Size doesn't matter

Does size matter? Not in dogs it doesn't. From the tiniest of pocket pooches to the largest of the giant breeds they are all dogs. Recently I had a 4 pounder in my arms; this tiny dog fit the bill of a pocket pup to perfection. She was trembling which is very common to the breed (a chihuahua) but she was very friendly which is nice to see in this breed. As I held her I realized how difficult it was to hold her comfortably. Being so tiny it was almost like I couldn't get a good grip on her.

I've worked with lots of tiny dogs but not in a while; and everytime I meet a new one I am amazed by the tiny size. My small girl (a jack russell) weighs in at 15 lbs which is a good arm full and she gets heavy after a while.. There are physical precautions that need to be taken with tiny dogs; obviously but everything else about these dogs is all dog. The same goes for the giant breeds; there are physical issues like fitting them into a car or being crushed as they try to crawl into your lap but they too are dogs just like the micro breeds.

The tiny breeds definitely suffer fallout of human behavior like being held continually, being treated like a little human, over protectiveness, not being able to be a dog basically. The happiest tiny dogs I've met are the ones that live on the ground most of the time; the dogs who's guardians treat them like a regular dog. It is sad for a dog to live as an accessory, never interacting with other dogs, never sniffing, never running with packs of dogs. This is probably the biggest issue for tiny dogs to deal with.

The big giants deal with perception issues, big dog = bad dog. Many of the giant breeds like Great Danes, Irish Wolfhounds, Mastiffs etc are the most gentle of dogs. Often people purchase these breeds in hopes of having a "guard dog," only to discover that their dog is a lover not a fighter. The old phrase "attitude is everything," is more definitive in dogs than size. It sometimes seems impossible that a pomeranian and an Akbash could be of the same species. But what's inside gives us a better look at similarities in a species.

Humans designed the exterior packaging of a the canine. We have taken them to extremes, distorting their bodies into what we see as desirable. The original dog is in there, sometimes you really have to take a good look to see it. Each and every breed and mix is all canine, no matter what their shell looks like. Whether a dog has the whole package jammed into the tiniest body or spread out over a vast expanse of a dog makes no difference to the canine heart.

I just love them all, the compact, mid-size and full-size versions.