Small Dog Obedience Training - Are You Finally Ready?

Don't Give Up On Your Small Dog

Small dogs can be a real challenge when it comes to obedience training. If you need proof, just look around everywhere you go.

You get out of your car at the grocery store and are rudely startled by the three snarling Dachshunds in the car next to you.
You go to the dog park with your well trained and balanced Chihuahua, only to have her accosted by rude, aggressive dogs that haven't a clue about proper "doggie etiquette".
You're invited to Thanksgiving dinner at your neighbor's house and spend the entire evening watching the disgruntled, growling and snarling miniature schnauzer out the corner of your eye.What almost nobody realizes is that the problem is not with the dogs, but rather it lies with their human handlers! Dogs are dogs, large or small, it matters not to them. A Rottweiler is just as happy to befriend a Brussels Griffon as another Rottweiler. It is invariably the human factor that alters a dog's behavior, not the dog.

We enable our small dogs by permitting behavior that leads to them being in charge - usually because such behavior is "so adorable" in their miniature size. Small dogs are often carried everywhere, we cater to their every need - in effect, we communicate to them that we are the servants and they are the masters.

A Small Dog Story With A Happy Ending

My next door neighbor is the sweetest lady you will ever meet; she is 74 years young and lost her husband several years back. To help ease the loneliness she adopted a 4 year old Yorkshire terrier.

My neighbor is quite active for her age, she volunteers for meals-on-wheels, attends yoga class three days a week and provides transportation for shopping and doctor appointments for many of her friends who can't drive themselves.

Everything went well at first, her new dog was sweet as could be and my neighbor lavished love and attention on her new companion, taking him everywhere she went. Gradually, the dog became possessive of the car and would bark and snarl at anyone who got in. My neighbor would gently admonish her dog and tell the passengers not to worry, that he really was harmless, all bark and no bite.

Of course, we all know where this behavior was leading; unfortunately my neighbor did not. Over the next several months, most of her friends declined the offered rides and then one day it happened. You guessed it; the dog actually bit one of her friends on the arm.

Now you wouldn't think that a Yorkshire terrier could do too much damage, and you'd be wrong. As we age, our skin loses its resiliency and we heal much slower; the incident required a visit to the urgent care center and took many weeks to heal.

For my neighbor, this was the turning point; as I'm sure you already surmised, the dog's behavior in the home towards visitors was just as aggressive. Family members were urging her to give up the dog, to have it put down before it bit one of the grandkids, or worse, her.

Having become much attached to this little demon, she talked with her veterinarian during a visit about the problem and was put in touch with a professional trainer. As it turned out, my neighbor was more than willing to put in the time and effort it required to learn what proper dog obedience training was all about and how to take control back from her Yorkshire terrier and become the pack leader in the home, much to the pleasure of family and friends.

The Sad Truth

My neighbor was open enough to a) acknowledge that there was a problem and b) that she was the solution. Unfortunately, thousands of similar situations play out every day and most end in the dog being taken to a local shelter. On average, half of dogs entering a shelter will be adopted - I'll let you figure out what happens to the other half.

Are You Finally Ready To Start Your Small Dog Obedience Training?

Do you have a small dog that rules the pack? Have you finally had enough of the jumping, barking, snapping, whining and so forth? Would you like to be able to take you dog for a walk rather than being taken for one?

There are three basic concepts to small dog obedience training:

#1 - The first step is for you, the human to gain a basic understanding of what a dog is - not what we would like them to be. Dogs are animals; they live in the present and move forward without the baggage of yesterday - at least they do if we let them. Dogs react instinctively to their environment, they do not "think ahead" or plan their actions - they simply act to preserve life.

#2 - The second step is for you, the human to understand that all dogs ultimately want you to take charge. They want to be lead by a calm, even tempered and fair handed pack leader; someone they know will deal with whatever situation arises with assurance, someone that communicates in their language that they are safe and secure.

#3 - The third step is for you, the human to accept the role as pack leader. Communicate to your small dog that you are in charge, you are the source of their food, you are in control of the space in which they live - you go first and they calmly follow. Help them understand what actions constitute acceptable behavior in your world through positive obedience training.

Once you have come to terms with the first two concepts and are ready to apply the third, take the time to research some basic obedience training techniques. There are books, forums, local clubs, professionals and more that can get you started on the right track.

As you will quickly find out, the only thing two professional dog trainers will agree on is that the third one is wrong! From your research, sift through the various concepts your come across and choose one that fits well with your personal style and beliefs, a process that you know will work for you and get started today!

Mae Campbell is an avid small dog enthusiast who has taken to heart the incredible rewards a happy balanced canine member brings to the family. Domesticated canines have served mankind in one capacity or another for thousands of years and if this symbiotic relationship it is to continue then we, their human pack leaders must step up to the plate and teach our small dogs the rules and boundaries necessary to thrive in our modern culture.

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