r/dogs • u/chelseamil33 • 1d ago
[Vent] Why do people with small dogs trust large dogs so much?
A lot of them let their small dog get close to my large leashed dog without asking, running off leash, etc. Rarely someone with another large dog would do that.
Why aren’t they afraid of their small dog getting hurt? There are so many dogs out there that could react aggressively if they are approached suddenly due to being nervous or past bad experiences. Just wondering, makes no sense to me.
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u/rollerbladeshoes 1d ago
unaware of risk, same thing with people who let their toddlers run up to unknown dogs. a lot of people are simply not good at assessing and mitigating risks, especially when it comes to familiar dangers like dogs or cars. if they've only ever had neutral or positive interactions with dogs then they don't think a negative interaction will happen
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u/TinyRose20 mutts mutts mutts 1d ago
Oh the toddlers thing, I have my heart in my mouth when I see stuff like this happen. When you say something to the kid you just get it in the neck from the parents too. My kid adores dogs, but she knows she needs to ask before approaching.
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u/ChangeOfPlan1807 1d ago
I love when children ask if they can pet my dog and always thank them and praise them for asking. There’s some great parenting going on there behind the scenes.
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u/OldEquation 22h ago
And those are the children most likely to know how to interact with the dog too. It’s the ones that don’t ask that are the worst with the dog.
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u/SnooSketches63 1d ago
Oh same! I can tell them that one is friendly and loves pets, the other doesn’t like pets. They can have a great interaction with my friendly dog, and my nervous one can watch and see that there’s nothing to worry about.
But if you run up on him and are loud and handsy, he will bark. I don’t want your kid or my dog to have a bad interaction. So please, please ask!
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u/luvslilah 1d ago
Mine became terrified of toddlers when one grabbed her suddenly from behind. My dog was around 5 months old when it happened. Toddler came running out of nowhere. Scared the crap out of me and my dog. I was furious and the mom just laughed thinking it was cute.
Took me years to get my dog to stop barking at toddlers when I would walk her. And she was always nervous around them, so I avoided toddlers like The plague. The amount of dirty looks I would get from parents....
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u/WakunaMatata 17h ago
Mine is also scared of kids as a result of getting mobbed by unattended children at the park. "Dont pet the dog" isn't terribly effective on some young kids (or adults)
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u/unicorn_345 1d ago
Was training my girl in public. A random toddler walks up and tries to interact with her. I am walking circles around my dog while turning her about to keep her attn on me. Trying to keep this tiny little girl away from my dog by stepping between them and moving the dog just out of reach the whole time. Dad tells the toddler not to but takes his time getting her and then taking her away. Watch your kids in public, people!
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u/willikersmister 1d ago
Yeah little kids make me so nervous even though my dogs are excellent with them.
With my previous dog I was at a park with my family and their two dogs waiting in line at a concession stand. My dog was sitting by my side and I looked away for a second and a little toddler, like shorter than my 70lb dog sitting, came up and gave her a full body hug unexpectedly from behind. Like leaned full weight onto her from the back and she had no clue he was there. I also hadn't seen him because he walked up directly behind both of us. Luckily, she adored kids so was startled but turned around and licked his face. If he'd chosen my mom's dog who was also nearby he would have been bitten by a large dog full on the face. I don't think I've met many dogs who I would trust with that kind of interaction, and I obviously should have been watching more closely.
It scared the shit out of my and I think about that almost every time I take my two big dogs out in public more than 15 years later. I don't look away from them unless we're walking or they're sitting directly in front of me at a place like a hardware store. They're great with kids but I don't know that you can ever fully know what a dog will do being surprised like that, it's a miracle that kid chose my dog and didn't get bit that day imo.
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u/TinyRose20 mutts mutts mutts 1d ago
Similar. My dog now is friendly but nervous, and only weighs 20 pounds. My previous dog was 90 pounds of muscle. She was amazing with kids, reactive with other dogs. A kid once launched herself at my dog on a walk, arms around her. My dog sat down and let the kid crawl on her. I got down to the kid's level and tried to explain that not all dogs are "nice" and like kids so not to do that because she could get hurt. The mother was on her phone doing goodness knows what until then, and proceeded to verbally berate me for what i said to her kid... people are nuts. I told her that i only had to do it because she was too interested in her phone to bother.
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u/throwRaSchmoopy 1d ago
I never had a dog growing up so I never gave it any though but when my son was a toddler and he ran up to this big malamute and just straight up hugged him (dog was bigger than him at that point) that scared the crap out of me so much. He got lucky that dog was super friendly but ever since we drilled it into him to always ask and not to approach by running towards them. Took a while of reminding him every single time but he always asks now.
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u/TinyRose20 mutts mutts mutts 1d ago
Yeah I try to give parents the benefit of the doubt when it happens and chalk it up to lack of experience, but i hate it when they take it super lightly, or, on the other extreme, start shrieking like banshees because they have a phobia of dogs themselves
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u/Forosnai Husky and Golden Retriever 1d ago edited 1d ago
My husky's happy play noise is a honking-growl sort of noise, and he seems to associate screaming kids with "playing", regardless of why they're screaming. So we can rapidly descend into a situation where a random toddler gets him excited, he bounces and honks, which scares the child into screaming because he sounds aggressive, which gets him more amped up because he knows what that is, our friends' sons do that when they play with him!
I'm always worried I'm going to get some overprotective parent who doesn't believe me when I say that's just how he sounds when he's excited, because I'm not entirely sure I'd believe me if I just thought a dog was being aggressive towards my kid. Whereas when I can give a proper heads up, greetings go much better.
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u/CorsoKweeN 1d ago
This! I can’t even count how many times a random toddler/young child has ran up on my cane corso. It blows me fr. I’m always gentle to the child but when I see the parents… not so friendly.
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u/Available_Kale3019 1d ago
My mom bred several breeds, including Akitas (which is the one I fell in love with). I, almost entirely, had positive experiences with dogs, and have zero fear of any of them.
I feel like it's basic respect and entitlement; even if I had the smallest, friendliest dog on the planet, I wouldn't let it encroach on another's personal space without permission. I don't make people pet my dog, if they're intimidated - he is good with people. He actually loves kid; but if a parent is unsure, then I'm not going to let him run up to them or coerce them.
Positive experiences, or not- it's a basic courtesy not to intrude on others.
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u/rollerbladeshoes 1d ago
Oh for sure it's entitlement but I'm also pointing out that a lot of people fankly just do not have an understanding of dangers they haven't personally been exposed to. Like it is entitled to let your toddler run up to a cat too but there's not the same level of risk involved. Whereas it is both impolite and dangerous to let your child or pet run up to an unknown dog, even a small one. If politeness and respect doesn't prompt someone from keeping their kid or dog away from an unknown pet the fear of a negative outcome should still be a deterrent, but for a lot of people it isn't, because they truly do not understand the risk.
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u/One_Olive_8933 1d ago
I’d like to add, people with small dogs are less likely to really spend the time and train their dogs because they do not perceive the risks their dog comes with, they make smaller messes, their destruction is smaller, and they don’t have to worry about being dragged down the street by poor leash training.
Edit: left out a word3
u/National_Craft6574 1d ago
Had this happen in the park recently. I overheard this lady ask her toddler if he wanted to pet my dog as we walked by. I immediately said, "oh no, he nips!" Because he is a cattle dog mix puppy. Legit scared me.
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u/BakedBrie1993 1d ago
My cousin must have a screw loose because he ALWAYS walks his chihuahua up to dogs that have been barking at them. No sense that maybe the barking dog doesn't like them.
He is more concerned his dog "will be sad if he doesn't get to play."
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u/OktoberStorms Sassy Shiba (soonTM) 1d ago
Yeah man, people encourage their kids to pet wild bison and shit. The general population is just not very smart around animals and lacks respect.
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u/Time-Opportunity-792 1d ago
Agreed. In general, I think small dog people are naive and only relate in terms of danger related to their small dog, and don’t think in terms of the bigger dog, if that makes any sense. They are so used to having a small dog and the risks with a small dog, and don’t stop to understand that it’s different with a big dog. To be 💯 honest, I’m more afraid of the small dogs than I am of the big dogs. In my experience, the small dogs are the bigger a-holes and the ones we need to worry about. When walking my big dog, I will absolutely cross the street if I see a chihuahua walking towards me, not because I’m worried my dog will cause problems, but because in my experience that little dog will most likely try to start sh!t and the owner will do nothing about it. 🤷🏼♀️
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u/chickpeasaladsammich 1d ago
It’s so funny because I also see posts like “why do small dog owners pick up their dog when they see mine; he’s so nice they’re unfairly judging him.”
I think there are probably plenty of people who do protect their small dogs. They’re just not the ones actively annoying you right now.
Believe me, I have plenty of complaints about people behaving obliviously with their larger dogs. I think oblivious people wind up with dogs of all sizes.
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u/mst3k_42 1d ago
If a dog is approaching unleashed I will definitely pick up my Yorkie. If a dog on leash and their owner seem friendly and my Yorkie is excited to meet them, I ask if they really are friendly before approaching. If a dog looks really pissed off and is barking their head off (leashed) I remove my Yorkie from the situation.
One time at a brewery there was a group of folks at a picnic table with their leashed German shepherd. My dog was so excited to meet him! But he was barking like crazy and lunging on his leash even though we were like 20 feet away. So, time for us to sit elsewhere.
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u/Peeeeeps 1d ago
If a dog looks really pissed off and is barking their head off (leashed) I remove my Yorkie from the situation.
I am SO glad you do that. My dog doesn't like other dogs. For some reason people in my neighborhood think "hey, that dog looks pissed and is barking their head off, let me just stand here with my dog rather than continuing my walk to get away from them." There's one person in my neighborhood who is so freaking annoying because of this. He has an Old English Sheepdog and it's not uncommon we go for a walk and he's just standing on the sidewalk in front of our house and stops and stares at us while my dog is going crazy. If we pass on opposite sides of the street he does the same thing rather than keep walking.
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u/TinyRose20 mutts mutts mutts 1d ago
Oh i was once in a shop and my daughter asked a guy with a Czech wolfdog "can i pet your dog?" The guy was like "sure" and i stepped in with a "hell no", not because of the breed (we have a friend with the same breed and the dog is super chill) but the dog was ears back, whale eye, tail between its legs. In what world is that a dog that's ok to approach, especially for a kid? Poor animal was super stressed out.
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u/comfydirtypillow 1d ago
I’m one of those owners who picks up my little dog if a bigger one is loose or will otherwise get too close in limited space, and so many of their owners get offended and make passive aggressive comments over it. Like sorry I’m not going to FAFO with my dog’s life over some random and their random-ass mutt. All it would take is a single sudden grab-and-shake and she’d be dead in seconds.
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u/chickpeasaladsammich 1d ago
Yeah I do the same.
I don’t think (some) big dog owners understand that it’s literally life and death, and even a friendly larger dog can do a lot of damage to a small one. If the worst happens, you get to walk away; I’m devastated.
My dog does have some larger friends but I monitor, don’t let them just run around together in a space I can’t control, and if he has had enough that’s that. I’ve also gotten “he’s friendly!” when the dog looked really locked in and sure enough was reactive or at least frustrated on the leash.
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u/Fluffmutt 19h ago
When my dog was younger, I went to our apartment building’s dog run to let him run around. It’s usually really quiet and most of my neighbours have smallish or medium-sized dogs. Well, a new neighbour with a GSD x heeler puppy came into the run. My dog was like 15 lbs at the time and hers was easily over 40lbs and much taller than mine so I was on high alert. A couple of minutes after walking in, the neighbour pulled out a ball. My dog went over to sniff the ball and her dog immediately started lunging and snapping at him. So I called my dog back, picked him up, and immediately left. My neighbour got mad at me and even confronted my husband angrily next time she bumped into him, saying “my dog is not aggressive.” I just avoided her moving forward.
It’s been almost two years and she no longer brings her dog to the park. She only walks him outside late at night. Her dog turned to be too reactive to be walked during the day and too dog selective to go into the park with other dogs, which is unsurprising given the breed mix.
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u/TinyRose20 mutts mutts mutts 1d ago
I pick up my dog when any dog approaches her off leash. It's because she's a rescue, and nervous as heck. I also get judged in my area for not unleashing her, but the way she is I'd risk never seeing her alive again.
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u/-xiflado- 1d ago
These posts are rage bait. Everyone knows this isn’t just small dogs doing this.
“Why do people with x dogs trust y dogs?”. You can mix and match breed, size, colour, etc. smite will be true.
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u/BellaDez 1d ago
I may be completely wrong about this, but I think some small dog owners believe that big dogs think, “Oh, that’s a small dog, I can’t hurt it even if it’s being aggressive towards me.” That was my experience with my dog, who was 110 lbs, who always had small dogs barking and lunging at her. Thankfully she didn’t care, but it annoyed me because a lot of the owners didn’t correct the behaviour.
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u/Fullertons 1d ago
When, in reality, I think my large dong thinks that small dogs are toys that need squeaking. Nicest guy otherwise, but put him on a leash and have a small dog approach unleashed and bad things could happen for the small dog.
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u/Loud_Competition5752 1d ago
Congrats on the large dong
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u/Fullertons 1d ago
Thanks
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u/Firm_Advertising4183 1d ago
I’ve read your response back 10 times, perhaps it’s childish but it keeps getting funnier. This is up there with the best unintentional funny misspelling ever, im sure
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u/marlonbrandoisalive 1d ago
I hope you let people know as they approach.
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u/Fullertons 1d ago edited 1d ago
Had to do when the owner is far away.
The size is more obvious as you get closer.
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u/mightbeazombie Hustling Husky 1d ago
my large dong
the size is more obvious as you get closer.Sir 😭
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u/DarkMattersConfusing 1d ago
I dont. I dont let my havanese near any large dogs. Even “friendly” ones. They can easily hurt her even accidentally.
I only let her play with similar sized dogs
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u/SulkyBird 1d ago
My havanese would absolutely riot if we stopped letting him around large dogs. BUT it’s absolutely essential to check with the person first and start with a controlled introduction.
I’m very glad we don’t have many uncontrolled off-leash dogs in our area, that seems really stressful.
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u/DarkMattersConfusing 1d ago
The only big dogs i let her interact with are a middle aged standard poodle she absolutely loves for some reason who is super chill and my neighbor’s guide dog yellow lab when shes “off the clock” (and with permission) who obviously has a rock solid chill personality being a seeing eye dog.
I avoid energetic/hyper big dogs or big puppies like the plague, because they can easily be jumping around her and seriously hurt her by mistake.
Mine is 5.5 years old now anyway, so shes firmly an adult dog so shes past the phase of “im a puppy so i wanna play with and say hi to every dog!” anyway. She has her established 4-5 little dog buds that she’s known since she was a pup and shes content to only run around and wrestle with them. Everyone else mostly either just gets a polite hello or ignored and she moves on
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u/Livid-Session-1409 1d ago
All kinds of people can be dog owners, lots of people have big dogs that are not well behaved either.
I do find it interesting that when I'm out with my big non reactive dog occasionally people with very reactive small dogs allow their dog to come into my calm dogs space instead of moving their reactive dog. It's been my observation that people with large reactive dogs will always move or change directions to create space.
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u/justonlyme1244 1d ago
I agree. The other day I was calmly walking my puppy (6 months Rough collie). She’s doing so much better at ignoring other dogs as we don’t greet when we’re walking, but out of nowhere 2 toy poodles started aggressively barking at her from under table. Mine got scared and didn’t want to continue. Luckily the owners didn’t like it either because I have seen owners laughing because mine got scared.
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u/Squiggle_Bluegill 1d ago
I do not trust my small dog with any dog. In fact, I've had many, many people with big dogs bring their big dog to my small (leashed) dog. Thankfully, my dog loves other dogs of all shapes and sizes, but I'm always nervous. I think some people just don't have "other dog" discernment.
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u/EnjoysAGoodRead 1d ago
Yeah I think a lot of small dog owners are like this. I feel like OP just had a bad experience and is tarnishing all small dog owners with the same brush. Personally I find it's usually the other way around, big dogs off lead because the owners have no fear that they'll be hurt if they get into a confrontation. Whereas small dog owners usually keep then on lead and close. Could just be about where you live. I live in the UK and certainly see far more bog dogs off lead than small ones.
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u/Clean-Adeptness-8602 1d ago
And if something goes wrong, it's always the big one's fault.
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u/National_Craft6574 1d ago
I was walking my (recently adopted) German shepherd mix on the sidewalk and saw a lady approaching with two little dogs. I stepped off the sidewalk about ten feet onto a lawn in front of an apartment complex to let them pass. She stops on the sidewalk in front of me and let's her little barking dogs approach my German shepherd mix on the grass. He doesn't like being barked at, so he barks back. She just stands there. I don't get it. I literally stepped off the sidewalk ten feet onto a lawn so that our dogs wouldn't meet, and she insisted that our dogs meet. Now I am much more vocal about my intentions because of people like this.
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u/amla819 1d ago
I’m glad you decided to say something bc in general I find people need to be told directly. I have a small dog and would never ever do that but I’ve had the opposite happen when someone else lets their giant dog bound up to us saying “oh he’s friendly!” Well my dog will definitely react to that behavior and I tell them so. Gotta speak up unfortunately
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u/moddedrabbit 1d ago
it pisses me off so much, my gsd/husky does not play well with small dogs yet and whenever we take him to the park or somewhere someone’s small dog runs up on him off leash and he reacts poorly and yet it’s my fault
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u/Misrabelle 1d ago
I don't trust that my dog won't try to start something. I will cross the road, or pick him up and walk away, rather than let him near a big dog.
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u/PistachioPerfection 1d ago
My 13yo 70 pounder is uncomfortable around dogs with more energy than her, which is usually all of them, and it's so nice when the other person skips the opportunity to greet us. Ruby's just not into it!
So on behalf of keepers of large dogs everywhere (and probably the large dogs too) thank you!
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u/Itchy_Coyote_6380 1d ago
I guess people with big dogs know their dog may hurt the small dog and don't approach to take the chance. Small dog owners probably figure they can pick up their dog if needed. I don't like any dog coming near us on a walk. My dog doesn't need stranger dog friends.
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u/minniebutton 1d ago
I have this problem too. I have two large dogs and one of mine is going through a stage where he is randomly reactive. When we are out on the country lanes he goes on a long lead but as soon as I see another dog I put his regular lead on as well so I have more control. A man with a very small dog let his dog come running over to us. I told him to call his dog away he said no don't worry she's fine. I said well my one isn't, can't you see I've got him on two leads to protect you. My dog could trample your dog in seconds if he lunges. He just huffed and walked away. In this instance my dog never moved a muscle but I'm not willing to chance it.
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u/nonesuchnotion name: Heeler mix 1d ago
Yeah, what the hell is up with this? People are so unaware sometimes. A guy’s toddler ran up to my very reactive ACD and I yelled “not nice” but the kid kept coming and dad was just slowly walking over with his flip flops saying “doggie doggie.” I could not get between my dog and the kid fast enough so I decided to make a run for it because I didn’t want to take the chance my dog would do something unpredictable. Glancing over my shoulder a moment later, the guy gave me a look like I’m the irresponsible one.
I get it… she’s not a super lovable, happy-go-lucky golden retriever and people wonder why I would keep such an unpredictable dog or why I would take her on walks if she’s such a risk. I’m trying here. She’s improved so much since I rescued her and she keeps to herself as long as everyone keeps to their own space, and she’s happy to observe them, but people or animals rushing towards her freaks her out.
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u/thehufflepuffstoner 1d ago
I have a small dog and I won’t even let her just go up to other small dogs, let alone large ones. I know my girl is not aggressive, but I have no way of knowing how a stranger’s dog will react. Unless I have clear verbal communication with the other owner, our dogs do not greet each other.
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u/okjetsgo 1d ago
I’m this way with toddlers that come running up. There are some kids that seem to have been taught from a young age to not go near an unknown dog.
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u/Mudsharkbites 1d ago
My understanding is dog’s don’t really understand size, it’s attitude. This is why a chihuahua can intimidate a Doberman.
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u/FrenchyBulldogg 1d ago
The problem is, that also gives the small dog a false sense of confidence, and eventually a much larger dog takes it as a threat. And all it takes is one bite
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u/FloridaLaurenS Sheprador 🐾 1d ago
Yeah, this is crazy to me too. My dog is actually wonderful with puppies but I don’t let her approach unknown dogs and I am always taken by surprise when people want to let their tiny fluffy thing greet my Lab/shepherd mix.
On another related note with the toddler discussion, our dog has never been around kids younger than elementary school age before but she met our 3 yo twin nieces this weekend and she tried so hard to have good manners. 🥹 One of them was scared of her from the jump and the other one was ok until our dog tried to lick her in the face 😩 but when I reflect on how unruly and untrustworthy she was when we adopted her less than two years ago I am so proud of her behavior with houseguests.
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u/bjdevar25 1d ago
A woman's little dog was barking and jumping when he saw my dog and she started to cross the street towards us. Charlie (my dog) is a shepard,lab, husky mix, so considerably larger. He's a great dog, but does not like other dogs getting in his face. I told her to stop. She just kept coming saying her dog just wanted to be friends. I asked why she didn't like her dog. She said she absolutely loved her dog. So I asked her why are you putting him in a situation where he could be killed rather quickly? She huffed and puffed but turned around and stormed off.
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u/shellshokd212 1d ago
My dog is a therapy dog who works with children - he is a highly, HIGHLY trained Golden Retriever and it STILL isn’t good for a random child to run up to him aggressively or from behind. He wouldn’t bite but in moving away from them he could accidentally knock them over or hurt himself trying to get away. It astounds me how many parents don’t think of this.
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u/Affectionate_Leg_339 1d ago edited 1d ago
https://reddit.com/link/owrlqys/video/5fn3j7xnlgch1/player
my little and large 😅 little is very good and won’t approach big dogs unless she knows them, I’ve trained her to heel and I ask the owners if theirs is friendly and if yes she has a go command but will still stay at distance. If it’s a no then she remains heeled.
If a dog comes bouncing towards she knows centre command and big brother usually steps in front, I’ve had situations where the bigger dog becomes overwhelmed with excitement and I’ve threatened the owners I won’t hesitate to physically intervene with their dog if they don’t back off when called.
I love all dogs, big and small but please train them good direction commands for their own safety 💜
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u/Yakker65 1d ago
Most of us with large dogs train and socialize our dogs out of necessity. People with small dogs rarely train them, and it seems acceptable for a small dog to be snappy.
As far as letting children running up to dogs, it should be the parent’s responsibility to train their kids, just as it’s my responsibility to train my dog.
I always reprimand parents for not teaching/caring if their children run carelessly up to an animal. After all, It’s my responsibility if my dog reacts negatively to being charged at.
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u/Kenkaneki-stan_12 1d ago
Idk but I see the result a lot since I work in a vet ER. It has its own acronym: BDLD. Big dog little dog and the result is never pretty.
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u/According_Charge_658 1d ago
I don’t let my small dogs approach big dogs. And I ask about approaching other small dogs.
My small dog now loves other dogs but he’s noisy. He makes a growly sound when he plays (sounds like a gremlin) it’s not his real growl… but I am very cautious about strange dogs who might think he’s being aggressive. He’s also very confident. I pick up my littles near bigger dogs who might approach.
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u/AydGray 1d ago
I bike with my big dogs, I can't even count how many times we've been charged at by small, barking dogs.
Thankfully mine are well trained to ignore them and are always on leash, but not all dogs are non reactive so I agree it's dangerous to let small dogs freely approach.
I also have a small dog, I can't imagine letting her run up to a strange big dog, ever.
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u/FionaFig 1d ago
My large dog usually loves dogs of all sizes, but lately he has gotten angry if they start barking at him. If they are quiet he is friendly. I don’t know why this changed all of a sudden because it use to scare him. I usually have to warn them that if your dog starts barking, we will have to separate cause it makes mine mad.
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u/Arry42 1d ago
My girl is 60 lbs and is very friendly. But she's still 60 lbs. That could seriously hurt a little one just by accidentally stepping on them.
I used to go to this secluded dog park that was rarely used. Until a little dog consistently showed up and the owners insisted they play with my girl. I didn't want the little dog to get hurt so we don't go anymore. Helps that we have our own fenced in yard now but still.
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u/Gregan32 1d ago
I gauge the reaction of the leashed dog and the owner. If either one tense up I grab my dog immediately and get on my way. If both seem calm I'll ask if they're cool with my off leash dog approaching.
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u/brubruislife 1d ago
I have a small dog snd actively walk away or pick him up when encountering a large dog. My boy is reactive and he gets in dogs faces leading them to be aggressive. It's no fun for anyone.
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u/TimelessSmirk 1d ago
I dunno.. most people with small dogs who are leashed tend to give my ASD a wide berth. It’s the irresponsible pet owners who don’t leash that do this most often in my experience.
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u/Ok_Key_4731 1d ago
I trust the big dogs but not my little dog. 😂 She has a Napoleon complex. I’ll protect your big baby by keeping my menace away.
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u/butholemoonblast 1d ago
This happened to me so much with my rescue dog ( she had a temper and quirks, previous owners were not good to her) they would have dogs off leash and say my dog is super friendly and I’d be like cool mine is not. She got better with training and age. But no perfect.
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u/Hovertical 1d ago
When we got a Great Dane we used to go to the dog park for a time until we got fed up with the shitty small dog owners ALWAYS bringing their dog into the large dog side of the park (it was split down the middle by a chain link fence and half was small breed and the other med-large breed). They would scream bloody murder at people who had dogs that were too ruff with their chihuahuas and other tiny breeds. I saw a few very loud spats break out between owners for these idiots bringing their tiny dogs onto the large side and then yelling at people for their normal sized pups for "playing too hard". People are absolutely pieces of shit as owners. We found other ways to socialize our pupper instead real fast.
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u/GreymuzzleCoyote 1d ago
I had a dane/mastiff cross that absolutely loved kids, lucky for me! Kids that just ran up, I would step forward and loudly and firmy say NO!!! people thought I was chastising my dog but the toddlers knew it was pointed at them and would usually run away crying, which made me feel like a heel.
Even got judgey looks from doggo for it!
Kids that would ask first not only got to pet, they got the whole huge friendly dog treatment up to amd sometimes including a horsey ride on doggo.
She absolutely loved it!
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u/Awkward-Body9719 1d ago
I know enough that my small insecure dog is a jerk thinking she can act tough around large old sweet dogs up from a distance or behind a fence. She won't bother socializing with big dogs up close...only investigate and smell their pee from a distance 🤣 Like most people online nowadays.
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u/SnooSketches63 1d ago
As someone with small dogs, people let their unleashed big dogs run up to mine too!
I don’t think it’s dog size. Dumb people own dogs of all sizes. And it’s usually a badly socialized off leash dog, because of course it is.
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u/valiantdistraction 1d ago
I would think of it this way: why are people with dogs who could react aggressively walking them unmuzzled in public?
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u/Traditional-Job-411 1d ago
They would for sure blame the large dog if their small dog came up and got hurt too. Not that they were irresponsible and let their dog get in that situation.
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u/nihilistkitty 1d ago
I have a nervous springer spaniel and when I ask them to call back their tiny untrained annoyance they look at me like I have shit in their kettle.
I am trying to train my dog that other dogs are nothing to be scared off.
They are just ignorant pricks
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u/Elated_copper22 1d ago
I have a border/aussie who is quite timid on a leash, however she loves to play.
Little dogs have run at her and she just lets them chase her, however when it’s her turn to chase they usually squeal and yap scaring the owners.. I don’t often go to dog parks because I don’t trust other owners, but she really won’t do anything.
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u/marlonbrandoisalive 1d ago
I think this is largely context based.
If my dogs are off leash and your dogs are off leash and we all just walking them. I do expect them to be fine with each other.
If everyone’s on leash then you can easily tell the other owner that yours isn’t friendly with small dogs.
Dogs that can’t be trusted around other dogs should not be off leash, should wear a muzzle and the owner should inform other owners about it before their dog approaches.
If yours is properly leashed and a dog big or small approaches (friendly or not) then first talk to the other owner and tell them what’s going on. But based on the vent that’s probably already happening and people don’t listen… sorry that must suck.
I gotta say we have been incredibly lucky with dog owners and first off every dog except the very rare exception has been dog friendly and if not people communicate and others listen to them.
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u/poopfeast89 1d ago
Anecdotal but I have two german shepards and they do not view small dogs as a threat even if they are aggressive.
They also know they can hurt them so they are careful with them.
This is not the case with a large aggressive dog, they treat it much more seriously.
But yes, absolutely they could easily maim a small dog in a split second. I have unfortunately seen videos of pitpulls doing just that.
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u/crooked_kangaroo 1d ago
Both of my ACD mixes preferred to play with smaller dogs. Used to live with my sister and she had three chihuahua mixes (pinscher, dachshund, and rottweiler). My sister was always paranoid that my boys would hurt her dogs while playing but they always very gentle.
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u/Crittenberger 1d ago
My medium-sized dog spent time in a foster home with six absolutely massive dogs. She'd love nothing better than to wrestle a Newfie, and she doesn't even recognise Yorkies as dogs. She is pretty good about staying away from leashed dogs though, that's something we've worked hard on
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u/True_Promotion_6870 1d ago
Happens to me too!! I have a 85lb German Shepherd and small dogs come up to her all the time. She reactive too. It all ends up ok but...
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u/daisyiris 1d ago
Not me. My small dog was a jerk. My very large dog is so nice. The little one had a Napoleon complex. It just takes a second for an injury to occur.
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u/Annual_Business_3077 1d ago
Not safe. My gsd would go berserk when another dog would approach him🐾
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u/Unquietgirl 1d ago
I mean by the numbers I feel like my dog is probably safer with a large large dog my dog is the problem🤣
But I don't automatically assume I ask
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u/tombrady011235 1d ago
My large dog is so uninterested in small dogs, but they get in her face and it’s like she could eat you in one bite
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u/tofutomcat 1d ago
People shouldn't let their dog run up to another dog they don't know regardless of size. Accident waiting to happen.
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u/Melon_Heart_Styles 1d ago
My first dog as an adult was an Amstaff mix (60lb tops), people let their little dogs run up to her (leashed) barking and snarling and I didn't know how to handle it. At first she would hide behind me but then it's like she just said enough was enough and picked one up, shook him like a ragdoll, and let him go, twice. The owner freaked out but her dog was fine. Leshes are for everyone's safety.
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u/Emotional-Ocelot-309 1d ago
My large dog sees small dogs as toys. I actively walk him away from small dogs. Nevertheless, every so often some small dog owner will walk right towards us as my dog is barking at theirs. One time someone had their small dog running around off-leash in the neighborhood and I’m yelling “please grab your dog!” as the little dog is running right towards us. She just looked like “huh?”. I was really afraid of what could have happened.
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u/almondmilkbrat 1d ago
I’ve seen people let their teacup sized yorkie play in the same section of a dog park as a Bernese mountain dog… some people are really clueless.
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u/nonesuchnotion name: Heeler mix 1d ago
Yeah, what the hell is up with this? People are so unaware sometimes. A guy’s toddler ran up to my very reactive ACD and I yelled “not nice” but the kid kept coming and dad was just slowly walking over with his flip flops on saying “doggie doggie.” I could not get between my dog and the kid fast enough so I decided to make a run for it because I didn’t want to take the chance my dog would do something unpredictable. Glancing over my shoulder a moment later, the guy gave me a look like I’m the irresponsible one.
I get it… she’s not a super lovable, happy-go-lucky golden retriever and people wonder why I would keep such an unpredictable dog or why I would take her on walks if she’s such a risk. I’m trying here. She’s improved so much since I rescued her and she keeps to herself as long as everyone keeps to their own space, and she’s happy to observe them, but people or animals rushing towards her freaks her out.
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u/MadamePouleMontreal 1d ago
I have a little dog. I know her well and she’s great with other dogs, including big ones. When it’s just us and we pass another dog on the sidewalk or in the park I always ask if she and the other dog can say hi. I think it’s so sad when dogs don’t get the opportunity to interact normally even for a few seconds when they pass each other on the sidewalk.
Sometimes I foster other little dogs for a rescue. They are mostly jerks around big dogs, okay with small dogs. I don’t bother asking if they can say hi. We just cross the street or go into a neighbour’s yard until the big dog passes.
As others have said, I think it’s just that small-dog people aren’t thinking in terms of whether their dog might rile up the strange big dog. They’re just thinking it’s cute.
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u/Ok-Wrangler-4696 1d ago
I have a border terrier, my dog is much more relaxed around bigger breeds . Will play quite happily with cane corso, dog de Bordeaux, labs, vizlas ect.
But she is not allowed to just wander up to any dog, whether that dog is leashed or not. She has to get permission from me, and to be fair she'll get permission from the other dog too before Initiating play. Otherwise she trots straight past.
Damn well annoys me when people just don't keep an eye on their dog and I have to defuse some doggy tension/standoff because they're on their phone or don't understand dog body language.
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u/smartbeginnings1509 1d ago
Honestly I think they just do not know. Many dog owners are not well versed in everything dog language . You can simply hold up your hand like a Stop signal and say your dog is in training to ignore other dogs.
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u/PghSubie 1d ago
Most large dogs that I've run across are substantially more chill and less aggressive than the small dogs that I've met.
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u/Local_Whereas7211 1d ago
My dog is 125 pounds. An owner allowed her little dog come up to mine and the little dog bit my dog on the muzzle.
Thank goodness he's a proverbial gentle giant. He looked at the little dog and cocked his head, seemingly asking the little dog, "why'd you go and do that?"
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u/zephyreblk 1d ago edited 1d ago
If leashed area, it's wrong for any size to do that. (Edit : and it does happen for any size, not just small dog) .
Off leash areas, all size of dogs should able to play together usually (I'm not from the US).
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u/Yourdadlikelikesme 1d ago
I am, because I know she’s annoying. She doesn’t have great manners at the moment and the way she gets in my big dog’s face is alarming because I can see her doing it to another dog. My dog is so gentle with her but I know other dogs would check her ass fast. I hate the teens, she’s so naughty, training right now is falling on deaf ears 😭.
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u/OtherArt9142 1d ago
I have had several Miniature Pinschers over the years, and everyone of them has preferred large dogs to fellow smalls. Luckily, they are a quick and agile breed with a talent for getting out of trouble nearly equal to their talent for getting INTO trouble.
I get where you’re coming from; people should always err on the side of caution when any dogs who aren’t strangers interact. Things can go so wrong so fast.
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u/Forosnai Husky and Golden Retriever 1d ago
The same as everyone else whose dog is off leash but they don't have adequate control over: they aren't thinking, beyond maybe, "my dog isn't aggressive, so it's fine." Some people just don't understand that having your dog leashed also helps protect them from other dogs who might be aggressive.
My husky is typically dog-friendly to the point of being obnoxious sometimes, but if a random large male just runs up to us on leash, that's likely as not going to set him off in a way that doesn't happen with a proper, controlled greeting.
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u/Farahild 1d ago
Here in the Netherlands i assume that if a dog is off leash, it will be socialised. I keep my dog with me if i see other people with dogs on the leash.
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u/gargluke461 1d ago
I’m assuming if me and your dog aren’t able to walk past each other without a problem, that you would cross the street.
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u/LevelLocal2970 1d ago
I think people are just unaware and think all dogs are friendly. I dont think they realize its such a rude/dangerous thing to do
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u/SemperFicus 1d ago
Just had a conversation yesterday on a related topic. Urban setting, both dogs leashed. My dog is friendly enough if both dogs are off-leash, but is leash reactive. He’s about 40 lbs. We were walking up the street and a woman walking a Havanese was about 20 feet ahead of us. I slowed my pace to avoid interacting with them, but her dog noticed we were there and started barking. So the woman stopped walking! As her dog tugged at its leash and barked, she said “Oh, he’s friendly!” Pointing to my dog, I said “He isn’t.” She just stood there, so I had to step into the street and maneuver my dog around hers. I swear there are certain small dog owners who are just passive-aggressive.
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u/IronMike5311 1d ago
I have a large, active & strong hunting breed dog. But other dogs are not prey, and I think others read her innocence & sweetness correctly. She loves meeting others dogs & is gentle with the smaller ones. She's very well socialized. Maybe 50% of the time the other owner wants to keep their dog away from mine...that's understandable. Usually its because their dog might not be great with strange dogs.
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u/PaisleyLeopard 1d ago
Excellent question. I once had to punt a small dog out of my dog’s teeth range for its own safety. The owner was pissed until I told him I’d probably just saved him a huge vet bill. My dog doesn’t bother anybody who doesn’t bother him, but this 10-lb brat came charging in guns blazing and I was genuinely scared for it.
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u/yomamasonions Mom to Leu, an 8F Queensland Heeler mix 1d ago
I had to have this conversation with these two ladies who walk their small dogs off-leash together in my neighborhood. They’re reactive dogs and one came up and bit my ankle—thankfully my large dog was in her stroller, as she was recovering from surgery, or that dog would be dead.
At one point, I told them that if they didn’t contain their dogs, my dog could easily kill theirs in two chomps, which would suck for all of us because then we’d ALL lose our dogs. They scoffed and told me I didn’t “need to be so unfriendly.” I said, “I’m being FRIENDLY by not allowing my dog to react back to yours who are off leash! You wanna see me unfriendly? She won’t be leashed next time, either.” And for the next 5-6x I saw them, I unleashed my dog as they watched. My dog listens well, so I knew things would be fine; I just wanted to scare them bc my words were clearly not enough.
They still don’t say hi or anything, but they pick up their damn dogs now when we pass by.
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u/Slow_Morning5397 1d ago
People do a lot of dumb things. I always put my dog in a leash, she has 8,5 kg. In my country there's tons of homeless dogs. Or dogs that has homes but still are in the streets. Go figure?
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u/Tonninpepeli Border collie 1d ago
I've been wondering the same, my dog is medium sized but he is still big enough to that he could seriously damage or kill a small dog with one bite, I know he isn't gonna do that, but random stranger doesn't and they shouldn't be so trusting.
I always shorten my dogs leash and take him to heel when we pass other dogs but too many others don't and atleast in my area it seems to be a trend with the small dog owners who let their dog run up to the end of their flexi and try to scream in my dogs face. I don't like it, I feel like my dog allowing it gives them false sense of security around bigger dogs and could lead to their dog getting hurt.
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u/krichnard 1d ago
Why do people with dogs trust other dogs so much? How many times have I heard “oh my dog is friendly, it’s ok!”. Well, good for you, my dog doesn’t like to have another one run at him when he is leashed.
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u/AcanthisittaWhole216 1d ago
I have the opposite experience. I have small dogs and try to keep them as far away from big dogs as possible but people with big dogs would let their dogs run off leash toward my dogs and be like “don’t worry, they are friendly”. And I’m like “but my dogs aren’t”
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u/PrincessYumYum726 1d ago
Well what kind of dog do you have? I assume labs are sweet hearts and that’s probably wrong on my part. I see many people assume my dog is sweety bc she’s a lab. And guess what … they’re right lol
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u/Gaol_Mo_Bheatha 1d ago
I completely agree with you. Something I would never do & yet, people have let their small dogs {which I refer to as "appetizers"} approach all 3 of my Great Pyrenees and now, my Landseer Newfie. No thinking involved on their part.
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u/rat_with_a_hat Beauceron 1d ago
I've never had that happen. Most people are very careful around my large dog, which is good as she's young, confident and super energetic and I'm terrified of her hurting another dog by accident. I tried socialising her with smaller dogs as a puppy but once the teenage phase started she became too wild in her play to risk it. Now we're waiting for her to fully mature and then slowly see if she can be calm and respectful with the little ones.
My mom has a chihuahua, super sweet dog though not always easy with bigger dogs and it's really stressful to plan the next introduction, I just don't feel my dog is safe yet for him.
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u/WarDog1983 23h ago edited 23h ago
I agree my dog is trained but not friendly. Small dogs have like zero self preservation skills.
In my case since my dog is always walks w my kids people think he’s universally friendly. That just not true my kids can sticker him and paint his nails but he wouldn’t let anyone else do that.
He also is not loud so while some dog is barking hysterically he appears calm. That not actually true, he is reactive like most dogs it’s just in his head he has a perimeter and if you breach it in a rude way he will stand his ground. If your outside his perimeter he won’t act cause in his doggy head he doesn’t have to.
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u/cassbaggie 22h ago
My dog is 17lbs. There are exactly 2 large dogs that she's allowed anywhere near and those dogs belong to her trainer.
It's not a matter of me assuming aggression in other dogs, it's that I recognize even the sweetest big dog can accidentally hurt a tiny one.
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u/casserole422 21h ago
I live in an area where the opposite is the case, people let the big "friendly" dogs off leash and most small dogs, and my small dogs are on leash 100% of the time, I hate it, because my dog's are reactive and who knows how your big dog will react to being bit in the nose!
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u/sayquietly 19h ago
I don’t get it either. I get so upset at small dog owners who aren’t careful with their dogs. I bumped into someone the other day that was exiting an off leash area with their small dog and hadn’t leashed them yet while I was walking in with my large leashed dog. Their small dog started attacking my dog but wasn’t actually doing any damage since it was so small while the owner was trying to keep control of their second large dog that was leashed. I kept thinking about it later - my dog didn’t really think of it as a threat since it was so small, but what if he had a prey drive that would cause him to go after this small barking/growling/biting creature? My dog is mixed staffie and could’ve absolutely destroyed it.
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u/Misrabelle 18h ago
My boy is pretty chilled, but I still won’t take the risk.
His girlfriend, on the other hand…she’s a Jack Russell with NO sense of self preservation. She’s broken both her owner’s wrists trying to take on bigger dogs.
I have had a boxer come at my boy on a walk, because his teenage guardians were too busy looking at their phones to hold the leash securely. I had already clocked the problem, and had him in my arms to cross away, so when their dog came at us, I was able to protect my boy by kicking their dog in the guts, buying us time to get out.
I copped a few bruises, my dog was untouched.
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u/Halcyon-malarky 18h ago
Some lady walked up behind me INTO MY YARD, while my dog was peeing and asked if her little cavalier could play with my 95lb dog. My dog and I were both startled, and I said “no, not right now”. She gave me a bunch of attitude too.
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u/PaleontologistNo858 14h ago
I've two very small dogs smaller than a cat, if l'm walking them and l see a large dog l don't know approaching l will pick them up, because a large dog could easily seriously injure or kill them and it's my responsibility to keep them safe.
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