small dog breeds
Small - description
You shouldn't base your decision of which small dog breed to pick based solely on "looks" because you could end up with a dog who doesn't behave how you expected or who does things you don't like!
Generally a small dog is considered to weigh less than 22lbs or be shorter than 16 inches. Some of the small dog breeds on our site are much lighter and shorter than this and some of them are a little heavier and taller than this, but they are all small dogs nevertheless (even though a few are borderline between small and medium sized).
Some breeds, such as the Chihuahua, are the smallest of the small... weighing in at only 6 to 8 pounds and standing only 6 to 10 inches tall. While the larger of the small breeds like the Staffordshire Bull Terrier weigh 24 to 36 pounds and stand at 14 to 16 inches tall.
So, your first choice is to decide if you want a really small dog like a Chihuahua or if you don't mind a larger small dog like a Staffordshire Bull Terrier. It might not bother you either way. The really small guys are really easier to pick-up, transport, and carry around!
Every small breed can be trained to learn commands; however, some learn those commands a lot faster than others. A fast learning breed is much easier to train and will know more commands in a shorter period of time. While a slower learning breed requires more patience and time to train. If you want an obedient dog but don't have much patience or time to train him you will want to pick an easy to train breed.
Some small dogs shed virtually no hair. These low-shedders shed so little that you'll struggle to find one hair in your home. If you hate dog hair and don't have time for extra vacuuming, then one of these breeds is right for you.
Some other breeds shed a moderate amount of hair: you'll find some stuck to your carpet, clothes and couch. If you don't mind a little hair in your home like this, then you have a wider variety of breeds to choose from than just the low shedders
Then there are the shed-like-there's-no-tomorrow breeds! These breeds shed enormous amounts of hair! If you own one, you'll find hair on everything in your home. You'll find lots of hair on your carpet, sofa, and clothes. Probably even on your kitchen table and in the fridge. It gets everywhere! But if hair doesn't bother you, then you can choose a dog with any shedding level and you have the widest selection of breeds to choose from
Small dog maintenance comes down to two things: brushing and vacuuming. Some breeds are almost maintenance-free and only require an occasional brushing and don't drop virtually any hair so you don't have to vacuum.
You need to brush a long-haired dog daily so his coat doesn't become a matted and tangled mess! However, you can avoid this if you keep his coat clipped short (just clip it short every few months--it only takes about 30 minutes to do) and then you only have to brush it occasionally. So you are not limited to just the short-haired breeds if you don't have time for regular brushing. You still can choose a longhaired breed but you just have to clip his coat short to make it easy to maintain.
If you don't have time to be vacuuming up hair, either, then you will want a low-shedding breed
Virtually all small dog breeds make good little watchdogs - they will all make some sort of commotion (growling or barking) - when a stranger enters their turf. But some breeds are better at this job than others. A few are highly alert and will bark unrelentingly if a stranger is on "their" property
Our site includes information about each particular bread's country of origin, their average size and weight of, characteristics that you will find in the majority of the breed's individuals, the general activity patterns of individuals with particular breed, the temperament of dogs within the breed and much more. This website also provide valuable advice for you if you own or are considering owning a dog from one of the small dog breeds, including advice on how to train and care for your small dog breed
To discover more about specific small dog breed, its origin, history, temperament and other characteristics please follow one of the links below:
