The other two dogs in my household are a rescued terrier mix with 3 legs (about 35#) and my daughter's 80# pit. Katie, the terrier, has finally gotten to the "toleration" stage with the pup; she can do the most *amazing* lip snarl you've ever seen, but she's never lunged at the pup. Well, she tried, but I yelled at her and she won't do it again.
The pit, Nitro, is a beautiful, calm beastie who loves the pup. He lies down on the floor and lets Puddin' chew on him; it's not usual for him to look up, roll his eyes for help, and for us to notice that the pup is hanging off his neck (and you KNOW those little teeth are *sharp*). When he gets tired, he hops up on the bed or whatever so that he can get some peace and quiet. When I took Puddin' to the vet to get neutered, the other family members said that Nitro searched the house, whining - looking for the pup.
Katie is 15 years old; Nitro is about 10. These are older dogs who are well-past "puppy" antics, and are calm.
Big dogs/little dogs can coexist very well, but it depends ENTIRELY on the temperment of the animals involved. If the big dog is agressive and protective ... you may have a problem. If the big dog is a lumbering sweetie who'd lick you to death before even *thinking* of nipping at you, I think you'll be OK.
Of course, vigilance is called for to ensure that everyone gets properly introduced.
Just my experience, but over 35 years or so, my big dogs have always accepted puppies. And little dogs are just perpetual puppies to a big dog. |