I have both so get grief from people who don't like big dogs and grief from people who think little dogs ain't proper dogs I have a thick skin. My little dogs take liberties with my big dogs but are very playful with any we meet out and about. People are usually surprised at how forward they are. That said mine do what they're told, they may be spoilt rotten at home but out and about they know the same rules apply to them as the bigguns.

I had a problem with a 'small dog' earlier today. Only about 5 inches high, a puppy! It really cheesed Bella off when it kept running under the verandah sofa and Bella couldn't get under there to get at him. And Bella is only 10 inches tall! So it goes to prove it's all 'relative' lol!

i have had both large and small dogs and i can say that my min pin is the worst, grumpy old man. If i didnt keep him on a lead he would jump and yap at everything. he isnt allowed to though !

Minpins! Born to bark and bite! Mine's now trained to perfection for me. Gotta love those dogs. Big dogs in little bodies! Tyrants of the miniature dog world! Said to be the most energetic and lively dogs. And boy are they FAST!

Busy, busy, busy - my nickname for mine is the AYATOLLAH!

Its unfortunate, isn't it. My 2 little doxies are very well mannered when it comes to other dogs, and Mouse is brilliant at teaching puppies manners... but I hear alot about how horrid the breed is... which is only because they get spoiled rotten!

Well to be honest I think it is just another example of 'generalising' - in the same way SBTs get a bad press or really huge breeds get calls for bans but this time about 'small dogs'. I mean there is just as much difference between different BREEDS of small dogs as there is between different breeds of BIG dogs but they do tend to get lumped together as 'small dogs' or 'small yappy dogs' or 'fluffy lapdogs' - whereas when people moan about big dogs they tend to mention the breed.

Sizeist I call it lol!

I know what you mean..some people seem to think its ok if their dog is unruly because they are small dogs. It annoys me even more when they are distrustful of Tonks when it's their dog that is causing the problem! I had a lady recently whose dog ran the length of a park towards us..it wasn't going very fast but the lady didn't make much attempt to stop it. It got to us, I had already put Remus on lead because he is the one who is likely to scare small dogs by sprinting round and then over them, it through itself at the floor under Tonks' chin so Tonks gave it a cursory sniff. By this point the woman had caught up with it and when she saw what Tonks was doing she inhaled sharply grimacing at me and saying 'eeeeeeeeeeeeeee' ! Why let your dog run up to what couldn't be mistaken for anything but a very large staffie and a very big Lurcher if you're then going to presume its going to come to some harm!? She then tried to usher it away....and which point it flew snapping and swearing at both Tonks and Remus!

I have a feeling that if the woman had butted out and just carried on walking last that that might not have happened.

No apology for her dogs or her ridiculous behaviour...she just trotted off glancing suspiciously over her shoulder all the way.

See you've proved my point Catrin! No mention of the BREED of small dog that worried your dogs!

But when it's a big dog that bothers someone they mention that it was a GSD or a STAFFIE or waddever! But no again it is just 'a small dog'. Well all breeds are small at some stage of their lives!

Not sure what you mean? I didn't mention the breed because it wasn't a breed of any description, it was a mostly black and a little bit of tan dog, not full terrier, not full lap dog, not rough coated, but not smooth, slightly hairier in places. If it had been a cairn, or a chi or an affenpinscher then I would have said that, if only to paint a picture of how it looked....but it wasn't any of those. It's distinguishing features was that it was a very small dog!

Yes all breeds are small at some point their lives but there's an obvious difference between a small adult dog and puppy.

I can honestly, hand on heart, say I've never experienced any difference between small dog owners and big dog owners. If you're irresponsible, you're irresponsible, doesn't matter whether you own a Yorkie or a Great Dane.

I have a terrier with behavioural issues which I recognize for what they are, but I'm pretty sure I have been judged in the past for her behaviour, and not to mention if I had a pound for every comment of "typical terrier" I hear, I'd be rich! Or well on the way to becoming rich anyway