[dogsbydoug]

A bigger dog would not necessarily be less nippy and barky. We have an 80 pound foster rottie that thinks she is a herding dog - pesters the others to chase her by nipping at their heels and barking at them.

Instead of looking for a quick fix, look for well behaved dogs you can trust not to bully your dog. please don't expect your dog to defend huimself. I've been on the receiving end of a bite trying to break up dog fights when one was defending and the other was attacking...NOT pretty, and I have the scars to show it.

YOU are the one who has to protect your dog. No need to console your dog for trying to get away from what sounds like a typical Aussie. Get him out of there and don't allow him to interact with that dog again.

My almost 7 year old male is afraid of puppies - go figure! We've got a 10 week old pup here and he wants nothing to do with her, yet she follows him and the other dogs around because, well, she doesn't know any better. Do I force him to interact with her? No, I simply remove him from the situation. He is my first priority - not the pup - the pup lives here but does not belong to me. She belongs to our roommate, so the dogs have to interact with her daily, but are not forced to do it.

We're not yelling or telling you how to deal with your dog - we ARE simply replying based on the info you provided.

I would suspect that barking would upset your dog - so why make him deal with it? Find more appropriate playmates - no matter the size the dog must be a proper playmate for your dog...then again, you could always play with the dog - your dog does NOT need doggie friends in order to be happy - I suspect he'd be just as happy playing with you.