![]() It means no jumping on your lap with demands for table scraps, no jumping up on you or others for attention, no pulling on the leash and so on. That means more than teaching her to sit for treats. No matter what a dog’s size, she should be trained to act respectfully. With that in mind, we advise the following to keep small dogs from becoming neurotic and therefore difficult.Ĭonsistent training. Yes, they can see which are large and which are small, but there is nothing in their genetic makeup that tells them to act one way or another based strictly on their height and weight. Like people, dogs do not judge themselves solely on size. And they need to feel secure in their environment. Just like their larger counterparts, theyĬrave structure, activity, and social engagement. It’s a serious issue because such dogs are unhappy no matter how much their human family members coddle them. This type of treatment frequently results in what some animal behaviorists call Small Dog Syndrome - a constellation of undesirable traits that include too much barking, aggressive behavior like growling and jumping on others, constant, neurotic wariness of people and other dogs, and overall poor manners. Finally, because of their size, their human family members often avoid letting them interact and have fun with other dogs. And as little accessories, they are not afforded opportunities for exercise, training, and other activities that dogs require for psychological health. At the same time, because they are frequently seen as adorable “objects,” their boundaries are not respected by people who want to pet or kiss them. ![]() Because aggressive behavior is not as threatening in a small dog as in a larger one, they are often not taught any rules about how to behave appropriately. That’s how it is for a lot of small dogs, says Stephanie Borns-Weil, DVM, head of the Tufts Animal Behavior Clinic. Imagine if short, slight people were laughed at and called “cute” every time they acted aggressively, or even rudely? Or if they were coddled and adored but largely left out of activities that bigger people regularly engaged in? Or if perfect strangers walked up and squeezed their cheeks and playfully pinched their noses? Or, alternately, if they were shielded by their loved ones every time a tall, bulky person came along out of fear that the large person might act aggressively? Yes, but can a dog who is always carried like this learn to socialize?
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