To strongly dislike small dogs

[Cappuccino5]

Full disclosure: golden retriever owner of 30+ years… never had and never will have another breed.

I just don’t understand the fascination with little dogs. So many are horrible, yappy little things that get away with murder because they’re small. Only breed that I’ve ever been bitten by is a dachshund (x 2!!) and it always seems to be terrier or schnauzer types that launch at DDog. Generally they seem to attract people who haven’t got a clue re: dog ownership or can’t be bothered having a ‘proper’ dog - they don’t train properly and seem to just leave the tiny dog sitting at home all day barking at windows.. lacking mental + physical stimulation.

I voted yabu because it’s not the dogs I dislike, it’s some owners. I have met three different people now with small dogs who have told me they actually don’t like dogs. Two said they got their’s for their children, and one said they got a Bichon to (unsuccessfully) get over a fear of dogs 🤷🏼‍♀️. I think they all thought getting a smaller dog would be a bit like getting a stuffed toy that has come to life.

You can actually feel the anxiety radiating out of these people when I’m walking my calm and happy big dog nearby, and they are the types who tend to get hysterical and post things on social media about dogs off lead minding their own business, as they can’t be arsed/ are too scared/ don’t understand the need to recall train and socialise their walking teddies. It’s no wonder the dogs are anxious, nippy and yappy when they are being dragged round pavements and parks on tight leads getting picked up and hugged tightly if another dog so much as comes vaguely into sight.

On the other hand, my neighbour has one of those bald dogs with the floofy necks who is brilliant, plays nicely with ddog who is around 15 times his size and never yaps or nips. It’s because my neighbours are sensible, did their research into getting a dog and although theirs looks more like a cartoon cat than a wolf, they understood what they are signing up for. Little dogs like that, with sensible, dog loving and appreciating owners, I have no problem with.

Obviously not everyone. Some people are odd or not nice. But I’ve got dozens of hearts on that photo so obviously a lot of people do like him. I get stopped several times on most walks by people wanting to fuss him. Two separate people came up to me in a cafe the other day to fuss him. You don’t have to like him, that’s fine. 😁

I have a JRT. I see some people eyeballing him and pulling their dogs further away as we pass. He's such a happy, little dog. Will interact if the other dog does for a few seconds, then carries on on his way. It's usually other people's dogs that choose to follow along with us 😁

He's never barked at another dog or shown any aggression. We have our usual routes and recognise some people so if they keep theirs off lead, we do the same. It's never been anything but a 2 second hello between the dogs and us owners and everyone goes on their way. If their dog does seem a bit tense, he reads the body language in a split second and moves away.

I actually love how great he is. He's amazing off lead and has immediate recall. If I drop his lead, he'll pause. If I tell him to wait, he waits. He's an absolute dream. JRT people always praise him and want to interact with him, but he's not really a people lover, he just loves being out and seeing other dogs. It's big dog owners who seem arsey (which I totally understand as I used to think all small dogs were crazy until I got my own!)

Don't know why some of the owners on this thread didn't just get a rat and be done with it.

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Once was more than enough.

I dislike lazy owners who do not take responsibility for their animals.
I absolutely adore small dogs.

Did a small dog piss in your cornflakes?

I like big dogs but I have a dog on your dislike list, a miniature schnauzer.
I hate small breed dog owners who allow terrible behaviour. I'd agree that more small dogs have been an issue than big.

Schnauzers were bred to be noisey and they're very territorial and I've come across a lot of reactive ones. Mine isn't, because we invested a lot of time into training.

it is so weird - owning a larger breed doesn't make you a more superior owner.

The animal is either a dog or not.

Just like a Jaguar is as much a car as a Ford. More expensive sure, but they're both cars.

Perhaps the OP can flex the money angle to get her weird kicks? "I can afford a BIG dog you know. Soooooo much more expensive, oh I can spend more money on my dog than you, clearly a better human."

What a weirdo. Poor dog! 😂

I'm not a huge fan of small breeds myself but there's no need to be unkind to another poster on the thread....

I have had rats. They are totally different to dogs.

I’m a Labrador person, apart from their genetic predisposition for total lack of spacial awareness, which you adapt to as an owner, they are pretty much perfect.
Small dogs make me nervous, you can easily stand on them or sit on them with disastrous results. Big dogs are not so easy to mistake for a draft excluder, mop or cushion.
The only exception would be a Jack Russell, they are big dogs in small bodies and wouldn’t be seen dead in a handbag or carrier.

Small dogs can be just as expensive. Mine was super expensive 🙈😁. But he is a very good pedigree.

Op I had a golden retriever and they’re definitely not for everyone because of the amount of exercise they heed and how bulky they are. Some people need a dog they can pick up if there’s an issue, some need something that needs less exercise and my god the cost of feeding them!

Honestly, I don't care what breed someone has as long as it's ethically bred, healthy, well-trained and doesn't bother me.

What bothers me are people buying designer dogs, that are badly bred or puppy farmed, then harping on about how wonderful their dog is and encouraging others to support bad breeding practices. Or even worse people buying breeds that cannot perform the function they were bred to do simply because they like the way it looks - long backs, flat faces and inability to even run properly without choking on it's own breath are not qualities any loving, responsible, dog owner looks for.

NB - I have five Goldies right now. Wouldn't have another breed, except a Cocker, but that's personal choice - I like my dogs intelligent and (relatively) harmless.

Imagine waking up this morning and fuelling a need to draw attention to yourself by trying to insult people who love their pets.

What an enviable life to lead eh.

And that's something to be proud of?Seriously

I think this is such a beautiful photo! I love terriers and their gorgeous little underbites.

op some dogs are annoying, some are badly trained, some are barky and annoying. It has nothing to do with their size and everything to do with their owners and training. So yabu because some of my favourite dogs (after my own) are small breed dogs.

I don’t know how you keep GRs. They smell and they leave fur everywhere. Gorgeous dogs but there is no way I’d live with one for those reasons.

She’s genuinely a horrid yappy little thing - as OP put it. (but she’s my horrid yappy thing).
We’ve tried multiple forms of training, a behaviourist, training with clicker, training with treats. I think she just hates everyone.
I think possibly she’s a bit daft. She seems to forget people she’s known a long time and treats everyone as a threat.
Ive met some lovely small dogs, and big dogs. And some horrid small and big dogs.
My dog is sadly horrid. I now walk her at the quietist times I can. With a ‘keep away from me, I am a twat collar.’
She doesn’t bite though so that’s a win. Just yaps.
(Not our first dog and won’t be our last but I’d go for a different breed next time).

Oh do feck off . Bit of a generalisation?

Me, I cant stand dullard stinky personality free Retrievers or their owners.
See what I did there?

Dogs are awfully irritating, regardless of their size.

personally as a previous distributor of leaflet's id prefer little dogs any day. but yes many do seem to have small dog complex when barking like omg

I used to feel much the same, until a neighbour acquired two little Yorkshire terriers. I’d always thought of them as spoilt, yappy, bitey, little lapdogs as favoured by old ladies, but these two were so sweet, and very well behaved.

I have a rule that the only dogs I would consider owning are

1. Too big for the cat to treat as a handy snack
2. Aren't above my knee level

It reduces the likelihood of breeder-caused genetic issues, the bark isn't that ear piercing pitch and it's less likely to be a dick because it's terrified of getting crushed or eaten. And food on the countertop is more likely to remain safe unless the cat convinces them to stand guard (and ending up as the one who is caught first) whilst s/he gets on with the essential task of slicing his/her way through the kibble bag with a claw.