What Does Size Matter?

Dogs are faced with size issues all the time. Whether something is bigger or smaller than us gives us a clue about whether we should be afraid and do something, like run for it or attack something. Sometimes you find out that running from something that has no intention of harming you is a wasteful exercise. For instance, our motorhome is gigantic and yet I don't run from it, at least when it is still. In fact, it is home to me and I like it. But a smelly and noisy diesel truck that pulls in next to our RV site is something worth standing up and moving away from. I've been told it has the ability to squash an unaware dog. I don't want to be that dog.

Little birds don't frighten me. Small is good in birds.

Birds are smaller than I am and I don't fear them, except the occasional white bomb they drop on me. So I just keep on sleeping when one walks my way. I do give a bit of consideration to a goose. They stand taller than I do. Geese (that's more than one Goose) don't seem to like you sniffing them and they have a habit of pecking at you pretty hard. There are a lot of geese around us here at this RV Park (Wilderness Lakes in Menifee, California). They live here and walk around like they own the place! I try to avoid them.

On the other hand, beware of large Geese. They can peck you to death!

Humans are different. They don't come in large size differences (like us dogs do who can differ by at least 10 or more times in size.) You can't really judge their ability to harm you by their size. The tiny humans can do a good job of making your day go sour when they grab a wad of your hair and pull real hard or when they decide your eyes are really marbles to be played with, or try to mount you like a horse.

Tiny humans can turn on you in an instance, running away with a fistful of your golden fur.

Really BIG humans are often very friendly to us dogs. For humans you have to listen to their voices and watch their body language and see if they are carrying a big stick over their head, or a fist-full of rocks. If they are yelling at you, starting to throw something at you and running towards you, or if they lift their foot at you, that's the time to run away, and fast. Luckily that doesn't happen much, and never has to me. I guess humans just naturally like me.

Other dogs pose an interesting problem with regard to size. Us dogs vary a lot in size from the smallest Chihuahua at 2 inches tall and 6 pounds, to the English Mastiff at a record 343 lbs, 8 feet long and up to 36 inches tall (to the shoulder).

Did I say that sniffing small dogs can get to be a problem?

You would think that really small dogs would not pose a problem to me. I look down at them and feel like I could either take one bite and swallow them whole, or at least finish a good portion of them. (I hope you know I wouldn't really do that!) However, they are often ferocious and will attack ME (the bigger dog) without any reason. They use their small size to an advantage to put me off my guard. I think they have the feeling that just because I am bigger, that I will hurt them and they want get the jump on me and be the first to attack. So.. when we walk around the RV park I tend to avoid the runts. They usually bark and make a big fuss, but lucky for me (and my nose) they are usually tied to a stake or on a leash with their owners straining to protect me from them. Oh.. and let there be two of them (they usually come in pairs for some reason) and they can really be frightening. One is going for your face and the other for your rear-end. Also, even if you can get close to them without losing a body part, it's frustrating to greet them. They are jumping up trying to sniff your rear and I have to bend down so low to do the same that it's sometimes painful to my back to do so. It's just not a match. The Yorkies are especially cute and yet ferocious. Someone needs to tell them to loosen up!

Dogs my own size are usually OK. I can play with them on an equal pawing. Everything matches front to rear and they understand how things should be between dogs. I especially enjoy playing with the Golden ladies. They are slightly smaller and smell very nice. But I digress.

Dogs larger than me are a bit frightening. Luckily, I don't see too many larger dogs in RV parks. I'm usually the biggest one. All the humans want to know how much I weigh and how old I am. They say they are impressed that I can live in a motorhome without either tearing it apart it, turning it upside down or tearing up the entire inside. It kinda hurts my feelings that they think I could do such a thing, but I discount it by the fact that they are human and by nature don't really consider my feelings or other dogs feelings are as important as their own.

I kept my distance from these Newfoundlanders at the dog park.

If I go to a dog park I'll sometimes see dogs larger than myself. The Great Dane, the Mastiff, the Saint Bernard, the Newfoundland and the Irish Wolfhound are ones to watch out for. They are not usually mean, just clumsy and well, if you get in their way when they are running with the pack, you can get a nasty fall or bruise. You also want to avoid stepping in their poop. It's usually pretty big. They also drool a lot more. They can put you down and stand over you and drown you with their drool. It's a rare occurrence that I see these big guys. It is always a special experience to look UP at a dog instead of down. Makes a guy a bit humble.

So what's the point of this blog on size, if there is one? Dogs come in many sizes, and besides deciding whether to look up or down you need to figure how much harm they can do to you. They all have the same number of bones, muscles, and similar smells, but each bone or muscle is larger or smaller depending on their actual size. I guess you can't always tell much about the dog by its size or even its color or shape or hair length. You have to get to know it, sniff it, and try to play with it before you really know whether the other dog is going to be your friend or foe.

I don't imagine this applies to humans, but don't judge a dog by its size (or shape or color or hair length). Get to know it, love it, spend some time with it and above all respect it and you'll get a lot of the same in return and usually much more.

Arf,

Reggie