Which kind of dog person are you? This is an age old debate – Are you a BIG dog person or a little dog person?
I have just come back from staying the weekend with some very dear friends whom also happen to be “dog kinda people”. Now for my regular followers, they know that I am a Big dog, specifically a Rottweiler person as a general rule. The breed suits my lifestyle, work requirements (being a dog trainer) and I simply describe them as the “shoe that fits, looks great and are super comfy”. Now the same as it is with shoes, we all have differing tastes and requirements when it comes to our dogs, yet many of us draw a line down the middle and divide our dogs into the big dog, small dog categories.
Our hosts for the weekend were Pixie the german shepherd and Ginny the pocket rocket (Papillon x Jack Russell maybe?), both of which have unique and endearing features alongside their people Linda and Andy.
There were many interesting conversations had over dinner and breakfast, but one in particular inspired this blog. So the big question is, do you think of yourself as a big dog person or a small dog person?
As mentioned above I have always described myself as a big dog person, but giving it a bit more thought, this description may very well be evolving.
You see, Ginny the papillon mix, weighs under 3 kilos (that’s approx 50kgs less than my dog Zooka) yet she lives out her life with gumption, flare and a freight train of personality.
From her play drive and willingness to work for a ball to her love of physical cuddles and little wrestles, Ginny was definitely a fun highlight of the weekend. Ginny also had me thinking of another little dynamite that I met when I was speaking, presenting and running my Training with Clarity in Adelaide last year during my tour at Hedge Grove Kennels and Canine Connect Dog Training.
Meet my little Fairy Ferret (aka Poppy)
This little pocket rocket didn’t take long at all to etch herself permanently into my heart. She was awaiting adoption during my visit to Hedge Grove Kennels and quickly become a go to demo dog when it came to building a dog’s confidence through to teaching dogs complex skills and tricks, as she just thrived. The more I “pushed” her the more she pushed back and simply blossomed. She overcame her fear and timidity to be an amazing dog that loves learning new tricks, has amazing drive to play, chase a ball, yet was happy to cuddle on the couch with me after of a long day teaching and mentoring.
Now as I sit up in bed typing this blog, my trusted companion Zooka is by my side, sleeping, dreaming and “giving me a cuddle”.
If you look at Ginny, Fairy Ferret and Zooka, they all have extremely similar traits, albeit on polar opposites when it comes to their size.
So now when I am asked whether I am a big dog or a little dog person, I think I am going to start answering it with something along the lines of “I am a spunk dog person” that is I love a dog with spunk, that loves life, is given every opportunity to thrive in their life from good training, good social skills and ultimately, at the end of the day, be a wonderful companion that can curl up and have that well deserved snooze and companionship in return. After all, that’s why we love them.
So what do you think? Are you a big dog, small dog or maybe a spunk dog kinda person? Let me know below what kind of dog person you are.
I have always been a medium to large dog person but one of the best dogs our family has ever had was a dachshundx terrier named Tiny ( I know original!) She absolutely rocked ,dynamic trainable and saved me on many occasion from snakes on our property, but also loved a cuddle! I have recently begun to lean towards one day maybe owning a pocket rocket but who knows.
Truth be known …… I love little red tri colored Staffys !!…. ?
with shpunk !!
I have always thought myself a working dog person and I didn’t like little dog because they always seemed out of control and yappy. My daughters CKCS changed that somewhat as she was raised like a GSD and not a little dog. So I think I’m a ‘well mannered dog’ person, breed doesn’t matter if they are clever and have good manners.
Our household now has a mixture of three four legged friends, all very different dogs, Mac ( saint B)
Abby ( Aus terrior x with lots & my daughters dog) and now Bonnie our Border Collie pup. All three were chosen for different reasons my husband is a big dog person, my daughter needed something to help her through a really rough time and me I wanted a companion to walk with, camp with, to learn , to teach and love. All three have really different personalities, they learn differently but love hugely. I would call myself a DOG person.