The Attitude of a Toy Breed

Does your little toy dog know who is in charge? Or do they think they are in charge? Some people are not bothered that their little toy dog seems to run the household and may mistakenly call this being "spoiled." A better description would be lack of training or failure to set limits. The life of a little dog can become dangerous without some official "human" rules.

Dogs have excellent ability, senses and ways of communicating with us. They do need to learn the limits of living in our human society without allowing them to be "little people" who can just do as they please. Dogs are like children. They feel more secure and understand how they fit into the world around them when rules and limits are set for them.

Because small dogs are less dangerous and are capable of doing less harm, aggressiveness is often overlooked and uncorrected. People often put up with a small dog's aggressiveness. However, all dogs are much more enjoyable when they are well mannered. A toy dog with good manners is an ideal companion. Teaching good manners to your small dog will allow him to be welcome everywhere he goes.

Obedience commands are the ideal way to teach small dog manners and prevent or correct problems. The first thing any dog or puppy should hear when he is headed for trouble is a stern "NO!" He must learn this word means to stop immediately whatever naughty thing he is doing. That "NO" should always gains his immediate attention. Remember to praise him when he does the right thing.

For a puppy to remain safe he needs to learn four or five commands. Teaching him the command "Wait" will keep him from jumping out in front of a car. Sit, Stay and Come are the other important commands to teach your toy puppy for his own safety. The commands of "Leave it" and "Out" are also important commands for the curious toy puppy. Begin training your toy puppy as soon as he has settled into his new home. Buy a good training book especially for the toy puppy and look for the gentle training methods. Even better is training classes with a professional trainer. Definitely learn whether or not the trainer has ever worked with toy breed dogs and puppies.

A toy puppy should also be taught to lie on his side at a very young age. This training is especially valuable for the toy breeds that have a lot of hair and will require regular brushing.

Even though your toy breed puppy is very small, and quite easily to pick up, and carry around, train him to wear a collar and leash as soon as possible.