[MiniGrace]

Having acquired three young dogs in less than a year after losing two oldsters who were 12 and 14 years old has made me realize a couple of things.

Yes it is true - larger breeds are easier to housetrain than smaller breeds. Do not tell my husband I said so. He doesn't need to know he was right!

And I really prefer little dogs! Which surprises me. I have had the good fortune to have a few dogs in my life and I loved them all dearly at the time but I have to say it was nothing like the way I feel about my chis! I like having a little dog in my lap!

 

[proudpeyotemama]

What large breed dogs have you had? I grew up with Golden Retrievers - never had anything else - and they all were potty-trained rather quickly. Now I have Ote & Mojo (a Bulldog mix) and I found that Mojo was actually a LOT harder to potty train than Ote. Ote got the hang of the "potty outside NOT inside" thing after about a week. She found her way to tell us and that was that. Mojo wasn't that easy. It took a LOT of training with him, finally we got the potty bells and now he has a way to "tell us" that he has to go. I think his problem was communication - he knew he wasn't supposed to go in the house, but didn't know how to tell us he had to go outside. The bells have helped tremendously with that. Also, we got Mojo from a pet store, which most likely buys from puppy mills (we know people who work at the store who have told us this...). I've heard that puppy mill/pet store puppies are very hard to potty train. So it could be that as well.

 

[23083]

We thought gilda was small at 23 lbs. Then along came Pico at 8.5#. I am a reformed little dog lover now! I have been amazed at how smart and trainable he is. He loves agility and clicker training. He is not always nice to strangers but otherwise is a real joy!

 

[MiniGrace]

What large breed dogs have you had? I grew up with Golden Retrievers

This is our second German Shepherd and I have had two Dobermans and a couple of American Cocker Spaniels. Charlie was pretty much house trained when I got him at five months. Taz is still not completely reliable. I really think larger breeds develop bladder control earlier which makes it easier for them.

 

[Chihuahuasloveme]

Smaller dogs are cheaper to care for they eat less the vet bills are cheaper for shots flea medication other medications when we had our mastiffs we were buying a $70 bag of dog food a month I buy the same bag and it lasts 6-7 months with 2 chihuahuas lol also little dogs are easier to sleep with in bed they don't snore my mastiff Max snored louder than 10 old men in a room lol ummmm they can't pull u around on a leash lol annnnnndddd big dogs are less yappy small dogs are easy to travel with big dogs make me feel more secure lol