Do dogs have any concept of size when it comes to each other?

[Jennifer and Jack]

I just have to ask, as you know Jack is not even 13 pounds but you would never know it from his attitude. He doesn't have small dog syndrome where he barks and growls unprovoked but he really can hold his own, even with big dogs, well for the most part anyway.

 

When we were at the dog park a big puppy came up to Jack and was really up in his space, he would not leave Jack alone in spite of a few times Jack growling at him, The third time, Jack not only growled but he chased him, the puppy took off running and Jack chased him, He didn't hurt him, or even try to thank goodness because if the dog wanted, he could eat Jack with two bites.

 

The other night we saw a K9 dog, at first Jack was scared but as we sat there and talked to the police man, Jack wanted to play with this dog, this was a huge German Sheppard. Of course he didn't play, K9 dogs are obviously not allowed.

 

Tonight, we were walking again, and another big dog came up to Jack, this time, they just smelled each others tushes and that was it, The dog weighed 140 pounds and was a blood hound...

 

I am not sure, but does my dog have any idea he is so little. I remember reading somewhere that when it comes to dogs, they don't know size. I am glad he is so confident, especially after being attacked by a dog. It just leaves me confused as to why he doesn't panic when a dog that could eat him in one bite comes up to him.

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

Cooper doesnt realize her size! She is 60lbs but will be totally dominated (for lack of a better word) by tiny dogs as well as big ones

[Jennifer and Jack]

That is the thing that is so confusing to me, Jack is not aggressive, but he can bark at another dog and make the dog drop their bone.. When I was staying with my friend who has three doodles, Jack was the littlest, he would share his food and his toys etc. However, if he wanted something, he would bark, and the other dogs listened to him. Do I own a bully dog???

[Devin and Indy]

Indy definitely knows how big he is. He's exuberant with little dogs and much more subdued with the big ones (his tail wags, but it's in between his legs).

[Shelby and Kev]

Heres  a guess  

There are people bigger than I   also smaller.   I dont smell them just size them up.  Can you relate?

Big and small can be chased off.  We just figure out who not to mess with.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Guinness has no idea that he's a "little guy" either.  He's very confident and I've never seen him intimidated by another dog due to their size.  I think it's more about their "personality" than their size.

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

Chloe doesn't seem to like BIG dogs coming right up in her face, Myla has no clue she will take on any dog!!! Good for you Jack with your cinfidence but be careful!!

[Linda, Webber and Seda]

I was at the dog park last weekend and there was a mini Yorkie that couldn't have weighed a pound who was bossing every dog in the park from the doodles to the labs and bigger.  He herded them, barked and growled at them and got them all into one corner of the park.  It was very interesting.  He clearly had no concern for the fact that any one of them could have picked him up and thrown him over the fence.

[Denise & Hunter!!!]

“It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog.”   ~ Mark Twain

 

Of course I had to go to Google to see what I could find because I have always wondered about it....  I did find this interesting though....

 

A new study reveals that dogs can tell another canine's size simply by listening to its growl. The size information is so accurate that a dog hearing a growl can match the sound to a photograph of the growler—a complex cognitive talent previously seen only in primates.

http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2010/12/a-dogs-growl-announce...

 

This was another one that I found that claims they do have the ability to realize size....  hhhmmm

http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-03-dogs-size.html

 

Whenever Hunter plays with my friends mini-dauchsaund (or however you spell that) she always takes her paw and holds her to the ground when she wants her to quit jumping at her.  LOL Its hilarious!

[Adam, Emily and Butters]

these were actually very interesting to read... thanks for posting the links :)

 

[Taylor & Huff]

I think Huff knows his size. He is much gentler when he plays with little dogs. There is one little dog named Joe that doesn't know how small he is. He acts like a big dog. When he tries to play with Huff, Huff takes his paw and kind of bats him with it. haha:) It is pretty funny. He plays much rougher with bigger dogs, he butt flings them haha:) Yesterday, he was butt flinging a comfort spaniel and she was really good at dodging. She would go underneath him when he but flinged her.

[Camilla and Darwin]

I don't think Darwin is very aware of his size. In fact, he seems quite unaware in general. He is boisterous and puppy like when he plays with dogs, big or small. This has always worked well for him, but he does have a tendency which worries me quite a bit. If he sees an altercation, he runs right over, tail wagging. We always recall him, but for some reason when dogs are fighting, he wants to go see what is happening. Of course it's not to fight, it's like he thinks they are playing and he runs over to join in. Or, if there is a dog that has growled at him and isn't friendly AT ALL, he will go right back to trying to play with them, rather than moving on to another dog. It's bizarre, he is like the socially unaware kid that everyone makes fun of... LOL

[Jennifer and Jack]

Jack will do that as well, He usually is on the sideline barking, It looks like he is cheering one of them on, I too do a recall with him, but it takes a few times of calling him to get him to stop barking at the dogs that are fighting and to come back to me.

 

I fear, Jack would growl at Darwin if he tried to play with him and he didn't want too.. I don't know how to break that in him. He is respectful to all human beings but if a dog ticks him off, he is going to tell them.. I fear one of these days it is going to backfire on him

 

I don't know how to train him to know when to walk away, He will leave it if I tell him too, but for the most part he will take on any dog of any size that doesn't respect his boundaries, Oh how I wish I could learn from him, I am more of a coward as a person then he is as a dog