Here are three dangers of having dogs of vastly different sizes play together in an off-leash environment. When it comes to off-leash play, you raise the bar of safety by separating large and small dogs regardless of whether or not the dog has played well with big/small dogs in the past. We think the bar of safety is significantly higher when dogs are separated based on size as well as by temperament and playstyle.
#Smalland big dog professional
But this does not negate the fact that a dog owner is paying for a pet professional to take the best care of their pet. Many pet care professionals will disagree saying large dogs often play well with small dogs, some small dogs are feisty and need a larger dog for play, or that this type of separation policy is a hardship for owners with different sized dogs in the same household. You may even want to consider a tiny dog playgroup for dogs 10 pounds or less. The Dog Gurus recommend dogs 25 pounds and under should play with dogs of a similar or smaller size. Our Playstyle Management Chart ( available in the Dog Management Tools pdf) shows playstyles for small/medium dogs as well as for medium/large dogs. Dogs of vastly different sizes should be separated during play. One of the main safety factors for any off-leash play environment should be the size of the dogs interacting. Sometimes these injuries are minor, but more frequently we hear about severe injuries and even fatalities that occur during off-leash play.
It seems like every month The Dog Gurus hear about an injury that occurred with a dog in an off-leash play environment.