‘Great surprises often come in small packages’, this belief justifies itself if you opt to gift your child with a small pet dog. Dogs can be your child’s best friend to fulfill his solitary needs and convert play time into fun time with its energetic and charming behavior. However, before choosing the right breed and category of dog, a list of things have to be taken into account. Your standard of living and lifestyle, your child’s age along with the collective interest of the entire family in proper handling of the pet, right from its training to perfectly grooming it. Depending on the personality, training required, care to be taken and, most importantly, its reputation as being compatible with kids, small dogs have been categorized under the following heads.
1. Maltese
These royal looking small dogs, with beautiful silky manes, have been escorting elites across the globe since the past 28 centuries. Marked for being extremely cheerful, affectionate and loving, this breed has been trained to relax on the chaise lounge and even the bed, nevertheless, it is always inquisitive to learn and explore new dimensions. However, the only negative side to these dogs is that they have to be regularly combed and brushed well, which might become a burden, too large, for a small child to handle.
2. Pug
Just as their name, they are distinguished by their flat wrinkly muzzle, and are believed to have originated in China. This ancient breed is an ideal choice for a family pup as it loves to go out, play around, is faithful and worthy of your trust as well. Its wrinkled skin protects it from respiratory disorders especially during extremes of climate. However, one should be careful and vigilant enough not to expose pugs to very high or very low temperatures, if one plans to own it. Also, pugs shed too much, which might be a concern to those who are allergic towards it.
3. Yorkshire Terrier
These tiny cute looking creatures can make you shed kilos with their energetic behavior. Lovingly known as Yorkies, this breed is marked as being highly active and extremely intelligent and, mind it, do not get carried away by their cute looks, they can take you for a toll if they turn aggressive. Trained well, these small dogs love socializing and have a friendly nature, however, at times they can act a little nippy, but you can check on this behavioral disorder by constantly training them about positive reinforcement.
4. Miniature Schnauzer
Believed to have originated and bred in Germany, these dogs are the smartest in the category of small dogs, love to be outdoors and are highly protective in nature, making them most popular and suitable for kids. They love to be trained and easily and comfortably settle in any given situation or surrounding, be it the open fields of a countryside home or a two by two bedroom flat of an urban apartment. Moreover, they shed very scarcely, hence making them an ideal choice for an allergy prone.
5. Beagle
Beagle, the pet owned by the lead character, Charlie Brown, of the famous comic ‘Peanuts’, named Snoopy, can be best described in this role model dog. These dogs are extremely happy go lucky, charming, cheerful and with a lot of grey cells as well. However, if not monitored for a long span of time, they can mess around and put themselves into deep trouble. So, this breed is best suited and advised for large families with a long queue of children, following an energy filled livelihood, and not for those ‘solitary reapers’, who love to spend time all be themselves.
6. Brussels Griffon Terrier
This breed of dogs were originally trained in Belgium to help catch rats because of their smart instinct and interest to learn, explore and excel. Featured as being extremely loving, sensitive, over protective, obedient and faithful, these dogs are great attention seekers and can prove to be the right choice as a watchdog as well as a perfect mate for your child’s play times.
7. French Bulldog
These dogs require very little grooming and training as they were bred to be loungers and are considered to be very smart and intelligent. They have heavy bones and are not fearful or sensitive, but are sturdy to withstand play time actions and excursions and have thus been personified as the clown philosopher. However, the only problem with these dogs is that they need moderate climate to survive and, thus, cannot withstand hot temperatures.
8. Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Also known as the joker of the canine world, spaniels are whimsical and high spirited in nature. They are very friendly, fun loving, obey instructions, smart, non-aggressive, always ready to learn and capable of melting even a hard stone with their fun filled activities and joyful behavior. Moreover, being low on maintenance, they need to be brushed once a week to keep up with their looks.
9. Havanese
Being the national dog of Cuba, these dogs are marked by having long, light, fluffy and non-shedding coats of hair which protect them from the high temperatures prevalent in Havana. They are a well mannered lot, but have to be trained at an early stage and consistently require constant grooming, to get the best out of them. They are strong, active and energetic and can be an apt choice for your little one.
10. Shih Tzu
Being extremely loyal and loving in nature, these dogs are a hit with children as they are full of life, very active, strong and playful as well. Their long, beautiful luxurious coats of hair require adequate grooming and maintenance, but still, in spite of this, because of their friendly behavior, they are the most appreciated, loved and universally accepted.
