# Why do small dogs get away with murder?



## k9capture_16 (Aug 23, 2010)

Dont get me wrong I like small dogs. Not my type but they are cute. I own a small dog (I inherited her). But anyway, there is this shih tzu on the street behind me. Back in April this dog was off leash and ran up to Lincoln. They sniffed each other then all of a sudden this dog bites Lincolns face then as he turned to walk away this dog grabbed his paw pad slicing it in half. This owner wasnt around, she came out from the backyard when she heard me scream "Someone get this *insert vulgar language* mutt away from my dog". So she came out and grabbed her dog, didnt say sorry, didnt offer to pay vet bills..just told her dog to stop messing with the big dogs and walked away. The lady that was there who witnessed it told her what happened after because had I of it wouldnt of been a pretty scene. Anyway, I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt and not report it.

But, every time we pass each other on walks her dog lunges to the end of the leash growling and screaming. She laughs about it and when Lincoln growls and barks at her dog ( in reaction to her dogs aggressiveness) she tells me to control my mutt? My dog is great with small dogs, but he doesnt like hers after what she did to him. 

Why is it that small dogs get away with everything because they are small? I dont think she realizes that if I had no control over my dog when hers bit mine, Lincoln could easily of turned around and killed it. What happens if the next time this happens the neighbours Pitbull is the one this dog bites? I know for a fact this Pitty would kill this dog. Will she think her dogs behavoir is hilarious and cute then?

Out of curiousity, I had a trainer tell me that my dog doesnt remember what this dog did to him..is this true?


----------



## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

I would guess that your dog probably doesn't remember what happened with that dog, but may have a general uneasiness around the dog. Perhaps yours and the smaller dog just don't get along.

I agree that some people who have small dogs don't treat them the same as other people treat big dogs. With a larger dog you HAVE to train your dog to have respectful behavior and learn boundaries. You can't have your 60 pound dog jumping up on people. Of course, this is just a generalization. Many people with small dogs do take responsibility and properly train their dog. Unfortunately, those that don't give all small dogs a bad reputation.


----------



## k9capture_16 (Aug 23, 2010)

He was fine with this dog when it was a puppy. Fine until..this dog did this to him. Thats why I was wondering if he remembered. I mean, when someone hits a dog right? Then the dog flinches the next time...doesnt that show the dog remembers what the raise hand means so he ducks?

I have a small dog...and shes trained. Is not allowed to behave like that.


----------



## Paws&Tails (Sep 3, 2010)

Because with bigger dogs people have to train them. It's not so annoying when a little 10 pound dog jumps on you, but if an 80 pound dog was, that gets annoying and can be dangerous. People think some of the things little dogs do is cute. I've seen some people laugh and say it's cute when a little dog was growling at people who approached their owner.
I don't think it's cute. I wouldn't and don't let my dog get away with it.
Spike rarely jumps, but when he does I'll tell him off and he gets off right away. I've had people tell me "Oh, he's fine." My response to that is "No, it's not fine. He should not be jumping on anyone."


----------



## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

a friend of mine had this huge yellow lab....sweetest dog in the world....named cayman...and my idiot 19 lb shih tzu attached himself to cayman's left haunch.

cayman just kept on going around the yard with this shih tzu hanging on by his teeth.

my dog could have been an appetiser for this dog, but it taught me a very valuable lesson.

i can only speak for myself...but having small dogs...i can just pick them up and stop the behaviour....but it really doesn't stop the behaviour, does it?

so now, my small dogs are trained to not jump, not bite other dogs, etc....as if they were the same size as a german shepherd....

many small dog owners treat small dogs like they're babies.....and as i learned...they aren't. they still have teeth and they still have prey drive and they have no idea they are small.


----------



## Jacksons Mom (Jun 13, 2010)

UGH, 85% of small dog owners piss me off. And I'm a small dog person. They NEED training too. I find it sooo annoying when people just allow their little 4lb dogs to pull at the end of their 16ft retractable and hop like bunnies everywhere but they never train them out of it because it either looks cute, or since they're so small it doesn't matter.

Most people at our dog park have pretty well trained/behaved small dogs so that's a plus. But ya always get the whackos. There's this one guy with a yorkie/chi mix and a chi and he actually said "oh, they're small, I don't care about heel or any of that crap." And they are on flexi leads just tugging away.  There's this other little 4lb yorkie who humps EVERYBODY. Well, he usually picks his victim and then does it to that one dog for the remainder of the time and the owner will take her phone out and video tape she thinks it's so adorable. So freakin' annoying.

Jackson never lunges at anybody or any dog on his leash, he never barks at other dogs while we're walking, he's always on a loose leash on our walks and does not continually pull my arm off. All of those things are so annoying. I wouldn't want a big dog doing it and I won't allow my small dog to do it.


----------



## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

those retractable leashes do have their place in the world...but NOT, i repeat, NOT in a neighbourhood environment....just because the owner is too damned lazy to walk their dog properly.

every single time we come around a corner...my dogs walk to my side and they are for the most part, heeling....and then along comes this whatever cutesy doggish on a sixteen foot leash and all hell breaks loose.

proud to say, NOT started by my babies. LOL


----------



## Jacksons Mom (Jun 13, 2010)

magicre said:


> those retractable leashes do have their place in the world...but NOT, i repeat, NOT in a neighbourhood environment....just because the owner is too damned lazy to walk their dog properly.
> 
> every single time we come around a corner...my dogs walk to my side and they are for the most part, heeling....and then along comes this whatever cutesy doggish on a sixteen foot leash and all hell breaks loose.
> 
> proud to say, NOT started by my babies. LOL


Yep! I love my flexi leash but i use it properly. I have a 26 foot one and Jackson is well behaved on it so it's not a problem. I only use it when we are camping and there's a beach, and our 50ft rope lead is just TOO long so the flexi is perfect for giving him some room to romp around the beach and in water but stay out of peoples way. I also live on 3 acres so for quick potty breaks at night, the flexi is perfect. Never do I use it in stores or parks or public places.


----------



## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

Jacksons Mom said:


> Yep! I love my flexi leash but i use it properly. I have a 26 foot one and Jackson is well behaved on it so it's not a problem. I only use it when we are camping and there's a beach, and our 50ft rope lead is just TOO long so the flexi is perfect for giving him some room to romp around the beach and in water but stay out of peoples way. I also live on 3 acres so for quick potty breaks at night, the flexi is perfect. Never do I use it in stores or parks or public places.


you use the flexi exactly the way it was intended.....

the people where i live use it for walking paths....sidewalks....it's ridiculous....they want to stand there so the dog can run up and down the grass....


----------



## spookychick13 (Jan 26, 2010)

I expect my small dog to behave exactly the same way as my big guy.
That means: 
Must heel when walking, no yipping, must sit and wait both going in and going out the door...did I mention no yipping? Doesn't get carried, doesn't get coddled, is treated exactly the same as any other dog. I wish ALL small dog owners would do this. I really believe Jack is a better and happier dog, for it.


----------



## Cruiser (Oct 20, 2010)

The answer is simple to your question,BAD OWNERS and IGNORANT OWNERS,one in the same,this kind of thing makes po'd too!!


----------



## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

spookychick13 said:


> I expect my small dog to behave exactly the same way as my big guy.
> That means:
> Must heel when walking, no yipping, must sit and wait both going in and going out the door...did I mention no yipping? Doesn't get carried, doesn't get coddled, is treated exactly the same as any other dog. I wish ALL small dog owners would do this. I really believe Jack is a better and happier dog, for it.


perhaps a digression, but i wish ALL dog owners, large and small, would teach their dogs manners....


----------

