A Small Dog

This spot is mine! Keep out!

Awhile back I wrote a piece called “Small Dog Syndrome.” That article has drawn more attention from people seeking help with their small dog than anything else I have written. It bothers me that so many people are having problems controlling the behavior of their small dogs. It also bothers me to think that many people believe their dog is possessed, for lack of a better word, by a force that is beyond their control. Small Dog Syndrome is not a malignant growth or deformation of your small dog’s brain. It is not a force of nature, nor an unlucky combination of inherited genes. It is not part and parcel of a specific breed. It is not a trait, not a personality quirk, not a special ability, nor is it an inability. Your dog does not hold his own internal dialogue with himself in which he says, “Hey, let’s really piss off the human today.” Small Dog Syndrome is not even a syndrome. It is a shame the phrase has found its way into our vocabulary because it probably causes some of us to throw up our hands and say “My small dog has Small Dog Syndrome. He’s damaged goods and he will never get better.” (more…)