This is the last in a series of blogs directed at a recent survey of problems that people claim to have with their dogs. This one rated the lowest common problem in the list, mostly because it is so ridiculous.

Small dog problems and your dog behaviorist

The truth is that a dog behaviorist might not be able to help in this situation, you are more likely to get benefit from a dog psychologist.

You see, people choose dogs, from breeders or lost dog homes. They choose to keep feed and enjoy their dogs. Some people even walk their dogs !

This blog is not going to be a scientific appraisal of the pros and cons of small dogs. You either love them or not. If you are indifferent, you are not a dog person either.

A quick lesson on dog evolution

Originally there were no small dogs. Dogs evolved from wolves about 25,000 years ago so the original dogs were about the same size.

All major dog breeds that you find around the place, such as Poodles, schnauzers, all where originally bred as large dogs too, only between 100 and 1000 years ago typically. That is, most modern dogs we see today are less than a couple of hundred years old, but of those that were created by man (yes we evolved all modern looks of dogs – well they were also BIG dogs.

The first size of poodle and schnauzers etc were all LARGE dogs. ONLY after these dogs were formed, did they breed down the smaller sizes within the same breed. Successively getting smaller until the ridiculous US trend of tea cup dogs (the smallest domestic dog size) that typically cant fend for themselves and are just used as human play things – often not socialized and thus ending up nasty and vicious (through fear and lack of socialization by their owners).

Even in one of the major small dog groups, the terriers, all of the original terriers stared out large like Airedale terriers. ONLY with the need on farm to catch vermin etc where small versions created like the jack Russell.

The major difference between dogs bred down in size for a purpose such as on farms, and those bred down in size for urban dwellers pure entertainment, is that the original purpose dogs often led a much happier life, or at least more natural. They had a job to do and they knew what it was, and they got to be in contact with nature while doing it.