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Unless you have a particular type of dog in mind, it can be hard to decide which breed to purchase. The first step is to think about what size dog you prefer. Is your house big enough for a large dog? Or do you only have a courtyard? Small dogs can be a great source of friendship. And there are a lot of different types of small dogs, very different in both temperament and appearance. Whilst toy dogs are amongst the most well known of the small dogs, there are others that are similar to their larger cousins.
I’ll run through 3 breeds in this article – welsh terriers, brussels griffons and whippets.
Brussels Griffons
The large eyes of the brussels griffon are thought to have been part of what led George Lucas, of Star Wars fame, to create the Ewoks. Looking at these cute dogs, you can see the kinship.
Brussels griffons are extremely sensitive and devoted dogs who will be more closely bonded with one person than others. They should be socialized when they are young pups. Their sensitivity and one-person nature mean they aren’t suited for families.
One of the great things about the brussels griffon is that they get along well with cats, as well as other dogs, although you need to be careful they don’t challenge for dominance with a bigger dog.
The Welsh Terrier Breed
Welsh terriers have been described as calm for a terrier, but maybe not as calm as other dogs. They have a sturdy look, and quite a big personality, particularly the boys. They are curious, affectionate, extroverted, joyous, and fearless.
Used to control rats and other vermin, and as a result welsh terriers love to chase things – including cats. So,, if you have cats, this may not be the ideal pet for your family.
Great with children, welsh terriers need a backyard where they can’t escape as they do love to dig, and may thus escape. When walking a welshie, be sure he stays on the leash, because his road sense when distracted by fun is not very good.
Welsh terriers need quite a bit of time from their owners. They have to have grooming regularly, and get bored if left by themselves for the normal workday. They probably suit someone with a part time job rather than a full time job. When they’re bored, they can cause destruction around the house.
Whippet Information
Whippets belong to the family of dogs known as sighthounds, which are named because they hunt by using their keen eyesight and great speed, instead of using smell like scent hounds. These elegant looking dogs are petite, ranging in height from 18.5 to 20 inches for male whippets, or 17.5 to 18.5 inches for female whippets. And the whippet dog breed look just like small versions of greyhounds!
Whippets have been described as being like toy dogs in temperament, liking nothing better than curling up on your lap. These are very loyal dogs, bonding with their owner strongly, though still good natured around strangers and children. The whippet dog breed are very gentle, so much so that they have been used in aged care homes.
Whippets need to be kept indoors. Their coats don’t keep them warm enough outside, and they have a strong bond to their owners. If you’re prepared to exercise them regularly, whippets are great for apartment living.
Dog Training
Though dogs and human interactions stretch over centuries, communication between the two sometimes is still out of sync. The human half of the pair is usually the smarter party, but watching the usual training sessions one can have legitimate reason to wonder.
Dogs understand and respond at roughly the mental level of a human two-year-old, but there the similarity ends. Their senses operate differently – their color vision has a different response pattern to reds and greens, for example, and obviously their noses are infinitely more sensitive – and their minds process information differently as well. Anyone training dogs has to take this into account in order to avoid human frustration and canine misbehavior.
Dogs are by nature pack animals. Descendant from wolves – where even the ‘lone wolf’ is an anomaly – they’re social and function best with active interplay and within a strict hierarchy.
So, set aside half-an-hour per day, an hour would be better, for at least the first few months of training. Start your training as young as possible. Puppy training sometimes can be started as early as four weeks old.
Elimination (‘potty’) training details we leave for elsewhere, but all training follows similar guidelines.
Establish your pack dominance early on. Dog pack hierachy – alpha dogs, beta dogs, and all the way down to the omega dogs. For a sane household, and a well-adjusted dog, the human (whether male or female) must always be the alpha male of the pack.
This will be easier or more difficult depending on breed and even with individual dogs. Like humans, some are simply more assertive than others. The most important training aid is your attitude, followed by collars, leashes and other training aids. Remember, you are the boss, not the dog.
Physical force is not necessary to enforce your dominance. Sometimes, used appropriately, that will be necessary. Usually, simply being firm and willing to wait for compliance will be enough.
For many, placing them on their backs when young and placing a firm hand in the middle of the chest until they lower their paws – a sign of submission – will be enough. With some, reinforcing this by putting your face close to theirs, emulating dominant dog behavior, can help.
Keep the leash short to discourage your dog to run, and pay attention to you. Allow plenty of time for free running behavior, essential to dog health, but that’s before or after training, not during. At least, not at first.
Start simply by choosing short, clear commands that sound distinctly different: sit, stay, down, come. Use a firm, but not too loud of a voice. You’re in charge, but not angry. Avoid double-word commands like ‘sit down’ or ‘stay down’. These sound too much alike and quickly confuse the dog.
Show consitency with each verbal command by using the same tone, look and hand gesture. Eventually these can separate, but at first it’s essential to provide the simplest, most consistent form of communication.
Just like two-year old humans, dogs have limited capacity for grasping the subtleties of language. Assist their understanding by rigid consistency. Don’t use a single command word to mean more than one thing. ”Down’ needs to mean only one thing, you must choose if it means ‘don’t jump on me’ or ‘lay down on your belly’.
Be clear, be patient and be committed and the result will be a dog who trusts and listens to you. And that makes it worth the effort. Find more on dog training at Luvurdog.com/dogtraining
Though dog-human interaction goes back thousands of years, communication between the two is still sometimes rough. The human half of the pair is usually the smarter party, but watching the usual training sessions one can have legitimate reason to wonder.Dogs understand and respond at roughly the mental level of a human two-year-old, but there the similarity ends. Their senses operate differently – their color vision has a different response pattern to reds and greens, for example, and obviously their noses are infinitely more sensitive – and their minds process information differently as well. Anyone training dogs has to take this into account in order to avoid human frustration and canine misbehavior.
Dogs are by nature pack animals. Descendant from wolves – where even the ‘lone wolf’ is an anomaly – they’re social and function best with active interplay and within a strict hierarchy.
So, set aside half-an-hour per day, an hour would be better, for at least the first few months of training. Start as young as possible. Four weeks is not too early with some breeds, provided one doesn’t expect too much.
Elimination (‘potty’) training details we leave for elsewhere, but all training follows similar guidelines.
Establish dominance early on. Dogs have a hierarchy – there are alpha dogs, beta dogs, and on down to the omega. For a sane household, and a well-adjusted dog, the human (whether male or female) must always be the alpha male of the pack.
This will be easier or more difficult depending on breed and even with individual dogs. Like humans, some are simply more assertive than others. Leashes, collars, commands and other training aids are all highly useful but most important is attitude. Never let your dog be the boss.
That guideline doesn’t imply you must enforce your dominance with physical force. Sometimes, used appropriately, that will be necessary. Usually, simply being firm and willing to wait for compliance will be enough.
For many, placing them on their backs when young and placing a firm hand in the middle of the chest until they lower their paws – a sign of submission – will be enough. With some, reinforcing this by putting your face close to theirs, emulating dominant dog behavior, can help.
Start on a short leash to restrain the dog’s natural tendency to run and scamper. Allow plenty of time for free running behavior, essential to dog health, but that’s before or after training, not during. At least, not at first.
Start simply by choosing short, clear commands that sound distinctly different: sit, stay, down, come. Use a firm, but not harsh voice. You’re in charge, but not angry. Avoid double-word commands like ‘sit down’ or ‘stay down’. These sound too much alike and quickly confuse the dog.
Accompany each verbal command with the same tone, look and hand gesture. Eventually these can separate, but at first it’s essential to provide the simplest, most consistent form of communication.
Just like two-year old humans, dogs have limited capacity for grasping the subtleties of language. Assist their understanding by rigid consistency. Don’t use a single command word to mean more than one thing. ‘Down’ can mean ‘don’t jump on me or anyone else’, or it can mean ‘get on your stomach’, but it has to mean one thing only.
Be clear, be patient and be committed and the result will be a dog who trusts and listens to you. And that makes it worth the effort.
