'[(x)]' Little Dogs

[digitS']

My barber has dogs - 3 of them.

She closed her shop a couple years ago but - don't tell anyone - still gives haircuts in her home. She had some of the dogs at the shop, too. Her oldest dog was just a poodle puppy when I first saw him. He was okay - wanted to sleep on the customers while they waited for a haircut. He's gone now. So is 1 of her pomeranians.

She has a little cocka poo, Sally. She's the boss dog and just as friendly as all get-out! She is all over me when I go over there. Even bites me in a playful way. When the cape comes off after the haircut, she just has to scramble up in my lap for a minute or 2.

There's also a shih tzu cross. I think I was told she is a malt-shi. She is the youngest but was grown when she arrived and definitely a little snapper. She's gotten over that, tho'.

The little old boy pomeranian likes to bark at me when I come or go. If I hold my hand down, he's right over there under it wanting to be pet. Then, he is back to barking at me. If I say something to him, he dances a little but then goes back to barking.

I don't know how she tames them so well. Of course, they have to get used to people coming and going but they are all real curious about visitors. I don't think I could get bit under most any circumstance. I always have fun with the dogs .

Steve

 

[thistlebloom]

I take it you don't have a dog of your own Steve. Maybe you should get one...it could be good company as you drive to all your different gardens.

I sometimes take our dog to work with me. Only to the jobs where he's welcome, but he's very polite and more than happy to snooze in the truck while I work.

I've been considering another dog lately. After a lifetime of big dogs, Gator is handy to take since he's just 35 pounds. My husband isn't excited about acquiring another dog, and especially not the large breed dogs I show him that are available.

I just love big dogs...but small is definitely handier...

Gator is 10 now, and just about perfect as dogs go. But I like the way an older dog can "train" a young one and I don't want to wait until Gator is so old that he's not interested in helping shape a youngster up.

 

[digitS']

No Thistle' I used to have dogs but never a tiny one. Maybe like your dogs, the smallest was about 35 pounds.

We dogsit often with my daughter's 6# Terripoo. She is fun but really tiny and quite high-strung.

These little dogs at the barber's surprise me that they aren't yappy/snappy little dogs like so many. She has done it with all of them, including the one that arrived snappy. (She wore a muzzle with visitors.) I asked her once what happened that calmed the malt-shi down. She said that the little dog got out while 1 of her customers was there. He was a big guy but he caught her. She bit him but he just folded his arms around her and carried her back to the yard. She never tried to bite anyone after that.

Altho' it is a good story, I don't think that's what made much of a difference. Dogs bite people all the time, are subdued and go back to behaving the same way. She pays a lot of attention to her dogs but I never hear her scolding them. She doesn't give them treats that I see. She may just have a calm "touch" and they learn that behaving themselves makes their owner happy, misbehaving doesn't, and visitors can be fun.

Steve

 

[so lucky]

Every time I see an article about really smart dogs, or really gentle loyal dogs, I want one. But I don't think I have the temperament to train a dog. They say it takes persistence and time. I would be too easy on it. I see good natured dogs that belong to other people all the time; it just wouldn't be my dog. We had antisocial cats years ago; I guess that was my fault for not training them properly.

 

[thistlebloom]

Every time I see an article about really smart dogs, or really gentle loyal dogs, I want one. But I don't think I have the temperament to train a dog. They say it takes persistence and time. I would be too easy on it. I see good natured dogs that belong to other people all the time; it just wouldn't be my dog. We had antisocial cats years ago; I guess that was my fault for not training them properly.

Don't be too hard on yourself for your cats behavior So Lucky, after all they're cats.
And dogs don't need so much time, as consistency. There really is a big difference between breeds. Some are much easier to train than others.

 

[Mickey328]

We have 3 dogs as well...Sam is about 85 lbs...an Old English/hound of some sort cross. Abby is a pom/chi cross just over 5 lbs and Booger is a maltese who weighs about 8lbs. The only one who's yappy or snappy is Abby. It stands to reason since poms and chihuahuas are about the yappiest little ones there are, and she's half and half. The only time she's ever offered to bite is if I'm grooming her and it a bad tangle. She lunges and will sort of hit my hand with her teeth but she never bites. She's a bit more aggressive with other dogs, though...she must think that the best defense is a good offense. She's perfectly fine unless they come too close, then she lets them know in no uncertain terms to back off. She and Booger play and sometimes she'll get a little over the top with it but it doesn't happen often and Booger is slowly learning to just walk away.

I think, along with their own personality, age and background has a lot to do with their behavior. All three of ours are rescues. Sam was a year old when we got him, and Abby was about 3 or 4. Booger is the only one we got as a puppy, so he's the only one we absolutely know for sure about his life. Sam's what I call an "oh dee doe" dog...he doesn't get into much of a flap over too many things, although the words "squirrel" and "kitty" will definitely set him to running out to check the yard. Abby, while fairly assertive with dogs, is totally submissive to people and takes her role as "lap dog" very seriously; she's totally a cuddle bug. Booger has absolutely no idea that he's a little dog...his best friend in the world is a standard poodle and they play till they both drop from exhaustion. He's very independent and doesn't know the meaning of the word "fear".

They all freak out (with excitement) and set up a huge chorus when someone comes to the door. None of it is aggressive in the least...they're just excited about someone new and want to be petted and check the new person out. We're very happy with them with the exception of the barking sometimes. We live behind an elementary school so the kids are often out and making a racket. As a rule, they don't pay too much attention, but people also often walk their dogs there and when that happens, Abby just can't seem to quit...the others will bark a bit and then come back in. Quite often I have to actually go out and pick her up and bring her back, then close the doggy door till later. If we could just get her to stop with the mindless barking, life (with the dogs) would be about perfect.

So, y'all are welcome to stop by...they'll bark and crowd you and give you all the "puppy lovin" you can stand

 

[digitS']

Garbanzo, DD's tiny dog, is fun . . . I guess I already said that. She is very smart and knows lots of "people words" but she is not very well trained. I mean, she likes to do what she likes to do and unless you are right there to point your finger at the ground, "come here" has little meaning to her . . .

I've never had a dog that behaved that way but they weren't necessarily all that great with other people or other dogs. Bonzo is so-so and since she's going on 3, DD may have waited too late to do much about it. Don't know - I've put all the pressure on the "long leash and command 'come'" idea that I'm going to with the both of them.

The words Garbanzo knows are things like sit and stay and go out and go in and people and bird and dog and kitty and mailman! Birds & people she just wants to look at but she is ready to act with the others. DD & SIL have encouraged a little too much but she is fun - mostly, because at 6#, she is so tiny.

We were out driving thru a residential area the other day. DW says, "mailman." Bonzo climbs up on my arm to look thru the window just as we pass the man in blue. One big "woof" and she's got that taken care of . . . ha! We shouldn't laugh but it is pretty funny!

Steve

 

[nachoqtpie]

We thought Annie was going to be a small dog, being only 4.5 pounds when we got her. But she's about 45 pounds or so now that she's about 7 months old. I think she is a tree walking coonhound cross. Maybe with a beagle? Not quite sure. She's a great dog. Good with the ducks and chickens, she "stands watch" over my sitter kid, she barks when someone is in the yard or at the door, and she sleeps with me at night all snuggled up under the blankets.

 

[bobm]

Several years ago someone dumped a older, small, spayed, flea ridden, skinny female chichuahua at our horse ranch. We cleaned her up, fed and treated her for fleas and worms. She started to follow me all over our 20 acre ranch. She got along well with our Aussie herding dog. A few weeks later she started to herd the horses to and from the pastures nipping at their heals as needed. She liked to sleep on our bed and always dove under the covers. We never had to train her or chastise her as she was very obediant, asked to go potty outside, barked at strangers, alerted us on the presence of coyotes etc. ( great little watch dog) and only accepted petting from family . Her only vice ... chasing cats ( we used to get 10 wilder cats every 6 months from the pound for rodent control) which was her demise as she chased one onto the road as a car proceeded to make a pancake out of her.

 

[nachoqtpie]

Oh no! That's terrible.

We got Annie in the parking lot of WalMart. Poor lil thing that she was.