Did you know that I see small dogs engaging in more life-threatening behavior than big dogs? Most people protect their small dogs. They protect them from illnesses, getting cold or getting hit by a car. But did you know you need to protect your small dog from him/herself? Let me explain.
I have a german shepherd. She used to attack any dog that came close to her, or that she interacted with. We found a great trainer, and now she can play and interact with other calm dogs. This has made our lives better, and made the dogs in our neighborhood safer as well.
However, on our daily walks throughout the week we always run across different small dogs. Some of them run away from their owners and run directly up to my german shepherd. Most of the time, the frazzled owner is right behind their dog frantically calling them to come back with little success.
Now…I’m never worried about my dogs. They are both around 50-60 lbs. The risk to their life is pretty minimal. If the small dog is truly aggressive they may get bitten, but it’s never a life and death situation.
The story for the small dog is different.
I’ve heard a handful of owners yell to me…”Don’t worry! My dog is friendly!” And that’s great, I’m glad your dog is friendly. But guess what? Did you know that my german shepherd may NOT be friendly?
Thank GOODNESS she’s trained, and the likelihood of your dog getting bit is pretty small. But what if your dog ran up to another big dog that is NOT friendly and NOT trained? (Which happens A LOT by the way. It’s probably the norm).
The bigger dog doesn’t care if your dog is friendly. It doesn’t care that your small dog is named Fluffy or Spot and is all bark and no bite. The big dog WILL bite your small dog. And due to the size difference, guess who gets the short end of the stick?
At best?…massive injury. At worst?…probably death.
Keeping a small dog safe from illness, cold and being hit by a car are very responsible things to do. But what about keeping the small dog safe from him/herself? Training your dog is loving your dog. After all, for a small dog it could be a matter of life and death.
