People who own toy/small breeds?

a small dog is easier to control and train ... a small dog is easier to groom (usually) ... a small dog eats way less ... a small dog can go many places large dogs would not be welcome ... it is way more pleasant to pick up poop of small dogs (when i walk large dogs it is like picking up people poop, gross) ... i like a dog i can pick up and snuggle ... i like a dog that i know will not hurt other animals or people (not that all big dogs are dangerous, but a little dog is much less likely to seriously injure another animal or person) ... i grew up with small dogs ... when i moved out and was living in a small apartment i felt a small dog was more appropriate (now i think some big dogs are fine in apartments too) ... it is easier to get an apartment with a small dog ... the cost at the vet is cheaper for a small dog ...

i do dress my dog, daily in the winter in cold or rainy weather ... i started dressing her to cover a disgusting cancerous tumor on her back that the general public could not shut the **** up about wherever i went ... i do not dress her in the summer as it is too hot but in the fall and winter when it is cool, i like to put a t-shirt on her because i think it is cute or a jacket to match the weather ... it does not bother her at all ... she does not try to get away from me when i am dressing her and she does not try to get out of the clothes so i assume she is fine with it and if she isn't too bad ...

my dog walks ... unless we are going into a store or on the bus ... i have a bag she rides in for those situations ... convenient when taking cabs as where i live to get a cab to pick up with a dog can be a bit of a challenge but if i tell them she is in a bag i get a cab right away ... typical outing to do errands ... walk her to do her business, walk to the bus stop, put in bag, get off bus, dog jumps out and walks to store ... if it is a pet friendly store she just walks in otherwise i put her in the bag ... do the shopping, walk back to bus stop, dog back in bag, get off the bus at the beach, play chuck-it for an hour or so (chuck-its are smaller and easier to carry for small dogs :O) ... walk to bus, back in bag, bus home, out of bag, walks home ...

i do not believe in harnesses ... my dog does have one that i bought to match two pugs i was dog sitting ... so all three would be walking along in matching harnesses ... what can i say, i am a sucker for cute ...

my dog thinks she is a larger dog ... and she plays well with all dogs, but she gravitates to the big ones ... she is not snappy with them at all, she is playful ... she just does not realize she is little ... i find the majority of big dogs play nice with little dogs, at least at the dog beach i go to ... there is one great dane at the beach all the time who goes for my dogs frisbee ... she will not let go and the great dane will pick her up right off the ground, it is hilarious ... the great dane learned the only way to get her to let go is to walk into the ocean deep enough that the great dane is still standing but my dog is swimming ... she will let go then but stalk the great dane until he puts the frisbee down and she is in like a flash and off with it ... it is very cute ...

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i have to say i was a bit of a small dog supremacist but through the years i have met some pretty nice big dogs ... ones that were cuddly and snuggly and one who even thought he was a lap dog at 75 pounds :O)

I wasn't a small dog person. Pixie picked US at the shelter (we weren't even there for ourselves, we were with my sister). If someone had told me that when I got a dog, she's be an 11 lb mutt, I would've laughed my butt off. I was more of a "bigger is better" type person. When I need to be somewhere where I feel unsafe, I borrow my sister's 115 lb Malanois/Collie mix. Incredibly scary looking. Thankfully, no one has bothered us (and people cross the street to avoid him), because if they had, they would find out that he's the world's biggest baby.

Do you dress up your dogs daily and why or why not? Nope. She gets a sweater or coat in the winter if it's 20 or below, and she does dress up for holidays, but that's it.

Do you usually hold your dogs or let them walk? Well, God gave her four legs, and she uses them. The only time I carry her is if we go to garage sales (she loves going to garage sales, she gets to see a ton of people/dogs/cats), a lot of people appreciate it.

Do you find harnesses are a lot safer for your small dogs? I don't know if a harness is safer. If we're going somewhere where there's going to be a lot of activity, I put her on a martingale, because she has slipped the harness before (excitement). She's fairly well behaved on a harness though, so I usually use one (it's a lot easier than untangling her from the leash constantly).

Do you allow your dogs to play with larger dogs? See, she doesn't know she's a small dog. She's only met a few other small dogs in her entire life. At the doggy daycare she goes to when she gets groomed, they always toss her in with the big dogs. They like that about her. Her best friend is an APBT mix. So, yes, she absolutely gets to play with larger dogs, as long as they play nice (and they almost always do).

I have two large dogs and three small dogs (as well as two small fosters).

Dogs who are cold get sweaters (my rat terrier loves heat and begs for his sweater....he was actually lying outside in the sun today when it was 100 degrees). I do not dress up dogs for decoration.

My dogs walk. The only time I carry them is if we are crossing pavement on a hot day and I want to protect their feet.

I prefer harnesses for most dogs that are under 20 lbs. I have had a few fosters who needed a slip lead because they were headstrong, but with most dogs I can correct them just as easily with a harness.

I generally keep the small and large dogs apart (although they will occasionally mingle when I leave the baby gate open in the house) There is just too much of a difference in size (my big dogs are 100 and almost 80 lbs) and I do not trust the larger dogs not to be too rough when playing or treat the small dogs as prey.

Small dogs are easier to control, take up less room, eat less, live longer, and can do most of the things larger dogs can do. My rat terrier can run a mile beside my bicycle and not even be breathing hard. :o)

I will probably keep only small dogs once these two large dogs pass on.

I am definitely an XL dog person first....ha. I love all the XL breeds. I currently have a Newfoundland. However, I find every dog adorable. I fell in love with my now Shih Tzu, Minnie. I trained her exactly as if she weighed 50 lbs. I didn't let her get away with "little dog stuff." No barking, no furniture jumping, etc. I call her my Tom boy. She romps right along with the big dogs, even in the snowy woods! She's also just the right size to snuggle up to at night. She's not too small where I feel like she is fragile. And she definitely has a LARGE personality. She cracks my whole family up...even my two older brothers who would normally not admit to liking a small dog.

Do you dress up your dogs daily and why or why not?

No. Even though she used to have a dog coat as a puppy. I didn't buy it though, the puppy owner *we were watching their puppy* left it when the puppy was found a new home. Damn thing costs $25 dollars for a faux leather coat. It's warm but Teensy hates it, so I'm giving it away one day (she hasn't had it on in forever, too small anyway. lol!! The only dressing up she has is her spotted tri-colored fur and she loves that just fine, so no need for a coat or whatever for her. Now, if your dog gets really cold easily, like a hairless dog, chi or something. I would recommend a dog coat or sweater..or whatever to keep them warm.

Do you usually hold your dogs or let them walk? Both, when Teensy gets tired (if we've walked too long) I will pick her up and carry her a bit, or if it's cold out and she gets chilly, I carry her in my sweater until she wants to get back down. She's a spoiled brat and sometimes I forget I'm carrying her until I feel her move, put her down and she looks at me like "wtf,I was getting used to this!" lol!! Other than that, she walks everywhere she needs to go.

Do you find harnesses are a lot safer for your small dogs? Teensy is leash trained very well on collar, on choke chain or just a basic loop in the leash to walk her. She responds to it all. I am getting her a harness (pink) because even though she is collar/leash trained, I just like the idea of a harness, even though some say it's encouraging pulling in any dog. I like them and she walks great with them. I made a home-made harness from a leash wrapped around her like a harness would and she stayed right by my side as if she were on a collar/leash. Are harnesses safe for small dogs? Yes and no. If you have a dog that still pulls, bucks and backs out of them, then switch to a regular collar. If your dog is trained to stay by your side no matter what equipment they are wearing, then yes. Harnesses are also great for biking as well. Just keep their ID Tags on there.

Do you allow your dogs to play with larger dogs? Of course, even though she's 10ilbs. She plays like she is a large dog. Trying to play like they do, get stepped on and come back for more. Yep, that's Teensy for you. Her best friend is my other dog, a pitbull mix, 70ilbs named Taylor.

Why: Growing up I was only allowed to have Labs. It was just a rule in my house. My dad loved them and that was that. We did have a few other breeds, but it was mainly Labs. When my dad died, my mom gave our Lab Apollo away. I'm not sure why, but she did. On my sixteenth birthday she gave me a Labrador puppy and a Cairn terrier puppy. That was my first "small" dog. I had a Basenji before, but they're not "small". Anyway, I got my Peke/Chi two years later, and then a year later my Chihuahua. We're now living happily in our own apartment. I liked that smaller dogs were cheaper to care for. Food bills are a lot lower and the poop cleanup isn't as bad. When we get our house we're getting another big dog though. Little dogs are great and all, but I'd like to have another big dog. I want another dog my Lab can romp around with. Small dogs are pretty fragile, which is a definite con.

Do you dress up your dogs daily and why or why not?:

We have clothes that we put them in for Halloween or whatever. They're not the kind of dog to wear clothes all the time though. My Chihuahua wears a sweater outside in the winter. He appreciates it! He actually has a little jacket with faux fur on the hood!

Do you usually hold your dogs or let them walk?:

They walk. I only carry my Chihuahua down the apartment steps to go potty since there's a gap big enough for him to fall through.

Do you find harnesses are a lot safer for your small dogs?:

I think they're safer if you have a dog that likes to pull. Same goes for big dogs. I don't use them. Just teach your dog how to walk and you won't need them.

Do you allow your dogs to play with larger dogs?:

Yes. I have a Lab who's about 90lbs and he, the Cairn, and the Peke/Chi run around happily together in the kitchen. I only separate the Chi because he likes to play rough and he's only 3lbs. No sense getting him smooshed! But they're allowed to play when I'm in the room.

I've had large, active, rambunctious dogs my whole life but now I am old and live in a small apartment. The dog I have now is a perfect fit for my changes in home, health, finances and activity level.

My dog HATES clothing, even the plain sweater I insist that he wears in the cold of winter walks. I'm too old to want to play "dress up the dolly" with my dog.

My dog loves to walk. Why would I carry him?

He gets so excited about going out that I find it hard to get his harness on properly so I discontinued using it and he wears a collar & leash.

My dog doesn't like other dogs. He won't play with them. That's okay. He was kind of old when I got him, has a few health issues, and he isn't going to change now. I respect that. PLUS, most little dogs seem unable to give the submission signal to larger dogs and would be creamed in a fight. It is NOT machismo nor attitude, it is something MISSING from the make up of little dogs.

If you are honest with yourself, over time you will realize that the best dogs for you, too, change as your age and circumstances change.

I own a total of 5 dogs and 3 of them are toys, 2 Poodles and a Chihuahua

Do you dress up your dogs daily and why or why not? God no! They have a built in fur coat

Do you usually hold your dogs or let them walk? They walk, they have 12 legs between them and I only have 2. If I can walk so can they.

Do you find harnesses are a lot safer for your small dogs? They wear collars

Do you allow your dogs to play with larger dogs? They play with my 2 larger dogs, I also have a Lab and an Aussie/ Golden mix. I don't allow them to play with any random dog, large or small.

I'll state right now that I do not own a small dog, but am planning on getting one. The reason I prefer smaller dogs is very simple: it is irresponsible to own any dog that you cannot physically control if necessary. As a short woman, it would be hard for me to control a big and even in some cases a medium sized dog. Furthermore, they are cheaper to feed, welcome in more places, and it's much easier carry a small dog crate and fit it into a compact car.

As for dressing up dogs...normally I think that is stupid, but the breed(s) that I'm looking into do require a jacket when it's cold outside.

I plan on having my dog walk. All dogs need exercise!

Still researching which type of restraint will be best, because I think that will depend on what breed. As for playing with larger dogs...I think that would depend on the dogs in question.

I was looking for a larger dog, but he just caught my eye! It's that feeling you get when you know you find a dog that's really special. He's a CKC/terrier mix if you're wondering, and a new addition to the family. I love the long floppy ears, wire hair, and lemon & white coloring, with lemon in the perfect places. And he is so affectionate! I knew I had to have him since there would (should) never be another one (mutt)!

Do you dress up your dogs daily and why or why not? Never, except for a raincoat when it rains, but my Golden Retriever gets that, too, since sharing an umbrella never seems to work out. I just don't want to be the stereotypical girl with a Poodle in a pink sweater in her pink, diamond-accented purse, if you know what I mean.

Do you usually hold your dogs or let them walk? Let him walk, just like any other dog; his legs are perfectly fine and he has tons of energy. I do pick him up sometimes at home, though, but only for a cuddle.

Do you find harnesses are a lot safer for your small dogs? Maybe for a bad walker, but he heels nicely and is fine on his nylon collar.

Do you allow your dogs to play with larger dogs? Yes, he plays with my GR and the neighbor's Lab. They are home together and I trust them. When playing outside, I always supervise to make sure they're not being too rough.

I'll answer this for my Toy Fox Terrier.

Well, after having nothing but large dogs for so long, we decided to get a Toy Fox Terrier to show. It's... Interesting... Having a small dog now. I actually have to bend down to pet him!

The only time that dog has EVER worn clothing is when it's below 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Beyond that, the most I've put on him is a bandana.

The dog has 4 legs. He can walk on them, unless I need to take him somewhere he doesn't want to go (think bathtub lol).

Nope. Lemur PULLS like none other when in a harness, so we got him a regular collar and a small choke for training.

All the time. Lemur plays with the two Danes, and often times initiates it. Sometimes, when it gets rough, we do step in and make them stop.