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Little-dog-needs-needs
There is a belief that you can buy a small dog and keep it at home on a similar basis to keeping a cat. Nothing could be further from the truth, a small dog, like representatives of larger breeds, has needs that must be met in order to be happy. It requires long walks, the possibility of free exploration of the area, getting to know new places, hunting games and sniffing. Every dog needs it. The extent to which it depends on race is discussed in the next section. Restricting walks and not meeting their needs is detrimental to small breed dogs and can lead to depression.
Small-Race-differences
Small breeds of dogs can generally be divided into two groups: rat-catcher and companion dogs. Dogs derived from rat catchers have an unusually strong temperament. These include yorkshire terriers, westhighland terriers, miniature pinschers, jack russell terriers, and chihuahuas. These breeds have very strong hunting instincts. For centuries they have been used mainly for catching rodents, hence the name “rat catchers”. Wherever man was unable to get to, into the recesses of buildings in the countryside and in the city, he would send dogs of these small breeds. Only over time did they become popular pets. If we have a dog of one of these breeds, it is worth organizing exercises for him using a fur or a soft toy on a string, with which we run away, which the dog can chase, catch, and then drag it with the handler, thus closing the hunting chain. In such a game, the entire hunting sequence is carried out, from observing something that is moving, through chasing it, to catching the prey and dragging it with the handler holding it on the other side. Dogs of the above-mentioned breeds also have a lot of needs to explore, explore, get to know, and are very often taken as companion animals. Remember that for years they were not such dogs, but typical predators and still have strong hunting needs.
The second group of small breed dogs, created just for companionship, includes: Maltese, Havanese, Bichons, Bolognese and Shih Tzu. Representatives of these breeds have always been companion dogs, these dogs are definitely less predatory and have a much less developed hunting instinct, they are more social, because their task was simply to spend time with people. Such predispositions still do not exclude the fact that they are dogs that need walking and exploring, but need hunting games to a lesser extent. The great advantage of these breeds is that they are attached to humans and willingly cooperate with them, which is why they are very grateful in training. On such social reinforcement – that is, on the fact that we enjoy joint training, on praise – you can build a lot, because for such a dog the time spent with a person is the greatest value.
In small dogs there are big characters, many emotions and needs that should be taken seriously, but also a huge potential for friendship and love, which small dogs willingly give to their owners, thus giving them great joy!
