16/08/2024
This is a great article about tiny dogs and their feelings.
SMALL DOG, BIG SCARY WORLD
People often think of very small dogs as being anxious and reactive and to be honest, quite a few are. It’s easy for people to ‘blame the owners’ or say that they have ‘little dog syndrome’ or even that they are ‘bossy’ 🙄 Really though, we need to be understanding of what life is like for really tiny dogs.
Tiny dogs often don’t have much control over their lives- they can be picked up easily (even if they don’t want to be) and they can be made to do stuff as they are small. People notice if a 40kg dog is worried about going into a busy park or a cafe and plants their feet and refuses to move but with a tiny dog, you can just make them do it even if they don’t want as you can pull them or pick them up ☹️
Tiny dogs often get overwhelmed before they’ve even got through puppyhood and many are fearful by the time they are 4 or 5 months old 😢 Big dogs may run up and knock them over, even in play bigger dogs can be overwhelming if you are 50 x smaller. Lots of hands reach down to touch them and yes, there it is again, strangers may also pick them up (whether they like it or not). Physically they may be delicate (my yorkie’s legs are made from matchsticks 😂) and may be hurt accidentally during normal dog interactions.
Everything is big and potentially dangerous when you weigh a couple of Kg and are about 8 inches tall. The world can be a scary and overwhelming place.
It’s easy to see then why so many littlies end up worried by the world and particularly by other dogs.
Tiny dog’s signals that they need space are also ignored often; people take notice of a GSD showing it’s teeth or growling and give them space but many people would laugh or totally ignore a tiny dog’s identical communication asking for space. How many ‘funny’ videos are out there that show tiny chihuahuas showing all their teeth and people are laughing at them? 😢 It’s not rocket science that they may then escalate to actually biting if their warnings are ignored - and they get called ‘snappy little dogs’ and again, misunderstood 😢
Small dogs can often miss out on having their species-specific needs met: their need for exploratory behaviour, for social contact; their needs for enrichment and physical exercise too and this impacts on them and their ability to cope. They are still proper dogs with the same needs.
I’ve been really lucky with my handreared yorkie, she’s fabulous with people and absolutely loves dogs but it’s been a bit of a mission to make sure things have gone right. It’s taken time to get her comfortable around bigger dogs on walks and I haven’t socialised her in the same way I have my other dogs as she could easily have become fearful (and then reactive).
When she was a puppy I did let her meet loads of dogs but I was been really careful and it was almost all onlead and with dogs I know and who I knew would be nice to her. Even now she’s an adult I continue to make sure she meets nice dogs and we frequent loads of national trust places as she can meet lots of sociable dogs there who are all under control. The last thing I wanted was for her to be really scared by another dog or physically hurt (she has deformed back legs that put her at huge risk of injury). She goes to offlead places too, but generally with one of my big dogs there too (she has big body guards) 😄
I’ve had to make adjustments to life to keep her safe and make sure she has a happy life and that she doesn’t become reactive. It’s been worth it as she has stayed so sociable (but as an adult she loves small dogs best). If I’d just walked her where I walked my big dogs all the time I would think that by now she would have been flattened or overwhelmed and may have become dog reactive. It’s totally understandable why so many tiny dogs are fearful.
My tiny dog also wouldn’t have had enough repeated, safe and positive controlled interactions with friendly dogs right throughout adolescence if I hadn’t carried on with all the cafe/pub/NT visits and that would have been detrimental. It’s not enough to just do this stuff when they are tiny puppies and then stop at 14 weeks old as adolescence is when if can often all start to go wrong. (It’s also a good justification for my many pub and cafe visits with Twig 😂)
We can’t forget the impact of genetics too and that’s a factor in why many small dogs are reactive; some genes for small body size are linked to fearfulness and reactivity and there may also be epigenetic factors too.
We can all be a bit more understanding too with small dogs and their owners. Don’t berate them for picking their dogs up if that’s what makes their dog feel safe- it won’t be what’s caused their anxiety and it might be what they need to feel safe right now. Don’t let your dogs overwhelm them (even in a friendly way). You’d also think it’s common sense to not pick strangers small dogs up without asking but people try to do it all the time 🙄
We have lots of anxious tiny dogs who absolutely thrive in our reactivity classes, we can keep them safe and make sure they aren’t overwhelmed and also help them to feel more confident around other dogs again.
Laura McAuliffe 2024
Photo shows my yorkie meeting two other small dogs in a cafe
