Small Dogs?

I live with one big dog and four small - one of which is very small (under 4lbs). Pretty much everything is the same as the care of the big one except for the following.

They are more breakable. Use caution when mixing with large dogs not only for the prey drive reasons but because a larger dog doesn't have to hurt them to terrorize the ever living crap out of them. A terrorized small dog tends to make a noise which eggs on something terrible out of other dogs. Keep in mind toy breeds are not working breeds - they tend to be softer and they tend to have long memories.

They are prey to other animals. Coyotes - raccoons - larger dogs - owls - eagles - etc - you really can't just leave them out unattended.

They will live longer than a bigger dog. This is a good thing and something to consider. The oldest papillon I know of lived to 29.5 years old in pretty decent health considering. 15 years of this would have been as an ancient dog with all the normal ancient dog issues.

Training is pretty much the same except the rewards need to be smaller. Think small like split a pencil eraser into 4ths or smaller. Also you can man handle a small dog without intending to do so so think in terms of scale. You are after all a giant to them.

They are very cute. They attract people even when you don't want to attract people.

They are very convenient to travel with.

Yeah really I would say my "biggest" worry is mostly other larger dogs. I don't mind him playing with big dogs that I know and/or trust but I've definitely gotten a lot more cautious with him around much larger dogs that are strange or untrustworthy to me. And Jackson's not even "small small" (at nearly 18lbs) but he still is small compared to a lot of dogs lol. But literally he could be attacked and killed one bite whereas a bigger dog could probably defend himself better. So THAT is probably the scariest thing but even that isn't like a day-to-day worry or anything.

I definitely think it depends on individual dog, personality, etc too though. I mean I am dogsitting for 2 small dogs (peekapoo or something, and a shihtzu mix) and they're probably in the 6-7lb range and they just seem TINY to me. And they are definitely more... frail IMO.

Even Lola the cockapoo is VERY much a "dog" LOL.

We had Gracie (11 pound mini Dachshund) and Cooper (6 pound Yorkie) for a year before we rehomed them with family. My lasting impressions were:

- Small dogs are SO PORTABLE. It is amazing.
- Vet care and maintenance is SO MUCH CHEAPER. And food costs? Pffft. What food costs? A bag of food that lasts Abrams a month would probably last them an entire year.
- They don't need a ton of space, their poops are super small, they don't take up much room, they make perfect lap warmers, and they don't do a lot of yard damage.
- The no shedding was nice, too. Really nice, actually. I kind of miss it.
- You could totally give them any toy you wanted and it would last them forever. Not to mention chew bones. Not having to spend $20 on one toy was very nice.
- People are much more welcoming of small dogs.

- The dental care. Chloe had her teeth cleaned at 6 years old just as a basic prophy and will likely never need her teeth cleaned again. Cynder is 9 and has never needed a dental. Cooper's teeth were horrible by age 3 and he needed them cleaned, badly. Gracie had them cleaned at age 5 and they were pretty bad, too. It's been a year since I had their teeth done and they both need it done again.
- It is easy to kick/step on them. And then they scream and you feel bad.
- You can't rough house with them. The closest they ever came to "rough housing" was playing bitey face with my hand. There is no drop down, drag out wrestling match like we can do with Abrams.
- I'd be much more worried around other dogs with them, as well as wild animals. Abrams could probably hold his own against a coyote. A 6 pound Yorkie? Um, no.
- They didn't....do much. Cooper has health issues that limit his activity (collapsing trachea and bad knees) and Gracie would just prefer to never move out from under her blanket, ever. Now, I've met a TON of awesome little dogs that are GoGoGo, but honestly, the biggest reason we decided to place them vs. keep them was because I wanted a dog that I could DO things with, as did Michael, and they were not it.

Gracie is now my mom's spoiled rotten dog-cat that gets toted around everywhere with her, sleeps under the covers at night, has her own bed in every room, and gets a maze path shoveled in the snow for her in the wintertime. Cooper is now my Grandma's little old lady dog, who "talks" to her (I'm so glad she likes his vocal-ness, because I sure didn't) and helps her chase cats and squirrels away from her bird feeders. Both have found their niche. lol

I'd have a little dog again, but I would want a "solid" little dog. Something around the 15-25 pound mark. Still portable with all of the "small dog perks", but more able to be...well...a real dog. Like...small Cocker Spaniel size. I personally think Cynder's 30 pounds is absolutely freaking perfect and I wish more dogs came in her size.

And as for small dogs with big dogs, the galumphing uncoordinated giant that is Abrams treads lightly around Gracie, respects her boundaries, and has yet to trample her when we visit, even when his brains fall out. I think he knows what the size difference means.

I think it's very much an individual dog thing. my Lola is just about 7 pounds, but she's a pretty solid, sturdy dog. I've met dogs who are twice her size who feel more frail. She IS tiny though and somebody that wasn't used to her size would probably find it alarming.

Small dogs can definitely be capable! This is Summer at 10 years old:

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Hank out running the big dogs:

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I just wanted to say thanks for all the information everyone! I really appreciate it.

And just so we all are on the same page, I've been looking at a Chinese Crested. So that's the size I'm thinking about!

Glad to help! This evening I accidentally sat on Ru. Again.

Sometimes I can't find him because he is standing half an inch behind my heels which is apparently a blind spot in my peripheral vision. This might also explain the sitting-on issue.

Toy dogs can be super stealthy. I carry Ru around in what looks to me like a fluffy dog bed with a shoulder strap. This apparently renders him invisible the the average person, even when his head is sticking out. I'm guessing people just aren't primed to recognize rodent-sized dogs popping out of ostentatious handbags. The effect is even more pronounced when he's pink.

I absolutely DO NOT trust my dogs around small dogs. If a small fluffy white dog were to run away from them, especially now after lure coursing, I have no doubt they would snap into prey drive and either kill or cause serious damage to a small dog. I am a proactive dog owner, and if I am at the dog park, and a small fluffy dog comes in, I leave. I do not want my dogs harming another persons dog.

Others may not be so considerate.

Oh yeah, we shovel a snow path for Milo. As much as so he doesn't turn into one giant ice ball as so he can get outside without snow going over head.

But my in laws do that for their 75 lb boxer too...it might depend on the dog.

If you got a chinese crested Ken would be so excited & jealous.

Traveler only requests that it's fluffy.

I wish there were more considerate owners out there! Tango doesn't get to go to dog parks and only gets to be off leash in dog-free areas because a strange dog could easily run up and kill him before I knew what happened.

He's a pretty sturdy dude as far as small dogs go but Izzy put a hole in his face that pierced the bone when she just meant to do a warning snap.

He only gets a path shoveled when the snow is taller than he is but he definitely likes to be under covers and nests on soft surfaces. Portability is awesome and he is hardy enough to go on hikes with us or visits to the monuments in DC.

It's really about finding the right small dog

I don't think I could cope with a toy breed.

Smallest we've ever owned was a Corgi cross. He was about same height as Corgi but not as long in the back and not as 'heavy set'. He was a spritely old man until the grand old age of 17. We took him camping and he trekked for miles. If we was going on a particular long trek my dad took an old babies 'papoose carrier' and put him in that when he got tired!

I guess my 2 would be classed as Medium around 23" high and 16-18kg. I thought of maybe getting a smaller dog in future when my eldest had passed as my youngest has grown up with another dog around, but don't want another that big.

He's a Border Collie and has strong chase drive (with cars as well as squirrels, ducks and birds!) on lead he's met small dogs an there's a Min Pin always goes for me and bloke lets him jump on him (his tiny dog jump on mine I mean). He did try to round up a papillion once when he was younger and didn't get him back on the lead quick enough and the pap wasn't on-lead and was charging round him.

I think I'd prefer something a little sturdier.. a little Borgi (corgi x collie) would be good that looks like a mini version of him! ..maybe about 12-16" tall an 10-15kg ish!

Lol, snow! Ru wears a Hurtta snowsuit when it gets chilly here on the beach. If we lived in snow he would either refuse to go outside or just shiver himself into nothing.

Caloric needs of tiny dogs can be difficult to meet. As mentioned by several in this thread, they have tiny stomachs. Some of them need a richer and more calorically dense food in order to get enough to maintain their weight. Ru is basically a lizard and tends to shiver himself boney without an external source of heat. I don't think that's too common, though.

The four little dogs are 12-26 lbs here at my house.

To me, they're just dogs that are vetically challenged. I like this size, I don't struggle to walk them when they pull, in a fight I can pick them up and throw over a shoulder.

They all (except the smallest) play with Charlie who's about 35 pounds and have no problem playing with larger dogs. The only thing I worry about with them is taking them out where there are other large dogs that I don't know. Though it doesn't help I have terriers who won't back down from something if the other dogs try to start something.

Yes to all this lol. There are definite perks, IMO, but I still like and want a bigger dog again someday too. I just love all dogs. And I feel like it just varies so much by individual dog - I mean I dogsit for a house with 2 Whippets, one of them has a fairly mellow energy level but is still easy to excite, etc, the other one is literally insane lol. Same with Goldens, I notice hit or miss with them... one is 9 months old and is the perfect temperament, IMO, the other is like 2 and literally just barrels into people with no regret and I find him very annoying lol.

But most bigger dogs I meet do tend to understand their size limits and it's not an issue. But I personally prefer not to have Jackson around bully breeds and some other exuberant breeds (Boxers for example) unless I know the owner well or the dog well enough to understand his/her body language a bit more. Mostly for the reasons posted below about terriers. lol.

Yeah, this.

I've never really had an issue with my littles and food (none are picky and they eat the same food as the larger dogs) and although we now live in AZ, so extremely cold temps aren't really an issue, Julian used to live with me in IL and he regularly tromped through the snow. I realize he's a terrier, but my small dogs before having a terrier also managed well in the snow. It would be a horrible life for Midwest dogs if no one went outdoors in cold temps, lol. That said, he's a creaky old man now, so I'm sure the milder temps of AZ agree with him more. That said, we had an unusual snow last winter, and he was pretty spry about it. And I think greatly amused.

Not all of them are very small. I don't think of Schen as a small dog (Likely because he is bigger than Dekka) I don't worry about him with other dogs, he is 13 inches ish tall and likely 11 pounds. I have had really tiny dogs, IE Scandal was 10 inches and 7 pounds. And there is a HUGE difference between that size and Schen size.

Of course Cresties can come smaller. But over all they seem to be fairly sturdy dogs. Weenie, but sturdy. Not as sturdy as a terrier, I never worry about Dekka breaking!

Training wise Schen can eat a lot of cookies and not get fat. He is just 10 months and a lean mean sock toting machine (he loves to carry around socks) He loves food and is easily motivated by play. I don't know what is more rewarding for him - cookies or tug.

I have had big dogs (Alex was 124 pounds and just over 31 inches) Medium dogs (Sport is about 35 pounds) and small dogs (which to me is under 15 pounds) are not really any different till you get to tiny dogs.

I disagree a bit, smaller dogs don't have the power that large and giant breeds have and I understand the comments dealing with large unknown dogs and small and toy size dogs, to that end it is amazing the energy levels and agility of medium and small dogs. While Danes, Corso's, Dogo's, Presa's, and Boerboel a considered to be higher energy dogs, there nothing compared to the common medium to toy breeds when it comes to energy and agility.