This information is a wake up call for me -- and I hope other dog people too. I have a small terror -- I mean terrier -- who can be very aggressive to some people and animals while completely adoring others. I never thought of his aggression as anxiety and/or jealousy. I have always felt that he was a bully. Now that I have more insight into his feelings, I will treat his bad behavior with a lot more understanding.

Excellent post!!! WOW!!

Small dog people are allowing too much bratty behavior, and you are so right that this is not good for the dogs.

On another note, it is distressing how many chihuahuas need homes, and yet the puppy mills keep pumping them out and the pet stores keep selling them.

I wish we could find a way to solve this problem.

We have a little terrorist, a terrier mix, who beats up on our pit-bull mix. We assumed because she was small, this was her way of feeling more secure around our big dog. We will start our behavioral training right away, for both their sakes. Great information! Thanks, KP!

This was a very good article concerning behavior in the home and I appreciate the insight gained but I would like for it to have gone a little more in depth about how to control behavior outside the home. You gave reasons why an owner with small dogs should intervene to correct bad behavior but you did not say how that should be done when it is a situation outside the home. I also would like a little more clarity on how to show leadership to a dog if you think they are feeling insecure. Thanks.

>>> KP's Response:

Hi Jay!
Thanks for your question!

There are whole books written about how to change "bad" behavior in dogs, but here a few techniques that I find useful for dealing with small dogs:

1. Making a noise followed by a hand gesture to interrupt a behavior. For example, Theresa would dig at the carpets, damaging them, so i made a kind of growly guttural sound to get her attention, then I waved a finger back and forth with a serious look on my face. When she stopped, I praised her. I had to repeat this numerous times, but she finally got it and left the carpets alone.

2. Blocking is a useful technique. You use your body to stop a given behavior, such as charging or lunging. Just block access and make a noise at the same time. ("No" isn't all that effective--a primal-sounding noise works better.)

3. Praising and giving treats when dogs are behaving well, so they know what you want and what behavior gets them rewards. But by all means, do not pet or pick up a misbehaving dog--that will be seen as encouragement. And don't be permissive. Make rules and stick to them. Your dog will appreciate the consistency and stability.

I hope this helps!
KP

I firmly believe that small dogs are not the problem - a lot of small dog people are. I accidentally ended up with a mountain feist (a name for a very unstandardized group of rat terrier mutts popular in the South) years ago. I just assumed she'd be a prissy, snappish, yappy horror. Instead, she turned out to be a great sport who loves wrestling with dogs, playing (nicely) with cats, hiking, climbing trees (really), and chasing squirrels. Then, also accidentally, I wound up with a chihuahua mix (we think there is beagle in there). He was in many ways a stereotype - assaulting other dogs constantly for no reason, barking and trembling all the time, etc. Because of my feist, I recognized that this was not inevitable small-dog behavior. We started using a lot of interventions, mainly based on helping him relax at home and feel safe outside the home. Here's some of what has worked best:
1.When he started barking and baying his head off at dogs passing by our home, hubby or I would loudly say, "hush!" The first few times we did this, he was so surprised he stopped and looked at us, leading to praise and treats. Now he will usually bark once, then we say "hush" in a quiet voice, and then he comes running over to snuggle and get scratches. If we're not home, the neighbors say he usually doesn't make much noise at all.
2.I took a doggie massage workshop and he gets a 5 to 10 minute massage every morning and some evenings.
3.At least a couple of times a day, we engage him in strenuous activity - keeping in mind that strenuous for a chihuahua can be a swift run around the block. I'm convinced that a lot of small dog neuroses are due to never getting any exercise.
4.Outside, when an unfamiliar dog approaches, I make sure my body is between him and the other dog. Then I praise him as long as he stays still and doesn't bark, and I give him many tiny treats. If the other dog gets near, I crouch down and pet it and him at the same time, while still praising him. If he continues to show anxiety in his posture or by growling, I ask the other human to keep their dog away from him because he is afraid of their dog.
5.If he lunges, snaps, or otherwise is aggressive to any other dog, I swoop down on him, clamp my hand around his muzzle, force him to sit, and tell him firmly "no!" Then I usually pick him up and walk away from the other dog with him (he hates to be carried around). When we get away from the other dog, I put him down and make him sit until he has stopped looking for the other dog and returned his attention to me. Then, we can continue our walk. I should point out that the only reason I am so forceful with him is that less assertive redirection didn't work; he is afraid of other dogs but not at all intimidated by me!
6.If he (or his sister for that matter) snaps, lunges, or is aggressive inside our home, they get told, "No! Time out!" and then they are placed alone in the bathroom (their least favorite room, because they hate baths) for 2 to 5 minutes. Afterwards, they are let out and we proceed as if nothing has ever happened.
7.We always respect his boundaries. If another dog is sniffing him and he is nervous, we move away quickly with him or ask the other dog's human to move away. I've even forced over-friendly dogs to back off by grabbing them by the collar and petting them, giving him time to move behind me. If someone comes to visit who makes him nervous, we put a chew toy in his bed and close the door to the bedroom, so he can feel safe in there. In the vet's waiting room, he sits in my lap, where I quietly talk to and praise him nonstop, not allowing any other dogs to approach him.

He'll never love other dogs, but this has all led to him tolerating them 100 times better. We're not afraid to take him to the park any more. He even has some neighborhood friends, whom he'll approach and greet when we bump into them. The change has been amazing and a big relief.

Sorry for the excessively long post - this is something I get really excited about! I'm a little-dog convert, and I'm here to tell you that they don't have to be terrors!

>>>KP's Response:

Dear PaK,
I think you should go into business as a little-dog therapist! Excellent suggestions. Thank you SO much for your detailed input!
KP

KP - that's funny, because I'm a human therapist! But I can't take all the credit - we took the little guy to an assessment session at the Chicago Anti-Cruelty Society, and they were unbelievably helpful. They spent an hour (free) helping diagnose his needs and plan interventions for him.

Very interesting... as always! Cheers from -Switzerland-.

Thank you for the advice. Of course, not only tiny dogs can become bossy with older members of the household. I recently adopted a 4 year-old female German Shepherd with spinal myelopathy. Because of her disability, it's been easy to dote on her and let her get by with occasionally rude behavior. However, I have drawn the line when she tries to assert herself with our almost 13-year-old male German Shepherd/wolf mix. Years ago, he would not have put up with this kind of behavior from another dog, but in his old age he's started to become a little insecure; and now it's up to me to make sure that Sam knows he's got first rights to pillows, toys, treats, and, well, even my affection.