Little Dogs, Big Labels

From the very start of my career as a dog trainer and behaviourist, I’ve noticed that clients with small dogs are different. Unlike clients with medium and large-sized dogs, clients with small dogs rarely describe the actual problems that concern them. Instead, they almost always apply one of those stereotypical labels: if their little dog is reactive or aggressive, he has Little Big-Dog Syndrome, and if they can’t house-train him, he is Impossible to Train.

I’ve always had medium-sized dogs, including Shetland Sheepdogs and American Eskimos, but my clients’ small dogs piqued my curiosity. I finally got my first small dog in 2007, a six-week-old Pomeranian mix found in a rubbish bin. Today I have four: my original rubbish bin Pom, a Chihuahua, a Pomeranian-Chihuahua mix, and a Papillon.

I’ve learnt a lot from living with my small dogs and continued work with my clients’ small…