Tell me your experience of your 'small breed' please

[Whitney168]

Having had a large coated breed for 30+ years, I am fancying adding a small dog to the house. with the big'uns.

I would love a Cavalier, but the more I read about the health issues, the more I am concerned.

My inclination is towards something more 'toy' than 'terrier' for temperament and outlook. There are some small terriers I like, but I have no wish to own a dog that isn't amenable to other dogs and makes walks difficult, although as I'm typing this I think that i.e. Westies I don't particularly see as an issue when out, so maybe that's unfair.

Would prefer a stable confident outgoing temperament, without being bolshy - am not keen on 'flighty' breeds.

Would happily have a wire coated Jack Russell if I could guarantee I got a nice one, but they seem to be saints or devils.

I don't really want anything that needs major grooming, have enough of that with the big dogs, but obviously clipping is an option.

I wouldn't be automatically averse to a crossbreed, but the chances of getting a responsibly bred one are so vanishingly small that I think that's probably off the table.

Breeds I've seriously considered:

• Cavalier King Charles (health concerns)
• Tibetan Spaniel (noise?)
• Lhasa Apso/Shih Tzu (would keep clipped) - no experience of them to know temperament.

Ermmmm ... what else am I missing? Tell me about your small breeds please ...

I'm currently fostering a little cairn terrier while her owner is in hospital. She's currently curled up under a blanket by my feet.

She needs grooming every 6-8 weeks or so else she can't see and it can get a bit messy around her bum, but otherwise she's very low maintenance. She normally lives with an older lady and gets an hour walk with me (I'm her dog walker really) every single day. Otherwise she spends most of the day asleep!

She's good off-lead, quiet in the house unless there's someone at the door, loves cuddles and being on the sofa. I'd say the only real downside is she yaps for attention though I'm not sure if that's a breed thing or her background - before her current owner took her in, she didn't have the best start in life.

She does have a little hip dysplasia but you wouldn't know it to look at her. She can charge about like the best of thing and loves playing fighting with my beagle.

Another vote for cairn or norfolk. Fab little dogs.

Had two Lhasas Fab with small kids, after 16 years finally expired so now have a Dandie Dinmont, never looked back most laid back of the terriers, not snappy, never bark at other dogs etc. Very robust but will cuddle up for a snooze.
Very few health issues, easy to keep, dont shed.
www.donthibernate.co.uk/dummys-guide-to-dandie-dinmont-terriers/

Aaah now there’s an interesting idea, Funf, love the Dandie and a VNB too.

Most vulnerable breeds are due to small litter size so no money in breeding them. Some are just not fashionable.
If we wanted another small dog it would be a Glen of Imaal Terrier
dogtime.com/dog-breeds/glen-of-imaal-terrier
And the big dog we dream of but only if we had lots of time and outdoor space
dogtime.com/dog-breeds/scottish-deerhound#/slide/1

@Funf - ahh you just reminded me of one of my childhood gog daydreams!
My Dad used to know a guy who owned a Scottish Deer Hound- Jackson- such an elegant beast!

Cairns are lovely dogs. I kept, showed & bred them for over thirty years. Their coats are easy, hand stripped about twice a year. They are virtually identical to Westies except not white, they are all the other colours. In fact they were once all the same breed, Short Haired Skye Terriers, with mixed litters of white or coloured till the Westies broke away & formed their own breed.
I now have the other Skye Terriers, much bigger, longer coat, lots of grooming & much more difficult temperament, probably the main reason they are right up there at the top of the VNB list. Getting a pup would be like searching for a needle in a haystack, I once had the only litter bred that year. I would think Dandies ( lovely dogs) & Glen of Imaals would be similarly illusive.
Shih Tzus are lovely. If you’re worried about a 4kg dig then don’t even consider a Yorkie. I have two, most recent of a long line of my Velcro dogs, & none of them have ever been as heavy as 4kg, that’s above the breed standard.

How about Affenpinschers? I have 2, small but sturdy, not as flat faced as they look (it's all fur) no idea they are a small dog but do love the sound of their own voices. Mine have great recall & in their younger days could go for miles or be happy just mooching. Best breed ever (not that I'm biased) 😂

I have a shih tzu. Great with kids and other humans, very loyal, loves a cuddle, her bark makes her sound massive, I've had many a delivery man quake in their boots upon hearing her, and are very surprised to see how small she is.

She's robust, holds her own in the 'pack' with her dog walker, get her puppet clipped every two or so months and she loves a bath. Toilet trained fairly easily and quickly, despite the bad rep of the breed for such things... happy on a long walk, but just as happy with a walk round the block.

But my god, she's a diva. Affectionally still known as the 'yap yap'. Can't hear her own name from a foot away, but can hear foxes playing in the middle of the night about a mile away, and makes sure she wakes everyone up by barking her head off. Luckily for our neighbours we have thick walls.

I would say Cairn or Norfolk would suit you, but just to throw something a bit different into the mix, how about a Swedish Vallhund?. Super little dogs, sturdy, weather proof, not high maintenance and the ones I’ve met have all been lovely.

@Funf have you been around any Glens recently? Just asking, because they’re a small breed in number and I have only come across two recently, but they have both been really game and extremely terrier, iykim in character. One of them in particular is super feisty.

20 years ago I attended a dog club where there were a few Glens who were absolute sweethearts. I would have had one like them in a heartbeat. I’m wondering if there’s been a change in general towards more working/feisty terrier type characters or if it’s coincidence and just the nature of the individual Glens I’ve come across.

Japanese spitz like a big Pomeranian but meant to have extremely good temperaments and not too hard to train apparently and they are beautiful

Also I have a Yorkshire terrier who has an amazing temperament very easy going good with other dog if a bit nervy amazing with my son and just a pleasure but from speaking to other owners over the years (she’s about 10now) this is not usual for Yorkshire terriers oh and she’s not yappy but she’s extremely delicate maybe 2.5 kg so tiny

I'm going to say Cairn too. I had one and she was the best little dog. So sweet and friendly and game for anything. She died in a freak accident well before her time and I miss her terribly.

I have JRTs now and they're such hard work in comparison. Mine are rescues and hate strange dogs and same people.

Silken windhound? Stupid name, great dogs. They're a breed that's only recently been developed. They look like miniature borzoi/ long haired whippets. Some sheltie ancestry, too.

Growing up we had 4 jack russels - 3 were angels and 1 was the devil, so I understand your reservation there.

My parents have had 2 Lhasa’s and both were horribly yappy and clingy, don’t know if they’ve just been unlucky.

What about a Lakeland terrier. We had a small one and she was a darling. Sturdy, friendly and a total teddy bear. Did need to watch the prey drive though. Good luck! I wish we could get a dog, but it isn’t the right time for us unfortunately.

Vote for the cavalier, mum and sister have six between them, lovely dogs and none have any health issues (three are over ten now). I think as long as they come from health tested parents their health risks are no worse than other pure breeds that are known for set health issues.

@moosemama Sadly we still haven't seen a Glen in the flesh, I suspect like many dogs how they are brought up has some effect on them, when we got the Dandie we where advised of how they can be different as single dogs or in a pack.
If they are workers from Day one they will be different to a non worker.
I feel all terriers have prey drive they will never loose as its what they are born to do.

My Shih Tzu thinks he is a big dog and has been known to stand up to an Akita . He loves a walk and is very nosy. He only barks if someone comes to the door . He loves to sit just by my feet. Only downside is that mine dislikes small children. The vet thinks he had been mistreated by a child before we got him.

@500BusStops

You need a Norfolk terrier! So sweet and loving, but robust little things. Difficult to come by though as they have small litters.

Agree!!

Or a Norwich (even harder to find, on the vulnerable native breeds list)

Smaller than a Border (they're the two smallest breeds in the main terrier group) they are known for friendliness of temperament. Energetic enough to keep up all day (originally working ratters) but small enough to fit on your lap.

They can be a bit prone to separation anxiety, but that's less likely be a big issue in a multidog household.

Prefer the Norfolk to the Norwich.

Affenpinschers a no, both on brachycephalicness and again have known very experienced dog owners unable to housetrain them.

Interesting to hear Glen of Imaals described as small dogs, to my mind they are a big dog with short legs.

What else ...

Japanese Spitz - no, Spitz are noisy and I have enough of hairy dogs without getting a white one!

Vallhunds nice dogs, but no, not what I'm after somehow.

This really is being helpful though, and has definitely given me some other ideas to explore.

My Lhasa thinks he’s a big dog in a little dogs body he gets on great with other dogs especially big dogs

Interesting to hear Glen of Imaals described as small dogs, to my mind they are a big dog with short legs.

Medium sized, for sure.

I reckon you need a standard (or intermediate) dachshund from a good breeder.

@Funf, I agree, all terriers have a prey drive, it’s just the Glen’s I’ve met more recently have all been really quarrelsome, didn’t get on with other dogs (even the ones they were raised with) and were generally less pet, more working style dogs than the ones I knew 20+ years ago. I was just pondering whether perhaps there’s been a move back towards working lines for breeding, partially maybe due to small numbers in the breed to begin with, but also maybe with the aim of bringing the breed back to it’s origins a bit more. I know a couple of other vulnerable breeds have been doing that, as they felt the breed was losing it’s origins and morphing into a different breed altogether, iyswim. Obviously, Glens were working farm terriers originally, so it would make sense for them to be more like, say, a Patterdale in nature than a more pet oriented breed, whereas the ones I used to know where calm, biddable and not very terrier like at all.

Sorry, I should add, all the ones I’ve known have been purely pets, not workers.