I rescued my very small dog from four lanes of traffic on a busy street not far from where I live. She was so small that, at first, I thought she was a squirrel. When I realized she was a dog, I stopped my car. I was lucky that the cars around me stopped, too.
I got out, gesturing to the other drivers to please wait, and I called her. She was huddled at the curb on the far side of the street. I knelt down, sideways to her, and called again, opening my arms and hoping against hope that she had the courage to come to me. She hesitated . . . .then she came, straight to me, and I secured her in my arms. The other drivers waited until I was back in my car, door closed, engine started. I got a thumbs-up from a man in a truck who’d closely watched the whole scene. She was safe!
I drove home very carefully, with the little dog on my lap.
I called Animal Control immediately. They had no listings for a lost dog of her description. I was willing to keep her until her owner claimed her, so they took her information and mine. I called the two other shelters in my area, too, and gave them the information, in case someone was looking there.
I visited my next-door neighbor, who had a miniature schnauzer, to get some idea of how much her dog ate in a day, then I did the math to figure out how much to offer the very little dog for dinner.
I’d had mostly big dogs to that point, primarily golden retrievers. I’d fostered and trained small- to medium-sized dogs; the smallest of them had weighed about 17 pounds. The dog I rescued from the four lanes of traffic turned out to be, when weighed at my veterinarian’s office, five pounds!
No one claimed her.
She was not microchipped. She was young, approximately the same age as my golden retriever was at the time, about two years old. She was unkempt, certainly, and probably not that well-nourished, but she was otherwise healthy. It’s possible she had given birth to at least one litter of puppies.
She was clearly a combination of two breeds of dogs—a Yorkshire terrier and a powderpuff Chinese crested, confirmed by a veterinarian who’d been a Chinese crested breeder herself. She very well could have been what’s called a “designer dog”—a dog purpose-bred to look that way, very possibly by an backyard breeder or puppy mill wannabe. That part of her history, we’ll never know for sure.
I decided to keep her.
I had her spayed, microchipped, and licensed.
Then I started to learn about living with a very small dog. So far, it’s been a positive experience—both for me and, I think, for her. She’s about fifteen, the oldest dog I’ve ever owned. She’s happy and healthy, especially after having 17 teeth pulled several years ago. I lift her down from the bed now, rather than letting her jump on her own. She occasionally stalls out on the stairs. She’s still playful, feisty, and fun. I am very glad we found each other on the busy street that day!
Photo by Marie Hammerling
I asked dog owners and dog professionals for their advice about living with very small dogs:
Health
Jessica Stinson Hudson When [they’re] young, be careful of hypoglycemia.
Katt Patt We have a mini Pom and one thing we didn’t know about was the predisposition to diabetes—manageable but scary when he started showing symptoms: excessive drinking, urinating a lot, drooling, general spacey-ness.
Summer Storm Kingery DVM Do not ignore signs of illness in little dogs. Big-dog owners come in sooner than little-dog owners because the volume of vomiting or diarrhea is larger, but little dogs don’t have as much volume to lose and can dehydrate and experience temperature variations faster. Tiny dogs are generally harder to get medications for—many meds must be compounded to get the correct dose. Finally, little dogs are just as at risk for heartworm and other infectious diseases as big dogs. Two of the most commonly affected breeds for leptospirosis are Maltese and Yorkies. Heartworm mosquitos can find their way in the house! And these diseases in little dogs are even more devastating (a foot-long heartworm in a heart the size of a quarter is deadly).
Janet Galante [My dog] has steps for accessing the sofa even though she can jump. Little dogs are prone to patella luxation.
Timothy Page We have two chihuahuas, one eleven-plus pounds, the other nine pounds. Mine have had the luxating patella problem. I would say you should research the breed for that problem early, and start on joint supplements right away. The nine-pounder hasn’t had any knee out of place since after about a year of daily joint supplements. The other has had that only once, but she also gets the injections. Fortunately, it isn’t severe. They play flyball, so they keep in good form otherwise.
Monique Feyrecilde Small dogs are more delicate. Use caution when allowing them to jump on and off furniture, and when interacting with larger dogs. It only takes a moment for an injury to happen.
Summer Storm Kingery DVM Traumatic injuries are common because of size. Teach little dogs to use stairs and ramps. Jumping off a couch for a little dog is akin to jumping out a second- or third-story window for a human!
Dental
Monique Feyrecilde Small dogs have special dental needs, especially brachycephalics. Start early with positive reinforcement for cooperative care, especially tooth-brushing.
Micha Michlewicz Their small jaws create a degree of crowding and they need to be okay with dental upkeep—and people need to do it. I make sure to either manually floss or water-pik (I use a monoject syringe) between the crowded ones. Not to mention brushing.
Grooming
Julie Ellingson Trim toenails often. Long nails cause early arthritis and joint and back pain. Brush [their coats] frequently (don’t let them nip at you!). Brush their teeth.
Jessica Stinson Hudson So many littles hate having their nails done, so positive conditioning early on will make life less stressful.
Nutrition
Julie Ellingson Measure the food and rib-check frequently. [An appropriate] portion for an active six-pound dog? A little less than 1/4 cup twice a day.
Linda Beal Offer them food and water in very shallow dishes (saucers are ideal). My two dogs couldn’t get their little puppy heads over the sides of the bowl!
Peggy Modjeski Feed really good dog food and treats. Don’t let [them] get overweight.
Enrichment
Monique Feyrecilde Tiny dogs need exercise, training, mental stimulation, and socialization, just like larger dogs do.
Jessica Stinson Hudson Don’t underestimate them when considering food-puzzle toys. My four-pound dog’s KONG® is not a tiny one! Smaller dogs are at risk of getting their jaws stuck in smaller openings, so I avoid tiny ones. Mental enrichment is important. I build toy drive as extra option for reinforcement. Don’t forget productive exercises and body conditioning! Tiny dogs tend to not get anywhere near enough. Give them high spots to window-watch, and my guy loves cubby-type beds and burrowing.
Exercise
Peggy Modjeski Let [the] dog walk instead of carrying it, if possible.
Julie Ellingson Treat your little like a dog! They can walk! Walkies are super important. Little Jenny is perfectly capable of a two-mile walk, and she enjoys them.
Equipment
Debbie Eckert Walk the dog using a martingale collar or harness. Too many small dogs back out of their collars when scared, and then they take off running. I’ve seen it so many times.
Linda Beal Always keep them in a harness, so you can pick them up like luggage, if required. Add a bell so you know where they are (which is usually underfoot).
Safety
Jessica Stinson Hudson Look before you sit down! Always closely supervise [them] outside, as they can be viewed as prey. Keep grass low . . . snakes.
Peggy Modjeski Be very vigilant around other dogs. Accidents happen, and little dogs can easily be injured or worse through rough play or predatory behavior.
Lauren Fetterman I have a 6.5-pounder. If I do need to pick her up, I body-block oncoming dogs with my hip and turn my upper body away from them. I also carry SprayShield® and if a dog appears threatening—and the wind isn’t blowing toward me—I will spray the path of the oncoming dog rather than the dog itself. Timing is important, as you want to buy yourself some time to make a getaway. The element of surprise is on your side, so spray as the dog is approaching and don’t wait for it to reach you. Also, I have small dogs loose only around calm, mature dogs. If larger youngsters are running and playing, smaller dogs are on-leash, and vice versa.
Sherry Al-Mufti If your tiny dog engages in aggressive behavior, it’s not cute. It is at best inappropriate and annoying, [and it] is an indication that the dog is feeling overwhelming stress. It’s also dangerous. My six-pound Papillon went through a period when he was very dog-reactive and would become a “whirling white tornado from hell” when another dog entered his environment. It was shocking how many people thought this was cute. We worked very hard for a very long time to change his emotional reaction to dogs entering his environment. That was my number-one concern for a couple of years.
Monique Feyrecilde Sometimes people handle small dogs differently because they are small and can’t deliver a severe bite. A small dog who is growling or snapping deserves the same respect and compassion (especially at the veterinary office) as a large dog does. Just because the dog is small enough to physically restrain, that doesn’t make it okay. My five-pound Papillon Zora has a trained recall cue that ends in her jumping into my arms. I use this cue for safety to keep her out of harm’s way at the park, or out from underfoot in busy situations.
Janet Galante Lulu was my first small dog. She was atypical, though. She was pretty much a street dog and it took a couple of years to gain her trust. I treat her just like any of my other dogs, except I respect her size. By that I mean I keep her comfortable. If an area is crowded or if she is surrounded by large dogs, I pick her up and carry her through the area. When we hike, she stays on a long line because I simply cannot maintain visual contact and she is fodder for wildlife.
Socialization
Annie Zeck Get as a very small puppy and socialize like crazy. Walks in the woods like any other dog. If possible, [have] a kindly older dog to keep them safe and help them learn dog stuff (how to hunt, how to be friendly, how to relax). Don’t spoil [them] because they’re so cute, and don’t let the neighbors spoil [them] either! Get used to people, especially young women and girls, squealing and running up to the dog. Be vigilant on safety, and enjoy!
Jessica Stinson Hudson I have a four-pound long-coat chihuahua who is my first dog under 40 pounds. Allow them to be dogs—lots of positive hand-conditioning, as so many people reach right out to them.
Debbie Eckert Yes, sadly, too many people don’t know when and how to approach dogs. They often invade their space and try to pet the top of the head—dogs consider over the head or body to be a [threatening] move. I always try to train the people how to approach, but sometimes it’s just not possible. So have your friends handle the small dog as much as possible in various situations to help socialize.
Beth Fabel Always remember what life must feel like when you are only eight inches tall, how scary everyday things can be, how unpredictable toddlers and other dogs appear to be. Teach your dog how to handle those situations instead of laughing at him when he snarls or barks. It’s not cute, and your dog is not happy. Give him the skills to cope with scary things.
Training
Laurie Schlossnagle Train your little dogs, don’t just pick them up. And when you socialize, do it both holding them and with them on the ground.
Summer Storm Kingery DVM Do not scoop them up! Many dogs become anxious from being picked up. Instead, teach your dog a cue to be picked up, and reinforce picking up so that it is a good thing. Don’t be lazy with training in general. We tend to manhandle small dogs in ways we would never try with a large breed. It’s lazy. Train as if your dog is too big to force.
Timothy Page My chihuahuas don’t like to be picked up, but they will jump into your lap.
Jessica Stinson Hudson Teach them to come in to be lifted. My Leon comes close, turns to the side, and hops up a bit when I lift him, for which I give him a cue or heads-up. A lot of people don’t let their tiny dogs know before they pick them up. I also taught Leon to height-seek to greet people instead of mulling around under foot. Recall [coming when called] is vital—these suckers can be fast.
Kristy Gibson I have a 3kg [six and a half pounds] 11-year-old chihuahua. I think it’s important to approach their training, socialization, management, and lives with two particularly important points in mind.
- The world is a pretty big, potentially scary place when you’re only 3kg. Be kind in your interactions and empathetic toward their perspective. Very normal things for people take on a very different view when considered from that low to the floor.
- Behavior is important, whether it comes from a 3kg or a 70kg [150-pound] dog. Little dogs’ behavior should not be excused because they’re small and physically manageable, and neither should they be ignored because [we think] their size makes them incapable of doing more damage. Fear is fear, and should be managed appropriately, with compassion. A growl or bite should be listened to with respect for their space and state of mind.
Management
Jesse Miller Don’t get all obsessed with treating your tiny dog as if they were a Great Dane. They’re not. It’s completely okay if you want your dog to be able to do things a large dog wouldn’t, like [having you] pick them up or letting them on furniture. So long as they’re not behaving in a way that’s dangerous for them or anyone else, you do whatever you feel like with your dog.
Grisha Stewart has recorded a webinar just for small dogs:
http://grishastewart.com/small-dogs
