Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My small dog is a jerk. But I'm aware of it and make sure it is my problem and not yours.

OP here. A thousand thank yous to you! I mean it.

Op, you're an idiot.

Anonymous wrote:My small dog is a jerk. But I'm aware of it and make sure it is my problem and not yours.

OP here. A thousand thank yous to you! I mean it.

Wow, some of you are really rude. Did you ever consider that some people can't have large dogs? The building I live in allows small to medium sized dogs. When I got my dog we lived in a place that had a weight limit of 25 pounds or less, that limits you to beagle sized dogs or smaller. I personally like dogs of all sizes. I find it pretty convenient owning a small dog though, so I'd probably make that choice again if I had to.

Let me tell you what's good about my experience of owning a small dog.

1. She's not a jerk
2. She's smart and was easy to train
3. She doesn't pull on the leash and isn't able to overpower me
4. I spend much less on food, treats and vet visits
5. She doesn't take up as much space as the large dogs I know do
6. She fits in an airline approved carrier that can fit under the seat, so if I ever need to fly somewhere and she has to come she can
7. Easier to clean up after when we go on walks
8. I can carry her if I need to
9. She fits perfectly in my lap
10. She can easily share the bed with us
11. Giving her a bath is easy and I don't get soaked and need to clean the whole bathroom or house when she's done.

But like I said, I like big dogs too, these are just me reasons why I think small dogs are great for some people. Why would any dog or animal lover start a thread to hate a whole group of dogs just because of their size? So rude...

The reason there are such small dogs, is because humans took it upon themselves to down-breed and make these terrified, pea-brained loons as pets.

So it is the people's fault, as usual, but in the making of these creatures to start with.

The problem is that many people don't treat small dogs like dogs. They coddle them and reinforce that the world is a scary place. I have two big dogs and I can't tell you how often we cross paths with a small dog and the owner picks it up when we pass by. It is also the small dogs that bark their heads off at my dogs on the street. My dogs look at the little dog as we pass by with an expression that says, "What did we do? We're just walking here."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with 11:48 and 11:53. I've always had dogs but now, for the first time, I have a small dog. It is so sad to see how much the world terrifies that dog and it's the root of a lot of his shit behavior. I feel awful for him and do everything I can to manage his behavior and reduce his fear but, yes, he is sometimes a jackass.

Much of this is probably due to his life before we had him (he was found as a stray and was in rough shape). However, if you see us on the street, your first thought is absolutely going to be "shitty little dog" and probably blame me, especially if it's one of the days where he is so scared/freaked out that I have to pick him up and carry him to the park so he can pee. There are days he would prefer to hide inside and hold his pee and poop for hours and hours rather than go outside.

OMG poor little guy! I think people sometimes fail to realize that small dogs need to be properly socialized when they are young too. Taking them to puppy socialization classes when they are little really helps to improve their behavior and confidence level.

It's sweet that you are so patient with your little guy. He needs lots of love and TLC to overcome his less than ideal puppyhood....

He's getting better as time goes by but he still has a lot of issues we're working through. It just makes it harder when people give us the stink eye or mutter crap about "ankle biters" when I'm trying to coax him to walk by the UPS truck without peeing himself in fear.

I've probably been guilty of that myself. I'm sorry! I will try to keep in mind that there are two sides to it all...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with 11:48 and 11:53. I've always had dogs but now, for the first time, I have a small dog. It is so sad to see how much the world terrifies that dog and it's the root of a lot of his shit behavior. I feel awful for him and do everything I can to manage his behavior and reduce his fear but, yes, he is sometimes a jackass.

Much of this is probably due to his life before we had him (he was found as a stray and was in rough shape). However, if you see us on the street, your first thought is absolutely going to be "shitty little dog" and probably blame me, especially if it's one of the days where he is so scared/freaked out that I have to pick him up and carry him to the park so he can pee. There are days he would prefer to hide inside and hold his pee and poop for hours and hours rather than go outside.

OMG poor little guy! I think people sometimes fail to realize that small dogs need to be properly socialized when they are young too. Taking them to puppy socialization classes when they are little really helps to improve their behavior and confidence level.

It's sweet that you are so patient with your little guy. He needs lots of love and TLC to overcome his less than ideal puppyhood....

He's getting better as time goes by but he still has a lot of issues we're working through. It just makes it harder when people give us the stink eye or mutter crap about "ankle biters" when I'm trying to coax him to walk by the UPS truck without peeing himself in fear.

Anonymous wrote:I agree with 11:48 and 11:53. I've always had dogs but now, for the first time, I have a small dog. It is so sad to see how much the world terrifies that dog and it's the root of a lot of his shit behavior. I feel awful for him and do everything I can to manage his behavior and reduce his fear but, yes, he is sometimes a jackass.

Much of this is probably due to his life before we had him (he was found as a stray and was in rough shape). However, if you see us on the street, your first thought is absolutely going to be "shitty little dog" and probably blame me, especially if it's one of the days where he is so scared/freaked out that I have to pick him up and carry him to the park so he can pee. There are days he would prefer to hide inside and hold his pee and poop for hours and hours rather than go outside.

OMG poor little guy! I think people sometimes fail to realize that small dogs need to be properly socialized when they are young too. Taking them to puppy socialization classes when they are little really helps to improve their behavior and confidence level.

It's sweet that you are so patient with your little guy. He needs lots of love and TLC to overcome his less than ideal puppyhood....

Having known lots of small and large dogs, I agree that small dogs often are jerks, both because they are overindulged and are just generally neurotic. Big dogs are sometimes neurotic, but not as often, and are sometimes overindulged, but not as often.

My roommate tried to train her small dog, but every time you looked at her dog, she would start to tremble and shake. It was impossible.

I agree with 11:48 and 11:53. I've always had dogs but now, for the first time, I have a small dog. It is so sad to see how much the world terrifies that dog and it's the root of a lot of his shit behavior. I feel awful for him and do everything I can to manage his behavior and reduce his fear but, yes, he is sometimes a jackass.

Much of this is probably due to his life before we had him (he was found as a stray and was in rough shape). However, if you see us on the street, your first thought is absolutely going to be "shitty little dog" and probably blame me, especially if it's one of the days where he is so scared/freaked out that I have to pick him up and carry him to the park so he can pee. There are days he would prefer to hide inside and hold his pee and poop for hours and hours rather than go outside.

My small dog is a jerk. But I'm aware of it and make sure it is my problem and not yours.

All true, but my 6 pound dog is definitely much more anxious and fearful than my 60 pound dog. I do think it's anxiety-inducing to have to worry about being squished all the time.

Yup. A big dog who jumps on people is overwhelming and dangerous, so people train that (or manage it more). A little dog who barks and jumps? Just annoying, so people tend to ignore dealing with it.

Frustrating though, for sure.

Well, duh.

Because of their small size, owners of small dogs tend to baby them, carry them and not take aggressive traits seriously, since it's not intimidating to humans. Why? because small dogs ARE more fragile than large dogs, and more prone to injury, getting caught in doors, etc. It's a little tougher to be both protective and strict, so most owners let it slide. Result: barking, jumping, biting and general destructiveness.

Small dog owners might be though... After moving into a building with many poorly behaved small dogs and terrible owners, I'm trying to
figure out what the deal is with these people. It seems the dogs are fine, the dog owners (some, prob a minority) are jerks. Which makes sense.

https://thesciencedog.wordpress.com/2014/04/07/and-your-little-dog-too/