How do you pick up a big dog?

Obviously not something you do regularly lol but how do you do it? What do you support?

The only way I can really pick up Roman is like... lamb style. Kinda like this:


If I pick him up with my arm under his chest or waist it seems uncomfortable for him. (he's about 90 lbs FTR)

Just curious!

Horribly. I just put my arms around her and lift.

Not on my own.

One person up front, one person on the back end. I help the groomers lift big dogs into the tub semi-regularly and once they're 100+lbs we assist.

I do the same thing you do with Roman. sometimes I'll put one arm under the waist instead of around the butt, but only on dogs that aren't obese and only on dogs that haven't had abdominal surgery recently. Some dogs are more tender in their waist than others. If the dog is really long you have no other option than around the waist and the front of the chest, really.

Logan I can lift and sling around my neck, like this:

:lol-sign:

Yeah, um... no. If I tried to pick up either of the danes I'd end up on my arse.

In an emergency, you put a towel under their belly and lift, or with two people you make a make-shift stretcher with towels or bedsheets.

Depends on how big we're talking and how well I know this dog.

My lab I can do the lamb pick up. Most dogs I don't know too well get a collar grip and a arm under the gut. It's not the most comfortable thing but it's much safer for me.

Anything heavier than 60lbs I use a ramp/stairs for. It's just not worth my back anymore.

I do the lamb thing. Or, with Enzo and Oz, I can sling them around my neck like that, lol

Some times I will do the lamb thing. Or if I am trying to get him off the grooming table I will put one arm in front of his chest and the other under his belly. If hes getting on the grooming table we work together to get up there, He starts with his front feet on the table and then I scoop under his butt and lift.

Bailey is only about 45 pounds, so I'm not sure if he really counts. If I have to actually carry him somewhere (as opposed to lifting him), I often carry him kind of like you would a child -- on my hip, hand under his butt, his front legs over my shoulder. Not sure why.

If I am just lifting him, I put my arms under his leg-pits (lol) and lift up.

I can do that with Oz, lol. I wish he'd let me carry him like a baby more often. He used to love it when he was a puppy, I'd just carry him around on one hip, and he'd fall asleep, lol

Bamm is about 45lbs so he's not as big as you're probably talking here... but the only way he'll let me pick him up is one arm around the front of his chest and one arm under his stomach just past his ribs nearer towards his back legs. I'll have to get a pic...

I do the lamb thing with Harleigh

Well Quinn isn't "big" at 40 pounds, but she's a bit bigger and taller than a comfortable carrying size.

What's most comfortable and natural for me to do is to put my left hand under her chest, between her front legs, pointing towards her hind. Then I support her back end with my right hand right above her hocks. It seems to be fairly comfortable for her and she is well balanced this way. She's too big now to get picked up for cuddles or anything of that sort - I only pick her up to put her in the tub or something now.

Trying to find a picture with no luck. This is about the closest I could find.

I use the lamb style too for dogs over 70-80lbs.

I pick Eve up with one arm, around her rib cage, and tuck her under my arm or cradle her like a baby.

If I have to pick up either dog 1 arm round the front other arm under the butt and lift. They both weigh about 60. I have just thrown them over my shoulder if Im in a hurry and they are being a holes.

I can't pick Leo up. He is too heavy. If I am loading him into the car (he does not jump in himself) I will put his front end in first and then his back end. If I HAVE to carry him it is a 2 person effort.

ETA: Leo is about 59-65kgs I haven't weighed him in a while.

My three only weigh 50lbs each, so this may not apply. If I just need to lift them up on something, I just put one arm around their chest and the other behind their butt, then lift. If they get hurt, I carry them like this:

I have also used this with a 75lb dog. I don't think I could do it with one much heavier than that. At least not for long.

A lot of SAR people with larger dogs will carry a deer drag with them in case of injury.

I haven't even really tried to lift Sam since he was young. But before he got too big for me to carry he went lamb style or when he was a little pup he went on my hip like a baby. Now at about 120+lbs I don't know if I could lift him myself, it always worries me about what I would do in the middle of a forest if something happened. Though that's the #1 reason I still have my cell phone.