As more and more folks move into urban centers (condos, townhouses), miniature dog breeds continue to  gain in popularity. This is not a surprise as such breeds take up less space indoors and many such breeds can do without the luxury of a back yard. However, it’s important to remember that there are many differences between the kinds of toy dogs and some will have much different requirements than others – you want to ensure that the one you choose is among the good dog breeds for your lifestyle. It’s of the utmost importance to do adequate research on any breed before selecting one for your family. Matching the dog’s needs with your lifestyle will allow for a high chance of a harmonized family – dog relationship, that will hopefully last many years!

Unfortunately, small dogs often get an unfair bad rap for being yappy and aggressive, when the reality of the fact that these behaviors are often caused by the humans they live with. While all miniature dog breeds are small and cute it’s important to remember that they still are dogs, and treating them as toys or fashion items will not yield the best results for their temperament. Proper training, discipline and exercise will almost always produce a dog that is well mannered and polite regardless of its size.

Many toy dog owners make the mistake of always carrying their furry friend around, and allowing unsavory behaviors that may appear cute when a small dog performs them, but would never be tolerated if it were a larger dog. Allowing behaviors such as jumping up, chewing items, or barking because a dog is small will have the dog believing it can make its own rules, and contributes to the “yappy” stereotype of small and toy breed dogs. Miniature dogs require training and rules just like you would provide for a larger dog. Also, while they are small and cute remember that miniature dog breeds are still dogs and benefit from regular daily walks in which they can burn off energy and enjoy some sniffing in the great outdoors. They are still dogs and enjoy nearly everything a larger dog breed would.

One thing of note with dogs under twenty pounds is that they should not be left unsurprised outdoors, even in a fenced back yard in many ares. This is because they are at an increased risk of attack from birds of prey such as hawks, eagles and owls. Even if the bird is unable to fly away with the dog its talons will have often killed or maimed the canine significantly. In other areas you may need to keep an especially close eye on your small dog as coyotes can be a major danger, striking and killing in only a few seconds.

Also, I know that a lot of people look for dog breeds good with children, and if that’s you then you should know chihuahuas are a poor choice because kids can easily step on, drop and accidentally hurt tiny dogs.

There are so many different things we plan to cover in the coming weeks, such as information on miniature dog breeds. Unfortunately, many potential (or even current) small dog owners don’t realize that not every pint sized pup has the same needs, and so it is of the utmost importance to do thorough research before choosing a good dog breed for you and your family. It’s important to remember that while these dogs are dainty, they need to be treated like their larger peers in order to avoid some nasty temperament issues that can crop up. When treated properly, almost all small dogs will have good, stable temperaments and make for awesome family members. Also, your friends and neighbors will be much less likely to give your furry friend a harsh stereotype-based label, such as  “ankle biter” or “yappy chihuahua” (or pomeranian, papillon, etc) and so on.

We also want to take things a step further, by not simply providing profiles of popular dog breeds, but information that relates to dogs in general as well. We are even the process of compiling a dog food ratings guide, which is the result of many months research on the different brands of canine diets currently available.  We’ve compiled information not just on the various dry (kibble) and wet (canned) dog foods available, but also done significant research into the pros and cons of raw diets. While feeding a raw diet may seem scary and down-right unsanitary to some, it is a trend that is becoming very popular and so we wanted to take some time to research it, and provide the unbiased facts that are a result of our research.

Of course, we are also aware that many folks are becoming more budget conscious in these touch economic times, and so we also gave a lot of thought into finding the best cheap dog food options on the market. This is in area that we would like to tackle soon, as it’s something that is no doubt important to many dog owners.

The main this is that we love dogs, and want to educate ourselves and our readers as we continue to learn more about each breed and what makes it unique. We hope you’ll stick around the website and find useful information in our articles. Most importantly, whether you love small dogs, large dogs, or just plain all dogs, we hope you’ll use our website in your search for finding good dog breeds for your family.