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I started with a small dog as a college student. I wasn't allowed pets as a kid, so a small dog was easiest. She was a perfect dog...easy to care for, well-behaved, game for any adventure, loyal & so much fun.
She got me through rough stages of life, & being my first, a mutt from the pound, I thought all dogs were as easy as her.
Since then, the pattern has been to have a large dog & a small dog. That happened b/c I still had my first dog when I met spouse, who had a Great Dane. That dog & I fell in instant love.
All of our dogs have been rescues. Many have been a challenge, like my current big dog. She's afraid of walks, doesn't like travel, so she's curtailed my lifestyle. But she's sweet & can't help who she is due to poor breeding & abuse.
My daughter's childhood dog was a rescue Pomeranian who thought he was a big dog. He had a heart defect but that didn't stop him from being a loving ball of energy. He lived to 17 years & died in my arms.
I have had mostly big dogs.... retrievers, a dalmation, other bird-dog crosses.
We currently have two corgis and a Livestock Guardian, so both ends of the spectrum. :-)
This is the only pic of all three I can find on this computer... the LGD was only about 6 months here, not full grown yet.
Here's a pic of my 15 y.o min. poodle and my beloved greyhound (RIP). Both in their favourite positions on the couch The 2nd pic is of my 8 y.o. after her grooming.
All three of ours are in the 16 to 22 lb range. It works for us. I always felt that a dog should not be bigger than the owner is able to handle. We're in our sixties and I couldn't pick up an 80 pound dog (I probably couldn't have picked one up that size when I was forty!) so medium/small works for us.
I wouldn't want one so small that I would have to worry about it getting through the smallest gap in our fence or getting hurt jumping off the sofa.
Our daughter is short (5'1") and she really wanted a huge dog but I talked her out of it because I felt if she couldn't pick it up, she would be putting that responsibility onto someone else. She wound up adopting a sleek greyhound rescue who is perfect for her. He's a big boy but since he's sleek and not too heavy she can handle him easily and pick him up when he needs to go to the vet. Unlike the reputation most greyhounds have, her boy is very active and loves walking around the neighborhoods and getting treats from as many of his neighbors as he can. He's not a couch potato and he adapted to "the good life" very easily even though he had been terribly abused during his racing days.
I'll just point out about the size thing, it isn't dead weight like a sack of mulch. But more than that, can you handle the dog on a leash if it goes nuts, etc.
Quote:
Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke
Seeker is an Epagneul Briton and slightly smaller that Wyatt. He weighed 28 pounds at his last check-up, but he is still growing just a slight bit more. Just a nice size. Big enough to do the job he was bred to do and small enough to fit easily into the house. The breed is known to be a good cuddle lap dog, but unfortunately, Seeker thinks that only babies sit in laps and he is not a baby. Maybe he will get over it as he gets older.
What size do you all like having around the house?
My German Wirehair is 78 lbs and skinny. My wife's is 61 lbs and "thick." Meaning he's predisposed to leanness and she's predisposed to be chunky if I don't work hard at keeping her conditioned. The frame on my wife's dog makes her a slightly nicer size to have around the house, kennel, etc...
I've always said the perfect dog for me would be a GWP in a French Brittany's body (with more of a tail than a French Britt.)
My older dog is a 50lb Shepherd mix, but was more like 40-42lbs in his younger days; so he is squarely in that medium size, which I've always thought was juuuuuust right. Big enough to be a "real" dog, but not too big for traveling and such. Then I adopted my 70lb (tall and lean) husky, and really love having a bigger pup! There's something to be said for a dog you can just wrap your entire body around for snuggles, at least when he allows it. lol
I'll also admit, walking a big wolf-like dog makes me feel kinda powerful. People do take notice, especially since he's also quite handsome and charming. I've literally had people yell "NICE DOG!!" across parking lots at me. So yeah, I'm in the big dog camp now.
size, breed or sex hasn't mattered to us when we adopted our shelter dogs. we adopted them based on age, special needs, and/or temperament. we've had 110 pounders to 17 pounders.
the 110 pound dog was an 8 year old German Shepherd mix when we got her from the shelter and was one of the sweetest, easiest, gentlest, well behaved dogs we ever had. she was a family surrender to the kill shelter after her elderly owner died. the 17 pounder has been the most difficult dog we have ever owned with multiple health and behavioral problems. this little dog is doing very well now, however!
Last edited by texan2yankee; 06-18-2022 at 02:45 PM..
Mine is large at 100lbs. He goes everywhere with us. Well, not for errands, I don't try to bring him in stores. He travels with us, he thinks he is a lap dog, he looks intimidating but probably wouldn't protect anything. He is very polite in the house, and very gentle around small children.
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I would love to have a lazy Rat Terrier. Hah! Now there's a contradiction in terms! That size would be perfect for me. A bigger dog? Treeing Walker but again I'm too lazy.
With Respect. Why do you people get A larger size Dog expect it to defend your family and then get pissed of because lick your butt. TRAINNING guys TRAINNING
My Male Dane was A giant sissy @ 1 year. Not anymore now @ 207 lbs. . My Female GSP rescue @ 8 months was A bean maybe 32 lbs. I am the 4th owner. . Now 3 .5 yrs old, she is 91 pounds of PURE EVIL . Yet she will play with and defended your children . It is Not size it HEART.
I've always liked small dogs. Easier to pick up, wash, less food, less poop. We had mini dachshunds when I was young. More recently we had pekingese. (See my name) the kids were grown and gone, the pekes were our babies. Lately, at 75 I don't want any more pets, for physical and financial reasons. We do miss our pekes a lot.
Our daughter and son in law have chihuahuas. I never wanted dogs that tiny. Both my brothers have medium sized dogs but to me they are big.
Last edited by pekemom; 08-12-2022 at 08:19 PM..
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The 2nd pic is of my 8 y.o. after her grooming.
He travels with us, he thinks he is a lap dog, he looks intimidating but probably wouldn't protect anything. He is very polite in the house, and very gentle around small children.
