Like a big dog. I don’t know where the expression comes from, but every redneck idiot at Central High said it.
It meant you were proficient, accomplished, you did something well. “Man, I was on fire, I played that guitar like a big dog.” That’s “gi-tar”, just so you understand.
Alternatively, it meant something went awry. “Man, I was wasted. Smashed up that car like a big dog.”
For context, a car “smashed up like a big dog” was no doubt either a Camaro, or a Dodge Charger sporting a Confederate flag, a la Dukes of Hazzard.
Why a dog, feline fanciers will wonder. Big or small, or whatever. I don’t know. I don’t know where the expression comes from.
But “like a big cat” doesn’t have the same rhythm, and I suspect there’s an intimidation factor in play. The average redneck isn’t as smart as the average cat; with Beauregard, yes, but you can’t sit in a duck blind with Fluffy.