaiser ends up being at agility.  If he totally rocks it, I might be inclined to try another Klee Kai.  If he decides it's not so much fun, I'll probably get a Border Collie.

Ultimately, though, I probably will want to stick with a dog 20" or under for agility reasons.

I don't want a dog that *I* can't pick up!!  How do you get a dog TO the vet if you can't pick it up if it's sick or injured? 

I've never owned a dog I could pick up and it's never really been an issue? doggie ramps, doggie slings, pick up one half of dog at a time...although once I was sure I would have to call the fire department to get a 150 pound dog out of the basement- he somehow managed to fall down the steep stairs onto the concrete floor and I was sure he was badly injured, but nope, he came trotting back up on his own no injury at all.

kpwlee

I am so used to Bugsy's size now that my friend's 90lb lab looked small  - in that case because he was so much shorter than B. And very large dogs look 'normal'

LOL! I know what you mean! Sometimes when I get a new client they'll describe their dog (a Lab or Golden usually) as large or "very, very big" and I get there and I'm like "this dog is medium at best......wait, that's compared to Apollo. Duh!"

One time I got off the phone with a client who said they have a "HUGE boxer" and added "I hope you can handle him: he's a big boy!" I got there and Apollo dwarfed him, the dog was about 70lbs....mind you Apollo is 115lbs. The owners were shocked at Apollo's size, hehe!

Oddly, I've owned sheep for ten years and you have to manhandle them much more often than you do dogs - and I've never had a problem - they can weigh 200 pounds and more.  You lift in stages - you move them on or in something.

So when I move my Maremmas around for some reason - usually after spay/neuter surgery - I just fall back on my sheep handling skills.  The only difference is that I can't immobilize a dog by turning him onto his butt!

rwbeagles

When they are sick or hurt? they have butt slings....and you can always put your dog on a blanket and carry it that way with help. I also have people that could help me out.

I only have four steps up TO my house but it would be a deal-killer for *me* in getting a dog out of the house.  And I don't have anyone to help (no kids either -- see, I KNEW they'd be handy!! *grin*).  I remember SO clearly one day about 11 years ago when suddenly Foxy developed a pinched nerve, woke up in the morning and literally couldn't stand and I had to gather him up and get him down the steps outside to the car and get him to Dr. B. (and a shot of dex relieved the inflammation enough so he could relieve his bladder which was apparently the other thing 'pressing on the nerve';). 

But I was SO happy that day he wasn't any bigger than 34 pounds LOL

I'm hearing you and I'm glad YOU aren't in a position to have difficulty getting a big dog to 'help'.  But I've actually seen couples not seek help for a larger dog *because* it was beyond them in their later years to get him TO the vet.

I realize big/giant breeds don't live as long, altho that number is increasing as well (thankfully) and I really wasn't trying to give anybuddy a hard time, but given my *own* physical restrictions it's something that's always a big deal for me just in a practical stream.  A couple of years ago we nearly took a rescue who was a BIG girl (about 90 pounds) and my biggest concern was that I would have been unable to get her to the vet and David works 90 minutes from home so him getting somewhere 'fast' isn't a starter either.

It's just something I often mention -- when we're in the "what kind of dog should I get" threads we cover coat, personality, drive, etc. ... but it often something I mention just because people don't think of that bitty tiny puppy getting bigger.

And as for bending down .. I'm already "height impaired" at 5'1 and 1/2" (I know I know my license says 5'3" but that was always "optimism" on my part) so it's not all that far TO the floor for me, Gina LOL - it's just getting back UP again that's the problem.

I love big dogs....the largest dog I've ever had was an Akita named Buck, he was 100+lbs. The smallest is a tie between 3 dogs....Taz(18-ish lbs), Lucky(15-20lbs), and Jack(20ish? lbs). I'm always scared that I'm going to step on Taz....but in the past year it's been more of a 'move or get steped on' realitionship with my feet and Taz. He's tougher then he looks(but don't you dare tell Mom that! he's made of glass to her!). Sam's 53lbs. And most of my dogs have been in the 40 - 60lbs range. I want a Dane thou....

KarissaKS

I always considered myself a "big dog" person and many people were surprised when I got a Klee Kai.  I couldn't help myself, they're so cute!!!

I do enjoy being able to lift and cuddle Honor and Nike.  And it's nice being able to get the less expensive crates/collars/medications/etc. for their small weight class.  And going through less food.  They both eat Orijen, and I can't imagine how much it would cost if they were bigger!  I'm looking forward to starting Honor in agility, and Karissa brought up a good point about the ease of medium/small breeds being able to work the weaves a little easier. 

That being said, sometimes a small breed can be tough.  In Rally, I thought my back was going to give out whenever I wasn't using a treat stick with Honor...bending down, bending down, etc.   And I find myself worrying more about Honor's fearlessness regarding height.  Sometimes she just jumps off the stairs three or four from the bottom, and I find myself worrying about a broken leg. 

All in all, though, I think I'm definitely an "all-dog-size" person now.  I've had all sizes (except giant, like Cleo or Bugsy), and they all have their merits.

Max at 60 lbs. is my first "big" dog, all previous dogs being about 30 lbs. or less.  He was about 25 lbs. when I snagged him out of the shelter and by the time he hit 40 lbs. I was thinking "OMG, what have I done?  This dog is so huge!"  By the time he hit 60 lbs., he didn't seem all that big anymore.

Joyce

BlackLabbie

Sometimes when I get a new client they'll describe their dog (a Lab or Golden usually) as large or "very, very big" and I get there and I'm like "this dog is medium at best......wait, that's compared to Apollo. Duh!"

One time I got off the phone with a client who said they have a "HUGE boxer" and added "I hope you can handle him: he's a big boy!" I got there and Apollo dwarfed him, the dog was about 70lbs....mind you Apollo is 115lbs. The owners were shocked at Apollo's size, hehe!

It's so true everyone looks like a little guy/gal to me now.  not helped by the fact that my neighbor's have the world's largest golden about the same height as B but LONGER and with all the hair looks significantly larger although i think he weighs about the same if not a little less than B. And another neighbor had a 200lb dane until last year (RIP)  And yet I look at B and he doesn't seem that big............... it's all in the perspective ay?

I've always been a 'big dog' (or medium) person - I love pits, greyhounds, tollers, shepherds, etc. But then I got Casey. He was 'just a foster', but....... he kinda stuck around, and I love him to pieces. He's a small dog - only 13lbs. I cannot stand the yappy, snappy little dogs. Casey was trained from day one to NOT be one of those 'types' - and he's not. He's well mannered, well trained, and as obediant as your giant breeds. He's calm in the house, but we can exercise on a rainy day in the living room. And if I ever have to move, he'll be under most apartments weight limits - which is a big plus =]

I love that he can sleep in bed with me, and that there is still room for me. He doesn't like to be held, so we don't do that often - but he can go pretty much anywhere with me. He likes to snuggle in my lap, and my legs don't go numb when he does it.... He gets along with all sized dogs - so we can go anywhere in the dog park. He's great with the pups, cause he's their size, which makes fostering easier on the both of us.

My next dog will probably be a bigger dog, but I would not count out ever getting a smaller one.

 Tootsie is considered a "smaller" dog, weighing in at 23lbs. I can carry her, but prefer not to, shes very awkward to carry because she is long. She is an awesome lap dog though and loves to  snuggle.

My dogs are 55 and 60 lbs and I can and have picked them up when necessary.  DH can actually pick both up at once--on the trail one time there was a broken beer bottle, he just picked up one dog under each are.  They were not thrilled about it, but they reacted just fine.