Dog Template

[hankdog]

Having too much time on my hands I was thinking about what and why I like certain dogs. My early childhood dog was a Dalmatian. I always like black and white dogs, not either on their own but a nice mixture. I think of dally sized dogs as normal size. Shorter than my knee is small, taller than a ridgeback is large. Little dogs like poodles and so on are "lapdogs". It doesn't impact my size decision as to weight, Jake is a small dog even though he's 24 kg and those slim lightweight kelpies are normal because of their height. I was wondering how other people divide up the various dog sizes, shapes and breeds?

Edited December 6, 2013 by hankdog

[kelpiecuddles]

I used to have big dogs but I've now noticed I see anything much larger than a kelpie as being 'big', I think it's probably because Josie is so short, technically she's a bigger dog than my kelpie but she's only about 2/3 her height so she feels smaller.

[Remarkabull]

My Bulldogs are medium size to me, even though my male pup is very solid and so many people think they are both 'big'.

For me to think a dog is large it has to be pretty big :)

[Kajirin]

Even though mine is large, he seems small to me - though when people meet him and call him huge I still find it weird. My goat grew up to be bigger than my dog lol but he too seems small to me :laugh: Guess once you become accustomed to their size it just seems normal.

[OSoSwift]

Dobe size is average to me, My Whippets are small, a great Dane is big :) little tweenies are tweenie :)

[tdierikx]

For me, Labs and Rotties are "normal" sized... and pretty much anything under 30kg is "small"...

T.

[Kirislin]

I'm the same as kelpiecuddles, anything larger than a kelpie is big, so labs GSDs etc, they're big to me.

[Podengo]

Dobe size is average to me, a terrier might not be small because of their energy level, while a bullmastiff might not be that big if it's lazy! Elsie is not big (12.5kg and 470mm at shoulder) but because she is active and bouncy she doesn't feel that little!

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

Now that I have a really bad back, anything over 7 kilos is pretty hard for me and seems big. Currently fostering a 10 kilo dog and having to lift him around at times has made my back very sore - thank God for the physio today.

I've owned a couple of dogs over 20 kilos but those days are gone unfortunately. I also rescued a grey of 34 kilos that I had here for a week, he was beautiful and the size didn't bother me, he was a gentle soul.

Edited December 6, 2013 by dogmad

[BlaznHotAussies]

Border Collies and dogs similar to their size tend to be my "normal"! In saying that for most of my life I had a little crossbreed (silky terrier X maltese) and she always seemed small (but she kept up with my horses!). In saying that, I don't really think that Golden Retrievers and German Shepherds are that big. (Are they big breeds? I always thought they were too big to be medium...)

[Christina]

Very small or very big dogs appeal to me. Chihuahua & Great Dane have been 2 of the breeds I have owned, as well as others.

I also like them to be fairly symetrical in shape

Short legs, long bodies, huge ears, pop eyes are not cute to my eyes. Long noses as opposed to flat faces as I always feel I want to pull them into shape & cannot imagine how breathing feels through a squashed nose. Wrinkles & drool don't do it for me either.

Having said all that I have always loved & been fascinated by all animals from a young age & could love any dog at all no matter what it looked like.

That is just my preference if I was choosing.

[persephone]

I have owned everything from 5 kg to around 40 kg tho I guess around 18 is 'normal'

breeds? hairy or not , prick eared or not , squashed face or not ;)

[Alibi]

Normal to me is under 5kg, the past and present dogs in the family have all been small but when people comment on how little they are I can't see it as they look big to me lol.

[DobieMum]

Another one who owns dobies and thinks they're a normal size, I want to be able to not have to bend. But my daughter owns a Tenterfield Terrier and she can jump into your arms, so she feels super tiny.

[trinabean]

I guess I think of my sized dog as normal because that's what I'm used to. He's 29 kg and 63cm at the withers, so what I consider medium-sized. Bigger than 30kg seems large to me.As for looks, well, I just like dogs. In all their weird and wonderful variations. There isn't a template as such for me.

But, I do have a weakness for squishy-faced breeds.

[espinay2]

My Pyrs just seem normal. Even a small pyr seems 'small' to me! My Dalmatian well she seemed like a tiny tot lol! I am so used to the size I just don't notice them being big. It somehow always surprises me when people say they are even though I hear that often.

Edited December 7, 2013 by espinay2

[cassie]

A have a Bernese and a Saint. The Saint is 65kg at 8 months and is a good size, I don't think of him as huge although 99% of people we meet do. When he's mature I will think of him as big. My Bernese is 45kg and he is my "small" dog.

I think I have a distorted view lol :)

German shepherds/Ridgebacks/Rottweilers/Dobes I would call medium. Border Collies/Aussies small. Toy breeds are teeeeeensy tiny! :)

[Dame Aussie]

A "normal" sized fog to me is my Aussie Shepherd. My Anatolian x is large-giant, a JRT is small and a Chi is toy sized.

Personally I like big dogs.

[Sabbath]

I consider my Amstaff a medium sized dog. I had Rotties for many years and some of them I'd consider big. I have had a tradesman come to my house and say my Amstaff was the biggest dog he'd ever seen. That's rubbish of course, he's correct size for this breed and not one of those oversized, fat, gross ones. I think his fear made my boy look much bigger than he is. Everyone that comments on my Amstaff being large is scared of him. He is however the most people friendly dog I've ever owned!

I think Amstaffs are the perfect size. Easy to pick up and carry but certainly not tiny. My parents Pom seems TINY to me. Anything smaller than my average sized female cat is pretty tiny.

[Diva]

My Pyrs just seem normal. Even a small pyr seems 'small' to me! My Dalmatian well she seemed like a tiny tot lol! I am so used to the size I just don't notice them being big. It somehow always surprises me when people say they are even though I hear that often.

Similar for me, Borzoi are normal. Irish Wolfhounds are big, GSD are medium, border collie and below are small.

Long noses are normal.