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Small Breeds That Do Well With Larger Dogs


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We will always have bassets and maybe down the track a bloodhound or two, they are mine and my husbands breeds of choice and my oldest son and my young daughter as well :). Interestingly my younger son(who strangely, given the large number he lives with, can be quite nervous around animals in general) has expressed an interest in showing a dog of his own but is quite taken with tiny dogs like chis. He's 7 now and I'm thinking around the time he turns 10 we might get him his own dog to show if he is still keen but I wasn't sure what breeds might suit. Preferences for me are minimal coat maintenance(brush out OK but not clipping) and not too excessive in the shedding department. Personally I'm not a huge fan of terriers although I may be convinced. I also like dachshunds but prefer the standards and I think this is bigger than he would like.

He frequently talks about chis but I am concerned they wouldn't be robust enough amongst a group of boofhead hounds although we will have two separate yard areas so I'd be interested to hear from people about how they manage chis with larger breeds. Any other toy breeds that may be more suited that I could maybe point him towards would be great.

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I think the cav shedding would do me in unfortunately. I'm an asthmatic and two breeds that really setme off are goldies and cockers and I would imagine a cav coat would be quite similiar?

Edited by kelpiecuddles
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What about a whippet - it's hard to be scared of them.

I think the main danger with little dogs - is the danger of accidentally being squashed in a game of zoomies when one dog zigs and the other zags... the damage to small dog is much greater in one of these prangs where a bigger dog might just have bruises and be sore for a while. A little dog could end up with broken ribs.

I've seen out at the park all sorts of mixes of big and little dogs. A miniature? dachshund with German short haired pointer and a kelpie, a SWF mix breed with a wolf hound, SWF with Rottweiler... most little dogs are quite bossy anyway. It's only the accidental collision you really need to worry about.

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If you like KC, you and your kids are welcome to come visit my Aussie Terrier -- they are a fantastic kid's dog. Even though they're small, they're big in personality and provided you're happy letting them know that you're in charge, they are wonderful, happy, little dogs.

Terriers do need a firm hand but they do love learning, playing and are a lot tougher than their small size indicates. Coat wise, they're very easy to maintain and weekly brushing is fine. There is the option of hand stripping the coat, but again, not completely necessary. They have very few health issues and I know a local breeder whose own grandson shows some of her neuter champions.

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We have big & small & my big dogs are taught to respect little dogs & vice versa but im also very aware they are near 40kg dogs & as such i respect they can only be as gentle as there size at times so we take precautions when required .

The big dogs are taught from pups they must lay down to say hello ,the little dogs are taught not to stir & when they wish to play per there size that get there own private time

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Height wise bassets at least aren't much taller than many toy breeds and are generally very gentle but they do have a bit of a tendency to not really look where they are going when they are in play mode and I guess that would be my main concern. I guess though that could be managed somewhat.

I think beagles would be too full on for him, a mature well trained beagle he'd be OK with but he is easily overwhelmed by a boisterous dog, even our own dogs I can sometimes see a hint of nervousness in his even though he knows they won't hurt him or jump on him. Obviously I'd be doing much of the training anyway but it needs to be a breed that is quiet enough and small enough for him to bond with it as 'his' dog, it would sleep on his bed and be generally spoilt. :)

Edited by kelpiecuddles
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oooo, now that's one I can't believe I hadn't thought of! There is one around here that we met a few weeks back but he didn't want to chat(had a bad experience a long time ago i the show ring and was a nervy dog sadly as a result) so I sent the kids off the play to give him some space while I chatted to his owner. He was a cute little guy though. Or a fauve. Hopefully Trisven might wander in and give an idea of whether they might suit temperament wise.

Still probably bigger than he would like LOL(pretty sure he wants one he can pick up and carry around :laugh: ) But he might have to compromise on size for the sake of safety

Although in hindsight this is probably me projecting what I like in a dog on him, he didn't show much interest in the petite we met.

Edited by kelpiecuddles
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I would recommend a silky terrier, I have found them to be very outgoing, robust and a perfect size to handle.

The PBGV's are not really small enough to pick up, the one I used to groom had a great temperament but was extreemly hard on the back having to lift him, the reason I stopped grooming him.

I own a sooth coat chi, she is fabulous with the kids, extreemly smart, as agile as a cat and no where near as delicate as I thought they would be, but I still won't let her near large dogs it would take a second to do serious damage to her, oh and she loses a lot of hair, especially on my kids navy blue uniforms.

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Silky terrier he'd probably quite like. he's never met one but I might add it to my mental list and we'll try to hunt some out at a show at some stage.

ETA: He definitely wouldn't be able to pick up a petite, like I say in hindsight I don't think it's his sort of dog so much. Unlike my other two children he's very quiet, softly spoken and can be even a bit timid at times. I think he'd love a little lap dog to be part of his little life and sit with him in his room, etc

Edited by kelpiecuddles
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I have kept a couple of Chihuahuas with a Great Dane & with a Doberman although I didn't have the big dogs at the same time. I had Toy Poodles too.

You have to be very careful when they are puppies because they are so tiny & fragile & that's with people & children not only the dogs but once they are grown up they are agile little dogs who soon learn not to get squashed or trod on.

Obviously the big dogs must have 100% sound temperament. I always seperated mine if I was going out, you can never be too careful.

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Cavaliers do shed like mad but I have a lung disease (COPD) with asthma and I have two Cavs.

My Cavaliers lived happily with my two Rottweilers without any issues. I suspect my Cavaliers think they're Rottweilers. They have no fear of large dogs.

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Thanks Christina. Temperament wise I'm not worried about my dogs. Bassets being a pack breed are generally quite accepting of other dogs and Josie is very gentle but as I say they can be boofheads and not look where they are going. My children are also well trained around dogs and by that stage they would be 12, 10 and 7 so old enough to understand the need to be careful. Max who the dog is for is very quiet and gentle, he just wants a little friend as a companion.

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My tibetan spaniels prefer big dogs. They loved the racing greyhounds next door. In fact, one of our tibbies became a small dog tester for GAP. . She loved going to meet a huge grey that she had to do her thing with.... run with alongside, behind & then in front. Only thing she hated was at the end, the grey would go off in another car ... and she'd lose her new best friend.

When we've taken them to doggie events, they gravitate towards the well socialised, good natured big dogs. And I always agree with their choice.... like a lovely big Rottie named Robbie and a greyhound that someone had adopted from GAP. Last time, at Million Paws Walk, they picked 2 gorgeous big Rotties as well as a Standard Poodle.

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How much grooming do they need Mita? If he wants to show the dog I'd like it to be primarily his responsibility to prep for shows and I'm not sure if a long haired breed might be a hard place to start for him? Along the same lines I thought a Pap might be nice but same concern re. grooming...

Edited by kelpiecuddles
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