Small Dog Buddies

Posted on Nov 04 in Small Dog Behaviorby Jeff K.Print

The playground at Kelsey's Dog House. Lima the Pug is laying on top of Arlo.

If you own two small dogs, do they like to hang out with each other? Even if you only have one small dog, does he have a dog buddy in the neighborhood?

Here’s why I ask. We dog behaviorists love to talk about pack theory. We seem to think everything a dog does can be tied back to its origins as a pack animal. And yet, after hanging with small dogs in groups of ten, twenty, thirty, I rarely see dogs from different homes relate to each other except to occasionally pair off to play. Sure, one dog may play with another for awhile, but I almost never see two or more dogs that join up in anything that resembles a lasting relationship.

Necessity or Convenience

Perhaps it’s a question of necessity. Feral dogs almost always gather in packs. The pack gives them strength in numbers, a valuable asset when faced with surviving on the mean streets. The domestic dog who lives the cushy life in a home has no need for a pack.

The Exception

There are exceptions to the rule. In the accompanying photo, Lima the Pug, (The black dog facing the camera with his tongue sticking out,) is laying on top of Arlo, the Tibetan Terrier. I point this out because these two come from separate homes, and never knew each other before they met at Kelsey’s Dog House. During the day, they play almost exclusively with each other. At rest, they always lay next to each other and spoon. When only Arlo is at the shop, he will play with any other dog that is in the mood. Same with Lima. But when they are both staying with us, they are drawn to each other as magnets. Do you know two small dogs with a relationship like Lima and Arlo?

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