Blog post by Jess Cytron, Summit Client Communications Expert
If you are the proud pet parent of a petite pooch (how fun is that to say?!), then you have likely heard various disparaging comments claiming that they are not “real” dogs. Maybe you’ve been told that your pocket sized pal does “less” than their larger counterparts. How about the term “foo foo” dog? These comments are made jokingly by friends and family, however they carry a message that I for one am getting tired of hearing: you don’t need to do as much with your small dog. Additionally, the expectations around their behavior in society, unfortunately, seem lower.
This has always irked me as an animal advocate (and animal welfare professional) because I think it greatly neglects the individuality that our dogs possess! Little dogs are not all one personality-type with the same behaviors, desires or drives. Too often in the shelter/rescue and pet care world we see behavior issues dismissed or not taken seriously enough because “well, he’s little.” We see this from coworkers, adopters, clients, and community members. It is understandable that some folks may hold this opinion. I won’t pretend that it isn’t important to consider body size when assessing a dog’s behavior in society, especially in regards to community safety. However, this does not mean that little dogs shouldn’t receive training and behavior modification when appropriate! And yes, everyone should train their dog (of any size!). Let’s talk about why!
Jess’s adventure crew! Photo credit: Silver Paw Studio.
Our compact canine companions can make fantastic adventure buddies. I think it is incredibly important to commit to giving your little dog a “bigger life” by setting them up for success through training. When I am out with my 30 lb poodle mix, or my 20 lb terrier mix, or my 9 lb chihuahua mix - my goal is that all of us enjoy ourselves. In the past, this has been difficult to manage because my terrier mix is on-leash reactive to people and other dogs. We’ve had instances where he’s redirected on my other two, though he’s never redirected onto me or my partner. I care deeply about both of us enjoying our outdoor time together, so I knew I needed to work on this with him!
While training my terrier mix, I’ve learned that every time we leave the house there are always chances to reinforce his behavior - yep, this is training! When he sees someone two blocks away and doesn’t react, or better yet, chooses to look for me (he’s ready for his treat and some reassurance!), I have the chance to reward him in the hopes that he’ll offer that same behavior next time we’re on a walk. This opportunity can present itself even if we are just loading up into the car. I know to keep his treats on me and reward whenever possible because that way, the next time I really need him to not react when we are hiking or walking, ideally he’ll offer me his attention instead, and both of us can enjoy the experience a little more.
I believe that one of the key elements of success in training your small dog is choosing to respect their choices and preferences. It is important that we do not interpret their size as permission to coerce them into behaviors because they are easier to manipulate physically. Here are some more great small dog training tips from the Whole Dog Journal.
It seems like a simple concept - train your dog! Well... sure! Yet you may be surprised how often folks have seen me training my small dog and comment saying “he’s so little, does he really need to be trained?”, or, “why bother clicker training him?” or, “it’s not like he could do serious damage to someone” - all because of his size. This is extremely problematic and discounts the importance of behavioral and mental health for our companions and ourselves! Anyone with a reactive dog can tell you that it can definitely take a mental toll on the human and the bond we all strive to form with our dogs.
Little dogs are more than welcome in all of our classes. Our Summit Trainers all have huge hearts for dogs of all sizes and will always cheer you on for training your little dog. It is never too late to work on your training goals with your dog and we are always here to help! Stay tuned for further training tips from our resident “little guy” Jamie and our Owner/Head Trainer, Amber!
To learn more about training with small dogs, check out our Little Rockstars: Training With Small Dogs - Webinar Replay here!
