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

Bentley has been going out for walks for the first time these past couple of days. Sadly, the dogs we've been running into are agressive towards him, even the medium sized ones. Bentley is only 16 weeks old and 3.6lbs, maybe he looks like a toy to them?

Most dogs have been on leash, two german shephards have barked at him (I have to find out at the office if they are even allowed in the community), two chihuahua mixes trying to get close to him and it didnt look friendly at all. After those experiences I started picking him up everytime a dog approaches him. It makes me really sad because I was looking forward to socialize him :confused:

We were walking this morning and a huge black dog was coming our way (on leash) and I pick Bentley up because I dont want an accident and lose my baby boy because of a bite that takes 1 second to happen! My neighbor looked at me weird and said "Uhmm he's friendly". I just kept going with Bentley in my arms. I don't want my neighbors believing I think Bentley is too good to play with them, and dont want to make Bentley afraid. But should I let my puppy play with a huge big dog just because the owner says he's "friendly"?.

I don't understand why owners just let their dogs be agressive and bark at other dogs? There's also a poodle that acts like a maniac and wants to attack me and my puppy and is NEVER on leash! My neighbor has to grab him quickly so he doesnt come to us >:-[ I have to watch for this dog everytime I go out of my apt because he lives on the same floor.

Then this lady comes with this chihuahua, says he likes to play, I let Bentley close and all of a sudden the chihuahua starts barking at him! And scares him :thumbdown

At night, a small sausage dog came, the owner said he was friendly so I got on the floor with Bentley on my arms and since he seemed calm I let Bentley close. But Bentley was terrified of this small dog almost the same size as he was. I am afraid all these bad experiences are making him afraid. The sausage dog was just sniffing and curious :(

I am starting to think I should not let any dog approach Bentley, even if the seem friendly, and my neighbors think I am crazy :mad:

(I live in a big community with a huge lake with fountains and a big park and dog area so it's no surprise almost everyone there has a dog)

I would be cautious...

My little girl had a scary experience last weekend... Two so called 'friendly' big dogs tried to attack her and she had to run for her life. If she wasn't as fast as she is... I'm sure she would be dead. I visit the small dog park, but I really limit their interactions with larger dogs. My sister has two well behaved larger dogs, so they do well with them, but I honestly don't trust anyone anymore who says their dog is friendly.

Mandie plays with her 72 lb brother all the time. But that here..in her home..they are siblings.

Out walking, other dogs may seem aggressive when they are really protecting their owner. My Shelby-Dale barks at people that walk past us. He's not aggressive, but he is big at protecting me. If we go to the Vet's office, he doesn't bark at a single person or dog. It's just around his home.

With that said, I still would be very cautious. Bigger dogs might see a little dog as something to chase or worse.

Picking him up when dogs come too close is smart. You might want to find a safer area to walk your dog. It's sad, but I wouldn't trust other dogs or their owners. All you can control is you, ya know?

For socializing, try to find a puppy play date type thing in your area. Or even better..some yorkie and small breed owners in your area. Then you all could get together. Mandie doesn't play with other dogs except her brother...and when the Alabama Yorkies come for meet-ups. I only trust other small breeds with her.

You're completely right to be cautious.

The only dogs I let near Lola are my cousin's and aunt's. They have a westie and 2 american eskimos (they're around 20, 30, and 40lbs). They do fine with Lola, except sometimes we have to watch the 40lb eskimo because he gets overly excited.

I wish I could find a similarly sized playmate for her, she LOVES other dogs and always wants to play with them at the vet and pet store. She doesn't leave my arms in either place.

If the other owner thinks their dog will be ok with Bentley, I'd hold him and have the other person hold their dog, and let them sniff each other a bit to test the waters first. If they're ok like that, let them near each other on the ground with the leashes held tightly.

Omg that must have been really scary! I am sorry your little one had to go through that :(. I am glad she's ok!

That is why I am getting a yorkie as a playmate for my toy poodle! My big dogs gsd and lab are ok around her but wont play with her I think they are scared to she is 10" and plus minus 6 lbs. still thinking whether to get a male or female she is spayed and the yorkie would be spayed or neutered at the appropriate age. Would two females fight?

I wish I knew someone with a small breed, I only have a couple of friends with dogs and they're all big breeds.

To find other Yorkies or small breeds in your area, put out an ad...start a thread here to do a meet up in your state (that's what I did..best thing I ever did!)...talk to your vet about other small dog owners and maybe passing on your name and number to them if they would be interested in a play date...talk to your groomer...there are ways to find and form a play group. Take the initiative. You might be very pleased with the outcome :)

Well the other area to walk him would be the parking lot and thats not fun lol plus you never know who is going to be backing up without looking ... I guess I should keep holding Bentley in my arms whenever a big dog passes by ... I wish Bentley would just keep walking, but he just freezes as soon as he sees them coming. And he spots them even when theyre really far away, and he wont move ...

I don't blame you for worrying -- I pay close attention to a dogs demeanor and body language before allowing Jackson to go say hi to ANY dog.

I do allow him to be around certain big dogs ... my uncles German Shepherd, grandma's Foxhound & Goldendoodle, other uncles Labs, etc, these are dogs I know well, and even so I always pay close attention.

Jackson is very social, and I was very lucky that as a pup, we had a lot of good dog-to-dog interactions and experiences. Nowadays though, I tend to avoid on leash greetings because it's just not really necessary. I know my boy is fine walking past other dogs, and doesn't NEED to say hi, and he's already socialized, and is good with other dogs etc.

I do think it's important for pups to have good experiences or they may turn reactive or fearful. If you have a small dog park near you, I'd check it out, and go on a slow day. Or finding a daycare or puppy meetup/play group somewhere.

My local Petco has a puppy playtime twice a week (Saturday and Sunday) and you can bring your puppy up until 12 months old. I just started bringing Toby last week and I wish I had started earlier because he doesn't know what to do about the other other dogs. Part of it is that he is scared because they *are* bigger than him...but part of it is because he isn't socialized to other dogs and that, in my opinion, isn't good.

Even though the puppy playtime has dogs that are bigger than Toby, I like it because there is a trainer from the store in there with the puppies and she intervenes immediately when necessary. She also points out when barking is okay (today there was a young puppy that barked a lot...but he was very friendly) and when it is getting too aggressive.

Today she set up a separate area for Toby and a couple of the shyer dogs to spend some time together. That was really great.

He is probably sensing you tense up! You don't want him to be fearful. But I also of course would avoid any interactions.

Is there any way you could bring a fav toy or treat and just continue walking by (from a distance?)

Jackson can walk by a lunging, barking dog of any size and just completely ignore them like they're not even there, lol. I did a lot of socializing as a pup and think that's why. Try to find a local park, or even go into a petsmart, etc.

I share your feelings about wanting to socialize my dogs, but wanting to protect them. Don't worry about what other people think.

I would be very cautious with introducing your little guy to other dogs. Even when the owner says their dog is nice, how do they know how their dog will react to a small furball? Most of them have no idea.

I stay away from people using retractable leashes and who appear to not have full control over their dogs.

Even small dogs can be not so great. We have met so many that want to paw at my boys' faces or jump on their heads, which really irritates my guys.

I would leave Bentley on the ground and not pick him up unless you are going to be passing closely to the other dogs, or if it looks like someone is going to approach you without asking. Picking him up could cause him to fear other dogs.

Oh wow! I have to call the Petco in my area and ask them if they have this program. Thanks!

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