What dogs are incompatible?

Hi Sean- All dogs and breeds can get along well together. It depends on the individual dog, how insecure it feels, the age such as puppy/adult, socialization with other dogs and training. I some times pet sit a mix of chow, my terrier mix, Griffon Brussels, heeler mixes, Chihuahuas and every size in between together. They all get along Great. I have had 1 yr old large breeds that are full grown but mentally still in "puppy mentality". They don't know their own size and strength and want to play rough. They need Lots of exercise and can injure the small dogs so I won't take them. I have had other 1 & 2 yr old large breeds that are super sweet and are careful around the small dogs. I use to pet sit a pug that didn't get along with dogs it's size or smaller. It just all depends so you need to do a Meet & Greet. However, when they are with the pet parent they can be very well behaved and act differently after the drop off. Hope that helps.

Some individual dogs may be incompatible, and some breeds may be more likely to have issues together than others, but since individuals within a breed vary greatly, blanket statements aren't very helpful. I'm assuming you're asking about housing dogs together in a sitting situation, so there are a few things you can consider at your meet and greets with individual dogs.

It may be more difficult housing high energy dogs with low energy or feeble dogs. You don't want to stress out a really mellow or old pup with a lot of crazy activity, and you don't want the more energetic dog frustrated because no one will accept their invitation to a game of chase or wrestle. And overall it may make your job harder catering to their different needs.

Some sitters avoid housing large and small dogs together at all. Personally, size alone isn't an issue for me when accepting guests. I'm bigger than most of the dogs out there and just as likely to accidentally injure a small dog as any of my large canine guests are. However, I do pay attention to individual characteristics; I'd hesitate to accept a larger dog with a prey drive at the same time as a tiny dog, or a tiny dog who was scared of big dogs at the same time as a large guest. Their energy levels come into play as well. A higher energy small dog with a lower energy big dog wouldn't be as concerning as the opposite.