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I like larger dogs such as labs, golden retrievers, german shepards etc. but chihuahuas, terriers, shi-tzus, etc...can't stand the sight of them and their constant high-pitched yapping. They look and behave like annoying little barking rats and they have almost zero intelligence which isn't all that surprising given their tiny brains. I can't for the life of me understand their appeal.
The problem with most of the small dogs I've seen isn't the dog, it's the owners. So many people have little purse dogs and treat them like kids, forgetting they are dogs. They don't train them, don't enforce limits, don't teach them anything. I know one person who hasn't ever even bothered to housetrain the animal. Just lets it pee/poop wherever and cleans up after it.
My cousin has a chihuahua that is seriously the best behaved dog I've ever encountered, but she was trained. She wasn't allowed to just run the house and yap all the time.
And you'd be surprised, 90% of the time, my dog (boxer/staffordshire bull terrier mix, abt 45 lbs) sounds like a yappy little dog with her high pitched bark.
I'm a big dog person myself, but wow. Agree with cottercutie, some small dog owners allow/encourage their little dogs to be obnoxious. But lots of little dogs are very nice dogs, if you open your mind a little.
Generalize much OP? As cottercutie said, its not the dog, its the owner. We have a Shih-Tzu and she is a very intelligent dog. She does yap but only when she wants to play otherwise all she wants is to snuggle and lay in our laps.
The problem with most of the small dogs I've seen isn't the dog, it's the owners. So many people have little purse dogs and treat them like kids, forgetting they are dogs. They don't train them, don't enforce limits, don't teach them anything. I know one person who hasn't ever even bothered to housetrain the animal. Just lets it pee/poop wherever and cleans up after it.
My cousin has a chihuahua that is seriously the best behaved dog I've ever encountered, but she was trained. She wasn't allowed to just run the house and yap all the time.
And you'd be surprised, 90% of the time, my dog (boxer/staffordshire bull terrier mix, abt 45 lbs) sounds like a yappy little dog with her high pitched bark.
Quote:
Originally Posted by trlhiker
Generalize much OP? As cottercutie said, its not the dog, its the owner. We have a Shih-Tzu and she is a very intelligent dog. She does yap but only when she wants to play otherwise all she wants is to snuggle and lay in our laps.
Good to hear that about your cousin's dog, but as you indicated hers is an exception to the rule because small dogs are hyperactive by nature and because of that are probably a lot harder to train and control due to their inherent hyperactivity and smaller brain size. And many if not most may not be trainable at all.
That's utter BS. Most small dogs are trainable (they have smaller bladders and may not be able to be left alone as long for that reason, if house breaking is what you're referring to), they are just as intelligent as big dogs on average, and, like big dogs, some are hyper, some not. Again, I prefer big dogs. But you can't just make statements like that as if they're fact. They aren't. They are just a reflection of you disliking small dogs.
Good to hear that about your cousin's dog, but as you indicated hers is an exception to the rule because small dogs are hyperactive by nature and because of that are probably a lot harder to train and control due to their inherent hyperactivity and smaller brain size. And many if not most may not be trainable at all.
So are you a certified dog trainer, a vet or a canine behavioral specialist? Or are you just spouting nonsense? If the former, you'll have some peer-reviewed studies to link to in support of your opinion. If not, I will assume you are doing the latter and sadly, may not be at all trainable.
I've owned both large and small dogs & have enjoyed them all. The only difference is I don't need to use a backhoe as a pooper scooper for the dog I now have: a long-haired chihuahua.
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