Toy Size Dogs (10 lbs or under)

[Winnie Pooh Fan]

I would love to read about and see pics of your toy dogs.

Our last toy was a white poodle (8 lbs) and since she passed years ago we've had medium to larger size dogs and I'm ready to go back to the toy size.

It's been about 20yrs since we've had a dog this small. Any advice, thoughts, comments, and especially breed recommendations are appreciated

 

[SookieStackhouse]

I have heard that poodles are about the easiest to deal with. They shouldn't shed, they should be pretty good natured and easy to get along with.

My mom has a yorkshire terrier, they are very high maintenance, chihuahuas, I have had one myself NEVER again!

 

[xJenna]

Not sure if they're considered toy sized dogs, but we have a Shih Tzu. Her name is Emily and she is a queen. We got her from a woman who was entering a retirement home and couldn't bring her. We are so lucky we got her, she is spunky, funny looking (in the cutest way), and loving when she wants to be. She has the funniest personality. She'll give you snooty looks if you try to play fetch with her. She kinda just looks at you like, "You're the one who threw it across the room, you can get it." She's queen of our household, where she wants to sleep, she sleeps even if it is my clean laundry or my suitcase I'm trying to pack. She doesn't shed because shih tzus have hair as opposed to fur and she rarely barks. I don't have a ton of pictures of her as she is getting old, we're not sure how old because the woman didn't know. We guess she is around 11/12 area, so she loves to sleep all day. I have lots of pictures of our younger dog (a mini schnauzer), but here are the pictures of Emma!

She has a bone in her mouth. She loves to just hold food/treats in her mouth and torment the puppy.

Because of her age she also shivers a lot so we also keep sweaters on her in the colder months.

Her favorite activity!

She is such an amazing dog. We got her when I was still in middle school and she was my best friend. We would play hide and seek, we would fight for room on my bed, she'd give me snotty looks. Now she just loves naps together and the occasional scratch. I still love her lots though!

 

[minkydog]

How hard is it to housebreak a Shih Tzu? We have a standard poodle now who would rather hold his bladder until it explodes than leak in the house. Years ago we had a small Boston Terrier who never did get completely housebroken and it put me off of small dogs ever since. Enlighten me please?

 

[Dax]

I own 4 pugs who are only in the toy catagory because they were bred to be companions, and do not fit any other catagory...They average in size from 15-25lbs...I will post some pics of my herd when I get home tonight

 

[walkerag]

I have cats but once kept a friend's pomeranian for 6 months while she was living in an apartment and having a new house built. He was such a joy! I have always said if I get a small dog it'll be a pomeranian. And they're so adorable!

 

[FormrCastMbr]

Here is my Shih Tzu, Riley. He is a great dog...although, not fully potty trained. He lets me know sometimes but if I do not have him on a schedule, he may have an accident.

He is partially blind in one eye. Shih Tzus have a tendancy to have eye problems and he had a ruptured cornea (due to his eyelashes growing inward). They doctors thought he would lose his eye but the opthamologist was able to save it. We did have his eye lashes surgically removed but a few have since grown back so we are carefully watching them and putting wetting drops in his eye.

 

[elgerber]

Here is one of my rat terriers...

 

[Pakey]

These are my hairless Chinese cresteds. I initially became interested in them because of my allergies but they have turned out to be amazing pets. Low maintenance (the only grooming is baths/nails clipped and an occasional haircut for those stray hairs, lol). They are also couch potatoes, no hyper activity from these 2.

Andy (grey/white) weighs 10 lbs and Paris Hairless Hilton (pink/brown) weighs in at about 12.

 

[Winnie Pooh Fan]

I have heard that poodles are about the easiest to deal with. They shouldn't shed, they should be pretty good natured and easy to get along with.

My mom has a yorkshire terrier, they are very high maintenance, chihuahuas, I have had one myself NEVER again!

What do u mean by high maintenance? This is one of the breeds we are considering. Also is the Chi difficult or why never again?

 

[SookieStackhouse]

What do u mean by high maintenance? This is one of the breeds we are considering. Also is the Chi difficult or why never again?

My mom says that the her Yorkie is so cute, but that's all she has going for her. She would have strangled her a long time ago otherwise (joking I am sure). She is a tiny dog, I am thinking in the neighborhood of 4 lbs. She is very temperamental, she hates kids, she hates other animals in general. She picks out a few people and dearly loves them, but is very hateful to a lot of people. She has to have a special diet because she has a sensitive stomach. She wasn't the easiest to housebreak. She likes to run off. She is a very intelligent dog, and loving towards some people. A lot of people that she has talked to say that her behavior is typical of the breed.

From my own experience with a Chihuahua (yes, they are cute, BUT)...

1. Chihuahuas bite (actually mine wasn't as bad as others I have seen, but he still would just assume bite you as look at you)
2. They bark...I don't mean typical dog barking, constant never shutting up.
3. Ours was bad about chewing stuff and shredding paper. Also he would eat things and then getting sick (we are talking gross sick stuff) once he ate a pencil OMG ewwww a very unpleasant cleanup detail.
4. We never got the chihuahua housebroken, he liked to pee on the couch, and he would also leave unwelcome "gifts" in various locations. These were not accidents, they were strategically placed.

When I was a kid my parents had a chihuahua, but they had to get rid of her because she hated me and they were afraid she would hurt me. She got her walking papers and had to live with Grandma. We briefly had another chihuahua when I was older, they gave him away too because he was such an ill-tempered little beast.

 

[Tigger2252]

I have two Yorkshire Terriers, both under 5 lbs. I have always had large and medium dogs but really wanted a little dog to spoil. Isis is 6 and Jade is 3. They are both amazing dogs, but DO NOT like children. They are scared to death of them. I think it's because kids are loud and move quickly. Maybe because the dogs are so small it is self preservation that makes them afraid. If a child dropped the dog it could literally kill them.

They are high maintenance. They require A LOT of grooming. They have to be brushed every day and groomed professionally at least once every 6 weeks, no matter what coat you keep them in (mine are in full coat). This breed is prone to problems with their teeth. I have to have their teeth cleaned every other year by the vet. They are extremely difficult to housebreak. Be prepared that you may need to keep a training pad on the floor for them forever. If you live where there is any snow, you will probably need to keep an area shoveled for them all winter. Mine are so small that over 6 inches of snow is over their head. My husband snow blows an area in the back and a path for them to run on. Those are some of the negatives.

The positives are that they are a loving, smart, devoted little ball of hair that I wouldn't trade for anything. They love to be held and cuddled, and are playful and fun. I have loved all my big dogs, but once I got Isis it was completely different. I never expected to love these little dogs as much as I do. I can't imagine my life without them.

 

[STLDisney_Freak]

Here is two of our babies:

Emma, our shih tzu

Ariel, our chihuahua

 

[Tinkh]

I don't have any pictures of my Papillon on photo bucket, but she is just about the perfect dog in the whole world We have 3 dogs and a cat. Our Papillon is from 8 to 11 pounds depending on what scale and the time of year. She is a bit on the larger side for many Papillons. We also have a Labrador Retriever and a mixed breed. Papillons are extremely smart, not agressive and just so sweet. Very easy to potty train. I think she maybe had 3 accidents before she was fully trained. Edited because I decided to not be lazy and put a picture of her in photo bucket lol.

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[jrmasm]

I have a chihuahua and he can be a challenge but I don't think more so than any other dog.

1) Mine doesn't bite but he does bark aggressively at dogs and people he doesn't know
2) He has been difficult to housebreak and he was a nightmare until he was fixed. I waited until after he was a year old hoping he'd get bigger (he is only about 4 lbs) and from about 6 months on, he marked terribly. He's been much better since he was neutered but if he's awake, he needs to go out every hour.
3) He gets along beautifully with my 3 other dogs. Adores them all.
4) He does bark at noise but is no worse than my lab.
5) He is so sweet and loves his family. My daughters are 6 and 15. If he could, he would spend 23.5 hours a day on someone's lap.
6) He is very, very easy to wear out physically and was the easiest puppy I have ever had as far as destroying things goes.

I'd get another in a heart beat but I'd be more consistent with socialization. When he was a pup, I took him lots of places and he met many people. He did really well. I stopped when winter came (he was about 6 months) and he never really regained the confidence that he had when he was young. I know that his barking is due to fear.

 

[simba928]

This is my yorkie, Miami.

That was her a few days after we got her. She was about 3 months old there.

That was her last week. She's 7 months old now and just hit the 3 pound mark.

She is very feisty. Having a dog this small is totally different for us. Our other two dogs are a 55 pound golden retriever/lab mix and a 65 pound shepherd/collie/doberman mix. Before that we had a husky/malamute mix. Miami holds her own against the two big dogs, though. Terriers are not bred to love other animals. They tend to love people, especially their owners, but if they aren't raised with other animals and/or properly socialized around them from the time they are very young, they will typically not get along with them.

Chihuahuas are dogs that LOVE their owners (and people that they are very familiar with), but aren't too fond of strangers. They REALLY are not dogs for kids. I work at a shelter and anytime we have a chihuahua (or shih tzu, lhasa apso, any of those tiny little foofy breeds, but especially the chihuahua) I am very leery with the dog until I get to know him/her. They are just not dogs that handle new people well. Having said that, I would love a chihuahua someday, but they most definitely are not good dogs for some people (loud homes with people coming and going, kids running around, etc.)

 

[xJenna]

How hard is it to housebreak a Shih Tzu? We have a standard poodle now who would rather hold his bladder until it explodes than leak in the house. Years ago we had a small Boston Terrier who never did get completely housebroken and it put me off of small dogs ever since. Enlighten me please?

She was already house trained when we got her, so I really don't know. She's a very quick learner though so I'll assume not long? She rarely has accidents, except when she gets extremely scared.

 

[Minnie]

Simba - Miami is absolutely darling Was she difficult to housebreak? 3 lbs seems so tiny. Do u keep her in the puppy cut or long? How much grooming or shedding? And does she have a special diet?

Sorry for all the questions.... Her pics are just darling

 

[simba928]

Simba - Miami is absolutely darling Was she difficult to housebreak? 3 lbs seems so tiny. Do u keep her in the puppy cut or long? How much grooming or shedding? And does she have a special diet?

Sorry for all the questions.... Her pics are just darling

LOL. Thank you! She is a sweetheart! She still has accidents in the house, but she does try to tell us when she has to go out. I think the problem is that we are used to the bigger dogs who are more obvious when they gotta go. The golden/lab jumps on us and barks and my other dog whacks you with her paw and paces and gets straight up obnoxious. She has been much more difficult to housebreak than the other dogs. We keep her in a kind of in between cut. Not quite short enough for a puppy cut but not quite long. She could use a trim now, but she can be a little tomboy with the other dogs. She loves to do what her big dogs do so she runs in the snow (even though it's deeper than her) and all over the place. We usually bathe her about once a week, but it is super easy and fast since she's so tiny (maybe 5 minutes to bathe and 10 minutes to blow dry and brush). She doesn't really shed much. Yorkies tend to mainly shed when they are being brushed. We feed her Nutro (only because it's a good quality food and easily accessible since I can just pick it up at Petsmart when I go for work). It's around $15 a bag, but a small bag lasts her several months. We also mix in a very tiny amount of wet food just to get her to eat. We use the Pedigree pouches of wet food and one pouch lasts maybe 3 days. She likes to snack on the big dog's dog food throughout the day. It honestly isn't much different from the big dogs. I really think that from now on my parents will only have yorkies (I'm moving out in less than 2 years and my brother will be out a few years after that so once the dogs we have currently are gone I don't see anymore big dogs in my parent's future).

The other thing is that she is super easy to travel with. My mom has always been against travelling with the dogs but last week we went to Miami and brought Miami, the dog. Flying with her was a breeze, though 3 pounds can become quite heavy after carrying her around all day!

 

[shelly3girls]

Here is a picture of our Coton puppy. She is awesome. She is a real cuddle bug and always wants company although she makes out well in her crate at night and when we are out. She really is the sweetest dog we have ever owned. She is also very easy to train. It only takes a couple of minutes to teach her new things. I love how loyal she is. She is definitely not a watch dog. She makes friends with all kids and other dogs.

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