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Forums - General Discussion - How do you bond with big dogs?

Same as you would small dogs. Lots of playing, hugging, feeding, and love.
All dogs are the same, no matter the size or bread. If they like you, they LOVE you!
If they don't like you, you're gonna have more scratch marks on you than a Mercedes in the barrio.



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It's mainly the same as small dogs.

The problem is two fold. First, if you are intimidated, that's something the dog will pick up on. So, that could be part of why a big dog may respond weirdly to you. Also, respect a dog's body language. Dogs will generally let you know if they're feeling uncomfortable. If a dog's ears are pinned back, if their tail is between their legs or wagging very slowly, or if their eyes narrow, and of course if they growl, they are telling you they're scared or stressed and you need to back off.

Also, big dogs don't know they're big. My mom's little pappillon, when he was younger, would frequently jump at me. My cousin's German Shepard also did that sometimes, but obviously that's kind of a problem.



dx11332sega said:

How do you guys do it ? It seems different from smaller ones ?TBH.

Big mistake a lot of people make is to ''train'' them like they think the dog should understand all human behaviour.

Put some effort and time in a young dog and you can train him/her without ever having to yell and just by giving the right kind of attention,and give them space when they need it, do not overwhelm them.

Most of all ,treat them like dogs and let them be dogs.

Edit: There are vast amounts of misinformation and even by dogtrainers that have years of experience that think fear is the way to train a dog, so beware.

Last edited by Immersiveunreality - on 03 October 2020

Put a chain on a collar



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You gotta bite 'em on the ear to show dominance.

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dx11332sega said:

 It seems different from smaller ones ?

Its not tbh. 



Rather easily with any dog or cat.



Bite my shiny metal cockpit!

It's pretty similar to small dogs, but you have to be a little more strict about who's boss.

While many big dogs don't grasp their size when growing up and being playful, they tend to understand when they're upset or being aggressive. Making it clear you're the boss and you're in charge is actually pretty key. You don't want to go so far as to make the dog feel like they're only your pet, but you also can't entirely let them instinctively be themselves either. If the dog doesn't respect you, it won't bond near as well. Don't be too harsh, but also definitely don't smother a big dog with too much attention. They need boundaries but also need their space.

Bigger dogs also need to get that extra energy out. If you don't play with it much and let it run around, it won't ever be near as happy as it would otherwise, and won't bond as well. As tired as a big dog may get, if you've exhausted enough of their energy, once you already have a decent bond, they'll typically want to rest around you instead of elsewhere, even if it's a bit of a walk from where they are at the moment.

Last edited by EricHiggin - on 03 October 2020

I have three japanese Akitas. In general I let them meet people outside and we go for a walk, they will probably ignore people and get used to the ones that are in our company.

The baby one is quite big and likes to hug people. 

I get a bit physical too, push them away when they get annoying,just treat them as dogs. These are my dogs:



Just like you do with any dog, stick out your leg. Be warned, the bigger the dog the messier it gets.