It's Not Fair: Why Size Really Does Matter

Hi, I’m Dr. Karyn! Read my introduction to learn more about me and my five funny dogs, Poppy, Bailey, Kodah, Ned, and Fred.

That’s right boys, size does matter. Or at least, it does in my house.

If you’re not already familiar with my family of pets, may I suggest you check out some of my previous topics, including Fred Is Broken, Eating, Sleeping, and Up To Something, and watch Kodah’s Addiction to the Hose. To get you up to speed, I share my house with five cats and

• Two 18-month-old Chihuahuas named Ned and Fred

• Two 11-year-old Labradors named Poppy and Bailey

• One 3-year-old German Shepherd x Malinois named Kodah

• and one long-suffering husband named Reece

Excluding us humans, Kodah is our largest resident, standing at 26.5 inches at the shoulder, and weighing around 80 lbs. At the other end of the scale is Ned, at 4 lbs and 8 inches tall, and naturally, he’s the boss.

Start As You Mean to Go On

With a large, energetic, and boisterous dog like Kodah, strict obedience training started on day one. Apart from some periods of EXTREME excitement, he is a very well behaved lad, and most impressive is the gentle way he interacts with the tiny duo, Ned and Fred. With his superior size and strength, he could easily hog every meal and toy, win every battle, and leave them fearfully awaiting his next move. Instead, he allows them to bite his face, pull his ears, and steal his toys. His reward? A pair of pint-sized playmates.

Now don’t get me wrong, Ned and Fred were given the same sort of obedience training as Kodah, but there are just some things that they can get away with because of their size.

Why Size Matters

Several years ago, we had a lovely Irish Wolfhound called Remus. Like most of his breed, he was a gentle giant who had no idea about just how large he was, trying to squeeze into small gaps on the sofa, and insisting that he could be a lapdog. One thing I always felt bad about was that he was always getting in trouble for being ‘big’. When he stood in the middle of the lounge room, no one could see the tv. When he swung his gigantic rope of a tail, legs were bruised and glasses shattered. Because of his size, there were different rules for him, purely because there had to be.

In a similarly ‘size-ist’ way, Ned and Fred get away with behaviors and actions that we would not tolerate in the larger dogs, like jumping up, playfully biting fingers, and sleeping on top of the dog crate. Although even playful biting shouldn’t be encouraged, Fred does this to ‘force’ us to continue tickling his tummy, so it’s an easy transgression to forgive!

I often wonder if Kodah feels annoyed by the fact that his two little siblings seem to get away with murder, while he is told off for doing the exact same things. Jumping up at our faces, nibbling our fingers, and perching on top of a wire crate are simply not acceptable behaviors for an 80 lb dog.

I do feel guilty in this disparity of treatment, and try to make a point of doing things with Kodah that the Chihuahuas aren’t invited to join in, but I have to face the facts that size does impact the way we treat our dogs. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem to upset Kodah, and there certainly doesn’t seem to be harboring any resentment.

Is this wrong? Should we be treating everyone exactly the same way? Maybe.

Dogs Value Consistency Over Equality

Personally, I think the most important thing for us is that we have been consistent in how we treat our dogs, so there is no room for confusion. I think it would be far worse if we had let Kodah get away with certain things when he was a puppy, only to change the rules as he got older and larger. Being consistent is one of the most important factors of dog training, and changing the rules can cause stress and confusion for your dog.

While it may seem a bit mean to have one set of rules for one dog, and more lenient standards for others, dogs don’t seem to view the world in terms of what is and isn’t ‘fair’. More important is that we are consistent in what we ask of them, the limits we put in place, and the actions we reward them for. And judging by the way these three snuggle up together at the end of the day, I don’t think there’s too much resentment here!