How to Handle a Little Dog with a Big Attitude
Treat your small dog like a big dog., Socialize your small dog., Recognize misbehavior., Train your dog., Make your dog earn its treats., Give your small dog its own sleeping space.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Treat your small dog like a big dog.
While you may want to protect or baby your little dog, this can cause misbehavior.
Let your dog play with other dogs, go for walks, and explore its surroundings.
Avoid letting your small dog get away with aggressive behavior that you wouldn't tolerate in a larger dog.If you're overprotective of your little dog, you can make the dog anxious and fearful.
These feelings can make it overly aggressive towards other dogs. -
Step 2: Socialize your small dog.
Expose your dog to a variety of people, dogs, and situations.
The earlier you begin to socialize your dog, the better.
Socialization will help your little dog learn to interact with its environment which can prevent aggressive behavior.Consider taking your little dog to the dog park or puppy training classes.
These can also make you feel more comfortable about your little dog interacting with bigger dogs in a controlled environment. , Training your dog lets you communicate with your dog so it learns what behavior is acceptable.
You can also prevent aggressive or dominant behavior, if you let your dog know that it is not in control.
If you see any of these misbehaviors in your dog, work on training to stop them:
Barking at other dogs Nipping or biting Jumping Growling , Manage your little dog's attitude by training it.
This is also an important part of preventing misbehavior.
Teach your dog basic commands like "come"
"sit"
"stay"
or "drop it".
Begin training your little dog by keeping it on a leash.
This will give you control over the situation until your little dog can handle being around big dogs.Be consistent when training your little dog.
Your little dog should always know what to expect when it misbehaves. , It's easy to give little dogs treats for just being cute, but this can actually cause its attitude problems.
Instead, you should give your dog treats as rewards for doing things.
Your dog could earn treats for exercising, responding to training, or behaving well around big dogs.Avoid hand-feeding your little dog its treats.
Hand-feeding can contribute to the pack leader mindset that you're trying to manage. , Dogs will look for the comfiest place to rest in order to prove their dominance.
This is why it's important that you never let your little dog sleep in your bed with you.
Doing so will only give your dog the impression that it's the pack leader.
Instead, designate a sleeping space for your dog and make it use the space.For example, you could set up a doggie bed in the corner of a spare room.
If your dog tries to come into your room to sleep at night, return the dog to their space and close your bedroom door. -
Step 3: Recognize misbehavior.
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Step 4: Train your dog.
-
Step 5: Make your dog earn its treats.
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Step 6: Give your small dog its own sleeping space.
Detailed Guide
While you may want to protect or baby your little dog, this can cause misbehavior.
Let your dog play with other dogs, go for walks, and explore its surroundings.
Avoid letting your small dog get away with aggressive behavior that you wouldn't tolerate in a larger dog.If you're overprotective of your little dog, you can make the dog anxious and fearful.
These feelings can make it overly aggressive towards other dogs.
Expose your dog to a variety of people, dogs, and situations.
The earlier you begin to socialize your dog, the better.
Socialization will help your little dog learn to interact with its environment which can prevent aggressive behavior.Consider taking your little dog to the dog park or puppy training classes.
These can also make you feel more comfortable about your little dog interacting with bigger dogs in a controlled environment. , Training your dog lets you communicate with your dog so it learns what behavior is acceptable.
You can also prevent aggressive or dominant behavior, if you let your dog know that it is not in control.
If you see any of these misbehaviors in your dog, work on training to stop them:
Barking at other dogs Nipping or biting Jumping Growling , Manage your little dog's attitude by training it.
This is also an important part of preventing misbehavior.
Teach your dog basic commands like "come"
"sit"
"stay"
or "drop it".
Begin training your little dog by keeping it on a leash.
This will give you control over the situation until your little dog can handle being around big dogs.Be consistent when training your little dog.
Your little dog should always know what to expect when it misbehaves. , It's easy to give little dogs treats for just being cute, but this can actually cause its attitude problems.
Instead, you should give your dog treats as rewards for doing things.
Your dog could earn treats for exercising, responding to training, or behaving well around big dogs.Avoid hand-feeding your little dog its treats.
Hand-feeding can contribute to the pack leader mindset that you're trying to manage. , Dogs will look for the comfiest place to rest in order to prove their dominance.
This is why it's important that you never let your little dog sleep in your bed with you.
Doing so will only give your dog the impression that it's the pack leader.
Instead, designate a sleeping space for your dog and make it use the space.For example, you could set up a doggie bed in the corner of a spare room.
If your dog tries to come into your room to sleep at night, return the dog to their space and close your bedroom door.
About the Author
Kimberly Miller
Creates helpful guides on DIY projects to inspire and educate readers.
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