Have read all through poor Stavs' posts and do feel for her and the dog.  I don't think she should so beat herself up though, she has done all she can and let's face it dogs will be dogs.

I have a small sheltie pup (7 months -Isla).  She is delightful but does need lots of exercise.  I go out for walks with various friends most of whom have big dogs.  Isla likes to tear about the place which goads the big dogs and excites them so I have to be vigilant at all times.  I do keep putting her back on her lead to be on the safe side as she is very delicate boned ( not solid like my Westie and JRT).  Once off lead though if she rushes across a field away from me invariably some large dog will appear in the distance and I just hope to God he/she is okay - I tend to assume that if they are not muzzled and off lead they are presumably fine - but if Isla has dashed off I am sometimes too far away to be able to get her back immediately on lead.  So far all has been well but the walks these days are far from relaxing!!  My husband says I fuss too much and she will  be fine but I just keep imagining that one snap of big jaws would do for my little Isla.  I could just keep her on the lead all the time but as you wil appreciate she is a working type of dog albeit small and dainty) who can run like the wind!!

Anyone in the same boat?

Snowflake

> Anyone in the same boat?
>

I'm at the opposite end of the boat!!
My dog is big. He's very friendly and allthough most of the time I can keep him calm around other dogs (he's only 17 months and appears to be going through the 'kevin' stage), a small dog doing the zoomies through his legs is a sure fire way to get him all wound up - not in a nasty way - a playfull way, but a dog of his size doing huge play bows is not compatible with a small dog :(  I keep him on a long-line to limit the chances of him accidently hurting a little dog (or scaring a person as if you aren't used to the look of him he can look intimidating :( ). It is probably my biggest worry when walking him - I just dread a small dog running through his legs and him stepping on it or landing a play-bow on it, but I can't do anything more than I am doing to safe-guard other dogs :( :(

Now your dog would be just the sort that my 3 Shelties would like to meet, big lollopy playful and daft oh and male, although no seasons yet I notice the two younger ones are getting a tadge trollopy when meeting a big handsome chap :)

I'm always curious as to why my small dogs all prefer big dogs, they don't like little dogs whizzing about round them, they will either crouch down or come to my legs, but a big newfie or mastiff, whoopee wayhay they're off all knuzzling and skippy dancing.

I'm with MastiffLover on this. My boy is big and he loves to play and throw his weight around, so with a smaller breed of dog like yours i really worry about my boy hurting another dog - not intentionally but just out of rough play.
How is your dog on recall? Some dogs i have noticed ignore their owners when they recall them with voice, but with a whistle is a different thing altogether.

If i see a smaller dog coming round the corner i try to recall my boy back so i can re-lead him. Sometimes though the idea of playing outweighs that of going back to master..

I have to admit if my dogs are offlead and other dogs they come across on walks are offlead I don't mind at all if they run up to each other and play.  I would like to think dogs that are running free are friendly.  I do however teach mine a wait command so if I see another dog I tell mine to 'wait' so I can hold my dogs collar and ask the other owners if my dog can play.  Sometimes I think this helps as not too many people like to see a big bouncy male Rottweiler bounding across to them lol!

My girls are all very good with re-call, with OH it's his voice, with me it's the little tupperware food pot. The only time re-call can be poor is when they're crow chasing!! Having said that it pays to be vigilant.

I know you girls with big fella's will worry about your boys/girls hurting small dogs and I suppose there can be a bit of a concern, the only thing I can say is that my little ones are so nifty on their feet that they have never as yet got under a big boys feet, we do monitor these types of meetings though just to be sure.

Like I said though have any of you with big dogs ever noticed small dogs having a special interest in yours or is it just that my girls have a size thing :)

> Like I said though have any of you with big dogs ever noticed small dogs having a special interest in yours or is it just that my girls have a size thing :-)

I do find that Buster gets more interest from smaller dogs, it isn't always friendly though. With bigger dogs, they seem much more likely to take no notice of him. With smaller dogs I find that they either run around him to play or they'll bark & growl at him :( (he still finds that fun though!!!).

Buster is confidant around other dogs I do wonder if a more nervous dog will take this as a threat (so bark etc. at him) and more confidant dogs know that allthough he's confidant he is friendly and not out to 'prove' himself? (if you get what I mean).

> the only thing I can say is that my little ones are so nifty on their feet that they have never as yet got under a big boys feet

That's good point :) Buster loves to try to play with our small cat, he hasn't squished her yet :) He is getting much better with her and is starting to realise that when she sticks her claws in his nose or bites his ear she ISN'T playing!

Though my dog is no where near as big as yours (he's a collie lab cross), he is pretty solid.
He also loves to play, but since he has grown up a bit (over about a year) he has understood how to play with small or old dogs compared to how to play with other males of about his size, with whom he really goes bonkers jumping all over each other and bashing into each other as they run, but with smaller dogs he is far more careful and only plays chase in a very delicate way.

I think perhaps my small ones are more comfy with bigger dogs is because they're used to them, we also have a BC and a GR not huge I know and my OH's best chum has a 40kg Staffi male, that has to be the daftest dog you could meet, he like's to bound and play a lot and all of the girls put him in his place when he gets too lively.

But you can hardly blame the lad, surrounded by two mature sophisticated ladies, a young tempting piece and two trollopy teenagers :)

I have a friend who has recently adoped a lovely retired greyhound.  He is very gentle and when we go out he mostly minds his own business when he can but Isla (sheltie) will keep chasing him and yap yap yap as she does. He then gets quite excited and chases her back - then I worry OMG he might forget himself and think it is a rabbit or a hare as she is so small and fluffy!

I always keep treats in my pockets but they don't always work if she is engrossed with some dog acorss the field - I can  holler to my heart's content!  Pinky you are right, shelties are so quick and agile - Isla turns somersaults - which does stand them in good stead!

Snowflake

40kg Staffi male

wow! thats a pretty huge staffy, most i meet are in the 13-20kg range!!

He is a seriously big boy, I may be a little on the generous side with the weight, that's what his 'daddy' reckons he weighs but you know what men are like with measurements. ;)

I do know he's heavier than my GR and she weighs 28kg, when you look at him he's an absolute power house, a muscle bound lump of babiness with not an ounce of fat on him, he's not especially tall about 15in I think, he's the same age as my GR, 10 years. He's a lovely white with sort of browny red splodges on him, he's always been a bit of a chicken with my girls. It's funny to watch a 14kg BC put him in his place when he gets too frisky.

His dad is a bit worried about him at the moment, he's an entire male and has developed a little lump in one teste so it's a vet visit next week. He's never been used for breeding and now his owners are cutting themselves up because they think they should have had him neutered when young.