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No matter what size dog you have, if it is a cross (unique!)breed, it is always a good idea to find out about what crosses make up your dog. It is very often a lot more than just the current mom and dad involved - DNA testing covers 7 levels, ranging from trace amounts, right up to 99%, and your 'unique' pooch can have different percentages! If the match is 100% this category recognizes a single breed match. There was only 1 breed found at a high level in the DNA of your dog. No other breeds were present. Many dogs will not have a breed in this category unless one or both parents were purebred or had 50% of this breed. It's fascinating stuff! Simple to do and in the comfort of your own home - non-invasive. www.muttmix.co.za
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In Defence Of The Little Ones
Noleen Fourie - Canine Behaviourist FODS.co.za - Pet Friendly Property with Noleen
Noleen Fourie - Canine Behaviourist FODS.co.za - Pet Friendly Property with Noleen
Recently myself and my Chihuahua, Benji, found ourselves in a situation where there was a mother with a small child present. Benji, for reasons that I won’t go into here, is not comfortable with children. Now this little girl, as they do, excitedly approached the ‘cute doggy’, and I could immediately see Benji’s body language tense up.
At this point I made it clear that my dog is a bit scared of children and asked the child to back of, as he will bite. No one really paid attention, and yes, we came very close to a bite happening. The mother’s response was one that got me thinking. “It’s their temperament. It’s what they do. If I give him my hand he will bite me too.”
“Um, no he won’t,” I muttered in response. I know my dog!
Promptly the lady went ahead to prove her point by sticking her hand in Benji’s face. And, just as promptly, Benji’s body language went soft, wiggly and friendly – he loves people, just not the little ones so much! In this moment I giggled on the inside, and fought the urge to high-five my dog.
This incident just demonstrates the bad reputation that small dogs have. They are often described as ‘mean’, ‘yappy’, ‘aggressive’, ‘rats’, or ‘not even real dogs’. Now it might be true that many small dogs do exhibit these behaviours, we need to stop and think about this. Why are they like that? And, is there a chance that we, as their owners, play a role in our little dogs becoming neurotic little meanies?
Tiny pooches explained
Dogs are individuals, each with their own personality and background which could influence their behaviour patterns. But, there are a few common causes for the behaviours that cause these dogs to have a bad reputation.
1.Socialisation and training
Socialisation and habituation starting with a reputable puppy school is a must for all dogs. This prepares your dog for the life that is ahead of him, helping your dog to confidently accept different sights and sounds that might cross his path. Basic obedience training and prevention of problem behaviours are also subjects that get attention in a good puppy class. Sadly though, this part of a pup’s upbringing is often neglected with small dogs.
“They are so small, therefore they are easy to manage, surely they don’t need training? Besides, how much damage can they do?”
Do not fall into the trap of thinking this way! Look at it from the dog’s perspective: socialisation prepares him for life! A lack thereof is often one of the causes of behaviour problems. Unresolved behaviour problems have the tendency to escalate.
Not only is socialisation a must, it is crucial, especially for small dogs. The world is a big, intimidating place for them (for a better understanding of this, read my article A little respect), and raising a well-balanced dog successfully depends greatly on giving them the best start in life.
2.Self-preservation
Like I just said, the world is a big place for these tiny little things! Now, let’s consider the main priority of an animal: survival. Let’s now also consider the way these dogs are often treated: like they are toys. They are so adorable that we fuss over them – and we allow everyone who comes into contact with them to do the same. How overwhelming, and even scary, must it not be to be handled by noisy strangers on a regular basis? Even more so for the little one who hasn’t been socialised to be comfortable with people! Often when these dogs show discomfort it is simply ignored, and what is a dog to do then? Warn a little louder, and a little harsher! This gets even worse with some people teasing the little dog who growls at them – and you will find videos of this online, people actually consider this funny! No! The dog is showing that he is severely distressed! The cycle continues and like I said, behaviours escalate – and before you know it you have a small dog that lives up to the reputation of having a terrible temperament. Who is now to blame?
3.Genetics
Ah, so the dogs themselves are to blame as well? Right? Wrong.
Your dog’s temperament is 60% genetics. So how do things go wrong with small breeds? Firstly, the so-called ‘responsible’ breeder who isn’t quite as responsible as they claim to be. There are more of them than you might think! Being registered does not automatically mean that a breeder ticks all the boxes of being responsible. A good breeder will carefully plan which dogs to breed with, based on many factors, including temperament. A breeder who cares about dogs will not try to breed smaller and smaller pups – there is NO such thing as a teacup dog and any breeder who tells you differently only cares about one thing: your money.
Moving away from breeders, things even get worse. From the owner who refuses to sterilise their dog and then accidentally ends up with a litter, to the dog owner who knows absolutely nothing about dogs except that they can score a few bucks by selling puppies, right through to the puppy mill where bitches are used to breed as often as they are biologically capable of, producing litter after litter to make money for unscrupulous people. Not only is there no moral justification for treating dogs in this matter, but this also contribute to a problematic gene pool. This is why, no matter what breed you have in mind – be very sure where you get your dog from!
(As a side note, adoption is strongly recommended. Yes, you don’t really know what you get, but there are steps to take to ensure the best outcome for your new family, and a behaviourist can assist you with this.)
Moral of the story
It all really just comes down to one thing: small dogs are not toys. They are real dogs, and should be treated as such.
At this point I made it clear that my dog is a bit scared of children and asked the child to back of, as he will bite. No one really paid attention, and yes, we came very close to a bite happening. The mother’s response was one that got me thinking. “It’s their temperament. It’s what they do. If I give him my hand he will bite me too.”
“Um, no he won’t,” I muttered in response. I know my dog!
Promptly the lady went ahead to prove her point by sticking her hand in Benji’s face. And, just as promptly, Benji’s body language went soft, wiggly and friendly – he loves people, just not the little ones so much! In this moment I giggled on the inside, and fought the urge to high-five my dog.
This incident just demonstrates the bad reputation that small dogs have. They are often described as ‘mean’, ‘yappy’, ‘aggressive’, ‘rats’, or ‘not even real dogs’. Now it might be true that many small dogs do exhibit these behaviours, we need to stop and think about this. Why are they like that? And, is there a chance that we, as their owners, play a role in our little dogs becoming neurotic little meanies?
Tiny pooches explained
Dogs are individuals, each with their own personality and background which could influence their behaviour patterns. But, there are a few common causes for the behaviours that cause these dogs to have a bad reputation.
1.Socialisation and training
Socialisation and habituation starting with a reputable puppy school is a must for all dogs. This prepares your dog for the life that is ahead of him, helping your dog to confidently accept different sights and sounds that might cross his path. Basic obedience training and prevention of problem behaviours are also subjects that get attention in a good puppy class. Sadly though, this part of a pup’s upbringing is often neglected with small dogs.
“They are so small, therefore they are easy to manage, surely they don’t need training? Besides, how much damage can they do?”
Do not fall into the trap of thinking this way! Look at it from the dog’s perspective: socialisation prepares him for life! A lack thereof is often one of the causes of behaviour problems. Unresolved behaviour problems have the tendency to escalate.
Not only is socialisation a must, it is crucial, especially for small dogs. The world is a big, intimidating place for them (for a better understanding of this, read my article A little respect), and raising a well-balanced dog successfully depends greatly on giving them the best start in life.
2.Self-preservation
Like I just said, the world is a big place for these tiny little things! Now, let’s consider the main priority of an animal: survival. Let’s now also consider the way these dogs are often treated: like they are toys. They are so adorable that we fuss over them – and we allow everyone who comes into contact with them to do the same. How overwhelming, and even scary, must it not be to be handled by noisy strangers on a regular basis? Even more so for the little one who hasn’t been socialised to be comfortable with people! Often when these dogs show discomfort it is simply ignored, and what is a dog to do then? Warn a little louder, and a little harsher! This gets even worse with some people teasing the little dog who growls at them – and you will find videos of this online, people actually consider this funny! No! The dog is showing that he is severely distressed! The cycle continues and like I said, behaviours escalate – and before you know it you have a small dog that lives up to the reputation of having a terrible temperament. Who is now to blame?
3.Genetics
Ah, so the dogs themselves are to blame as well? Right? Wrong.
Your dog’s temperament is 60% genetics. So how do things go wrong with small breeds? Firstly, the so-called ‘responsible’ breeder who isn’t quite as responsible as they claim to be. There are more of them than you might think! Being registered does not automatically mean that a breeder ticks all the boxes of being responsible. A good breeder will carefully plan which dogs to breed with, based on many factors, including temperament. A breeder who cares about dogs will not try to breed smaller and smaller pups – there is NO such thing as a teacup dog and any breeder who tells you differently only cares about one thing: your money.
Moving away from breeders, things even get worse. From the owner who refuses to sterilise their dog and then accidentally ends up with a litter, to the dog owner who knows absolutely nothing about dogs except that they can score a few bucks by selling puppies, right through to the puppy mill where bitches are used to breed as often as they are biologically capable of, producing litter after litter to make money for unscrupulous people. Not only is there no moral justification for treating dogs in this matter, but this also contribute to a problematic gene pool. This is why, no matter what breed you have in mind – be very sure where you get your dog from!
(As a side note, adoption is strongly recommended. Yes, you don’t really know what you get, but there are steps to take to ensure the best outcome for your new family, and a behaviourist can assist you with this.)
Moral of the story
It all really just comes down to one thing: small dogs are not toys. They are real dogs, and should be treated as such.
Naming your dog is also “serious business”. After all, you wouldn’t choose your child’s name lightly, would you? The same holds true when it comes to choosing a name for your dog. You are going to be saying and hearing this name for many years to come, so you’ll want to get it right!
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Does the black spot on your Labrador's tongue mean he's really a Chow mix? That mixed breed puppy in the shelter with a partially black tongue -- is that a sure sign he's part Chow?
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Soy products in dog food - is this a good thing or a bad thing? This is one protein that both dog and cat owners should steer clear of!
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