Small breed dog behavior

Why are Small Dogs Viewed as being Poorly Behaved?

Often times when choosing a dog for the family people are afraid of getting a small dog.  While breed, energy level and genetics should all be taken into consideration, a dog's temperament should not be a lottery game.  Putting aside health concerns, a dog's temperament is our responsibility.  

So why do small dogs have a reputation for excessive barking, unfriendliness and disobedience?  Lets take a look at how we treat a small dog as opposed to a large dog and how it can affect their behavior.  

• When a large dog jumps on us, we tend to correct the behavior immediately because it can cause harm.  A small dog jumps on us and it's adorable.  Perhaps they want to be held and cuddled?  How cute.  In reality though a dog jumping on us and infringing on our personal space is a lack of respect and a display of dominance.  When we allow this we are communicating you are accepting of this.
• When a large dog growls, people get scared.  When a small dog growls, it is often viewed as not a threat and therefore not corrected.  Growling should not be left uncorrected. 
• If we are sitting down we don't allow a 100lb dog to jump up on our lap whenever they feel like it, but we often do with a small dog.  We view it as sweet that they love us so much.  What they are doing is claiming us as their own.  That can lead to behaviors that become an issue for us.  Dogs must be invited on our laps, not climb on us of their own accord.
• Having a small dog can be fear inducing because we are nervous for their safety.  We take them for a walk, the dog gets nervous and we comfort them.  Because we are afraid to allow other dogs and people to handle our delicate dogs, we don't ensure positive interactions.  The dogs may bark or show aggression and we quickly walk away.  We have just taught our dog that their nervousness, barking and aggression will get positive results.  While we must be cautious for our dogs safety, we must also ensure positive interactions and correct behaviors that are not calm and submissive.   
• When feeding a large dog a treat, chances are much better that we will make them sit, than with a small dog.  The small dog may jump or paw for the treat and we allow it.  This teaches the dog that dominant, impolite behavior gets a reward.

This is certainly not an exhaustive list of the differences in treatment of large and small breed dogs.  Keep in mind that when we pet a dog, comfort them, or give them a treat we are telling them, 'I want you to behave like this more often.' 

I encourage you to take a beginner obedience class, or if you have a puppy, a socialization class.  You will learn how to correct these unwanted behaviors with consistent reinforcement and develop a bond with your small dog that is beneficial to everyone.   Check out my website for further details, www.littleleash.com