How to Train Your Big Dog to Get Along With a Small Dog
Jump to section
Introduction
Because big dogs can be intimidating, some small dogs might be a little fearful of your big guy. Big dogs also don't always know their size. Big dogs will try to fit into small spaces thinking that is their size, and big dogs will try to play the same way small dogs play, not truly understanding the size difference between the two. This could also mean your big dog plays a little rougher and your little guy could become injured or even stepped on.
Training your big dog to get along with a small dog is imperative, especially if you have big and small dogs in your household. They should be able to get along. They should be friends. And hopefully, if you play your cards right, they should play together too.
Top
Defining Tasks
Training your big dog to get along with your small dog will also include training your small dog to get along with your big dog. Some small dogs are definitely bigger than their bite and can stand on their own, but others are timid, shy, and fearful. This demeanor may encourage your big dog even more. Put these two dogs on the same level when you are training them both and work with them at the same time. Be sure to offer both a treat at the same time if possible. If you give one dog a treat, be sure to give the other dog a treat. This will teach the two dogs that they are both equal in the household.
Top
Getting Started
You will need lots of tasty treats to train your dogs to play together and be nice to one another. You will also need patience and training time with a big dog and a small dog. If you don't own both big dogs and small dogs, but you still want them to get along, try to find a small dog that you can introduce your big guy to, so he knows that there are dogs of all sizes out in his world and he needs to know how to interact with them. You can do this by organizing play dates through your groomer or veterinarian, or you can take your dog to a dog park and see if anyone is interested in introducing their little guy to your big guy. Be sure to have treats for both dogs at all times.
Top
The Distance Method
Most Recommended
6 Votes
Most Recommended
6 Votes
Introduction
When you need to introduce your big dog to a small dog, keep the introduction short and sweet and both dogs confined if it all possible. This could mean have you both dogs on leashes or it could mean having both dogs in crates with the crates side-by-side.
Behavior
Pay attention to how both dogs behave during their introduction when they can't get to one another. Notice whether they are interested in one another or are aggressive and growling or barking at one another.
Treats
Hold up two treats so both dogs can see. They should turn their attention from one another to you. Hand both dogs each a treat at the same time.
Ignore
Ignore them once they both have treats. This will give them a moment to eat their treats and then decide what to do next. Do not look at them; just try to notice what they do once their treats are finished. Giving them time to eat the treats is giving them a moment to be distracted and to rethink how to address the problem at hand.
What's next
After your dogs have eaten the treats and have looked at you for more, as they probably will do, they need to address each other again. They will either do this with curiosity after just having a tasty treat or they will turn and be aggressive.
Treat again
If they are calm and curious about one another, you can look them both in the eyes and offer them each another treat. If they are aggressive, repeat the steps above where you hold up the treat without making eye contact and then hand one treat to each them wait a moment and then ignore them.
Repeat and practice
Continue to repeat these steps until your dogs are no longer aggressive. Once they are curious and showing signs of leaning forward to sniff one another you can acknowledge both of them.
Meeting
Once your dogs show very little interest in being aggressive with one another, you can have them meet one another by bringing their leashes closer and letting them explore and sniff, or by taking them out of their crates and letting them interact.
Rewards
As long as they are getting along, continue to give them rewards in the form of treats as they explore and play together. If they are not getting along, separate them slightly so they can't fight. Then repeat the steps above.
Practice
Once your big dog and the little dog are sharing the same spaces together, continue to practice these steps offering them rewards every time they show no interest in being aggressive or when you catch them sniffing and exploring or playing nicely. Rewards will remind them to get along so they can earn treats together.
The Small Dog, Big Bite Method
Effective
1 Vote
Effective
1 Vote
Aggressive
A small dog who is aggressive can actually intimidate a dog much larger than themselves. A large dog who is intimidated may very well run away or jump around, putting a small dog at risk.
Get together
If your little guy is aggressive and you need to introduce a big dog into his world, socialize your little guy as much as you can away from the big dog. Start small by introducing your dog to dogs that are the same size. Keep them on leashes and meet in neutral territory, such as dog parks or even on a walk together. For the first several walks, keep your dog's playmate his size.
Go up a size
While you are socializing your little dog with other dogs his size, search for dogs that are a bit bigger than him but not by much. So if you have a small breed, search for something in between small and medium-sized. Repeat socializing these two dogs together in situations where your dog is safe but understands he's a little bit smaller than his new walking buddy.
Increase size
Keep repeating this process and socializing your little dog as much as you can away from the big dog. Continue to increase the size of the dog you socialize with your dog. To do this, find dogs at dog parks, talk to your friends, and find people who can go on walks with their dog and your dog together. Keep these social times short and only have one dog at a time playing with your little guy.
Super size
Once you have gone through all of the different sized dogs, increasing in size each time while socializing your little guy, bring a big dog into your dog's world's in a social setting. Go for the same walks, go to the same dog parks, and have your little guy socialize with this big dog. If he has been socialized over the last few weeks with other dogs closer to his size and getting bigger over time, this should be a piece of cake for him.
Rewards
Make this time with your little dog and the big dog special by offering them both rewards as they walk together and get to know one another.
Practice
Put these two dogs in different situations on leashes while walking in your backyard, not leashed while playing at dog parks with other dogs, and inside your home. If these are your two dogs they need to know how to get along wherever they are. Be sure to always reward them for a job well done and for good behavior when they are getting along together.
The Common Ground Method
Least Recommended
1 Vote
Least Recommended
1 Vote
Introduction
Bring food for each dog to the initial introduction of the dogs. If these dogs already know one another and you are trying to train them to get along, bring special treats for them both to your training sessions and reintroduction to one another.
On leashes
Whether this is a first introduction or a reintroduction, put both dogs on a leash. For the first several training sessions together, they should both be on leashes. This teaches them that you are master and you are controlling the training sessions.
Big dog
Your big dog might be excited to interact with this little guy, especially if the small dog is new to him. Control him on his leash so he doesn't overreact, become too excited, and injure the little dog. As you are introducing the little dog to your big guy, offer him a treat. This will distract him a bit with food as well as let him know that there may be more to earn with good behavior.
Small dog
The same as with your big dog, watch the small dog and as soon as he sees the big dog, offer him a treat. This sets the tone for the dogs' meeting and training sessions together. Each dog knows there are treats at stake and they will need to earn them.
Commands
If you haven't worked with the dogs individually on basic commands, you may want to try these before the dogs interact much together. If your dogs already know basic commands, start by having them both sit. When they obey, give them another treat.
Work together
With the dogs still on leashes, have them do some commands they know together. So when you ask them to sit they both sit at the same time and they both earn a treat. Do as many commands as they can get through while expecting them to react and respond at the same time and rewarding them at the same time. This puts each dog on the same level with you as the master.
Gentle play
After some commands and treats, bring the dogs closer together to sniff and explore one another. Keep them on leashes, especially if they have fought in the past or if they are just meeting one another. Let them explore. Remember your big dog is probably bigger than he believes he is and can cause your little dog injury if he is overly excited and jumps around.
Rewards
As they are sniffing one another and exploring the other, offer them each treats. Earned rewards for both dogs will remind them that if they both behave, they can both earn treats. Watch both dogs as they're eating the treats you have given them at the same time to ensure one is not aggressive with the other and trying to grab his treat.
Off-leash
As your big dog and small dog get more used to each other and are rewarded for good behavior when they're together, try to have them together off-leash. Start this by keeping the leashes on the dogs but completely let go of them. This way, if something happens you can grab the leash pulling your dogs off of each other but without controlling them while they're making their own choices to get along.
Unhook leash
When you can trust your big dog and little dog to be in the same space playing or working on training commands together, earning treats, unhook the leashes. Let them practice being around one another without the leashes. Keep practicing with the dogs sharing the same space.
Written by Stephanie Plummer
Veterinary reviewed by:
Published: 12/15/2017, edited: 01/08/2021
More articles by Stephanie Plummer
Training Questions and Answers
Freeze
Alaskan Husky
6 Years
Question
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
Freeze is a new dog in my house. I live with an 11 yo male Shih Tzu who historically has not meshed well with other dogs. He used to live around small dogs when I dog sat, but he's used to be the only dog in the house. I want him and Freeze to co-exist in my house. But, it's been really hard trying to get them to be near each other.
April 16, 2022
Freeze's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1133 Dog owners recommended
Hello Gabriella, How does Freeze respond to your older dog's aggressiveness or reactivity? Do you feel the dogs are safe together, especially in light of however Freeze is responding to your older dog? I would consider hiring a professional trainer to help in person for this. Do you have a second person you can recruit to help you with the training and interactions between the dogs. If so, check out the article linked below and helping the dogs get used to each other in neutral territory by using the Passing Approach method. Once the dogs can do well with that method, then switch to the walking together method, starting far apart again, until the dogs can finally walk together. This may need to be done with a basket muzzle for safety at first, depending on the level of aggression between them and whether either redirects aggression toward people when aroused around another dog. Passing Approach and Walking Together methods: https://wagwalking.com/training/greet-other-dogs Whether work outside or not, I would get your dog(s) used to wearing a basket muzzle ahead of time for future up close interactions also, and have your dog(s) (depending on how Freeze is responding, whether they need one too) to wear the muzzle when not crated around the other dog early on. Use a basket muzzle so pup can still open their mouth and be given treats through the muzzle's holes. Muzzle introduction video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJTucFnmAbw&list=PLXtcKXk-QWojGYcl1NCg5UA5geEnmpx4a&index=6&t=0s I would also Crate Train both and teach both a solid 1-2 hour place command. Life would need to be very structured and dogs played with and fed separately, to avoid competition early on. Basically home would be very obedience class-like when they were together, to prevent potential fights, and help them get to know each other in a calm environment, until the other dog becomes no big deal to them. I would work on building trust and respect for you also so that they are not making and enforcing rules for each other, but looking to you to do so. This especially applies to your older dog who is most likely the instigator. You want to add in a lot more structure and boundaries for now, working on things like the working method linked below, teaching both a 2 hour long Place, directional commands like Off, Out (which means leave the area), Down, Leave It, and Off, so that you can tell them where they should and should not be in relation to being pushy with you or bullying each other, and both should be crate trained. Working and Consistency methods: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-doberman-to-listen-to-you Place: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omg5DVPWIWo Thresholds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-w28C2g68M Down-Stay: https://www.thelabradorsite.com/train-your-labrador-to-lie-down-and-stay/ Leave It: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bite Out - which means leave the room: https://www.petful.com/behaviors/how-to-teach-a-dog-the-out-command/ Keep a drag leash on pup when you are present (and crate when not present) if they won't listen to your directional commands once learned well. Calmly lead pup where you tell them to go as needed by picking up the end of the leash. If you see any signs of aggression toward you, pause and get professional help to deal with aggression toward you also. Training will likely need to be mortified to take extra precautions to keep you safe. Don't risk a bite. Finally, when you catch your older dog being calm and tolerant with relaxed body language when Freeze is around, you can calmly praise (like a whisper) and give a treat, but be careful not to let Freeze see you rewarding your older dog because you don't want them coming over and starting a food fight. Doing this and the walks helps your older dog associate the new dog's presence being close by with good things. The rest of the training helps pup defer to your judgement and leadership instead of trying to control the other dog or resource guard as many things (including you) from the other dog, and the overall goal is to desensitize both dogs to each other, so that they just aren't that big a deal and don't warrant pup feeling the need to be reactive - they expect boring from the other dog. Boring and calm is an okay relationship for two dogs to have, especially when one is a lot older and needs things calmer. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
April 18, 2022
Louis
Yorkie
5 Years
Question
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
Small dog is aggressive and barks a lot with other dogs. We are bringing a new puppy home who is going to end up being a lot bigger than him. We don’t know how to go about introducing them and training them to be “friends”.
Dec. 3, 2021
Louis's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1133 Dog owners recommended
Hello Ella, I would start by seeing if there is a G.R.O.W.L. class in your area you can attend with pup. Ideally, they could be introduced during walks ahead of time using The Passing Approach and Walking Together methods. Once in the home together, both would need to be crate trained and to know a solid 1-2 hour place command. Life would need to be very structured and dogs played with and fed separately, to avoid competition early on. Basically home would be very obedience class-like when they were together, to prevent potential fights. It would also depend on the temperament of the other dog/puppy. You would want a well balanced dog who was neither overly dominant/pushy, nor timid/shy. A pup who is fairly adaptable, amiable and medium energy/dominance to increase their chances of getting along. A shy pup is more likely to be picked on by your dog, and a dominant one lead to clashes. A basket muzzle would probably be involved some for safety too when they were off leash. A muzzle could be introduced ahead of time with treats to make it normal for your dog and not a source of stress - silicone basket muzzles are what I generally recommend for comfort. In the home, I would give your older dog a lot of structure and only allow interactions under your supervision, utilizing a crate, exercise pen and tether to keep pup out of your older dog's space while they are adjusting, and teaching your older dog commands like Leave It, Quiet, Place, Off, Out, and No. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Dec. 6, 2021