Small Dog Breeds: What You Need to Know

Challenges of Keeping a Small Dog

Despite the benefits, small dogs do come with a number of challenges. Although they tend to be hardy when it comes to their health, their small bodies are more delicate and prone to injury, especially if they're dropped, played with too roughly, or if they fall or jump from furniture that's too high. For this reason, toy dogs especially are generally not a good match for households with very young children, and older children should be supervised and taught how to handle small dogs properly.

Many small breeds are also prone to a condition called patellar luxation, which is when the kneecap is located in the wrong position, as well as to a collapsing trachea. While these conditions aren't serious, they may require special handling to prevent injury. For example, you may need to play gently with your dog and lift him down from the couch in order to prevent his knee from dislocating. In the case of a collapsing trachea, you may need to walk him on a harness that fits across the chest instead of a standard leash, which will help protect his trachea from getting crushed.

While small dogs are often thought to be sedentary lap dogs that love to cuddle, the truth is that some small breeds need more exercise than others, and all dogs need some exercise. If you don't like to go for walks and you don't have a large yard where a dog can run and play, you should look for a breed that gets all the exercise he needs with indoor play. Small breeds are often a bundle of energy. While they may not play and exercise as long as some other dogs that you can take running, shorter, more frequent play times will help give him the exercise he needs.

It's also worth noting that, according to a 2009 study published in Applied Animal Behaviour Science, the top three most aggressive dog breeds were small breeds: the Dachshund, Chihuahua, and Jack Russell terrier. According to Dogtime, it's generally thought that aggression isn't inherent to these breeds, but is a fear response based largely on their tiny size, exacerbated by poor socialisation and over-indulgence from pet parents who don't take the aggression seriously and instead treat it as cute. The lesson here is that proper socialisation and obedience training is as necessary to raising a small dog to be friendly and well-mannered as it is to large dogs. It's also important to let your small dog act like a dog, and not allow his size and appearance lure you into treating him like a human infant, which can lead to behavioural problems, says PetPlace.

Small Dog Nutritional Requirements

Although small dogs eat less overall than big dogs do, small breeds actually require more calories. According to PetMD, small and toy breeds, whose metabolisms are faster than those of large dogs, require 40 calories per kilo per day, whereas larger dogs need just over half that amount. With this in view, adult small breed dogs typically need to eat two or three calorie-dense meals per day. Puppies need to be fed even more frequently to avoid developing hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, which can result in weakness and lethargy, muscle tremors, seizures, and even death.

You can make sure your small dog receives the right amount of calories by feeding him a specially formulated small breed dog food that's more calorie-rich than food designed for larger breeds. Due to their longer lifespans, small dogs also benefit from food containing high levels of antioxidants, which can help prevent damage from longer-term exposure to free radicals during their long lives.

Small dogs often have big personalities. This not only makes them a lot of fun, but can also make them ideally suited to companionship under the right circumstances. Now that you know what to expect from a small dog, you'll be able to confidently choose the right small dog breed for your household.