Do you let your puppy play with big/medium dogs?

[Marhcarter]

Huey doesn't get out on play dates so the only other dogs he sees fairly regularly are my parents Cavaliers, both who are larger than breed standard...maybe close to 30 lbs? He plays well with them. Yesterday, we added 2 new dogs into the family mix...cousin brought 2 lab/beagle mixes, about 45 lbs each. Essentially puppies, 9 months old. Boy puppy went into play bow at Huey, Huey snarled. I told him no, be nice. I actually picked him up at one point because I though he was going to snap at the bigger dogs but my dad said put him down, he needs to get used to them. Cousin said "they wont hurt him, they just want to play". I explained tthat my concern was that Huey would hurt THEM, not the other way around. Huey finally settled and played with them a little, but he was pretty wary all day. Bless him, he was a tiny little thing surrounded by much larger dogs as well as 15 people. He was just protecting his personal space!

[YorkOfTheShire]

I will never let our dogs near other dogs for any reason. Some may "tsk tsk" at this, but I really don't care - they're our dogs. They "socialize" with each other and with lots of humans, but I will not tolerate any dog (large or small) coming anywhere near our furbutts.

The following is very graphic:

When I was 8 years old my grandfather was working on a pond in our backyard on 4th of July weekend. He brought his dog over (we'll call her Sissy for safety since I use her real name for things). She had the appearance of a Sheltie but the size of a Yorkie (she was a mix of some sort, we don't know what as she was a shelter pup). I took her for a walk around our block..on a leash. The end house had elderly people living in it, who had their son visiting for the holiday. There was a larged sized dog on the sidewalk, on a rope. I'd never seen one before but 30+ years later, I know it was a German Shepherd. I'm assuming he wasn't supposed to reach the sidewalk but he did. Their son was outside trimming their hedges. I asked the man if his dog was a meanie dog or a nice dog (I was only 8) and he said "oh go ahead - he wouldn't hurt a fly"...so I kept walking with "Sissy". Next thing I know the dog lunged at her, picked her up with his mouth and placed 2 holes in her chest and 2 in the back of her neck. She was literally pouring blood out of all 4, and the dog shook her like a ragdoll. I screamed as loud as I could, and the man came running over. He told the dog to "drop it" and he just shook her harder. He yelled again and he wouldn't drop her, so my little 8 year old body kicked the dog in the ribs as hard as I could, and while he yelped in pain, he open his mouth enough to drop "Sissy". I screamed again, though it wasn't really needed because my grandfather who was working in our yard 4 houses down heard his little girl's cries of pain and came racing around the corner (didn't know my grandpa could run that fast). Mom got the car and we all took her to the vet. She was pouring blood the entire time.

The vet saved her but it took almost a year before "Sissy" was healed and she was never the same dog. It has haunted me ever since and I will never, ever let my dogs around other peoples' dogs regardless of their size or what their owners say about them. Our dogs can "socialize" with each other and with humans and that's it.

Trust your gut & if people get offended that you step away from their dogs? Let em be offended.

[Draco]

Draco is 5lbs now, and so far the biggest he's actually played with was a schnauzer puppy that was maybe a twice his size. Other than that he's ran along the fence and tried to play with larger dogs on the other side of the dog park. Oh and there was an senior lab on the small dog side, Draco tried to play with him for a bit and the dog entertained him for a minute before walking off lol.
He's 'met' other large dogs on walks and at petsmart, they were all pretty friendly. And once it was a huge pitbull puppy and they both tried to go full play mode in the middle of the store. I think it's possible for large dogs playing with smaller ones, but it's not something I'm trying to set up as I don't feel completely comfortable with. The dogs on the small dog side are usually under 25-30lbs and unless they're senior or really overweight.

[AngelFae]

Blazer is about 7lbs and Buddy is about 60lbs and they play together all of the time. Our friend has a mutt who is also about 60lbs and Blazer plays with him but if Buddy decides that Yoda is getting too rough he gets in between them and puts Yoda down for a while. Mostly, though, Blazer plays with his mom next door (8lbs) and his "aunt" who is about 6lbs. His "girlfriend" is two houses down and just a tad larger than him. Buddy also plays with all of these smaller dogs, he has always been super careful with them. I am wary, however, to let Blazer play with just any other random dog, even if he wants to.
As for owners "letting" their dogs be barking maniacs at other dogs- I'm still working on getting Blazer to not bark at every other dog he sees. Usually he acts like he just wants to go play with them, but every once in a while he seems "angry" at the other dog. I'm not exactly sure how to cure this.

[Latuya]

Originally Posted by YorkOfTheShire

Trust your gut & if people get offended that you step away from their dogs? Let em be offended.

[maggiefromnj]

First, you want to make sure your pup has had enough shots to be safe in case a dog she meets at petsmart or on the street hasn't had his.

I don't let Maggie meet too many big dogs even if they are "friendly". I'm sure my neighbor is probably miffed about that. He has a larger dog that I think is a pitt mix. It is very boisterous. I try to explain that although I don't think their "friendly" dog owuld attack Maggie (though really I think might) but that their dog is 5-10x bigger than she is and if while trying to "play" they step on Maggie it could be a fatal injury. That part is true as well as being afraid they might think she is a fun toy.

A neighbor has his schnauzer's chest torn open by a retirever type of dog. It came on his property where his dog was off leash. The retriever was ON a leash and I think it swiped a paw at the shnauzer causing serious injury requiring surgery. The retriever owner, clearly at fault, didn't offer to pay and the neighbor didn't follow up. I don't know why.

Luckily there is a timid s**tzu across the street for Maggie to hassle (he doesn't like to play like she does!) and she has a BOYFRIEND.

[HKFandora]

Im sure someone mentioned playdates but there is a meetup.com and if there is no group in your area you can start one.

Regardless of size I don't trust other peoples dogs when Im walking my dog, and she is big. That person might know their dog to be friendly, but that dog might not be in that mood that day. A woman was on the news about a month ago, after a big dog attacked and killed her pomeranian on a birthday walk. The guy didnt even help her. They do have video footage so hopefully she found him.

When I do get my yorkie she most likely will be in a doggy carrier if Im going for a walk with my son, but as far as solo walks, if I see a big dog I'm either crossing or lifting up. I'm a girl that rathers to be safe than sorry. To hell with funny stares.

[maggiefromnj]

hit enter too soon on above message, wanted to tell you about her boyfriend....

Her boyfriend is a yorkie who is her same weight but is taller. They cry when they see each other from the window when one is on a walk. They run to each other and tackle each other, maybe they are hugging. They they actually kiss! I swear they french kiss! They lick each other's tongues at the same time. Then they roll around wrestling. Charlie is dominant and seems to almost bite the side of maggie's face, but she keeps going back for more. They are like long lost lovers running towards each other. You can just imaging the music playing. Someday I will get a video of it and post it somewhere....Charlie does not like other dogs or people getting near Maggie when they are together. It's so cute. So, I am lucky she doesn't need to play with big dogs.

[gracielove]

Originally Posted by YorkOfTheShire

I will never let our dogs near other dogs for any reason. Some may "tsk tsk" at this, but I really don't care - they're our dogs. They "socialize" with each other and with lots of humans, but I will not tolerate any dog (large or small) coming anywhere near our furbutts.

The following is very graphic:

When I was 8 years old my grandfather was working on a pond in our backyard on 4th of July weekend. He brought his dog over (we'll call her Sissy for safety since I use her real name for things). She had the appearance of a Sheltie but the size of a Yorkie (she was a mix of some sort, we don't know what as she was a shelter pup). I took her for a walk around our block..on a leash. The end house had elderly people living in it, who had their son visiting for the holiday. There was a larged sized dog on the sidewalk, on a rope. I'd never seen one before but 30+ years later, I know it was a German Shepherd. I'm assuming he wasn't supposed to reach the sidewalk but he did. Their son was outside trimming their hedges. I asked the man if his dog was a meanie dog or a nice dog (I was only 8) and he said "oh go ahead - he wouldn't hurt a fly"...so I kept walking with "Sissy". Next thing I know the dog lunged at her, picked her up with his mouth and placed 2 holes in her chest and 2 in the back of her neck. She was literally pouring blood out of all 4, and the dog shook her like a ragdoll. I screamed as loud as I could, and the man came running over. He told the dog to "drop it" and he just shook her harder. He yelled again and he wouldn't drop her, so my little 8 year old body kicked the dog in the ribs as hard as I could, and while he yelped in pain, he open his mouth enough to drop "Sissy". I screamed again, though it wasn't really needed because my grandfather who was working in our yard 4 houses down heard his little girl's cries of pain and came racing around the corner (didn't know my grandpa could run that fast). Mom got the car and we all took her to the vet. She was pouring blood the entire time.

The vet saved her but it took almost a year before "Sissy" was healed and she was never the same dog. It has haunted me ever since and I will never, ever let my dogs around other peoples' dogs regardless of their size or what their owners say about them. Our dogs can "socialize" with each other and with humans and that's it.

Trust your gut & if people get offended that you step away from their dogs? Let em be offended.

I certainly know how you feel. I have spent many decades of my life never having any fear of any animal. After our Shih Tzu was attacked a few years ago it changed me. Now when Gracie and I go out for a walk I feel like I am on constant alert. No dog gets near her and I am also very careful about the humans I let get close to her. If she didn't need the exercise so much and look forward to her walks I would keep her in her own yard to play. These dogs are small and although very brave they break easily. With so many people owning dogs that are not trained or under control there is no sense in taking chances. Even picking up a dog does not mean you are going to be able to save it from an out of control larger dog.

[jeane]

No, I don't even though Morgan weighs 7.5 lbs