GermanShepherdTraining

Everyone’s familiar with the trope of the tiny terrier barking its little head off at a perceived intruder as if it were a rottweiler. They nip at heels, bark at strangers, run around the house as if they own the place. It’s such a common stereotype, in fact, that it’s hard to imagine a small dog that doesn’t act like this. In fact, this story has kept a lot of people from choosing small dogs.

But it’s important to understand that this sort of bad behavior stems more from the owners than it does from the pet. It’s a lot like how the behavior of little brats who run around screaming in restaurants has a lot more to do with bad parenting than it does with the children themselves. With proper training – which may need to come from a professional – small dogs can be taught to behave themselves and not to be yappy little hellions.

The Cause

Perhaps the largest cause in bad dog behavior is the same cause in bad child behavior: coddling. Because they’re so small and cute, owners tend to treat little dogs as they would a human baby, fawning over them, picking them up and cooing, letting them sleep in laps, and just generally failing to discipline or punish them when they should be. Barking, jumping on people, sitting on furniture – things that would be punished in larger dogs – are let slide to the point where the bad behavior is tacitly encouraged by the owner and the little dog is unaware or uncaring that its behavior is unacceptable.

The reason this starts manifesting itself in the traditional “small dog syndrome” manner is rooted in dog psychology. A dog that is never disciplined assumes that the reason he is never disciplined is that he is the leader of the pack, the alpha dog. The leader of the pack (or, in this case, the family), is responsible for the safety of the rest of the pack. That’s why the small dog will barrel around nipping at strangers, barking at presumed intruders, and generally acting like he owns the place.

The Solution

The problem here is a bit difficult, since you won’t be able to say “no” to the dog. Since it sees itself as the top dog in the pack, it doesn’t think it has to listen to you. You’ll have to show your dominance rather than vocalize your dominance. It’ll be hard at first, but remember that you’ll have to break your dog of these bad habits or forever live as #2 in your own house. If you can’t do it on your own, there are plenty of dog trainers out there who can help.