Small Breeds That Do Well With Larger Dogs

[rusty&biscuit]

I was going to suggest a tenterfield...I remember as a kid my friends got one as their first dog and she was gorgeous, so devoted and very snuggly. I don't know if it's just my schip or a normal breed trait, but he is a real busy body - prefers to keep watch by my feet than be snuggled up or be cuddled or anything like that, and he sheds a lot. But no doggy odour which is a plus. Hence why I'm not recomending my breed, but someone else with more experience please correct me if I'm wrong. So I thought a tentie might be more suitable...I'd love one one day, I know a few and they seem really robust, easy to maintain (coat wise anyway) and very affectionate!

[BlaznHotAussies]

Silky Terrier or Australian Terrier could suit, and be a lot of fun for him while being plenty gentle enough. I wonder if a Daschund might suit also, not sure exactly how tough they are but I know of one that used to get along fairly well with a pack of Aussie Shepherds

[Katdogs]

Based on DOL, my childhood and Trisven's daughter, I'd check Aussie Terrier (tougher than silkies) or Fauves.

Definitely NOT an Iggie! Delightful dogs but so fragile

Edited July 2, 2014 by Comrade Catdogs

[Trisven13]

As someone who lives with and loves Basset Fauve De Bretagne (very similar in temperament to a Basset Hound) and has a son who likes smaller dogs I can say that an Italian Greyhound has been a good fit into our lives and is my son's favourite dog. Downside is that they are a lot needier than the Fauves and MUCH harder to house train. Took us until 10 months before I felt we really had a handle on it and its still not perfect. Positive is that they are low grooming and very snuggly. More downsides - they can be shy in the ring particularly if not shown by a confident person and if not super, super socialised, they also are very easily breakable in the first 12 months of their lives.

Tibetan Spaniels are also awesome. I have a friend with them and they bond very strongly to their family and seem to adore their children. Grooming seems to be relatively minimal.

A Fauve is smaller and lighter than a Basset Hound and not QUITE as stubborn as a Basset Hound but can still be a bit of a trial for a child to show depending on the individual dog's temperament. The right Fauve, however, will do anything for their child and McKenzie has proven that. If winning in the show ring is as important as a pet of his own then a Fauve may NOT be the right breed but if having a great companion and a dog to have some show fun with is okay then a Fauve may be suitable. Grooming needs depends on the individual dogs, some are minimal, some are a LOT of work.

[Trisven13]

Just saw Sandra777's suggestion of a Border Terrier - they're pretty awesome too!

[kelpiecuddles]

Thanks Trisven. More for a companion and a bit of fun in show handlers to start with once the dog is old enough, conformation showing if things went well(which I'd do to start with for training and in NSW you have to put them in conformation for the dog to be used in handlers anyway). He's not particularly competitive but likes to do things with me on his own so I thought that maybe the boys could alternate coming to shows with me for some mum time.(He's a bit of a mummys cuddly boy even at nearly 8 and I suspect he'll always be one of those ones that will give his mum a hug even as a teen )

The kids have been doing show practice with our current basset hound to get used to how things work once we get our next dog and he does quite well with her, firm but gentle and encouraging which is how I like a handler. :)

[Trisven13]

If you're ever down this way let me know and you can meet my guys and see how they differ. There are loads of breeds that would be suitable but if he is like my son he really needs to have some input or else he won't be involved.... though in saying that the minute Cupcake arrived everyone in the house fell in love with her so some are just special lol.

[kelpiecuddles]

Thanks :) We travel to Melbourne a few times a year to see our family down there so one time when i have my husband with me to make things easier with the kids I'll give you a yell. We have plenty of time up our sleeve but having spent over 5 years researching and waiting for our next basset hound I know how long the process can take to find something that suits just right. :)

[BC Crazy]

Havanese are a great little dog that mix very well with big dogs.

Fantastic little dogs :)

[*kirty*]

I would just get a Chi. :) I have an Italian Greyhound with my four 20kg+ dogs and they are all fine together. Obviously you need to be sensible - big dogs learn very early on that they need to be gentle with the littlies, and they are not left home alone together.

Chi's aren't as breakable as some toy breeds and are pretty good at sticking up for themselves!

[*kirty*]

There is aChi breeder in Melbourne who breeds mainly for stable, family pets. Her dogs are gorgeous and love kids. :)

[TwilightAngel]

My son owns a Chihuahua. He was given the Chihuahua by his nana. At the time I owned a Bernese Mountain dog. They were great friends and the Chihuahua used to sleep wrapped in the Berners tail. Sadly I lost that Berner 4 years ago.

I own another Berner now and she is great with the Chihuahua. Very gentle. When she plays she lays down so she's on his level. In fact we just had my MIL's dogs stay, a Basset Hound and a Goldie and they got annoyed with the Berner as she doesn't know how to play with larger breeds.

Good luck with your decision.

[Guest donatella]

The only thing to remember with toy breeds and kids is they're very very breakable. We're talking a couple of kgs, accidents and kids can be a costly and devastating event.

[Cooper&Toohey]

I wasn't a terrier fan either, until I had my first Smooth Fox Terrier - now I can't recommend them enough! Great with kids and other dogs, affectionate and playful, and very trainable. I currently have a SFT puppy who gets along very well with my large Shar-Pei x

[Little Gifts]

My sister's friend lived with us for about 6 months and bought an eensy weensy little chi cross with her that looked and acted like a tea cup doberman. It was crazy. We'd go to the park with it and our husky shep cross and two sbt's and it would be Teensy Tyson that we'd have to calm down. I don't think he had any idea he was a small dog. The bigger dogs worked hard to be respectful of his size because he was such a rough player that they would forget. His size helped sometimes because he could find small gaps to run out of when they were playing in a group. Still, I could never imagine not supervising play between them all or calming things down if I thought it was getting more boisterous than his little bones could take.

[kelpiecuddles]

Thanks everyone. It sounds like chis might be a little tougher than I gave them credit for! We'll have two separate fenced yards by then anyway so I think we might just go with the first plan being a long haired chi and the dogs can be yarded separately/inside/outside when not supervised. :)