Ask A Genius 1208: Preferences in Sizes of Dogs
Author(s): Rick Rosner and Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): Ask A Genius
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2024/11/22
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: What size dog do you like?
Rick Rosner: What size dog? I like small dogs because they tend to live longer. Carole’s best friend has German Shepherds, which are a larger breed.
They usually weigh between 80 and 100 pounds, and you only get about 10 or 11 years with them, which is sad. They’re smart, and I’m sure they’re great dogs, but smaller dogs often live longer. For example, our last dog, Meg, lived 16.785 years.
She was a mix of Corgi and Basenji and probably weighed 18 to 20 pounds. She was a fantastic dog—just super nice and always wanted to do right by us. Maybe the Basenji in her made her more conscientious. But in general, the smaller the dog, the less personality it seems to have.
Meg was an exception. Right now, we have two smallish dogs. Unfortunately, they didn’t grow up around other dogs, so they don’t have much of a bond with each other. One of them, the brown dog, is likely part Whippet and part Chihuahua. She’s a sweet dog but also a bit clueless.
The other dog, the white one, is part Westie and part Maltese—or at least that’s the guess. She loves to play biting games where you put your hand under a blanket, and she’ll attack it like it’s a mouse or a rat. Westies were bred to hunt vermin, so they have pointy little noses for poking into tight corners. She also loves tug-of-war and will even carry pieces of mail down the hall if you give them to her.
She’s a good dog, though pretty serious. Larger dogs—like Golden Retrievers and Labradors—might have more playful, whimsical personalities. They seem like they might have a sense of humor and enjoy fooling around, but I haven’t spent enough time around them to know.
Even though Labs have great personalities, I prefer a small dog. Right now, one of our dogs weighs 19 pounds (she could stand to lose a couple of pounds), and the other is about the same size. One is 10 years old and shows no signs of slowing down except for mild cataracts. The other is 14 and still gets around well.
The downside of larger breeds like Great Danes is their short lifespans—you might only get 7 or 8 years with them, and that’s just sad.
We had a Poodle growing up named Mitzi. Well, we didn’t name her—she came with that name. She wasn’t a big dog but smart, tough, and brave.
My mom got 19 years out of that dog. The last couple of years were rough—her ears were clogged, which affected her balance, so she walked in circles and bumped into walls. Her head tilted to one side. But even so, my mom got 17 great years and only two difficult ones out of Mitzi.
And scientists—or just dog breeders—it sucks that dogs haven’t been bred for longevity. They’ve been bred for everything else.
Jacobsen: Would you rather have a smart dog or a less intelligent one?
Rosner: A smart dog would be fun.
I’ve been around both kinds. We had Sam, a Beagle when I lived with my dad and stepmom. Sam was much fun because he was crazy. He’d jump over a five-foot-plus wall in the backyard and go out to get into all kinds of trouble. He’d chase cars, throw himself before them, and frequently get run over.
Sam ended up needing stitches so many times. He even caught a venereal disease from escaping and mating with other dogs. We called it “the greenies” because of the discharge. On long family trips, three kids, two parents, and Sam crammed into a Firebird—not a big car—travelling 400 miles from Albuquerque to Denver. Sam would try to wipe his greenies on us, and we’d have to throw him back and forth to keep him away.
Sam wasn’t a smart dog, but it was fun. He was a “green wing,” so to speak.
Jacobsen: So, you prefer a fun dog?
Rosner: Yes, I like fun dogs with a bit of mania. But a smart dog, like a Border Collie, could also be interesting. Border Collies are known as the smartest dogs, but they can be much work. You have to keep them constantly entertained, and I don’t have a herd of sheep for one to manage.
That said, I’m writing a book about the smartest dog in the world.
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