[Tiasshy]

Hello. My partner and I will in the next few months adopt a new puppy (as soon as we move to a new house with a garden). Right now we have a small rottweiler Irka (weight 31 kg, height around 55 cm). I have always wanted a small breed, but problem is Irka plays a bit aggresive and I do not want to be worried all the time about new puppy. We are also lazy household (dog included. She loves to sleep, and doesn't really want to play with others, just be petted and loved). We give her two long walks a day and one short one.

I have two questions.
1) Any past experiance with big and small dog? Is it a bad idea? Should we rather adopt a medium size dog? (Right now a top contender is Cavalier King Charles Spaniel).
2)Any suggestion for a breed that can handle Rottweilers and two cats?

 

[traciek88]

I would first see how your Rottie does with small dogs. Do you have any friends with friendly small dogs? Have you ever seen her interact with small dogs? If she can co-exist with cats though, she probably could live with a small dog too. It's just that you'll have to monitor their play very closely and not leave them alone. Rottweilers have a habit of being excessively goody and not realizing they're a powerful tank of a dog! My 40 lb mix sometimes even hurts our 11 lb mix by accident if she gets too excited or literally runs over him if he runs in front of her.

Also, Cavaliers aren't that small so I would consider them slightly more sturdy than say, a Pomeranian or Yorkie. However you must get a VERY VERY good breeder who does extensive health checks if you get a puppy, and lets you see the parents. In my opinion Cavaliers are the most genetically destroyed and unhealthy breed. They are prone to severe cardiac issues, as well as an excruciating neurological condition called syringomyelia. I suggest you do both a lot of research on this breed and breeders, because anything less than an amazing breeder will probably produce a dog that will have painful (and expensive) health problems and/or a short lifespan. It's very sad because Cavaliers are such a lovable, sweet natured breed. Let us know how it goes!

 

[Kyllobernese]

I have a Doberman and some Shih Tzu x Maltese. The small dogs were here first and I had to supervise the Doberman, Kris, a lot when she was a puppy as she would step all over them. She learned not to play rough with them and gets along fine now that she is grown.

It all depends on the temperament of your big dog with smaller dogs but a dog the size of a small spaniel should not be a problem. It is not like getting an Italian Greyhound or a Chihuahua.

 

[Tiasshy]

I tried with the small dogs. My mother in law has three chihuahuas, yorkie and jack russel mix. But one of the chihuahuas is so afraid she never comes out, one barks and runs around and another smells her and runs away. Yorkie licks her behind all the time, and jack russel mix hates her and acts aggressivly towards her. She ignores all of them and plays with ponies... She is odd.

I will do the research on the Cavalier. Especially since I would love to have her as a show dog. Maybe even agility. I tried a little with Irka, but she didn't seem all that interested.

 

[miniaturehorse]

It sounds like she'd be okay with small dogs then!
I have a medium/large dog(50lbs) and a small dog and the only issue is sometimes during walks if my small dog gets under her feet she'd kick or step on him. Not on purpose but just because he so quickly got in front of her feet. He quickly learned he had to move out of the way lol.
Maybe you could train a word that would let her know to play more gently should she ever get rough with the puppy, just in case