NationStates Jolt Archive


Small dogs, and maybe some not-so-small dogs...

Ice Hockey Players
21-08-2006, 19:51
Those of you who have small dogs - terriers, Dachshunds, even poodles - tell us about them. What are they like? Do they fit in a handbag? Are they fairly high-maintenance? Do you have cats, and if so, do they wrestle with the cats? Do your small dogs have "big dog attitude"? Are they good eaters or picky eaters? What was your dog's projected adult size, and does he/she fit it?

I'll start off with my Yorkshire terrier. I got her as a birthday present for my fiancee, knowing full well that my cat would kill me for doing so. Instantly, she named her Lily (though a while later, I came to the conclusion we should have named her Lucy, as we could say it was short for Lucifer.) The night we brought her home, we tried to crate her to get her to sleep, and she whined and complained like we were beating her, so we gave up and let her sleep with us. She's done the same since, except when we're out of town.

Her best friends are my MIL's border collie and my Siamese cat, who weighs 20 pounds. Rocco is the Siamese, and Lily's about eight pounds (bigger than the 4-7 pounds Yorkies grow to, usually.) The two of them are ridiculous. Lily jumps into this little kitty tent my fiancee got in Minnesota, and Rocco wrestles her from the outside of the tent. Needless to say, Lily has a major case of "big dog attitude" and lets no one intimidate her (Rocco sort of did for a while, but now he doesn't.) Lily was a tiny, three-pound puppy when she went to play with some other dogs, including a Shih Tzu and a Rottweiler. Before long, the Rottweiler was afraid of Lily!

Lily also eats just about everything, though she tends to bury it some. She got an infection from dairy products once, so I stick to feeding her meat now, which she loves, and occasionally chips. I don't feed her everything, but she demands it and is very in-your-face about it. She wants whatever I am having, even if it's chocolate, onions, or something spicy.

Treating Lily's infection cost about $300, but other than that, she's a tough dog. She will hang from chew toys by her mouth (a game I like to call "Flying Yorkie" and a game she's very good at) and she lost a tooth doing that. A minute later, she was the same old dog after licking the roof of her mouth for that time. She's usually pretty low-maintenance, and we got to take her and Anna, the border collie, to a cabin in the middle of nowhere for a long weekend along with my fiancee and MIL. They loved it. We cooked dinner every night, and the dogs got a plate - steak, hot dogs, hamburgers, potatoes - pretty much anything that wouldn't kill them. Breakfast was more of the same - every morning they enjoyed bacon, sausage, French toast, pancakes, and I forget what else. So to her, people food is better than dog food, and her favorite treats are boneless Buffalo wings and Barq's red cream soda.

Are there any small dog lovers here? Are there any who have to type this at work because you get interrupted at home too quickly by a little munchkin jumping in your lap and licking your nose?
UpwardThrust
21-08-2006, 19:58
I am a cat fan ... also a fan of dogs in all their forms, living with my girlfriends mini Dachshund it is a good dog

I have some pics
http://geek.upwardthrust.us/pictures/fedora.jpg (my now decieced kitty is the background)(warning large slow picture sorry)

I will get more up of the dog and new kitties as I find them on my server
Smunkeeville
21-08-2006, 20:00
I used to have a Jack Russell Terrier, never again. That dog was like perpetually high, we used to think he was a puppy crack addict.

Too hyper.

I like the dog I have now, he just kinda lays there and waits for us to feed him. He will run around with the kids in the yard, but only if we really really entice him.
Teh_pantless_hero
21-08-2006, 20:12
My mother got a Yorkie. The thing turned out to be a giant yorkie, despite being purebred, and weighs some 24 pounds. It isn't obese, it is just huge. The thing is loud and will eat anything.

I just got a "Westipoo" that is about 26-30lb and is at least quieter than the Yorkie.
Ginnoria
21-08-2006, 20:16
I used to have a Jack Russell Terrier, never again. That dog was like perpetually high, we used to think he was a puppy crack addict.

Too hyper.

I like the dog I have now, he just kinda lays there and waits for us to feed him. He will run around with the kids in the yard, but only if we really really entice him.
My family has two. :eek:
Rameria
21-08-2006, 21:07
I have a big dog trapped in the body of a small dog. I got Harley from the SPCA last December, when he was about three months old and weighed in at just under 5 lbs. I wanted a smallish dog (but not a purse dog, can't stand the darn things), and the people there assured me he wouldn't get any bigger than about 20 lbs. Harley is a Jack Russell mix, but it turns out his other half must have been substantially bigger, because he's now at 30 lbs and still growing. :p He was an unholy terror when I got him, but he's calmed down a lot and has just about outgrown his chewing habits. He's still very high energy at times, but mostly he just likes to chill on the couch or in my papasan chair.
Khadgar
21-08-2006, 21:22
Never get a small dog. They're typically more prone to biting, they're very loud, and hyperactive as can be.

I have a lab/beagle mix. Improbably the mother was a beagle. Still trying to figure that one out.
New Xero Seven
21-08-2006, 21:23
I like dogs, cats, bunnies, hamsters, guinea pigs, ferrets, and hippos.
Lunatic Goofballs
21-08-2006, 21:46
I like dogs, cats, bunnies, hamsters, guinea pigs, ferrets, and hippos.

Have you ever had to clean up after a hippo that missed it's litterbox? *shudder*
Whereyouthinkyougoing
21-08-2006, 21:52
Have you ever had to clean up after a hippo that missed it's litterbox? *shudder*
Heee, now I really want to see a picture of a hippo's litter box. :p
Baked squirrels
22-08-2006, 00:19
I'm allergic to cats, so I'm not a fan of them. My sister has a little pug and a huge black Lab/German shepard, they are quite amuzing.
Not bad
22-08-2006, 00:41
Vida
http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/8359/0000009cv7.jpg

Ritter
http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/1660/1000533eh4.jpg

Collision
http://img174.imageshack.us/img174/6564/0000018eo1.jpg
Neu Leonstein
22-08-2006, 00:42
I don't like small dogs. I'm always afraid I'll break them.

My ideal dog would be a mix between a Mastino Napolitano and a Great Dane. So yeah, I like big dogs.

At the moment we've got a Rhodesian Ridgeback and a Lab/Poodle mix (pic (http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f94/Leonstein/SiskaandMonday001small.jpg)). And the latter is already a bit small for my liking. Which may also be because she's still a puppy.
Megaloria
22-08-2006, 00:44
Any animal comparable in size to a football has obviously evolved to be kicked as such.
Teh_pantless_hero
22-08-2006, 00:47
I don't like small dogs. I'm always afraid I'll break them.

My ideal dog would be a mix between a Mastino Napolitano and a Great Dane. So yeah, I like big dogs.

At the moment we've got a Rhodesian Ridgeback and a Lab/Poodle mix (pic (http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f94/Leonstein/SiskaandMonday001small.jpg)). And the latter is already a bit small for my liking. Which may also be because she's still a puppy.
A lab/poodle should come out at least 60lbs.
Neu Leonstein
22-08-2006, 00:50
A lab/poodle should come out at least 60lbs.
About 30kg...well, I have my doubts. But we'll see, I guess.
Klitvilia
22-08-2006, 01:19
I have a brown Miniature Long-Haired Dachshund. He is about 9-10 years old, weighs about 10 lbs, and is very, very laid back; if it were up to him, he would sleep all day. He does not have an ego problem per se, but is kind of a picky eater and only likes certain dog foods, though he loves all table scraps, especially broccoli. The only excercise he gets regularly is swimming in our backyard pool, which he does obsessively now that it is summer. He is what most people would call 'spoiled rotten'. :p
Not bad
22-08-2006, 01:21
Any animal comparable in size to a football has obviously evolved to be kicked as such.

*sets a hornet's nest disguised as a dog in front of megaloria *
Anti-Social Darwinism
22-08-2006, 02:30
I had a terrier named Domina who weighed about 12 pounds, the size of my smallest cat. She considered the cats (4 of them) her pack. They considered her a smelly, interactive cat toy. The got along quite well.
Not bad
22-08-2006, 02:47
At the moment we've got a Rhodesian Ridgeback and a Lab/Poodle mix (pic (http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f94/Leonstein/SiskaandMonday001small.jpg)).

The pup either had red-eye deleted in the photo or he has the scariest devil dog eyes Ive seen since Ritter (http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/1051/1000005im7.jpg). Other than that it is as cute and lovable as any puppy ever
IL Ruffino
22-08-2006, 02:59
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/Goomg/dog/24b53f25.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/Goomg/dog/PICT0095.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/Goomg/dog/cam035.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/Goomg/dog/Picture081.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/Goomg/dog/Picture065.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/Goomg/dog/Picture051.jpg
Ice Hockey Players
22-08-2006, 17:51
My favorite packs of dogs are the ones with several big dogs and one small dog. It's inevitable that the small dog will be the one that's in charge.