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I admit to being skeptical about having a small dog. I have spent my life with various hounds, Springer Spaniels as well as Malamute/Wolf Hybrids and several working line German Shepherd Dogs. Four years ago, my girlfriend wanted a mini Schnauzer. He has been a great little dog (who thinks he's a big dog). I found him relatively easy to train. No longer a skeptic.
Small dogs are pointless to me. They don't go Jeeping, they don't go hiking, they don't go out and get the morning paper, they don't do much except bark and poop. I have a chocolate lab and I don't see myself having anything else. Certainly not an ankle biter.
Small dogs are pointless to me. They don't go Jeeping, they don't go hiking, they don't go out and get the morning paper, they don't do much except bark and poop.r.
Small dogs do go Jeeping, they do go hiking, they go camping. If they are really small, they might not be able to carry the morning paper, but they will fetch smaller things for you. They make very competitive agility dogs, fly ball dogs, and they compete in the assorted types of obedience competition and tracking competitions. They can make excellent service dogs and they most certainly excel as comfort animals.
Are you going to tell us that your Lab does not bark or poop?
My son even had a 6 pound Papillon that was an excellent bird dog. Papillons are miniature spaniels and she could find and flush a covey of quail and fetch a downed bird faster and better than the big dogs.
I always preferred big dogs, and was aghast when my bride started talking seriously about a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. She won, but the puppy bonded with me immediately. Which wasn't the plan at all.
So we got a second one. And those little guys changed my life. Absolute, unconditional love. Beautiful boys, and such personality! For eleven years now I've been dreading the day we lose one of them.
We had a 55 pound Airedale terrier that passed away a few years ago. He was a great dog that loved running through the bushes on the back roads harassing squirrels, rabbits, ground hogs and turkeys.
When we finally decided to get a new dog we decided to downsize to make travelling with a dog easier. We opted for what is now a 20 pound Westie. She loves to run in to the bushes and harass squirrels, rabbits, ground hogs and turkeys. A terrier is a terrier, size doesn't matter much.
Not all smaller dogs are the same. Some bark a lot, some bark a little. I'm a pet sitter and one of my favorite clients is a Mountain Feist who weighs about 22 pounds.
He only barks when he chases a squirrel into a tree -- otherwise he's quiet. Unless someone knocks at the door, then he'll sound an alarm. Very clean in his habits. One of the smartest dogs I've ever known and has a large vocabulary of words he understands.
Extremely athletic with a tennis ball, frisbee or any thrown object. Healthy and an "easy keeper." Sweet, sweet temperment. Good with kids, indifferent to other dogs.
Just a great little dog.
Always had large dogs until about 17 years ago when our aussie shepherd died. I was still young enough to handle a large breed dog but decided that I would prefer not carrying 50 pound sacks of dog food in...and out, if you know what I mean! Yard clean up was getting old after so many years. The dogs had the run of our 1/2 acre yard and, well, keeping it clean was a lot of work.
So our 9 year old daughter had not had a dog of her own yet so we let her choose. She talked to our vet (he took care of all the previous dogs and knew our habits, also took care of daughter's bunnies) and he suggested that she might want to get a dog that would be as smart as she was. Our daughter is academically gifted and the vet thought she would be bored with a yappy little dog that might be a slow learner. The vet suggested that she attend some AKC obedience events and see what types of dogs performed well and that she was attracted to. We came up with poodle, bichon, some terriers, and papillon. The poodle and bichon were too much grooming for a child so that left terriers and papillon. We had previously had a terrier mix that dug out under our fence constantly (we have a lot of cement poured under our fence line in the holes!) so that left papillon. Although they have a long flowing coat, they are quite the bathe and towel dry type with only a blow dry if you are showing them.
Too bad for mom and dad that the papillon had just won Westminster and they were pretty expensive and not all that common. That has changed a bit now and papillons are more common and there are a lot of rescues to be had. We couldn't afford a show quality dog. But at the AKC show we found a breeder who took a liking to our daughter and offered to call us if she had a pup that she needed to re-home as a pet quality dog. Six months later she called and told us that one of her recent litters had a female that looked a "little too big." The breeder wanted to wait until the pups were 4 months old to decide but asked if we were still interested. Well yes! And a couple of months later we met at another dog show and picked up our little female papillon.
That dog grew up with our daughter, trained and later competed in 4H, then AKC conformation, agility, and obedience. She does everything a big dog does and more! The dog has gone everywhere with our daughter for 17 years. And yes, the papillon is still with us. However, she is definitely in the twilight years now. Her eyesight and hearing are failing and there are times she is confused about where the food/water bowls are, furniture placement, etc. But I will give her the benefit of the doubt until she is clearly in pain or can no longer cope with daily activities. The only caveat I can see with a papillon is that they are VERY smart (think the aussie shepherd of the toy dogs) and are often surrendered because the owner could not keep up with the mental/physical needs of the dog. A papillon needs a job! They were bred from spaniels that kept rodents out of the castles. Ours was an excellent mouser and would always alert us if she knew there was a mouse in the house! She has even caught several mice (and courteously carried them outside) as she was quicker and smarter than the cat in her younger days.
As with most dogs, but more so with dogs of high energy and intelligence, a tired dog is a good dog.
In the meanwhile our daughter adopted a shelter dog about 10 years ago that is a pomeranian. She is also large for her breed, not the 4 pound fluffy type. She is more like 12 pounds of "all dog." The pom has spent several years in 4H and AKC, traveled with our daughter as well, going away for grad school and other adventures. The pom is as smart as a whip, just takes longer to learn that the papillon. The pom also has a bit of an attitude if she doesn't get her way. The pom is special to our daughter because the shelter where the daughter volunteered was going to euthanize the pom because she bit the officer who picked her up as a stray and so she could not be placed for adoption to the public. The day before she was to be euthanized our daughter asked us to consider adopting her and we allowed her to do so...escaped from the jaws of death!
The small dogs go everywhere in the car in their small crates. We often stay with friends when we travel and they never mind having the dogs (and most are not dog people) because our dogs will sleep in their crates at night and don't mind staying in crates if we leave to go sightseeing without them. And because we have had dogs all of our lives, we take each and every dog to training classes as puppies, as many classes as it takes to get the results that we are looking for to assure a happy and healthy dog and owner. Small dogs eat less and our vet bills don't seem to be as costly except for dentals. Most small dogs have been bred down for reasons I think are crazy and as the muzzles get smaller so do their mouths. But they still have the same number of teeth. So keeping an eye on dental health will greatly improve their overall health in old age by ensuring they are able to eat a healthy diet to keep them going.
So sad for your loss. But our motto is that when we lose a dog it means there is another one that needs a home. Good luck with whatever you choose.
I have always preferred large dogs but my last tenant had a 10 lb dog who won my heart. When I have to replace my dog it will be with a small dog. Much easier for an older person to deal with.
Small dogs are pointless to me. They don't go Jeeping, they don't go hiking, they don't go out and get the morning paper, they don't do much except bark and poop.
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