Experience and tips for a petite owner with a larger dog?

[Anonymous]

So has anyone done this? What sort of problems (and hopefully solutions) have you run into? I am short 5'2"; my husband is tall. I will likely be the one doing the majority of the pet care though.

[Anonymous]

get a small dog.

[Anonymous]

Are you crazy?

[Anonymous]

I am 5' 4" and 115 pounds. My dogs have ranged from 40 to 90 pounds. Really, all you have to do is to train them.

I trained all but one of ours myself, and for the most difficult dog, a 75 pounder, I took lessons with a canine behaviorist.

[Anonymous]

Training for the dog, regular strength training for you. Neither will be useful if you don't reinforce the training constantly and consistently. Both the training for the dog, and yourself.

[Anonymous]

I'm 4'11" and through 2022 we had one 80lb dog and one 60lb dog. Training is the key. My dogs sometimes would try to tree a squirrel but most of the time they were perfectly fine and calm on the leash.

We now have the 80lb dog and an almost 1 year old dog who is around 50lbs. The new dog is still being trained and is a handful but even with some of his antics, I don't have problems controlling both of them at the same time.

[Anonymous]

How much larger are we talking? We had labs that were 75-85lbs and I wouldn't really say they were very hard to manage and I am 5'1" 120 lbs. But our current large breed is 110lbs and will likely top out around 125lb. And he's been noticeably harder to handle than our labs were. But, he's somewhat less energetic and his endurance isn't the same either.

What you have to prepare for are the first 2 years. It usually gets MUCH easier after then, at least if you did the upfront work. Which is a lot of training, ideally DAILY up to 10 months, even if it's just 15 minutes a day with some high value treats. Focus on greetings (no jumping), leash manners, and recall.

Go to a 6-week puppy training at a place like Woof in Arlington or similar. Then take the next age class. Then get 1:1 training if you need it and can afford it.

I will tell you that our 110lb puppy has very good leash manners overall. But don't expect that to be the case 100% of the time.

He will need frequent social interaction with people, children and other dogs (but I would not go to the dog park - separate topic).

[Anonymous]

I'm 4'9 and when our Rottweiler was alive, I was about 100lbs. She was 90lbs. Obedience school, lots of training/socialization, and she was really easy to walk. Even when she was in her teenage years and decided to be dog reactive for a few months, I was able to manage her.

You can also buy collars and harness that make it more difficult for a dog to pull you.

[Anonymous]

4’9”?

[Anonymous]

Train the dog. Show them you are the boss.

[Anonymous]

I’m 5’2, 125 lbs and for 6 years my 2 dogs overlapped with each other. 180 lbs and 160 lbs. We got them as adults and they learned to walk well on leash quickly but until they turned 4 they would try to chase squirrels and bunnies so I would walk them separately. I never had issues other than people constantly wanting to ask about them and pet them, which would make them very excited.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Train the dog. Show them you are the boss.

Avoid trainers that still believe in dominance theory

[Anonymous]

I'm 5'1", and used to have two dogs, 110 lbs. and 85 lbs, both adopted as adult dogs. They were very well trained, and easy to handle. In addition to those two, I used to watch a friend's two dogs, so another 140 lbs. of dog. Those two were not well trained, and were much more difficult to handle. My last dog was 100 lbs. Not particularly well trained (he was a LGD, so not very trainable), but quite lazy, which made life easier.

Because we're getting older and cannot physically handle old/infirm giant dogs, we're downsizing with our next dog. Who might be our current Husky foster at 40 lbs. and more trouble than all my previous dogs combined.

My general advice for you, especially if you have not had dogs previously, is to start with an adult/young adult dog. MUCH easier than a puppy.

[Anonymous]

Not sure what’s considered big, but my 2 yo dog is 60lbs. I’m 5’2” and 53years old. Initially my dog would burst out the front door for his walks. It got to a point where he was dragging me down the cement steps. I taught him to sit at the door and waist for my signal to go out the door. Then he sits on the porch. I walk down the steps (while holding his leash) and then I give him the signal to come down the steps.

Also, it’s important to train your dog to do loose leash walking. For me, the easy walk harness has made a huge difference.

[Anonymous]

I'd be wary. It's not just about walking - what if they are injured and you need to lift them into a car? Or injured while youre out walking and you cant carry them home. I think it depends on how large of a dog you are considering, but this is one thing that has deterred me from getting a jumbo sized pup, because I simply wont be able to physically move the dog if I need to.