The Little Dog Syndrome

As a dog behavior consultant and trainer I’ve been around all kinds of dogs. I’ve also spent countless hours in dog parks and doggie daycares interacting with every variety of breed, size and shape the canine world has to offer. All this pooch exposure has led me to form some interesting conclusions. The most obvious thing that jumps out at me time and time again is that little dogs have many more behavioral issues than their larger counterparts.

I thought to myself, why is that? What is it about smaller dogs that lend them to a greater risk of developing behavior problems? The answer becomes incredibly obvious once I watch the way their human companions interact with them.

Small dogs aren’t born psychologically different than larger dogs. Although man has engineered the outside of dogs in different ways, they’re pretty much the same on the inside. The huge Irish Wolfhound and the teeny, tiny Chihuahua both start out more or less the same – as dogs. The reason that so many more of the little guys end up unstable is us.

We create those issues unintentionally (usually) by the way we treat them. Why we do it is obvious – little dogs are so darn cute. And it’s that cuteness that can be their biggest downfall. People tend to treat them more like their favorite stuffed animals, than like the dogs they are. They baby and coddle them, while neglecting to fulfill their most basic canine needs.

The biggest contributing factor here is that behaviors that you would quickly correct a Rottweiler for are overlooked or ignored in a Maltese. Something like jumping or begging for attention are seen as cute for the small dogs, but as obvious problems that must be corrected in the larger dogs. But so what? We can let the little pooch-a-roos get away with that. Who cares, right? Well, you should care because psychologically, the issues are the same to the dog.

If you have a small dog, it’s best to pretend that he’s huge. And whatever he does something think to yourself, “would this be cool if he was a 120 lb. Mastiff?” If the answer is no, then maybe you should start setting up some boundaries, instead of enabling him to become unstable.

Just today I was at a doggie daycare with a pack of small dogs and I noticed something interesting. Out of the twenty-four dogs that were hanging out there, five of them showed obvious signs of separation anxiety. Of that five 100% were cute little white dogs (Maltese, Bichons, Havanese, Cockapoos or a combo of these breeds). In my experience, cute little white dogs are the most likely to get “loved to death.” As you may remember from my previous blog of that title, that’s when the dog receives boat loads of affection, with little or no attention toward his real canine needs.

There’s nothing wrong with loving your little dog but you have to make sure that his canine needs are met first, each and every day. And for God’s sake, please treat him like the dog he is. First and foremost – put him down!!! Way too many small dog owners carry their little pooches around like handbags. The dog’s world is four on the floor. Let you dog experience the world as a dog – on his own four, furry little legs. He can be your little, wittle, bitty baby; but not before he’s a good old fashioned butt sniffing, tail wagging canine.

There’s Something Wrong with My Puppy!?

Over the last few years I’ve gotten more than a few calls from people that are having “big” problems with their new puppies. With a grave voice they tell me how they think that there must be something genetically wrong with the pup; or that he must have been taken away from its mother too early; or that he’s aggressive or dominant (at 8 weeks old); or that he is simply the “demon seed.”

I try not to laugh - I really do – as I tell them all the same thing: congrats, you have a healthy puppy. Too many people don’t really understand what comes with getting a puppy. Most just see that cute little puppy face and start daydreaming about cuddling on the couch as the pup rests motionless in their arms. Then they get the little guy home and reality sets in big time.

Puppies are a lot of work and a big responsibility. They don’t come from the dealer fully loaded and ready to go. They enter your home as a dog - a dog that has no idea how to live in a very human world with a bunch of furless bipeds. It’s up to us to teach our puppies exactly how to behave and get along with us.

Puppies are going to do things like a dog, no matter what. It’s our job to show them how to be a dog in the human environment. The good news is that puppies are more than happy to do things our way if we take the time to teach them. And it does take time. There’s no shortcut through the puppy period. You can’t get a well adjusted adult dog without the mouthing, whining and occasional accident. That comes standard with every puppy. I feel the puppy months are a rite of passage that every dog owner has to go through. If you survive, you can handle anything your dog will do in the future.

The first few months of a dog’s life are the most important and will be the most time consuming for you. I recommend stocking up on a lot of patience when you bring that puppy home. You have to expect them to be puppies. Don’t begrudge them for it, accept it and help them to learn. Every “bad” thing your puppy does is an opportunity to teach him the right thing to do. The worse he behaves, the more chances you have to set him on the right path.

The first day of my puppy kindergarten class is always the same. Everyone comes in with the same sleep deprived bags under their eyes, the same scratches on their hands and the same question on their minds: “is there something wrong with my puppy?” Once they look around and see that same look on the faces around them, and the same fresh blood on their fellow student’s hands, they are somewhat comforted, at least temporarily.

Puppies are a lot of work but they are also pure joy. Unfortunately you can’t have one without the other (although I’ve seen some really extraordinarily good pups). Once a day, you’ll want to throw you new puppy out the window (sometimes more), however, the smiles that your new dog will regularly deliver to you is well worth the trouble.

So, no, there’s nothing wrong with your new puppy. He’s actually a quite normal, healthy pup that will grow into a great adult dog if you just take the time to teach him how to live in your world. Be patient and enjoy every day with them.