Dear Labby: Big dog/small dog etiquette

Dear Labby,

I live in a community that has mainly small dogs residing in it, so my Alaskan Malamute stands out quite a bit. Sometimes when we encounter other dogs, he'll want to sniff, or even play with them, but then the smaller dogs will go off for no reason and bite him. And he's left standing there looking at me like, "What just happened?" One time, a dog even ripped off his dew claw.

There are no dog parks in my area, so I have no other way of socializing him. Do I simply just keep him away from all other dogs in my neighborhood or should I say something to the owners? I know that if he behaved as aggressively as the other dogs, people would certainly say something to me.

Signed:

Bugged by Unkind Little Lapdogs Instigating Egregious Disputes

Dear Bugged by Unkind Little Lapdogs Instigating Egregious Disputes:

Your dog's dew claw was torn off by another dog and you're wondering if you should tell the owner? Let's see, how should I put this... A thousand, million, trillion times YES. If the angry little yipper could rip the dew claw off a Malamute, imagine what she could do to the pinkie toe of a small toddler! Or a helpless fern! And where was the owner when this was going on--doling out matches to preschoolers?

Now here's the thing, B.U.L.L.I.E.D.: You can socialize your dog without ever having to set foot in a dog park. Arrange supervised play dates with your friends or acquaintances who have dogs. Or, enroll in an obedience, agility, or canine good citizen class. This way, your big "scary" Malamute will get some much-needed positive dog-dog interaction, and you can learn how to help him appear less intimidating to those feisty small pups.

In the meantime, consider outfitting yours in a vintage "Make Wuff, Not War" t-shirt.

Got a petiquette question for Dear Labby? Email dearlabby@dogtime.com

Read all Dear Labby installments.

Tags Dear Labby, Petiquette Expert

DogTime newsletter

Related Content on DogTime.com

Finding a puppy: Picking the right breed of dog
March 12th, 2009
There are many things to consider when choosing a puppy, including which breed or type, and the optimal age of acquisition. Obviously, you want to choose a dog that is best suited to you and your lifestyle....
Games for diggers
July 1st, 2009
The DiggerLoves, loves, loves to dig Likes to chase other small animals Likely to have terrier or dachshund heritage Top activities: Earthdog trials let terriers and dachshunds indulge their favorite...
Ask Jack, invited by Dear Labby, to tackle small dog issue
September 30th, 2010
Dear Labby, I have a Chihuahua. She thinks she's a T-Rex. At the dog park, she teases Malamutes and German Shepherds twelve times her size and she comes away unscathed because she can outrun them....

	My neighbour never walked her little yapper, which then kept getting out of her yard and causing trouble and other neighbours threatened to have Leah taken to the pound. Because I'm an avid hiker I have since then been taking Leah for weekly day-long walks on the mountain. Incredible, but after an entire day of hard uphill rock scrambling, she still rushes backwards and forwards and jumps up and down and chases butterflies! How her little paws cope with a day of rough terrain, is a mystery. Needless to say, a bond has developed. She worships me to the extent that immediately she figures out what I want, she will do it. So it was a cinch to teach her to sit, lie down, roll-over, come when I call, sit-stay-go. She rapidly went from an extremely anxious little dog that couldn't be let off the leash, ran blindly at the sight of another living being, to such a happy, confident dog that she can ignore other humans, cross a busy road, take a passing interest in other dogs and in one instance even playing chase. However, she's still nervous about big dogs. All I can do, when I see big dogs approach is to remain relaxed, keep walking on calmly and let her sort herself out as she has been doing gradually. Sure, she does the little dog thing with the high-pitched yelp when the big dog blinks, she runs, barks, does all the irritating things. When I'm far enough from the encounter, I call her and she comes to me. End of story. With time, I'm sure she will get more and more confident and relaxed in these encounters as she has been learning very quikly over a few months to get from a fearful, anxious yapper to an intrepid mountaineer. I can understand the big dog owners' irritation (some of my best friends are big dog owners), but can they please understand that anything I do (other than to act unconcerned) is only going to make the encounter worse? I don't mind big-dog owners warning me (even seeing a big dog on a leash warns me at a distance) or they call ahead to put my dog on a leash. Fine. But if they're confident their dog won't attack and I'm relaxed after several big-dog encounters that it is unlikely to end in violence (Leah will show curiosity, overreact to any move the big dog makes and run like hell). Most big dog owners just have a good laugh. However, I've also had some big-dog owners berate me and I wonder what they think I could have done differently. 4 months ago by Anna
	I had an American pit bull terrier too. And I am gonna tell you that these huggable critters are big teddy bears. Good protectors, and big teddy bears all in one. And SMART! These dogs get a HORRIBLE bad rap! The violent ones are that way because of the crazy owners. They dont love these dogs. They beat them and train them to attack. These dogs are MISERABL;E! There is NO love in their precious lives. The owners should be taken out and beaten to death for the horrible things they subject these defenseless teddybears to. All they want is a roof, a little food, and lots of love and to love beyond measure in return. These panic buton pushers are NOT looking into the real problem... The OWNERS!!! over 1 year ago by Anonymous
	I have 3 small dogs and not all are big dog friendly. The older rat terrier is a barker not a biter and stays home. Our new dachshund was mistreated before us and we have to work on her behavior when she gets nervous which is with EVERY PERSON OR CREATURE OF ANY SIZE. Our pug however is very friendly and loves meeting new dogs. Her best friends are small but her favorite play mate is a lab. I am careful meeting dogs on the street but its the humans I'm concerned about. I feel responsible to warn people how my dogs will react to them whether its friendly or otherwise. over 1 year ago by Anonymous
	May I recommend a really neat device called VID-D-Oh. It's amazing! This little gadget can show a municipal judge the Light of Day in an Instant! I used this nifty little box and showed the funny moving images to the Animal Control officer and the part when the three small strays attacked the ankles and legs of Mrs Johnson's walker and my comment that if I see those dogs again on my way home, that the next person to see this will be the Mayor's office.... POOF! Those dogs disappeared faster than the money used for pot hole filling and wheelchair ramps! VID-D-Oh. Godda Love it! Oh, I DID edit out the part where Mrs Johnson took a plastic baseball bat to the one that bit her. over 1 year ago by Anonymous

see all 17 comments →

Recent conversations on these topics

mastiff bone deterioration
I have a 8yo 128lb female bull mastiff with bone deterioration in her left rear ankle. She has been able to get around on it with minor limping and holding it up until last night, she ran a short distance and collapsed and yelp over and over again in severe pain. she has been tested for cancer (negative) she is not eating and can barely move around now. She has a small fracture in that area now we believe from last nights episode. He says if she is unable to eat, move around on it then My vet recomends putting her down. Vet says that there would be to many complications if we were to remove the leg. What do you think?
Tension between roommates due to dogs
My roommates and I have recently moved into our apartment. I have a dog that is 55 pounds, 6 months old while my roommate has a 6 month old dog that is 3 pounds and the size of my dogs head. My puppy is playful yet gentle with her puppy and never shows agression towards it. However, she thinks their "nippiness" is too violent and is always worried her dog is going to get hurt. A few times her puppy yelped but thats because when they were running around mine accidently stepped on her dogs foot and my roommate freaked out over this. The two puppies always go to each other they're not enemies at all but she keeps hers on a tight leash and makes sure it's always within two feet of her, as if its a little infant next to a ferocious beast! If my dog actually wanted to hurt hers, wouldn't he have done so already? She is constantly complaining about my dog trying to play with hers and that its way too rough, it causes a lot of stress in our house. Can you give me any advice on how to deal with this situation or something to tell her that would reassure her they are just playing?
Tension between roommates due to dogs
My roommates and I have recently moved into our apartment. I have a dog that is 55 pounds, 6 months old while my roommate has a 6 month old dog that is 3 pounds and the size of my dogs head. My puppy is playful yet gentle with her puppy and never shows agression towards it. However, she thinks their "nippiness" is too violent and is always worried her dog is going to get hurt. A few times her puppy yelped but thats because when they were running around mine accidently stepped on her dogs foot and my roommate freaked out over this. The two puppies always go to each other they're not enemies at all but she keeps hers on a tight leash and makes sure it's always within two feet of her, as if its a little infant next to a ferocious beast! If my dog actually wanted to hurt hers, wouldn't he have done so already? She is constantly complaining about my dog trying to play with hers and that its way too rough, it causes a lot of stress in our house. Can you give me any advice on how to deal with this situation or something to tell her that would reassure her they are just playing?
Animal Control Called on me after only two weeks in house
So my boyfriend and I bought a house together about two months ago but just moved in about three weeks ago now. I had someone call animal control on me because m dogs were barking at someone walking by the house. Mind you I lived in an apartment with my dogs for a year and never had any complaints. I know my dogs only bark when someone is close and they do not bark all the time. My frustration is - if my dogs are bohtering you why cant you be civil and come talk to me about it. Animal control guy was a total jerk and said that I do not have the right to know who complained but said I could get fined for this. Shouldnt I have the right to face my accuser if this is going to be a criminal offence?