Little dogs can have big behavior issues

"Bibi" Photo Credit: Cid Nowosad | Bluemingophoto.com

I recently took a call from a woman seeking dog training and behavioral modification for her Maltese, Boscoe. She wanted to know why I don't charge less for training small breeds. After all, less dog, less work, right? Hardly. People tend to assume that it's easier to work with a small dog than a large dog, or that small dogs don’t even need training, but this is most often an untrue assumption.

The best SMALL breed dogs for kids

When I was a child my neighbor, an older woman, had a Chihuahua named Prince she kept tightly clutched under her arm. He was usually sporting one of the little sweaters she knit him. All the children wanted to go up and pet him, naturally, but his cute looks were quite deceiving. Prince would wait until you came in close, then turn into Cujo as soon as you soon as your fingers touched upon his royal head. After nearly avoiding having a finger bitten off, most people laughed it off or would comment on what a little sparkplug Prince was. The owner never let Prince know his behavior was unacceptable. Psychologically, I believe the owner felt good thinking that her dog wanted to protect her. She was reinforcing his attitude by carrying him high and ignoring his behavior. But it was certainly not right. I think we can all remember at some point, meeting a little dog with a “too big” attitude. There are a few reasons why small dogs can have just as many, if not more behavior issues than large dogs.

Little dogs are adorable. When they are puppies they are a small ball of fur you can practically hold in the palm of your hand. They are portable, travel well, and can even be brought with you in the cabin of an airplane. Since they are small, their exercise requirements are usually less, and they are great city and apartment dogs. They can even be litter box trained, and with the weather here in Chicago, I am a bit jealous of those who don't have to wake up to walk their dogs in the freezing rain at 7am! Toy breeds are also intelligent and can learn quickly. Small breed dogs are cute and lovable with a huge cuddle factor, who doesn't love them?

Unfortunately, as cute as they are, owning a small breed can lead to heartache. Imagine if Prince had been a German Shepherd instead of a Chihuahua. How cute would his aggression be then? How could a dog like that be safe around anyone, including children? Little dogs are too often allowed to get away with a lot more than big dogs are. Back to the woman with the Maltese named Boscoe. When she got her dog, she didn’t plan on doing any formal training with him. The extent of training was her attempt to get him to sit with a treat, which of course, only worked when she had a treat.  Initially, he was great to live with. His loveable personality made it easy to baby and spoil him. But problems began to surface after Boscoe had matured. This 7-pound dog had become more of a handful than his owner had anticipated. For one, he refused to housebroken. His owner had placed potty pads on the floor, but he began to generalize the whole house as his personal potty pad, soiling every surface. As little as he was, he had quite a set of lungs on him and his incessant barking had been causing neighbor complaints. He was also showing dog-aggression when walked outside. As a pup, his owner had not socialized him with any other dogs, for fear that he would get hurt. Upon evaluating him, I was able to tell his behavior was not true dog aggression, but a display of defensiveness rooted in his fear of other dogs, especially dogs who were much larger than him. He had all the love; what he needed was socialization, discipline, and a chance to build up his confidence. He got that through training.

After a couple sessions, Boscoe was doing down-stays right next to another dog. At first he was nervous and broke his stays. He was put right back, and once he stayed, he was released and praised heartily. I was very proud of him, and he was finally getting comfortable knowing other dogs won’t hurt him. It is an exercise of trust in the handler, trust that I would not put him in a situation that wasn’t safe. Boscoe also learned “heel” and how to pay attention to his owner. The key is using incompatible behaviors; if Boscoe is heeling and watching his owner, he cannot be lunging out and barking. I put them on a plan for his housebreaking, including crate training and a strict schedule, and the puppy pads were a thing of the past. Through these improvements, we got a great outcome. Both the life of dog and owner became stress-free and Boscoes world had expanded

Dogs are dogs, no matter if they’re pint sized or giant. They all have the same basic needs and requirements, starting with clear human leadership. Cheryl Rangel, who has shown and bred Yorkshire Terriers for 29 years, gives wise words of advice pertaining to small breeds “A Yorkshire Terrier is a 5 pound dog with a 500 pound heart who believes he is capable of standing up to big dogs… socialization and etiquette training is mandatory for any breed however the toy breeds are quite stubborn in temperament and require an owner who won't succumb to the 'Isn't he adorable' look and let them get away with murder. Just like small children, the adult has to be in charge. You really do reap what you sow.”

Even though they are great companions for apartments and city living, they still need exercise and stimulation. A daily walk was part of Boscoe’s behavior plan. It may be tempting to carry them in our arms or in a dog purse, but we must acknowledge that they are more than accessories, they are dogs. Just because they are called “Toy Breeds” doesn’t mean they’re toys. They love to sniff new smells, run through the grass, and even roll in the dirt. Put them on the ground, they have legs!

Along with leadership, little dogs also have the same needs as any dog for proper discipline, and most importantly, obedience training. Without obedience training, a dog does not know what is expected of them. Owners become stuck in a rut of scolding, bribing, and cajoling, and nobody is happy. Little dogs are just as intelligent and capable as large breeds, and they really can do it all. Through formal obedience training, a dog learns the pathway to reward and will be the lifelong companion you have always wanted. 

 For information on dog training in Chicagoland, visit Dynamic Dogs Training & Behavior