There’s something incredibly cute about little dogs! Be it the cute Pug or the adorable Shih Tzu – the small dogs can sometimes weigh even less than your neighbor’s Persian cat. Masking everyday care and grooming essential for small breed dogs.
A baby Chihuahua can at times be closer to a teapot size when young. While a cockapoo falls a little bit in this, a little bit in that, for being a cross between a cocker spaniel and a poodle. You can read more about cockapoos here. But let the little size of these small dog breeds not make you think that they are tame and docile. Even the petite canines come with extra-large personalities. And it’s equally important to take care of them the right way!
Wondering where do you need to put your focus on with a small breed dog? Discussed below are the useful pointers that can help you. If you want another resource to browse on, you can check out https://animals.net and other similar sites.
Take care of what you feed your dog
Your little Pug or Poodle will need a protein-based diet that will help in its growth. You can avert digestive problems, like vomiting and bloating from eating and gulping a huge amount of food particles all at once.
It’s best to serve him two or three small quantities of meals every day as suggested on Allbreeds site. You may also want to add water to the dry food to make it soft and moist so that your little dog can eat it easily and fast.
You should be protective of your dog
Small dogs are often very active and pick up fights with big breed dogs! So, keep a watchful eye and save your little, petite furry friend from the large dogs. If you don’t, it might result in unwanted injuries and other dangers. If your pup is walking in the park and picking up a fight with a big, unfamiliar dog, immediately take him away.
Training is essential
Big or small breed dog, every pup needs the standard dog training for his grooming and safety. Your little puppy can become a complete nuisance if you don’t train him/her to the basic commands of “sit,” “down,” “stand” and “stay.”
Also, as you prepare your little pup, make sure that you don’t tolerate negative behavior traits like growling unnecessarily just because it looks cute. You can appoint a personal trainer to train your pet how to be around family members and others.
Train your furry friend on being obedient. It will help you in the long run because your dog will not be rebellious creating havoc in the home and elsewhere.
Exercise is essential
It’s important for everyone to stay fit and agile. So, make sure that your dog exercises daily. One of the best activities for your little furry friend is a brisk morning and evening walk.
For most small dogs walking completes all the exercise requirements. That aside, you can also include fun games like catching the ball or spot jumping to keep your pet fit and prevent laziness from building up.
Small breed dogs look cute and funny with their dopey eyes. When you don’t provide them with the best care and grooming, it can act against you. These little pups can turn out to be rebellious, and a complete tyrant making lives tough for all. Ensure that you get their basic grooming correct.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
My friend has couple of these dogs and they need to go and get groomed just like a long haired dog. Toenails clipp d and everything. Good for their health
Our small dog has passed, but we got him as a rescue and we never trained him – BUT SHOULD HAVE. That is great advice.
Good to know! My daughter wishes she could have a small dog, but right now I tell her our two cats are enough.
I love small breed dogs! They are all so cute. Alas, we have a huge German Shepherd, but these tips are great!
I definitely try to groom my dogs regularly. Smaller dogs seem to get dirtier because they’re just closer to the ground. You have some great tips here that I am definitely going to try with my dog.
You came to the right place we have two rescue shih tzus and want to treat them like royalty. I love your tips and I will follow some of these great ideas.
I really enjoyed reading this post. You’ve provided some really great tips. I agree that it’s so important for a fur baby to have basic training.
We got a puppy a bit ago and goodness it is like having a baby! How had I forgotten about this? LOL Thank you for the tips!
Awww, I had a Dashound just like that when I was a young girl. I still remember him. They are the best dogs.
We have a small dog and he will pick fights with bigger dogs if given a chance. He doesn’t seem to realize he is 1/4 their size.
You cannot overemphasize the exercise. Small dogs need a lot of it.
I know a lot of people that don’t take their dogs for walks, and it makes me sad. These are all so important for a dog’s health and well-being.
I love these tips! I used to work at a vet’s office, and one of the biggest problems we had with small breeds was that many times they were overfed. It may look like you’re hardly feeding them anything, but their stomachs are tiny! Overfeeding leads to overweight dogs, and that can cause all sorts of health problems!
These are great tips! We have two dogs, one is a Lab and one is a Havanese. So he is a small breed dog and I agree with all of this, it is a difference in care for sure.
We had a small dog. He was more of a handful than our bigger ones. But what good advice, if you train them right you should have no problems.
These are great tips. We have a small breed dog, Scottie. He is a Cockapoo and just a sweetheart!
Such great tips. We have three small dogs and we make sure we are on top of all of it for them so they live healthier longer lives!
Awe look at that sweet baby! I would love to snuggle him!
This is really wonderful article, my kids wants dog, they want beagle, we haven’t decided yet. May be next summer. I can’t take care of bigbaby so will go for small breed.