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Whenever I'm taking my beagle/chow-chow mix for a walk through the neighborhood or on a walk through a park, the only dogs that we encounter that bark nonstop and become aggressive are these little fricking toy dogs. Even the ones that on a 2nd or 3rd floor balconys or across the street go crazy. I've come across plenty of pitbulls, rottweillers, and german sheppards, but the most untrained and aggressive dogs I've ever encountered have almost always been of the ankle-biting variety. Why do the people that own these animals feel that just because they're small that they don't need to be properly socialized or trained??
Although mine are not the ankle biter type (American Bulldog and a Dog de Bordeaux Bulldog mix, 73lbs and 80lbs respectively) I will come to the defense of the toy breed owners.
Not all toy breed owner are irresponsible. It seems the ones in your neighborhood may be...perhaps not all, just the ones you've come across so far.
I understand your frustration. You can't control their dogs but you can control yours. Besides, if yours is out of control, it would do more damage being a chow mix.
At least you can have the satisfaction in knowing you have the model dog. It gives you a leg up! (No pun intended...)
Why do the people that own these animals feel that just because they're small that they don't need to be properly socialized or trained??
I think you answered your own question right here... as people often say about Pit Bulls (and I generally agree), "it's not the breed, it's the owners." I'm not going to stereotype small dog owners, since I know they're not all like this, but many treat their pups like fashion accessories. How often do you see a German Shepherd decked out in a pink tutu, leather coat, tiara, etc, even though they make these things in large sizes? Very few, I imagine.
I guess we could blame celebs like Paris Hilton or Sharon Osbourne, who have made dogs-as-accessories all the rage! And when a person gets their dog simply to be cute & dress up in frilly princess/prince outfits, the training tends to be neglected. They might also think "well, my dog is small, so it's not gonna hurt anyone if they bite" or - even worse - they find their dog's aggression somehow endearing. I also see a lot of the "Poopsie is just really protective of me," while they sit there and do NOTHING to stop the behavior... and do all of the wrong things, like picking up the dog, when they do attempt to correct it.
Again, I'm not saying ALL or even MOST small dog owners are like this - just explaining why SOME toys are raised poorly, and allowed to continue with their bad behavior. It's much different from owning a larger dog, as you are expected and obligated to train them properly. If my 40lb mutt ever bit or attacked somebody, I'd face criminal charges and possibly have to euthanize him. Meanwhile, there was a little Pomeranian attacking everyone (dogs & humans) at the dog park recently, and people were just giggling at him.
P.S. As for the incessant small-dog barking (which I too have noticed in my dog-friendly apartment complex), I think that's just the nature of certain toy breeds. I know my immediate neighbors TRY to keep their Yorkies quiet, as I hear them using canned air and verbal corrections... but they still get a few yaps out, while my dog just ignores them as we pass.
toy breed dogs do tend to be more talkative.
dogs communicate via body language, and the body language of a oty breed if often missed, miss read or ignored, so they use their voices more to get their message across.
i have toy breeds (chihuahuas and chinese cresteds) and yes they can be barkers, but there also rained to quiet when given the cue and usually listen...
that being said i agree with the others who already said, its not the dog its the owner...
i expect nothing more or less from my 5lb crestie than i would from a 200lb mastif.
unfortunatly howeve rdue to media populatity and "cute factor" many teens/wannabe/fashionista and generally people looking for a dog without the work got toy breeds and figured "hey we dont need to train it, its small and cant do much damage...
unfortunatly giving all us toy breed owners a bad name.
I believe that "It's the owners, not the breed" applies to all dogs, big and small. There's more pressure on big dog owners to have their dogs trained. Although, I have met several small dog owners who do have well mannered pups. It's all about how they are trained.
We have a "tea-cup" Yorkie (4 lbs). Everyone comments on how well mannered she is. We had nothing to do with this trait. We've also had other small dogs that were a terror and chased everybody and yapped. I'd say that it's the dog itself, and some breeds just seem to favor certain irritating habits. We also have two big Labs, and they don't react to anything. I just feel a little pride when my dogs walk by an ankle-biter and just ignore it and walk on by.
toy breed dogs do tend to be more talkative.
dogs communicate via body language, and the body language of a oty breed if often missed, miss read or ignored, so they use their voices more to get their message across.
i have toy breeds (chihuahuas and chinese cresteds) and yes they can be barkers, but there also rained to quiet when given the cue and usually listen...
that being said i agree with the others who already said, its not the dog its the owner... i expect nothing more or less from my 5lb crestie than i would from a 200lb mastif.
unfortunatly howeve rdue to media populatity and "cute factor" many teens/wannabe/fashionista and generally people looking for a dog without the work got toy breeds and figured "hey we dont need to train it, its small and cant do much damage...
unfortunatly giving all us toy breed owners a bad name.
i think that's the problem. people don't expect the same behavior from their yorkie that they do their german sheppard. when the sheppard is barking and unruly, people immediately wanna correct it, but when a yorkie does it, owners think its, "cute". your neighbors may not have the same sheet terror that they have of a 80lbs pitbull, but i gaurantee they still hate you none the less.
toy breed dogs do tend to be more talkative.
dogs communicate via body language, and the body language of a oty breed if often missed, miss read or ignored, so they use their voices more to get their message across.
i have toy breeds (chihuahuas and chinese cresteds) and yes they can be barkers, but they are also trained to quiet when given the cue and usually listen... that being said i agree with the others who already said, its not the dog its the owner... i expect nothing more or less from my 5lb crestie than i would from a 200lb mastif.
unfortunatly howeve rdue to media populatity and "cute factor" many teens/wannabe/fashionista and generally people looking for a dog without the work got toy breeds and figured "hey we dont need to train it, its small and cant do much damage...
unfortunatly giving all us toy breed owners a bad name.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GTOWN_REPRESENTA
i think that's the problem. people don't expect the same behavior from their yorkie that they do their german sheppard. when the sheppard is barking and unruly, people immediately wanna correct it, but when a yorkie does it, owners think its, "cute". your neighbors may not have the same sheet terror that they have of a 80lbs pitbull, but i gaurantee they still hate you none the less.
GTOWN .....I don't think you read what she wrote correctly. She said she TRAINS her dogs to be quiet when given the cue. She said she expects the SAME from her 5 lb crestie as she would a 200 lb mastif.
The worst barker in my neighborhood is a very large mixed breed. To generalize about dogs based on size/breed just doesn't work.
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