Keeping different sized dogs

Jenko109

Jenko109

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I muse a lot. Sorry.

At the moment I have three dogs. All medium sized dogs ranging from about 17-25kg. This works well. They can all rough house together when they fancy and I have no concerns as they bounce off each other well.

That said, one day, I'm sure there will come a time when I want a small dog in my life. I will always have a whippet in my life. That's for sure, but I will eventually want a small dog too.

How do you find it works out, keeping a medium sized dog with something particularly small? We are talking perhaps a toy poodle or papillon sort of small. Dainty.

Does the play work out okay? Do you find they can build a good bond?
 
I have a 32 kg Gsd and 2 Lancashire heelers who weigh 7 kg . The Gsd is younger so was a pup when she met the heelers , she has always been very good at not being too rough and they do have some quite violent games . Sometimes she does get too many ch and will be soundly told off by the little ones ! I never let them play unsupervised and they are kept separately when I go out .
 
I've not had toy breeds but have often had different sized dogs. I had Mini Schnauzers & Labradoodles that weighed 35kg+. When I got a Cockapoo, I was worried when she was a pup incase the bigger dogs injured her, but soon realised it was more likely to be the other way round😈 Luckily, she is heavily built & sturdy.

My latest pup is a Whippet. I was worried the first week or so, especially as my remaining Labradoodle is a bit clumsy😠

Now I've had Lola a month, she has grown in size/weight & I'm less paranoid about broken bones.

If anything, it was me who has kicked or stood on the puppy more. Now I shuffle in the house scanning the floor😈
 
I’ve got a 15kg lurcher and 2 terriers , 6.4kg & 7.6kg. The lurcher was a puppy when I got him and was the same size as the terriers , the lurcher and the smallest terrier roughhouse a lot and I step in if things get too rough but the small terrier quite often starts it so she can’t be too worried.. if I go out the lurcher doesn’t play as he is more worried about when I will be back and I have a look on the camera every so often to check what’s going on
 
My daughter has a whippet and a miniature dachshund, they are fine together. I join them with my Flatcoated retriever and quite often they stay with me. The dachshund is quite capable of going on the same walks as the other two.
 
I have a 7.5kg dog who grew up with two 28kg dogs and now lives with a dog I haven’t weighed recently but was pushing towards 35kg last time I checked. The latter is still a puppy and when having mad zoomies has to be reminded that she can’t just gallop over the top of him 😬 but apart from that there’s no issues at all, they play appropriately and exercise together.
 
Jenko109 said:
I will always have a whippet in my life. That's for sure, but I will eventually want a small dog too.

How do you find it works out, keeping a medium sized dog with something particularly small? We are talking perhaps a toy poodle or papillon sort of small. Dainty.
Click to expand...

Another thing to consider is play style. Whippets like to run and chase. Do toy poodles and papillons?

What about an IG if you want something smaller than a whippet and want them to play together?
 
I have a whippet and 2 Iggies. There’s quite an age gap so they don’t play together. The two breeds have very very different temperaments, and the IGs rule the house! I know lots of people with whippets and IGs, and many who also have greyhounds with whippets and/ or IGs.
 
skinnydipper said:
Another thing to consider is play style. Whippets like to run and chase. Do toy poodles and papillons?

What about an IG if you want something smaller than a whippet and want them to play together?
Click to expand...

I do adore IG's, however was under the impression that they break mega easily 🙈
 
A good number of years ago, at one point I had a large GSD bitch, a very hefty (but fit) Rott, and came home with a Manchester x JRT.
They were brilliant together, the smallest was often being dragged around by the GSD.... but he was the one hanging onto her thick ruff.
Others used to be worried about the 3 playing rough out at the yard, but it never got out of control. Tho the Rott sometimes trod on smallest or sat on him, there wasnt damage done.
 
I have an 8.5kg terrier who was brought into a house with 4 sighthounds ranging from 44kg to 20kg…. I then added 2 other terriers as 12 week old pups (6 months apart) to my existing 2 sighthounds (32 - 40kg)

It was fine, I’d never leave them together unsupervised of course but as long as you are sensible it’s easy 😊
 
A small dog and a medium sized dog shouldn’t be a problem. The only times I’ve known it be a problem is when the size difference is large enough (think Pekingese living with a St Bernard) that a clumsy big dog accidentally treading on the little dog can break bones or do other serious damage.

I imagine breed plays a part, a small but robust and belligerent terrier being better at getting out from underfoot and at getting the larger dogs to give it some space than one of the toy breeds.
 
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