Are you afraid of big dogs?

I know people who freeze up whenever they around a dog that weighs more than 50 lbs. Big dogs scare them and make them uncomfortable.

I admit that if it's a stray dog is large I am a little more nervous. However, I'm not afraid of large dogs over small and medium sized dogs.

Are you afraid of big dogs based on their size?

No, I'm not. I love big dogs. They so fluffy. Well, sometimes strays can be hairless and I would still think they were cute. My beau would always remind me that I think all dogs are cute- stray or not.

I used to have chocolate Labrador mix. She was pretty heavy and she can pull really hard. I was quite discourage to walk her. But then my smaller sized sister decides to take it upon her to walk big Rin. And I was so relieved that Rin doesn't pull her.

By the way, most small dogs I've met are more feisty than the big ones.

I've never been scared of a dog only because of size. But any large dog I don't know, especially if it is by itself, I am wary of.

Nope. Lots of dogs, especially breeds like Labradors and Golden Retrievers are gentle giants. Whereas a lot of smaller dogs are allowed to get aggressive due to their size. Their owners probably think no one will be threatened. Personally it's a dog’s nature that would make me afraid of it, not its size.

I am not afraid of dogs based on the size. I do however pay attention on the dog's reaction as I approach or pass by. If they show aggression or move toward me, I may be on my guard.

The only time I got "scared" was one day I walked passing someone's backyard on sidewalk. That backyard was at higher ground with fence. Suddenly a dog barked at me from within the fence and it was literary right beside my ear. I never saw it coming. That could have killed someone with heart problem.

It doesn't matter what size the dog is. If I don't know the dog I am always wary of them.

No not at all. I love all dogs....well I love all animals but I actually like the big dogs more so than the little ones. It's the little dogs that you have to watch out for, but I love them too.

I of course have had times when a big dog wasn't on a leash and I didn't know the dog it made me a bit nervous but I try to stay calm. One time I went to pick my step son up from a place he wasn't supposed to be at and there was a cop car out front, well all the officers were standing out in front talking and as I walk by out of no where this big dog starts barking at me as I passed the cop car. I screamed and jumped, as I look over it's a police dog (German Shepard) and all the cops are laughing at me.

All I could do was catch my breath and tell them "that wasn't funny" lol But I've had but I've had Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, Shepherd mix and these so called "dangerous dogs" were nothing but big babies to anyone that came in the house. I learned long ago it's not the breed but the owner who make these animals into attack dogs.

I am not afraid of big dogs, I am afraid of little dogs and I have five little yappers! I am afraid of little dogs, because I ran into a loose one when I was a kid. I was walking to school and he darted across the street and started to chase me. I just stood still, because I thought that if I ran he would nip at me. Instead that dog just came up to me and bit my leg. I guess I was in his territory.
Now, I have had a Pitbull and a Rottweiler. I loved both of them very much. They were gentle giants. I am not afraid of large dogs, because I have only had good experiences with them.

I am not afraid of big dogs. I have a Rottweiler and a Belgium Shephard, and to some, these are big dogs. They are big softies, though! They wouldn't hurt a fly and they love hugs and cats. I can understand why people are sacred of big dogs, and sometimes it does make me jump if I pass by a big dog and it barks at me. Otherwise, I love all dogs, big and small and no matter what their breed is.

I think you have to weigh the potential likelihood of damage versus the potential severity of damage. I don't want to get bitten by any dog, big or small, so I'd eyeball the dog's behavior and the owner's body language before approaching any strange dog. I'd avoid getting my face too close. Put out my left hand palm down so the dog can smell me, and see how he's reacting, and if he seems friendly, maybe give him a pet or tell him, "good boy!"

But some people think that they can walk up to any dog and just bury their face right in their snout without even so much as a hello, and I think that's dangerous behavior.

That being said, from what I understand, little dogs tend to be more bitey, and big dogs are generally calm, but again, the potential severity versus likelihood. If a chihuahua bites me with all its might, I might need a few stitches. If a malemute decides I'm a threat, I could end up bleeding to death.

I love big dogs, I think they are adorable. I wish I had a giant Siberian huskie to hug. Rottweilers make me a little nervous but that's only because I use to live next to neighbors that had one who got loss once when I was little and it grabbed my -other- neighbors little dog in its jaws and snapped its neck. The dog was apparently very sweet to children but said dog that was killed was one of the smaller toy breeds and it was very yap happy, which the rotweiler did not like at all. It was very sad and upsetting, obviously and the police were called but nothing ever came of it.

I think -both- dogs had gotten loss. The yapyap dog lived in the backyard but it was fenced off but the dog would sometimes manage to leap the fence. I was 7 or 8 when this happened so I guess it imprinted on me. I think rottweilers are cool to be honest.

(06-12-2012, 01:04 PM)TreeClimber Wrote: I know people who freeze up whenever they around a dog that weighs more than 50 lbs. Big dogs scare them and make them uncomfortable.

I admit that if it's a stray dog is large I am a little more nervous. However, I'm not afraid of large dogs over small and medium sized dogs.

Are you afraid of big dogs based on their size?

I like this post! I'm not afraid of big dogs. I know a girl who used to jump up on people's couches, even if a SMALL dog entered the room!
I think this was for attention, imagine having someone do that all the time & screaming at the top of their lungs because of a tiny dog. It got old! I don't hang out with her anymore.
Anyways, I know when I walk my Pitbull some people will give me looks like "you better not get close to me with that dog". But in actuality, Pit bulls are so sweet & have a bad rep. Big dogs in general are big teddy bears! I love big dogs!!! From experience, the smaller little guys are far more aggressive. My Chihuahua tries to fight with everyone and every dog there is. When she tries to fight my Pit, "Caesar", he turns his head and walks away. I trust both of them together. He is a very big & kind soul! I can see why people are scared of big dogs, they just need to get more experience being in their presence. They are not only big teddy bears, but can be very good protectors as well!

I'm not afraid of big dogs at all. In fact, I prefer big dogs to little dogs. We currently have a Black Lab mix who weighs over 50 pounds and a Border Collie mix who weighs around 45 pounds. I always tend to get the bigger dogs. However, if a large dog were charging at me and looking like he's going to attack me, then I might be afraid.

I think the temperament of a dog is more important than it's size. I've met a few little ones that think they are 8 ft tall and little ones can bite just like big ones. Overall, though, dogs don't scare me unless they are active overly aggressive.

I really like large dogs, and for most of my life, a large dog is what we always had. They are usually loyal and protective of their family, and most of the large dogs have a very mellow disposition, unless they have been taught otherwise.
Even so, if a large dog bites a person, there is a much more likely chance that the person will be seriously injured than if a small fog bites someone. For this reason, I am very careful around any large dog that doesn't belong to me personally.
I watch the dog, and if he seems friendly and approaches me, and the owner is there, then I feel like it is okay to pet him, but if the dog is acting nervous or aggressive at all, then i leave them alone, and don't even try to make friends with that dog.

I am not afraid of dogs because of their size~ I probably would be more afraid of a dog because of his breed. I do not like, and am leary of Pitt Bulls. Nothing personal has happend to me or my kids ~ 2 legged or 4 legged has happened. I have just heard too many news stories about Pitt Bulls attacking people, or other animals~ maiming or killing them then the owner saying " He was such a sweet and lovable dog~ I didn't think he would ever do anything like this" The after thought is usually too late.

I don't like big dogs, especially if they're energetic. I don't really know why. I'm not exactly scared, but I kind of am because I don't want to go anywhere near them, and if they come near me I try to hide. My boyfriend has a doberman/greyhound mix who's about 65 pounds, and I never liked him much and still don't, but I can tolerate him. I kind of have to since we live together! We used to take him to the dog park together and I would hide behind my boyfriend when other big dogs were playing around. He even works at a kennel and would take me through to see the doggies on his breaks, and I would run past the cages with big dogs in them because even just their barks kinda scared me. I've always had dogs... never more than 20 pounds, though! And that's only because they're fat. Maybe it's just not being used to big dogs.

Most big dogs I'm not afraid of no. I am only afraid of Chows. When I was young, our neighbor invited us over to have some of their bbq. The neighbor held open his gate, I came in first, Mom and Daddy behind me. Their Chow was in the backyard, as on each occassion before when we came over and we'd play before eating. That day the Chow charged and attacked me. Our neighbor was shocked and put him in the house while Mom and Daddy carried me back home to clean me up. He came over and tried to say how sorry he was. Mom and Daddy said it was ok, I didn't need any stiches, Id be ok. I was ok, I just have some nasty scars on my thighs, arms, fingers and other places. So I am just scared of Chows. I know deep down not all attack, but at a young age when a dog you always played with attacks you, it never leaves you.

Not really. As a matter of fact, I really love big dogs. I love St. Bernards, Labs, Golden Retrievers, and Huskies. They are just too adorable and cuddly. Small or toy dogs are really cute, too. It's just that I am afraid that I might crush them sometimes. We have a poodle, and he loves cuddling with us. One time though, my mother didn't see that Sid was behind her, so she almost rolled on him. Thankfully, my sister saw Sid on time. Small dogs just have that certain fragileness to them. Besides, I think that it is more fun to walk a big dog or go for runs with them. If I get the chance, I will definitely get a St. Bernard.

I am not afraid of dogs at all but i remember when i was schooling a dog bloking the way which was my greatest fear, but i love dogs now.

I think that often, it is the tiny dog that is more apt to bite a stranger than a large dog is; but the think about that is that when a big dog bites you, he will do a lot more damage than a small dog is apt to do.
A large dog us usually in a very protective mood when he decides to bite; so he may keep biting and do a lot of damage; where a small dog often will dash out from somewhere, bite you on the leg, and then run away again.
Because of this, I worry more about being bitten by a large unknown dog than with a small one. However, when it is my own dog; I like both large dogs and small ones, and think that a dog of any size is just one of the best companions that you can ever have.

I guess it's an instinctual thing. Yes, big dogs make me a bit nervous, especially if they are strays. Me knowing that they know I am nervous, makes it worse, actually.
My wariness is not solely restricted to size, though. I have learnt my lesson long time ago, that size, especially with dogs and human beings, doesn't necessarily stay in proportion to their strength.

Although I grew up with dogs, and like dogs well enough, I haven't had a dog of my own. Every time we have a vote about getting a dog, the cats vote me down so I'll probably never have a dog. When I was working with Blue Buffalo, I came to meet several dogs, and can usually tell whether a dog is going to be mean or not. Usually, the ones who are the most likely to do you harm are the ones who are scared rather than the ones who are mean, and they signal that to you if you're paying attention. In my experience, it seems like the smaller dogs were the most likely to bite, or to threaten to bite, while some of the gentlest dogs were the large breeds. One woman would come into the store with an Irish Wolfhound, I think it was. That dog was huge, yet when it wanted to interact with a smaller dog, it would lie flat on the floor so that it wasn't towering over the other dog, and it was so careful with any other dog that it was playing with.

Love rather than fear ! Big dogs usually with thick hair and it feels very comfortable~ By the way, their big body will give me a sense of security.