People are indulgent of their dog’s behavior, regardless of size. Large dogs are reined in more because of the threat of greater harm. Overall, people fail to understand dog behavior and do not properly train their puppies, resulting in adult dogs with problem behaviors, the leading cause of shelter surrenders.

Small dogs retain their biological “cute factors” longer than big dogs, eliciting prolonged acceptance of bad habits. My Maltese rescue has leash aggression and bit a “pit-bull” during a training session. My neighbors ridicule my attempts to make her a good citizen with training classes and behavior modification. They think I expect too much of her and insist that her behavior should be tolerated because she is small and cute.

Aggressive behavior is not cute, can cause other animals to attack, and must not be tolerated. The behavior is fear-based, but not size-based and can be modified with proper training and maintenance.

Small dogs, like dogs of any size, can learn to behave well. Making sure they do will go a long way to ensuring that they have forever homes.

Sincerely,

P. Elizabeth Anderson
Author: The Power of the Bond Between People and Pets: Our Boundless Connection to Companion Animals (Praeger 2008)

I have 3 med. to large dogs and 3 small dogs. All are well trained, so I do not see this as a large dog v small dog issue. I think this is more of an uneducated owner and under-trained dog issue. Unhappily, should anything happen, the larger dog would most likely be blamed initially (not to mention vet bills, bite laws, other matters like lawsuits, etc.).
To other readers, please remember that this article is merely a reflection of what the author experiences on HER daily walks and it has got to be very frustrating for her indeed!Please cut her some slack and please do not take this personally!
Personally,I tend to be "proactive" in these situations and try to turn them into training moments for both myself/my dog and the owner of/& the other dog.When confronted with this situation,I tell the other owner that I am training my dog and it would be a great help if they could put their dog in a sit/stay(having a treat handy for the other dog does not hurt) and allow me to walk my dog by while their dog sits calmly and without barking or otherwise at my dog. If it works and the other dog can maintain the sit/stay without going nuts, I ask the owner if we could do this again the next time we meet to "help" me with training my dog. If the other dog can not maintain and continues to act up towards my dog I tend to say something along the lines of "what a great training opportunity for both of us! The next time we meet let's take turns having our dogs practice sitting nicely and concentrating on us while the other dog passes by". This gives the other owner the knowledge that THEIR dog isn't in control and they need to work on training, plus you are trying to actively deal with the situation in a nicer, proactive manner.
However, if approaching the owner isn't a possibility, or the owner tells you to bugger off, then I usually try the not so subtle approach of leaving a Dog Law phamplet in their mailbox with the leash and bite law sections highlighted... usually they get the idea. Sometimes though it takes a "bullhorn in a can" to get an aggressive dog of any size to back off, which I do not hesitate to use if it appears an aggressive event is eminent.(I hate to do that, but I also can not allow my dog to be attacked or myself to be bit.)

"This is an anecdotal piece voicing ONE person's opinion. Relax. There are responsible and polite dog owners of dog of ALL sizes. There is no universal statement that applies to all dog owners, toots."

One person's opinion, originally a Letter to the Editor, "promoted" to a blog post by the editors of the magazine, who tell us (in the print magazine) that "She's not the first to make this observation." And most of the comments have been supporting the letter writer's wholesale smearing of small dogs and their owners.

But somehow her expressing her sweeping opinion based on anecdotal experience is A-Okay with you, but my expressing MY experience is not, and I need to be told to "relax" and be addressed as "toots." Isn't that interesting?

Well, how insulting. I live with 6, fairly well behaved, small dogs. Two of my dogs trial in Rally obedience. One of my dogs works with me as my partner when I train. He gets to be the bait dog for all those people with big, out of control, barking, lunging dogs. While their dogs are acting the fool trying to get at him, he is sitting calmly at my side, looking at me, waiting for my next cue.

All dogs, big, medium and small, should be trained to have manners and singling out a group of dogs by breed or size is nothing but predujudice.

"But anytime a little dog starts barking, it's a yappy, vicious, untrained, unsocialized, spoiled little dog, no matter WHAT immediately preceded the barking. And the owners of the big dogs remain secure in their sense of their persecuted victimhood"

Liz, your "conclusion" is an extreme, over-the-top, inaccurate generalization that makes clear there is only one person playing up their victim role, and that is YOU.

This is an anecdotal piece voicing ONE person's opinion. Relax. There are responsible and polite dog owners of dog of ALL sizes. There is no universal statement that applies to all dog owners, toots.

I would just like to say that not all small/toy dog owners are like this. I have a rescued Miniature Schnauzer mix who has been well trained and is NEVER allowed to be aggressive to people or dogs. He knows what is appropriate behavior and what is not. What bothers me the most about this article is that it implies that all large dog owners are responsible, and all small dog owners are irresponsible. Don't get me wrong, I love big dogs too, and I see where the author is coming from, but there many examples of owners of large dogs being irresponsible.

Lucky and I were recently attacked by two large dogs while the owners stood by and did nothing to stop. This was an unprovoked attack, all we did was walk past them on the other side of a very wide street. Another man who was working out in his yard saw what happened and rushed over to help. He had to kick the other dogs as hard as he could to get them off. Lucky was severely hurt (he had a dislocated hip, two torn ligaments, severe damage to his kneecap, and several deep gashes and puncture wounds), and I had gashes and puncture wounds on my hands and arms from the attack. They still have the dogs, and have done nothing to curb their aggressive behavior. It just goes to show that not all owners of large dogs are responsible, and not all small dog owners are irresponsible.

I am the owner of two dogs. One small Jack Russell and a German Shorthaired Pointer. It has been my experience that not all small dogs are aggressive. Yes there are bad small dog owners but from what I have been around there are just as many if not more bad large dog owners. My Jack is terrified of large dogs because he was attacked for no reason by a larger dog. So yes he will act out but it is out of fear not aggression. Are large dog is new and it has taken me over a week just to get them to be okay seeing each other through a baby gate.

It isn't the size of dog, it is the owner. Blaming only small dogs as being bad isn't right and I am shocked that this story was even published.

I have a small dog, a Chinese Crested. She was a year old when I got her, and had had some unfortunate experiences prior to that time, leaving her afraid,no, terrified, of larger dogs. I've worked with her intensely over the last three years, and she's made huge progress.

Last summer, I took her to a local nature reserve where dogs are allowed on-leash. At the summit of the major hill, we were hanging out in the sun when we were joined by a family with their off-leash Golden Retriever. The Golden saw my dog, got that goofy Golden look on his face, and bolted over to us--with his dim-witted owners shouting, "Don't worry, he's friendly!"

My little dog put herself into a down, made herself as small as possible, said as clearly as possible in polite doggy language that she was uncomfortable and did not want this approach. The Golden ignored the signal, barreled right up to us and stood over her, with that big, goofy, Golden grin on his face. My terrified little dog jumped to her feet and started barking a clear, warning, get-away bark. She barked. She did not bite, try to bite, lunge at him, anything.

His dim-witted owners finally called him off. And for the rest of the time we stayed, I was listening to jokes about my "Tasmanian Devil dog" and how she "tried to attack the Golden." Even when other families showed up, one with a Cavalier and one with a Lhasa mix, and my dog interacted politely and appropriately with these dogs who were, yes, smaller than the Golden, but also more polite themselves than the Golden had (which, heck, wasn't a hard standard to meet), people who'd been there for the initial incident "warned" the families about my "Tasmanian Devil dog."

All those people went home with yet another story of a vicious little dog attacking a big dog--even though that's not remotely what happened. Facts don't matter; there was a small dog and a large dog involved, so the little dog must have been at fault.

The footnote to all this is that today we were there again, and there was a family there with their two (off-leash!) Labs. The Labs saw us, and started bounding enthusiastically towards my girl, and she threw herself into that self-effacing down again--and this time it worked. The Labs stopped, looked at her, and started a slower, more circuitous approach, at the end of which my dog was feeling calmer and more confident, and was able to greet them in a slightly nervous, but friendly manner.

I've worked with her a lot, but really, the difference was in the "big dogs"--one friendly, ill-mannered lout of a Golden, two equally friendly, and polite, Labradors.

But anytime a little dog starts barking, it's a yappy, vicious, untrained, unsocialized, spoiled little dog, no matter WHAT immediately preceded the barking. And the owners of the big dogs remain secure in their sense of their persecuted victimhood.

Not only do I agree that many small dog owners tolerate or even encourage their small dogs to be have aggressively, but the prejudice extends to shelters and humane societies as well. It is not at all uncommon to see a snappy, fearful small dog get adopted while larger dogs, especially if someone thinks they look like a Pit, are killed for significantly less aggressive behavior. Not only does this double standard exist, it kills dogs every day.

I have a theory that small-dog owners find their pets’ aggressive behavior cute, endearing and funny. They believe that because their dog is small and could never be a threat to any other dog, therefore it’s OK to allow it to growl, bark, snap and charge at my dog.

I find this letter childish and ridiculous, and honestly, I was shocked that The Bark would publish such a divisive and ill-thought message. Would you publish a letter from a reader saying pit bull owners get a pass because they play the sympathy/misunderstood card? I doubt it. But it is very easy to pick on the small breeds because they aren't really dogs, are they? There's good and bad dog owners of all breeds. For Lisa to pigeonhole small dog owners because of her situation with her neighbor is small minded. She should get out more and mingle with responsible dog owners of all shapes and sizes.

If we're going to foster a community of stereotypes, the comments I am reading here from other large breed owners fit my own stereotype: Large breed owners are arrogant. My small dog has been attacked not once, not twice, but 3 times by large breeds. Is my dog at fault while she's walking along sniffing trees and doing her thing? Not when I am on the other side of the park and a German Shepherd or Border Collie or Vizsla bolts across the field and grabs my dog by the throat or pins her to the ground. And do you know what the owners of these dogs said to me? "That's not really a dog anyway" or "my dog was just playing" or "lighten up" - all of them laughing while I had to take my dog to the clinic for emergency treatment, once even resulting in eye surgery.

I'm sorry that you are the victim of a barking little dog. Truly. But lets keep some perspective here... you are able to cross the street or walk a different direction to avoid a neighbor with a barky dog. What about being chased by an out of control large breed dog that could not only kill your dog, but seriously injure you. Listen - I'm not saying your neighbor is off the hook. But to label all small dogs & the owners is your problem and will limit your life experience. I am regularly get verbal barbs from people when I'm out walking my dog like "nice rat" or "that's not a dog", but those people are jerks and I move along. At the same time, I have people stop and ask to pet her and cuddle her and go crazy over how cute she is and I try to remember these moments. I can't always keep it in perspective myself because the vehement hatred of small breed dogs that I've encountered is so incredibly mean spirited. It frightens me for the animals in shelters and any dog that just wants a chance at life, but has to overcome nasty stereotypes like Lisa's. I take an interest in my dog's training and behavior, she's wonderful, and she does not deserve the consequences from the stereotypes Lisa's letter perpetuates.

I would have to agree that some owners of small dogs don't mind the aggressive behavior. I have a 14 lb. cockapoo and when she barks at other dogs, I usually fuss at her to stop. I do believe it's not in a manner of being aggressive, it's more a "hey, can you come over to play" regardless to the size of dogs.
I take her to the dog parks and she does very well playing with other dogs, although I notice she loves bigger dogs.
It really makes you wonder about dogs taking on their owners personality. Bossy dogs, bossy owners maybe?

I have a small dog, and I agree that there is a double standard. We have worked hard to train Rosie just as we did our large dog. We constantly get comments on quiet Rosie is, and we feel secure in our ability to do fun stuff with her because for the most part, she listens well. It is a shame that people do not spend the time to train their small dogs as they should, it does the dogs a dis-service as much as the people. The dogs become fearful and as you pointed out, obnoxious. We are fortunate to have a Chihuahua mix that is not yappy and is well trained. She get's lots of exercise (something else many small dogs don't get enough of, adding to the yappiness) and we spend a lot of time working with her and challenging her mind with activities like Agility. We feel blessed to have her in our life and proud that she is generally a very well behaved pup - we have our moments, as any dog owner does - but we keep working on it!
I feel sad for all those small dogs out there who don't get that kind of support from their families and for the other dogs and families who have to put up with them!

I have sat here thinking about this whole topic. I grew up with small dogs, chihuahua and chihuahua mixes. Now, my Mom and I never treated them like little decorations, we treated them like a dog. They never had a problem with behavior, we socialized them from a young age and made sure they were well trained. My Aunt, also has three toy poodles that she rescued. All have had trained classes and she has worked on each one's problems. I think the issue is more with people being bad owners. It is NOT ok for a 5 pound or a 105 pound dog to bark lunge, bite, ect ect ..
I now have a 19 month old Doberman who is my service dog and one of the loves of my life. When we got him at 10 weeks old, I worked hard with classes, play dates, ect ect to make him a model of the breed. Now, as he has become my medical alert dog I have worked with him even more. He has several trainers and has been a demo dog in several classes as well as passing his CGC, and almost completed his service dog certification. I will say in some of the classes I have noticed that SOME of the small dog owners have allowed their dogs to have nasty behavior that if my doberman even pondered acting that way he would be seen has a dog who should be put down. However, I also saw mastiff parents and other large and giant breed parents who didn't take their charges training seriously either.
Do I think their is a double standard?? In a way, I think sometimes that the general public expect the large and giant breeds to be exceptional because of their size. I think it all boils down to being a good parent to your dog. Each owner should strive to make their pet amazing. So those who are terrified of a dog of any size will see that there is no reason for it..
Now if we can only get people to chase dogs in purses out of stores and leave us people with working vested dogs alone.. that would be nice too.

Small dog owners are no more likely to allow their dogs to behave inappropriately than large dog, medium dog or purple dog owners. There are dog owners everywhere that are irresponsible and disrespectful of others, and it has nothing to do with breed or breed size. My Poms are well mannered and I certainly don't find any kind of aggressive behavior cute. The larger service dogs that I foster are carefully supervised anywhere we go to ensure appropriate behavior. On walks and in pet supply stores we run into owners who have not socialized or trained their dogs appropriately - and the dogs come in all sizes. Generalizations about anything are based on small amounts of data, anecdotal data, misconceptions brought about by the media, and often an individual's minute experiences in the grand scheme of things. People are people - there are those who are responsible and respectful, and many who are not. Generalizing can bring about discrimination - as in bans on many bully breeds. Generalizations and stereotypes are dangerous - bringing about discrimination not just against dogs, but people throughout history.

First of all, no, I don't think ALL small-breed owners encourage bad behavior of their dogs, but I DO believe this letter to the editors stemmed from a sense of frustration from a large-breed owner, and I myself encounter this frustration on a daily basis. I have 2 pit bull mixes, although one is so old she doesn't go to the park anymore but I take my youngest one 3-4 times a week and WITHOUT fail, am confronted by this situation at least twice each week, to the point where I no longer enjoy going. (Unfortunately, I live in a very metro area on a main road and have a small yard so our exercise options are somewhat limited). At our park,we have a small dog area and a large dog area. They are NEXT to each other, just seperated by a double gate. Small dog owners REPEATEDLY bring their tinies into the large dog park and then complain about the behavior of the big dogs, which is typically NORMAL dog behavior, but they don't want an 80 lb german shepherd or pit tumbling their small dog. Most of the time the larger dogs are playing in typical dog fashion but they're simply so large it LOOKS bad and their small dogs start squealing and nipping at the larger dogs. This then riles up ALL the dogs and the small dog owners repeatedly complain, "Fluffy or Nipper or whatever doesn't like big dogs, they make him nervous". GO TO THE SMALL DOG PARK. Its right HERE, I'm not asking you to go across town. So, what ends up happening is that in order to avoid conflict, the big dog owners, including myself, just leash our dogs and leave. This implies an arrogance of the small dog owner that I just cannot abide. Not only do they think its okay for THEIR dogs to bite as a defense mechanism and refuse to correct the situation, but we with the big dogs have no right to be out in public because our dogs are "lesser" for some reason.
I also encounter this in my neighborhood when I walk my dogs. Neither of my dogs are aggressive, I've worked hard to make sure my bullies are good breed ambassadors, and are not interested in the smaller dogs in my neighborhood, but I REGULARLY encounter those who let their small dogs remain unleashed in their yards, running amok and squealing their heads off and charging my dogs (and I'm sure other big breeds although there aren't many in my block). Shockingly, these dogs typically belong to the women in my area who sit on the HOA that regularly send out notices to all the homeowners that our dogs must ALWAYS remain leashed when leaving our home (ie to the car, etc). Again, I hate to make assumptions of people I don't know, but this behavior implies to me that they somehow think they're "above" acting acceptably and courteously because their dogs can't physically take you down. I had a neighbor at an old apartment complex who walked her toy poodle on a retractable leash and giggled when he'd bite ankles. Funny, I think if that was my pit bull so much as LOOKING at someone's ankles, I would have been KICKED out of the complex as having an aggressive dog.
So, unfortunately, I have to agree that there IS a double-standard. I agree that its not ALL small dog owners, but it seems as though when I encounter a small-breed owner that doesn't think they're above the "rules" of respect and accountability for their dogs' behavior, that they are the EXCEPTION, not the rule.

I can't tell you how glad I was to read the letter by Lisa McMillan about the problem of uncorrected bad behavior by small dogs. Time after time I have walked away, just shaking my head, after someone allowed their little dog to behave outrageously, sometimes triggering aggressive responses from my dogs. While the situation seemed to be "no big deal" to them, I was sometimes left with 2 very upset 50 lb. dogs nearly pulling my shoulders out of the sockets (of course, my dogs are leashed)! It is not OK. Not OK at all and I do not appreciate having onlookers shift their attention from some little yapper to me and my dogs who make a considerably more impressive display when they're upset. THEY get painted with the "aggressive" brush, and little Fifi and her owner walk away, scott free. Grrrrr...

Judy Johnson
Sebastopol, CA

I'm probably on the tail end of responses for this issue but I do have to AGREE with Lisa from Ontario. I would have to say, though, that it is the vast majority of small dog people, not all. And while larger dogs are not exempt from being unruly, more does seem to be expected of them. I also think that small dog people tend to train and socialize their dogs less, after all you can just pick them up-eewww! They have four legs for a reason!

LOVE your magazine!

Woof,

Deanna, Dudley, Zane and Zori

To Sophie's owner: you describe Sophie as very friendly. This raised an eyebrow. Does Sophie walk in front of you, greeting the little dogs before you do? Is Sophie greeting these dogs face-to-face? Many larger dog owners are willing to put the "blame" on the small, barky dog, failing to see the signals their dog is showing. The behaviors I just described are basic dominant behaviors and would get a good bark going from my small breed dog. You might want to consider starting a structured (person leads, not dog) dog walking group in your neighborhood and invite the small dogs.

To the guide dog owner: gotta ask... How can you see the little dog lunging at your dog? Why did you stay near a barking dog for 5 minutes? That little dog must have been in real distress...

Well I've waited a while without commenting because I just didn't know how to react to all this bashing of the small dog community. I could agree with Anna Nirva's comment more. You can pick any group of dog owners to critisize for this reason or that but it sure isn't fair to generalize on the matter. I have 2 chihuahua mixes that I work with daily on barking issues and I know a lot of people in my same boat who work their butts off to socialize and train their dogs to not have these problems.
No dog is perfect- I'm sure yours has some issue that we could find to discuss too! I wouldn't just sit back and watch this happen tho, I would definetly be proactive and talk to these people you disagree with- maybe you can even help teach them something (since you know it all)!

Just received your magazine as a gift and read the piece regarding double standard with respect to small dogs being allowed to behave badly. As an owner of small dogs all under 5 lbs. I strongly disagree. I have found that people with small dogs do not ordinarily train their dogs and if the dog is doing something the owner feels is unacceptable, they simply pick the dog up. Often they are poorly socialized which can add to the drama. All of my dogs are trained and we keep working on it daily, can't say that is the norm. There is nothing cute about a dog that growls, snaps or charges another dog or an owner that doesn't put in the time to train even the tiniest of dogs.

Mary
Michigan

I was saddened to read the Letter to the Editor in Bark's Feb/Mar 2010
issue. I saw the ugly root of bigotry in that letter, which is the
tendency to demonize that which we don't understand. And I saw "Bark,"
my favorite magazine, enthusiastically employ this polarizing topic to
build readership on their blog. It is disheartening. Our fur family
includes a Great Dane, a Coonhound mix, and a foster American
Staffordshire Terrier (pitbull) mix and my work includes some online
marketing, so I have a closer view of these topics than some readers.
Plus, I am a long-time volunteer at our rural county shelter and I
watch small dogs get adopted within days or weeks, while our lovely
large dogs wait for up to 18 months. I watch our larger dogs
dispiritedly follow the movements of visitors who pass them by and
don't seem to notice them at all; it truly hurts my heart. Small dogs
are much more popular everywhere it appears, and heart-felt support
for "underdog" large dogs can breed insidious contempt for small dogs
and their owners, I know. But I reject this feeling. It is unfair and
I would assert counter-productive to building a stronger animal
welfare movement that should, that must be blind to breed and size
bigotry.

The small dog owner who appeared to approve of his dog's aggressive
behavior and find it appealing is not typical of the majority of small
dog owners in my experience. Of course there are some, but let's not
unfairly paint all with the same broad brush. Try this: replace the
term "small dog" with "pitbull" or "guard dog" and now the bigotry
should be more apparent. Stop that line of thinking. The true issue is
education or lack of it. Those owners who allow inappropriate
aggressive behavior in their dog may simply be unaware of what
aggression is, what the behavior markers are, why it is unacceptable,
or how to retrain it. Those owners may not knowingly be perpetuating a
double standard; they may be simply ignorant about the inherent
aggression found in all dogs to varying degrees. The effect Lisa
McMillan, the letter writer, identifies as a double standard might
instead by the tendency for some uneducated animal lovers to choose
small "cute" dogs over large dogs and of course the tendency of anyone
to react aggressively when confronted about their ignorance. I would
say to Lisa that a compassionate response to the small dog's
aggression would be to initiate a non-judgmental conversation away
from the dogs and to provide empathy and support to her less-informed
neighbor. Remember that everyone started out ignorant once. And I
would say that Lisa has a responsibility to her dog to provide
counter-conditioning that helps overcome the fear of small dogs,
instead of just complaining about it.

Humans are inherently aggressive as well, the blog comments seem to
indicate. When will our thoughts and comments evolve beyond our
unfortunate tendency to overgeneralize and engage in fruitless
conflict?

Kind regards,
Anna Nirva
Founder, www.sunbearsquad.org
Genoa, Wisconsin

Is there a double standard between the accepted behavior of large dogs and small-breed dogs? I believe the answer is an emphatic yes, with very few exceptions.
Most good dog trainers understand that the toy-dog is an actual dog, subject to the same rules as any other. A loving small-dog steward treats her dog with respect, care and protection. She allows her little Rover to be a dog, and expects him to behave like one.
She doesn't allow him to snap at humans from the protection of her arms, meanwhile cooing that he doesn't mean anything by his bad behavior (he does). She doesn't allow him to yap endlessly out her car window when she picks up her fast food order. Definitely, absolutely, she does not allow him to rush willy-nilly at strange or known dogs while barking his little head off. While no dog should be allowed to approach a strange dog without careful supervision, tiny dogs are even more vunerable to great, bodily harm than dogs of average size.
Ours is a four dog household: Luke, a mixed-breed, weighing in at eighty-one pounds; Tess and Naomi, basenjis; and Stella, a rescued chihuahua who weighs less than five pounds. Each of our dogs is trained and expected to exhibit good manners at all times, including Stella. I want my dogs to be well received where ever we go, including Stella.
Little dogs are often allowed to behave like maniacs. I see it all too often. If Luke were allowed to rush up, unleashed and out of control, to another dog, we would probably find ourselves at the wrong end of a lawsuit. But, far more disturbing, when small-breed dogs are allowed to misbehave unchecked, caretakers often become tired of dealing with the little monsters they helped create. Countless small-breed dogs are abandoned or destroyed because of bad behavior.

Michele Lommasson
Albuquerque, NM

I disagree with this theory that small-dog owners find their pets' aggressive behavior cute, endearing and funny. I'm sure there are plenty of dog owners out there who don't mind their dogs' aggressive behavior and I've witnessed these owners at parks and around the neighborhood. And they aren't ALL small dogs.

I am a small and big dog owner--I have a papillon and a golden retriever. My papillon is yappy. She barks at other dogs. She growls and tries to lunge. I find it completely annoying.

I have done all I can to curb this behavior, but I simply cannot do it. I walk her twice a day for 40 minutes, I have consulted her veterinarian, I've bought her a citronella collar, I've bought her several different kinds of halters. I tried having her walk on a treadmill to get rid of more energy. I ride my bike with her. I've tried positive reinforcement, I've tried scolding her. I've hired a dog trainer, I've taken her to obedience classes. I even submit a video to dog whisperer (Though they never got back to me.) And I've been told the same thing by everyone-- she is simply one of those dogs that just has this type of personality.

As someone who struggles with this kind of behavior from her dog, I think it's unfair to say that all small-dog owners like this kind of behavior.

My boxer (80 lbs), staffordshire terrier (65 lbs) and I receive many complements while on our neighborhood walks...my constant response is "Thanks, when they are this size it's not a choice". Large dogs HAVE to be well behaved or quickly get a reputation as vicious or end up forgotten by their family and left outside or in the basement. I wish that all dog owners wanted to have well behaved, socialized pets regardless of size. I seems that it's just easier for someone who doesn't want to properly care for their dog, but has one anyway, to get a small breed. Unfortunately, I have come to expect that when I see a small dog they are going to charge at us and when I see a large dog they are going to be fine. I am not wrong often.

I don't know about a double standard.
I just think that some people like their dogs having
attitude. Look at all the videos on TV where
small dogs are encouraged to be food aggresive
or 'protective' of their owners. It's so irresponsible!
Large or small, ALL dogs need to learn
to be good citizens. We'd have a lot fewer
dogs in shelters if owners were more responsible.

Is there a double standard? I would have to say yes. My family are giant breed owners. My sister has 2 great danes, a 105 pound female and a 175 pound male,and I have a 105 pound female dane. When we take the 3 of them out togheter we constantly have to be on the look out for small dogs because the owners seem to think it is ok not to pay attention to what their dogs are doing. Can our dogs be dangerous yes anyone's can. We try to be good dog owners, when we go out of our yard the dogs are not only leashed but are on pinch collars,usually short leashed, and have been to training classes.
I think that the larger breeds attacks get more media attention because of the damages that the larger breeds are capable of, but I think smaller dogs probaly bite more offen.

As a retired breeder of Scottish Terriers I have run into this kind of problem in our liberal city more times then I care to remember. I live in the middle of a fair sized city on the west coast, our city government has set up a lot of public land to be used as off lead dog parks,some are solely for the use of dogs and others have off lead hours. It is convenient to be able to walk two blocks to the unfenced dog park for off lead hours with my dogs on a lead, but for some reason most others will not leash their dogs on the way to the park. To make matters worse the smaller dogs that are allowed to run loose, do try to start fights with larger dogs,and mine are larger, and these owners are all to ready to sue if their little dog gets hurt, but will ignore the person that tries to remind them that the laws governing appropriate play in the park apply to them, as well as the big dogs. I can no longer go to the dog park two blocks away. In the process of training my many puppies over the years, I spent many hours over in the park with them,teaching and letting them play. Now the park is not a suitable place to take a dog to train,which was one of the reasons for creating the off lead hours in the parks inside the neighborhoods. I would advise this woman to remind the owners of small dogs that the laws apply to them too, and to not be afraid to call and complain if necessary. OH YEAH,your dogs are probably smaller then mine! or about the same!

It's a shame when people do not make sure their animals behave well. I've seen one person regularly walk their dog around the neighborhood off leash, despite there being leash laws. The dog has tried to bite people several times, once chasing a child for quite a distance. The woman laughs and says the dog is completely friendly and would never hurt anyone. One owner lets their dog out in the front, where they have no yard, to do its business. Despite having a back yard, he opens the door, lets his dog out without supervision, and several minutes later lets the dog in...after it pooped all over the public sidewalk! Some people let their dogs stand on the roof or hang their head out of house windows and bark for hours at anyone or anything that moves. One woman parked in a corner spot that everyone had to walk past and then yelled at me for getting too near her car when I was walking my dog. She expected me to walk in the street, braving passing cars to walk around her car so as not to agitate her dogs inside of the car, instead of parking in a spot just two places over where no one would have to pass her car. One owner ties his very big dog to a flimsy porch railing in the front of the house with no front yard. As a result, the dog sits on the steps on the edge of the public sidewalk or on the public sidewalk. I was completely freaked out when the dog lunged aggressively at me when I didn't see the dog behind the bush while walking my dog. I just do not understand owners like that! I've had my dog for many years, and we've always taught our dog proper behavior. Our dog is expected to stay in our yard at all times, and we have a constant eye on it when it goes outside to do its business. It's allowed to play in the fenced in back yard unsupervised, but even then we can see it through the window just in case something happens. If my dog displays any kind of unacceptable behavior, we are quick to correct it, putting our dog inside if necessary. We certainly don't allow the constant barking! It's a nuisance, and the owners should be held accountable for their dog's actions.

My dog is a 9 lb shih tzu. I don't go to off-leash dog parks anymore because of small dog owners. I've decided that people who are inclined to think of their dog as tiny humans in dog suits tend to congregate at the small dog sections of dog parks. I am so tired of seeing aggression interpreted as play by owners who would never tolerate that behavior in someone else's large dog.

Small dog owners seem to think it's OK for their dog to act like this because they are small, and "can't do any damage" like a "big dog" can.

Some think it's cute, and unfortunately, it's not.

Actually i have a long haired chihuahua. And he barks like hes being attacked. Actually more like he is screaming. I detest it. I have tried to correct him and i still do but it just hasnt improved. Even with seeing the neighbours dog everyday he treats it like a new experience each time. I wish i could hire a pro but i have considered sending him to a doggy dayare so he will get more exposure. Its not easy or cheap either. Once a Dog hasnt been properly socialized at a young age its hard to correct that habit.

Pat, you brought up another one of my pet peeves. Small dogs in stores where they do not belong. This irks me to no end. I work at T.J. Maxx and there is this one lady who is always bringing in her little Maltese. She always is going on about how the dog is the stores mascot and for some reason the managers allow this. It really bugs me because no one says anything about that dog being there. But when a lady had a larger breed laying in the shopping cart while going around the store, we had tons of customers complaining about the dog being there even though it was totally silent and sleeping most of the time (whereas the Maltese is yappy the whole time its in the store). I really feel like reporting this because in NY State it is illegal to have a dog that is not a service dog in any type of store (exception is the pet stores which have permits). I really blame the celebrities for this happening. I also have thought about taking my big fluffy, although well behaved Keeshond into work one day and seeing how many complaints I get about it. Then bringing that to the attention of the managers.

There are owners who love their dogs, teach them confidence and encourage their dog through positive reinforcement to prioritize the relationship they have with their owner rather than be distracted by or feel threatened by less important stimulus in the environment. These owners always use a leash when the dog is not properly contained or not competing in some sort of trial. Owners with good manners would never allow their best friend, regardless of breed or size, set a poor example or make anyone feel uncomfortable or fearful, sadly it seems lack of manners permeates the dog keeping community(different than those who truly OWN and love dogs) as so many other parts of our lives around the globe are negatively impacted by a sans etiquette mentality.
These owners and the dogs they fail to contain or train are simply to be pitied and avoided, as no matter what those of us say or do or how we say or do what we must to defend ourselves and our dog, they just won't get it. I have taken up putting my dogs in the car and leaving my neighborhood, finding locations where no other people and the dogs they refuse to properly contain or train will visit. Inconveinient most certainly but much better than the adrenaline rush, the angry verbal thrashing I will be forced to launch. My former Police Chief instructed me that I should carry a stun gun, I don't want to hurt someone else's dog simply because they are acting like an irresponsible moron. Failing to train or contain is lazy, as is making excuses or blaming the dog belonging to the party who IS using a leash.

I take exception to Lisa McMillan's comments on a double standard because I scold my Pomeranian quite severely any time he is aggressive. On the other hand, I am excluded from taking him to the local dog park because the larger dogs are so aggressive towards him. I believe they could be under the false impression that he is a cat because he is small and very fluffy. I do agree that small dog owners should keep their dogs in check when they don't act right and have made that comment to them whenever I see bad behavior. It only takes one second for a large dog to turn around and do significant damage to an irritating yapper. I witnessed that for myself with our Collie and my aunt's Chihuahua. That's why I am so stern with my small dog to not be aggressive because it's not funny and, in fact, could turn out to be deadly.

We also have people in our neighborhood with small breeds, and for some reason, these people feel that it's not only acceptable for their little dogs to charge bigger dogs, but these geniuses also seem to think that they have control enough over them to walk them off-leash. I have seen this more times than I can count, and not only is it illegal where I live to walk a dog off-leash, but twice, I have seen this small dog run into our busy street in an attempt to charge bigger dogs. All I know is this: If I ever let any of my Chow Chows off-leash, or allowed them to behave badly and found it entertaining, OR, if one of these little dogs charged at my dogs and got attacked by my dogs in self defense or protecting me, they would be removed from my home and put down faster than you can blink because of the discrimination against their breed. Fortunately, I love my dogs and would never do anything as irresponsible as that, and I'm also a considerate pet owner all around.
Another subject for future discussion - the inconsideration of pet owners (and, again, I see this much more frequently in people with small breeds) who think they are above picking up after their pet. Just because its' small, doesn't make it any less toxic!

I am afraid that I have to concur with Lisa McMillan; I have had people bring their little dogs into my home uninvited, even when they knew we had a large indoor dog. And then make negative comments about our dog barking from his crate! At the park, they will allow them to rush up to my dog, even when I explain that my dog is not friendly, move my dog off the walkway, and make him sit quietly. It's almost as though they are trying to dare us to respond.

I also see these little dogs in grocery stores and other retail establishments where dogs definitely are not meant to be.

Pat Hufford

I am very offended, as an owner of a seven year old Chihuahua and a nine month old Whippet, that anyone would imply that there was a double standard between small dog owners and large dog owners. For every person that lets their little yapper terrorize the neighborhood, their is another person who works dilligently to train their little Napolian well. I am currently suffering through the same situation in complete oppisite. My Chi is a rescue breeder mom and yes, she can be yappy. We have taken her all the way through advanced level obiedience training. We rescued her last January and she was a charm all through winter and into the spring. Unfortunately, Summer in or neighborhood is the season of the off leash Labradors and other large breeds. Everyone brings their large breed dogs (especially Labs) to the public park and plays fetch with them off leash. People barbeque in their yards, have parties, and wash cars and the dogs, large and small are off leash. My little dog, who has had little oppertunity to socialize has been raced up to so many times that she has developed horrible aggresion issues. The chant of off leash Labrador owners in my neighborhood is always, "dont worry he's friendly." I have tried many times to convey to these people that my dog is not friendly, and I am always laughed off, untill the dog gets to close and before, I can pic my dog up, their dog gets bit. Their is no reason for any dog to ever be off leash and out of control in any public place. Dogs in public places are a right and not a privlige. Not only do off leash dogs create problems for other dog owners, but dog owners, who do not control and clean up after their animals are trampling on the rights of non dog owners, who wish to enjoy their public outings without the interference of any dog, large, or small. - Kristine Hahn Fraser, Michigan

Absolutely agree, Cheryl. As the owner of small dogs, I am sometimes made to feel apologetic for their size, as if they are somehow not "real" dogs. My two are now asleep, after a happy morning of Agility class and a long, wet, muddy walk by the seashore, where they were polite and well behaved with the several dozen dogs and people that we met. Good manners are not related to size - they are down to sufficient socialisation and training. Thanks for a sensible, balanced post.

I was thinking about this while walking my 2 small dogs and came up with the following conclusion:

I believe we see fewer poorly trained large dogs because their owners simply can't take them out in public. They are too strong to walk on a leash without hurting their owners.

Sadly, many are penned up in a back yard and given very little attention or are kept in a family setting until a stranger comes over when they are wrestled into another room.

Irregardless of the size of the dog, no dog should be able to entice another dog into aggressive behavior. Since the "irresponsible owners" won't set limits, it is the responsibility of the "good owners" to set boundaries. I have told people to NOT approach us with their dogs. I have moved my dogs off a trail and had them sit quietly while an unruly dog (and owner) passed by. Some owners get snippy, but I really don't care. It is my responsibility to keep my dogs as far away from threatening situations as possible.

I, too, have seen owners of small, toy breed dogs, allow much too much leeway when it comes to approaching a larger breed dog. This definitely happens.

I have worked with small dogs in a rescue capacity for many years now. Owners not taking the time to properly train their small, or large, dog is either expressing ignorance or just plain laziness. At the "end of the day", this is most unjust for the dog.

All dogs, large, small or otherwise; deserve to be properly trained.
Sadly, there are many untrained dogs of all breed types and sizes.
Any way you look at it, it is unjust for the dog. Rendering them anti-social, sometimes even aggressive. This is just wrong on so many levels.

Being much more involved in smaller breeders for several years now, I do have to say that the small dog owner who takes great strides properly training their small dog, and the small dog in general, is getting a bum rap by being tossed under the umbrella of stereo-typing mindsets just because of their stature. This is unfair as it casts a very negative light on small dogs in general.

Many small dogs participate in various dog sports, i.e. obedience, rally-o, agility, etc. Many small dogs make excellent therapy or service dogs. Lumping them all together to label them being ankle-biting noisy little tyrants is not deserved, at least not in any across the board basis.

There are dogs of every size and every breed that are mishandled and untrained. An across the table, one size fits all approach, serves to misrepresent any dog. They all need to be assessed on a case by case basis. Let's take off the blurry glasses and give credit where credit is due. And, this is not only with the larger breeds.
Let's consider each dog, just as we should each person, on a separate case by case basis with honest, and otherwise accurate, assessment.

Perpetuating stereo-typical, close mindedness opinions on an across the board basis is simply wrong.

Many small dog are well-trained and well-managed. Let's not discount these canines and have them get lost in the fray of preconceived bias.

My assertion is that there are untrained, mismanaged dogs in every size, shape, color, breed (mix). Is it right to point fingers at them as the socially inept? NO! I say the blame for this needs to be placed squarely upon the shoulders of owners who for one reason or another, all unacceptable; fail to take responsibility to ensure their dogs are not menaces. Just remember the next time you see any dog presenting unsocial behavior, the blame justly should be targeted at the human, not the dog.

Thank you.
A dedicated, hard-working canine rescue volunteer.

Anyone who allows their small dog (or any sized dog) to charge and bark another dog suggests to me that they don't really care about the dog, why else would they allow their dog to get into a possibly dangerous violent situation?

There certainly isn't a double-standard with regard to human attitude and the size of their dog, but rather, arrogance and stupidity. Some Golden Retriever and Labrador owners think nothing of allowing their dogs to roam off-lead and when their "sweet" dogs become aggressive toward another dog (on lead), they get all huffy and say "oh my dog has never done that before!" Yeah right.

If I see any dog I don't know or that my dogs don't know, I yell out: MY DOGS DON'T LIKE OTHER DOGS, SO YOU BEST GET YOURS ON LEAD BECAUSE IF YOURS GETS TOO CLOSE AND SOMEBODY GETS HURT, THE LAW IS ON MY SIDE!

Oh, and being called a crazy bitch doesn't bother me, as it has kept my dogs safe.

I worked at the local low cost spay/neuter clinic and have volunteered at the local animal shelter since oct 2002. As a result we have 15 dogs right now, all have been rescued and range in size from 5lbs (a blind yorkie), to a 120lb 11 year old malamute mix. In our house everyone is treated the same. the small dogs must behave just as much as the big dogs. Also dealing with so many different dogs on such a regular basis I can honestly say small dogs bite much more often than the big dogs but because they are small and don't do as much damamge most people think its ok. One of our small dogs bit me the first time I met him and I ended up with him a month later becuase he wouldn't stop biting his new owners(he belonged to an older woman who passed). He no longer bites anyone since we don't allow that behavior even though his name is still Chooee, cause he used to try to Chooee on Youee! All dogs no matter what size, shape or color need to be good canine citizens.

I'm afraid I must agree with you and I'm the owner of a small dog (a Boston Terrier). My Sadie has been taught that good manners are important, as she is a therapy dog who visits convalescent hospitals. On our walks however, we have been confronted by snapping, growling, and generally hostile behavior from any number of small dogs, whose owners appear to think this behavior is "cute". Fortunately, Sadie much prefers the companionship of people to other dogs, and tends to simply isgnore bad behavior. I suppose the general perception is that a big dog can do some real damage to a person or another dog; however, my sister in laws Chihuahua bit a neighbor with absolutely no provocation, and was never corrected for that bad behavior!

As a trainer I was always very disappointed when the owners of small dogs who came to class would refuse to correct some of these behaviors, they found them funny. These were most often the people that would come back in a few months complaining that the behaviors that they had found cute are now turned against them. On the other hand I also had many of owners of small dogs who found it silly that they wouldn't socialize and train there dogs just as if they were large. These were the students I liked having the most, it gave the whole group a much better opportunity to socialize with all sizes of dogs. Unfortunately last summer my 40lb mix breed dog almost had 6 months of physical therapy undone when my neighbors 5lb dog snuck up on us and attacked my dog by jumping on her back and trying to bite the back of her neck. My neighbor then ran out assuring me that the little dog that was snarling and lunging that I was currently fending of my dog was friendly, we have had this happen a number of times and we can now no longer walk in our neighbor hood safely. Many of the people with larger dogs in my complex take there dogs to farther neighborhoods to walk them safely away from a few smaller dogs. Luckily another neighbor has a well behaved smaller dog which has allowed my dog to socialize.

Your point is so well-taken! Good manners should be the standard for all dogs regardless of size.

Melanie, I have been in your position tons of times with having to return a dog to its owner's house and with them being clueless about the dog even being out.

I think its awesome that you have taught your daughter to ask first before approaching and petting a dog. Once at Petsmart these kids just came up behind my back and started petting my 9 year old Keeshond Leo who was sitting a little back to my left side. Their parents are lucky that Leo is good with kids or else they may have gotten bit. I told the parents to have their kids ask next time they want to pet a dog and in this case they saw the logic of my words. And I am glad to say I have seen this in action; when I took my dog to see the eye vet specialist a little girl asked to pet Leo and also was teaching her 2 year old baby sister how to properly pet a dog. I praised the girl for her actions, and we had a nice chat about dogs.

It's an awful thing what these people do You probably wish they'd get a wake up call not from your dog of course.
My Dad does this with his little spaniel cross it's like a cocker and dachshund mix. Penney's about 25lb and supposed to be 15lb she looks like a tiny furry foot stool. I have a pitt cross she's about 45lbs of muscle she loves to play and has asked Penney to play many times I don't know why.He brings Penney over to our house and thinks it hilarious that Penney can put Sadie on her back with Penney at her throat growling and snarling. He even eggs her on. I'm pretty sure family functions would'nt be the same if Sadie were not so sweet. If Sadie were to do that being pitt and all, well I would never allow that.

I second Sue's comment (Feb. 6) while there does seem to be a double standard with small dog owners somehow believing they are exempt from training, walking on leash, correcting bad behavior or picking up after their dogs there are big dog owners who are equally clueless.

Responsible dog ownership/guardianship applies to everyone. Do not allow your dog to approach another dog without permission, keep your dog on leash, correct (gently!) bad behavior, clean up after your dog (no matter how small the mess!) and get your dog trained with a responsible reputable dog training group.

I share Lisa's frustration with the behavior of small dogs, or more accurately small dog owners. We own a Golden Retriever and a Great Pyrenees, whom we enjoy walking around our neighborhood. We work hard to teach our boys good manners, and we keep them leashed when we take them outside of our fenced yard. We make sure they know that humans are the alphas in their pack. In turn we have raised our five-year old daughter to be respectful toward dogs and ask permission before petting strange dogs.

Unfortunately, the neighborhoods' little dog owners are not so considerate. One (thankfully former) neighbor habitually let her unlicensed Shih Tzu run loose, encouraging it to run across the street to defecate on neighbors' lawns instead of their own. When visited by the local dog warden, the owner asserted that her dog was too small to require a license. We called that dog "Pee Dog".

Another neighborhood Shih Tzu literally pulled its corkscrew stake out of the ground as it charged after our boys. Its owner claimed that it just wanted to play. We call that dog "Angry Dog", and warn our daughter to keep her distance.

Now we watch a tiny trio - two Maltese and a Yorkie - who regularly drag their owner down the street. On occasion they have broken loose and charged our daughter. When we caught and returned them to their home, the owners were clueless that the dogs had even been outside their house. Training suggestions fall on deaf ears. Yet if - heaven forbid - anything ever happens between those untrained terrors and our dogs, our boys will be the ones at fault just because of their size.

This is exactly the kind of situation that makes me dream of having an 'Etiquette in Public' class for dogs owners - except the people that need to come probably wouldn't, and I'd end up preaching to the choir. While small dogs do seem to get acutal training less often, the rudeness certainly goes both ways. I recently attended my first 'fun-match' with my 18 lb pug, who is CGC/Therapy Dog Certified. We were standing with our backs against a wall when a woman let her Belgian Shepherd walk up to 'say hi' to my dog. Before she could get close enough for the dog to sniff mine, I asked her politely to keep her (leashed) dog at a distance. My reasons for doing so weren't really important - though I had no idea who she was, if her dog was friendly, was 'working' my dog, and had no where to move if things did turn icky! She huffed at us as if we were stuck-up, bu thankfully moved on. I think the most polite thing we can do when with our dogs,in public (whatever their size, and even if it's only on your front lawn) is not to assume everyone loves our dogs as much as we do, and ALWAYS ask before greeting or letting our dogs greet.