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Small Dogs vs. Medium and Large Dogs

(Small Dog Syndrome - Dog believes he is the pack leader to humans)

Are you one of those people who prefer larger dogs? Do you know someone who has told you that they prefer larger dogs because small dogs are yappy and snappy? Whether we are a large dog person or a small dog person, one thing we all would agree on, is the larger percentage of small dogs tend to have a different type of temperament than medium and large dogs. Small dogs have earned the reputation of being yappy, snappy, jealous, protective, wary of strangers and not the greatest child companion and, unfortunately, it has become widely accepted. That's just the way some small dogs are. Right?

I received a package and my two Boxers went over to greet the UPS driver. I called the dogs back and the driver explained he didn't mind saying hello to my dogs. He could tell they were friendly, then added.... "It's those small dogs you have to watch out for."

So why do little dogs tend to act differently than large dogs? They are all the same type of animal, a mammal of the Canidae family, of the order Carnivora: Canis lupus familiaris, which is a domesticated subspecies of the wolf. Commonly referred to as a canine. This type of animal has instincts that need to be fulfilled in order for the animal to be happy and balanced. Let's take a closer look at how we treat large and medium dogs, opposed to how we treat small and toy dogs.

Many behaviors we humans cannot and do not let large dogs get away with, we find cute in small dogs. For example:

Jumping

If an 80 pound German Shepherd jumped up on a human, there is no one who would disagree, this behavior has to be corrected. Everyone sees it as a problem, and if it was not remedied, the owners would seek out help from a trainer, and or read up on it on the internet. At the very least, the dog would be locked in a separate room when guests arrived to protect the guests from getting hurt.

Now picture a 8 pound tiny little Miniature Pinscher jumping up on a human. You look down and all be darn, it's kind of cute. It does not hurt and look at those eyes. "The dog likes me!"

Oh, but is that what it really means? If dogs were human, yes... but they are not. Jumping has a totally different meaning to a dog than it does a human. It's a dominancy issue. A respect issue. For a dog, space is respect and when you allow your little dog to jump on a human you are allowing him to disrespect a human. You are allowing him to display pack leader behaviors.

Sadie, the 70 pound GSD, with Rudy, a 4 pound Chorkie.

Growling

If a German Shepherd were to growl at your guest, you and your guest both know there is a problem. Something has to be done. However, if that tiny 6 pound Chihuahua growls, well it's just what he does. He's a Chihuahua, right? Wrong... There is no difference, in a dogs mind, for a German Shepherd to be growling at a human than there is for a Chihuahua. It's just another behavior we humans let those tiny dogs get away with.

Other Dogs

If your little 5 pound Yorkshire Terrier decides to bark and growl at another dog while you are walking down the street, or as another dog passes by your house, it's almost seen as cute, because you see it as, your tiny dog "thinks" he is a big dog. However, if your 120 pound Akita barks and growls at another dog, the dog is more likely to be put in his place and told to stop. The fact is, dogs should never be allowed to display dominant behaviors. Huge dog, tiny dog, their pack leaders (humans) should tell the dogs "NO" and follow through until you teach the dog it is not an acceptable behavior. And for the record, dogs do not "think" they are big, or "think" they are little. They live in the moment and just are what they are, reacting to the moment. To dogs, size means nothing.

Roxanna the Boxer laying down with Miya, the Jack Chi hybrid

Space

If you were eating dinner or working at your computer and your 70 pound Boxer comes running over and jumps up on your lap, chances are you would knock him back down telling him "No, not now, I am busy". However, if that 5 pound Maltese jumps up on your lap, well it's just cute. He loves you... and he wants to be on you. There's that space issue again. Pack leader decides when and where to do things, pack leader belongs on top. It is ok for your little lap dog to sit on your lap, however, it has to be at times YOU invite him up.

Claiming the Human

If you are sitting down watching TV on the couch, your little dog can jump up next to you on the couch, so long as your dog understands it is your couch, not his; however, you need to make your dog wait until you invite him to climb into your lap. When a dog makes it a habit of jumping up on a human at their own free will, we humans see it as love and affection. However, to a dog it is a claim. The dog is owning you. So next time you notice your dog is adamant about being on you, remember, he is claiming you, not loving you. The human needs to claim his own space back, and the dog must be told he can only climb on top when he is invited by the human.

If you feel your dog is jumping on you in an "I own you" way, it is best not to put, or knock the dog on the floor, but rather use your fingers to bite her off (poking with enough intensity to make the dog react by moving). You need to communicate with your body language until they move off of the person themselves. Make them move off, do not physically move the dog. When you see the dog settling down in a calm submissive state, (head down low, not making eye contact, ears back, tail relaxed, not tucked in, not rigidly high), then it is ok to invite her on you if you want. However, if the dog once again gets in an "I own you" stance, he needs to be moved off again. Making the dog move, not by having you move the dog. The dog needs to be the one physically moving off.

Jeremy, the Rottweiler

Francis, the Long Haired Miniature Dachshund

Aggression

If your 120 pound Rottweiler decided to viciously bark at lets say, your housekeeper... you KNOW you have a problem. However, if your tiny little Dachshund does it, you inform the housekeeper to avoid the dog. Little dog hides under the table barking and growling, dog is told the be quiet, but the correction is never really followed through on. House guest is told to simply not put his hands under the table. Oh, but if it were a Rottie, the behavior would be addressed. Small dogs are more likely to be allowed to display dominancy behaviors, a behavior that should never be accepted.

Prince, the longhaired Chihuahua

Lap Dogs

Ever see a small dog jump up on it's owners lap and growl at anyone who comes too close? The owner feels the dog is "protecting" him "because he loves me". When actually the dog is "Claiming" "HIS" property. Talk about allowing a dog to be alpha. Now imagine a Doberman Pinscher on that same person's lap, snarling if someone comes to close. Picture in your mind going back and forth, Chihuahua on his owner's lap growling... Doberman Pinscher on his owner's lap growling.

Romeo, the Doberman Pinscher

Chihuahua, Doberman.... Chihuahua, Doberman... While it may seem less of a big deal for the Chihuahua to display this type of dominate behavior, in a dog's mind, there is no difference between a Chihuahua doing this and a Doberman Pinscher or German Shepherd doing this. Yet, a large percentage of small dogs are allowed to display this behavior.

Luna, the Pekingese

Walks

If someone were walking a 7 pound Pekingese and he was pulling on the lead as hard as he could to get near a tree to pee on it, most dog walkers would simply hold the lead and allow the dog to pull way out in front. What's the harm? The dog is not strong enough to knock a person down, and you know you have a good grip on the lead, right?

Chanel, the Labrador Retriever

Whereas if a 70 pound Labrador Retriever were pulling you as hard as he could, there is a chance he may just drag the human across the pavement. Large dogs are more likely to be told to behave on a lead than little dogs, however even most large dogs do not walk properly on a lead. Most dog's large and small are way out in front of the human when they should be beside or behind them (pack leader goes first). Large dogs are, at the least, mostly taught not to pull, whereas, not only do small dogs walk out in front, they also pull without being corrected. Dogs who act very excitedly when their humans come home are showing signs of a lack of exercise, and or leadership. For a dog, excitement does not indicate happiness. In most cases, it is a sign of an imbalance state. When you come home after being gone, avoided speaking to your dog in an excited manor. If we see dogs has human, the thought of a dog's excitement not being a sign of happiness does not make sense, however, we must remember dogs are canines, not humans.

How about those sleeping arrangements?

Bella, the 7 pound Malti-pom, "She's very quiet, and refuses to sleep at the end of the bed, she wants her head on the pillow, and her body under the covers right in between us!"

Large and medium size dogs are less likely to be allowed to sleep at the top of the bed next to a person's pillow. There simply is not room for both human and larger dog. If a large dog is allowed on the bed, they will often be told to sleep at the foot of the bed. Small dogs are more likely to be allowed to sleep right on a human's pillow. In the dog world, the pack leader sleeps in the highest (height wise) most comfortable place. And for those very tiny dogs who cannot jump on the bed themselves... they get to bark and TELL THE HUMAN just when to put them on the bed and when to take them back off the bed. In a dog's mind, only the pack leader tells others what to do. It is not necessarily a bad thing to allow your dog to be on your bed, so long as YOU are deciding when they can get on the bed and when they need to get down. Just keep in mind, in the dog world, the pack leader sleeps in the most comfortable spot, so do not allow your dog to push you out of your spot. Your dog needs to lay around YOU, not you laying around HIM.

The Yappy Trait

While some dogs have more of a tendency to get yappy, a lot of the yappy traits have to do with the way they are treated by the owner. For instance, if the dog lacks a pack leader, and feels THEY are the pack leader, they may become yappy every time you leave them alone. Or become yappy as they try to get YOU to follow THEIR commands.

If you fall into the "Small Dog Syndrome" and allow a dog to take over the home, they will tend to be more yappy. Small dogs who see their humans as 100% pack leader and who are told to hush when they do bark, and who get daily pack walks and are content with themselves, are less likely to be little yappers.

The Nervous Trait

When a dog appears scared, nervous, stressed, or otherwise upset in any way, we humans tend to pet him, stroke his coat, talk to him in a soothing manner. Telling him it is ok, everything is ok. We do this with large dogs and small dogs, but we tend to do it even more with the smaller dogs. We pick the little dog up and cuddle him every time they look upset. We humans feel good about giving this type of comfort. It's human nature and our little dogs are our babies.

This type of reassurance works on humans, it's what humans do, and we understand this type of comfort. However, when the canine animal is in an unstable state of mind and are given a human consolation (treated like a human), it intensifies the dog's state (stress, fear, nerves etc..). In the dog world, when a dog is in an unstable state and you try to give him reassurance with affection, the dog sees you as being in a weaker state than his own. The canine species can read human energy. They read sympathy as weak energy. With their strong instinct to have an order in their pack, it is very upsetting for a dog in a weak state of mind to be surrounded by other weaker beings. It intensifies the dog's instability, sometimes to the point where the dog, in his already unstable state, tries to be your pack leader. In the dog's mind, you are now weaker than he is, which instinctually puts the dog in a higher alpha position than you. Instinct tells a dog that the stronger being is higher in the pack order. This insures the packs survival. You need to give off a stronger, more stable energy the dog can feed from.

Many little dogs suffer from instability due to their likelihood of being babied and over protected. When large dogs are upset, since we cannot pick them up, they are less likely to be treated in this manner.

Separation Anxiety

Dogs who believe they are pack leader to humans often developed separation anxiety. Followers are not allowed to leave the pack leader, but pack leaders can leave the followers.

Conclusion

The bottom line is, small dogs are no different than large dogs. What gives them their different temperaments is we humans treat them differently. We over protect them, and treat them like babies. Things we do not allow large dogs to do which are common pack leader issues, because of the dogs size, are addressed. These are issues all dogs need to be told, yet the smaller dogs tend to not get this discipline.

If you are unsure how to gain control back from your dog, or if you think you are at risk of being bit, please hire a professional to help you.

To learn more about dog psychology and what makes a dog tick, we

strongly suggest Cesar Millan DVD's and or Cesar Millan Books to every dog owner, from Chihuahua to Pit Bull. An excellent guide to communicating with, understanding,  and controlling your dog.

 

Written by Sharon Maguire

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