Aggressive canine behavior, resource guarding, and barking are common problems in small dogs. Imagine you are living in a world 8 inches above the ground. That’s what it’s like for small breeds. If I see the world through a small dog’s perspective, I can feel quite vulnerable because everyone, every dog, and everything is so much bigger than me. It can be quite a difficult place to get to. From this perspective of vulnerability, and the inability of many small dog guardians to see the world through their eyes, small dogs are left to fend for themselves.
What do we mean when we say little dog? Some of the most popular small dog breeds range in size from 4 to 20 pounds, and include Pomeranians, Chihuahuas, Terrier breeds, and Toy breeds like Poodles. Many small dog guardians do not properly socialize, train or train these small breeds, like large dog guardians. They think smaller breeds don’t need it when in fact they need it just as much.
A dog is a dog, is a dog, regardless of size. By not taking the time to properly socialize, train and exercise small dogs, we are doing them serious harm and then we have a lot of unwanted behavior undoing, which is really bad. It takes more time and creates more stress for the dog.
Let’s break down some of these issues to better understand small dog behavior. We can then help young dogs feel less of the fear, anxiety, and stress that are at the heart of these undesirable behaviors.
Understanding small dog behavior problems
“Humans often do things that inadvertently reinforce fear and anxiety in small and complete dogs,” says Laura Nativo, CPDT-KA, KPA CTP, Dog Trainer and Pet Lifestyle Specialist. completely unaware of their behavior.
When dog guardians pick up dogs whenever they see something they consider scary or might frighten the dog, such as another dog, a loud sound, a cyclist, skateboarding, etc., they’re telling their dog that this is scary, when in reality, it’s not. This is easy to do, because the dog is young, but the guardians don’t realize the impact it has on the dog – creating fear when there is almost nothing to fear or worry about at all. .
Behavior is a function of emotions. Dogs – emotional creatures who don’t speak our language – must resort to body language to express their feelings. These body language turns into behavior, when not understood properly. In this way, they begin to express their feelings to us in subtle ways such as:
- look far away
- lick their lips
- yawn
When we don’t understand these delicate body parts talking, dogs feel the need to become larger in their communication, so the following behaviors occur:
“Chronic fear and stress,” says Laurie C. Williams, CPDT-KA, owner of behavioral counseling Pup ‘N Iron in Fredericksburg, Virginia, “is often the underlying cause of these behaviors,” says Laurie C. Williams, CPDT-KA. Unwanted like aggression and barking. Behavior is a function of the emotional state of all animals. When dog guardians are not aware that dog behavior is the only way to communicate their feelings, dogs have no choice but to become larger in their communication. They may start growling or barking, and if this behavior is misunderstood or, worse, corrected by shouting or closing its mouth, it will most likely make the misunderstood dog even bigger. This can lead to bites. There are levels of aggression before a dog bite and knowing what these signs are (body language screaming when heard), we can provide immediate relief to prevent an escalation of the behavior aggression before being bitten by a dog”.
How to help small dog behaviors: fear of other dogs
Timber, my 8-pound Maltese/Yorkshire Terrier mix was attacked by a dog when he was 5 months old. After the attack, she was petrified by all the dogs. Knowing this, I started helping her feel safer around dogs by dropping high-value items (sausage cuts) every time she saw a dog, not a dog. right when I see the dog. She began associating dogs with treats. I keep throwing junk food in front of her every time she sees a dog. She started looking for snacks when she saw only one dog.
This is the same thing as Pavlov’s dog experiment. Every time the dog hears the bell, the dog begins to salivate, knowing that a treat is on.
To reinforce it, I’ve had play sessions with known friendly and playful dogs in my yard. Over time, Timber became less and less afraid of dogs when on a leash and more interested in meeting friendly dogs on a leash and playing with them when she felt safe and secure, knowing that I was a human. her benevolent leader. I built a trust account with Timber. With this foundation of trust, I was able to help her feel relief instead of fear and anxiety every time she saw a dog.
This takes time and patience. I had to start from quite a distance with the dog that was causing her anxiety. Over time, I was able to reduce the distance and now, she can walk another dog on the sidewalk without fear.
If I sense that the other dog has nervous body language and will react to Timber, I’ll move off the sidewalk or cross the street and even pick him up, if those options aren’t available. Picking her up at this point is not about creating fear or anxiety, but about telling her that I too see unpleasant body language from the oncoming dog and will keep her safe. . Again, as her benevolent leader, I am continuing to build her trust account, letting her count on me for safety and security, knowing that I will not harm her.
How to help small dogs breed: save resources
Resource guarding is common in many dog species, but occurs most commonly in small breed dogs. Small dogs tend to covet their guardians, just as a dog might want to do with their bones or food bowls. They are protecting their resource – their people.
Normally, people see this as protecting them, but this isn’t really what’s happening. Most likely they are saying, this is my person and I don’t want to share. For example, when a spouse tries to get into bed while the dog’s guardian is already in bed, asleep, or reading a book, the dog may growl at the spouse. Another scenario is when the dog is lying comfortably on his guardian’s lap and someone comes to sit in the chair with them. The dog may smirk, growl, or stagger. It’s not protection, it’s saying, “No, this is my space, go away.”
It is unintentionally reinforced by the guardian either laughing or moving the dog closer, away from others. The dog has succeeded in protecting its precious resource, it could be a person, a couch, someone talking to you on a walk, another dog coming to say hello, etc.
To prevent this behavior, set up hands-on encounters with people and instruct them not to socialize with your dog. Give gifts of high value before the guarding action begins. Ask someone else to enjoy the treat for your dog, while still not interacting with it. Once the behavior starts, stop the game and create more distance between the dog and the trigger (the other). When the dog calms down, start tossing the treats again. We are changing the association from guarding to when people come around, food falls from the sky.
How to help a small dog bark
Barking is a sign of a bite, and it’s also a small breed’s way of saying, “I want to be part of the action, too.” Smaller dogs tend to be neglected:
- when the company comes in and the dogs don’t get the attention they think they deserve
- when other dogs are playing and they want to play too, but it’s not safe because they could get hurt
Think of this type of barking like saying “Me, me, me!” This is a nuisance barking, not aggression or fear-based barking and should be handled differently.
Don’t draw attention to annoying barking. This behavior most likely started because it was inadvertently reinforced. Actively ignore this behavior by getting up and doing something else – going to the bathroom, making phone calls, doing laundry. When the barking stops, return to where you were before the barking started.
These undesirable behaviors can be easily minimized if we give all dogs, big or small, the care and time they need to help them feel safe and secure. , so that they can thrive in a world dominated by humans.
