Are bigger breeds more of a challenge to socialise? Questions

Yep, as he was a stone in weight I didnt really have much choice.

If you take them to less doggy areas to start with then there is no reason to carry them all the time.

At 4 months old a Leonberger is as big as a GSD. Their growth rate is incredible and you can see day to day how much they grow and change so really getting the socialisation in quickly is paramount along with training classes.
You really dont want a 70kg hooligan on your hands.

Is there a pic on here of someone carrying a Mal pup in a rucksack while out walking there other dogs ...
I am sure i didn't imagine it ..lol

bigger breeds can be more difficult if some thing goes wrong,but for the most part there just a dog learning, it there size challange, there brains are like the rest, in my opinion.i have, graduated, so to speek, with breeds that are more challanging and size plays a roll in responcibility,for me.

it was an airdale that was the most challanging of all time,not the biggest but the most difficult

Ours are never let on the ground outside their own home/garden until they finish their vaccs. Never had a problem with socialisation. You can carry pups around or take out in the car if you really want to

Our Harvey due to not being well did not get his vaccs until he was nearly 5 months old. He is a very big Boxer and trying to carry him around was quite something;-) - never had a problem with his socialisation. He is one of the most laid back calm dogs i know

Don't know about on here, but I've seen pics of pups in backpacks elsewhere.

might of been loki's mum..?

Could be, no idea really.

The ones I saw were tamaskans on another forum.

I had a pup (BSD) who broke his leg at 11 weeks old. Socialisation and also boredom were a major worry. He was carried and taken everywhere.

He is now a well adjusted, fabulous 2 year old doing very well in agility. Carrying him around as a pup has not caused him any problems at all.

Wow! A GSD sized 4 month old!

Isn't it silly that I'd actually feel a bit less silly with a rucksack rather than stroller?!

Thank you everyone, this has been very reassuring and enlightening!

No. Small dogs can get overwhelmed by attention of well-meaning people and get defensive. So they can get yappy and nippy.
Big dogs tend to get left alone. Which is exactly what I want.
Socialising is not about makimg a dog friendly to people who pass by. It`s about teaching the dog to accept them. There`s a big difference.
I don`t want my dogs (big or small) going to mug strangers or running up to unknown children. I think socialisation is the teaching of manners,

tbh as a "big dog owner" I'm not really sure why you'd need to pick them up?

If you see the signs of them getting tired then stop and let them rest or go home when the warning signs show. They shouldn't really need hours of walking, just plan pit stops Part of socialising is allowing them to learn to sit at peace sometimes too. They can still learn to accept traffic passing, noises, dogs walking by etc whilst having a lie-down

If I don't end up with a suitable older dog that can take the walks I plan to do with Loui in summer, then a pup will need to go in a second hand pram.

I'd feel bad leaving a young pup alone for hours when taking him out and as long as the walks suitable (for a buggy! ) then why not take it with me? The pup will still have to learn to be alone when I'm working (well not really, it'll have Loui) but if I plan a day out with Loui then I'd want to take the pup too, this way they both get what they need; plenty exercise for Loui, socialisation, walking and play, plus rest for the pup.

In general though I didn't find any real reason to pick them up all the time...

Puppy socialising was easy enough...it's trying to keep the socialsation up now he's an adult and therefore not cute anymore thats tricky....people take one look and decide not to let their dogs come over I suppose he does look a bit intimidating but he's always friendly and would never hurt another dog on purpose ;-)

I'm moving to a village where a lot of socialisation can be covered....it's a huge tourist area so we have people and cars, the new place is just across the road from a bus stop so we can sit and watch them go by, there's a big co-op where we can sit and a pet shop where they can't wait to meet my puppy(once we get him). Plus there's almost every different type of walk near me(beach, dirt tracks, country paths etc etc) so tons of stuff very nearby to help puppy grow up well socialised.

I must have done a great job with Tummel as he's pretty much bombproof now at 22 months