what would you do?

hi heres a question, me and the boyfriend always said that when we moved in together we would get ourselves another dog, a breed that we could both decide on and enjoy together. he wants a bigger dog. i like big breeds dont get me wrong, there are plenty on my wish list. but we cant come to an agreement. he wants a bigger dog, yet i know it will be me doing the work with it and it will be me that all the duties will fall on. i dont mind adding another dog, i mean i love them but im not sure i could handle a bigger breed. i was wondering if there is anyone with a larger dog, (preferably women) and how easy/difficult they were to train and how they are to handle. i dont want to get a puppy and then it not live a decent life because i cant handle it, but i would love a bigger breed. any help would be great! sorry if the post is a bit jumbled just writing all the thoughts down in one go

Just wondering how big is big??? My O/H has a very big dog 70-80kg, he listens to me better than my O/H my only problem is walking him he pulls me off my feet, so that is the only problem I find and picking up the poop is a shovel experience.

What makes you think you can't handle a big dog? and what are you defining as big?

I'm 5'3 and slim built, but have no problem handling my two 'bigguns' that weigh 50kg combined (and my Slovak isn't anywhere close to being full grown yet!). I can even juggle my neighbours Golden, who is a BIG girl at 40kgs. That is 90kgs in weight...far more than what I weigh! it is all about training. Even a small dog if poorly trained can cause handling problems. With training, you will have no trouble handling a big dog.

I have two big dogs (Cane Corso). One is a dream to have and the other is more challenging. Both are what one could (arguably) say are dominant breeds. I find being able to handle them all comes down to training. A large well trained dog is no more difficult to handle than a smaller one. As to whether they are easier to train that depends on the breed and individual dog. My two are easy to train, but my boy (8 months old) is pushing the boundaries and he's also not good with other strange dogs.

I would also have to add that your partner should also have a hand in the rearing any dog - big or small.

Good luck with your decision

I'd like to add that Eden is 38kg at one and a half years old and my male is 39kg at 8 months old and still has a lot of growing to do.

well the breeds that have come up are:

dobermann
weimaraner
ridgeback
viszla
english pointer
and believe it or not the great dane (his choice but i dont see this one happening)

i like the bulldog but im guessing these could be quite powerful even though they arent "big" and the OH doesnt like them

i think its more them being powerful. im 5 ft 4 n not very heavy lol i think it might just be my confidence rather than anything else but im afraid that when its fully grown it could pull me over, or if there was a fight i wouldnt be able to keep hold of it.

I thought you were looking into getting a Lab? if you have never owned a larger breed before, starting with an 'easier' breed like a Lab or Golden may be preferable. Weims and Vizslas for example are very full on dogs...highly energetic, demanding, stubborn. You'd have to be fully prepared and then some if you went down the route of getting one of these breeds.

Just one other thought to add, and not so much about you having a large dog because of your ability to control them, but, do you have enough space to seperate the large and small dogs when you are not there - big dogs often don't know their own strength and, particualrly when young, can be clumsy and over enthusastic.

Sadly when I worked as a vet nurse and again through talking to other people who have sold a small dog to a house where there are big dogs or vice versa, the small dog has been injured, sometimes fatally, through over enthusastic play.

Are you sure he wouldn`t do the training and excercise? Why else would he want a dog? If it`s going to be his dog, I think it should be his choice (sorry).
And that`s rather mixed list - all different types - hunting dogs, herding dogs , HPR dogs...
What does he want to do with the dog?

we were looking into a lab but the only reason that came onto my list was because he wanted one. dont get me wrong i like them, but there are other dogs that i like that are higher up on the list, i would still have one lol its just so hard to choose . i know it will be me doing most of the work so i think that i should get to pick the dog? if you get what i mean?
as for having a smaller dog with a bigger dog this wont be a problem. when i go out during the day now my dog is in her cage, because i live with my nan n we wouldnt leave all three (she has 2 papillons) loose together in the house, even though they are the same size.

I live with my partner and i did when i got Bentley but i did everything for Bentley & still do but because of this Bentley is much better with me he's alot more responsive to me and i get the most love What more would you want.

I'm only 5ft2 and i can manage my dog. Plus they are no easier are harder than a little dog just need more exercise.
Good luck on your decision.