Board and train for small dogs

The AKC reports a survey study from the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, led by Christine Arhant and built on 1,276 owner questionnaires. Small dogs came out less obedient, more excitable and more anxious than large ones. The owners of small dogs were also more inconsistent, and the link between punishment and anxious or quarrelsome behavior was stronger in the smaller dogs. The authors' advice was consistency, and avoiding punishment that might reinforce fear.

That is good news for a stay, because consistency is exactly what it supplies: the same cue, the same marker and the same reward, every time, from every handler. A small dog that jumps on legs and ignores its name has often never had that. The harder part comes afterward. If one person lets the dog jump and another does not, the dog learns that the rule depends on who is home, and the stay's work fades.

The AKC notes that the larger the size difference between two dogs, the greater the risk of injury, and that play should happen only under supervision between dogs whose temperament and play style match. Dogtown's playgroups of 7 to 10 are matched by size and temperament at the free evaluation, so a small dog's daycare integration during the stay happens among dogs close to its size. It is never placed in a big-dog group to toughen it up.

Fear of big dogs is common and understandable; the AKC says small dogs know their size and tend to behave in big ways when they feel threatened, which is where much of the barking and lunging comes from. During a stay the method is counter-conditioning at a distance: a calm large dog walks past far enough away that the small dog can still eat, and the distance shrinks only as the small dog relaxes. Two weeks can lower the alarm; a long-held fear needs more time.

The go-home lesson, or the two coaching lessons in Advanced, teaches everyone the same cues, the pick-up word and the house-training schedule your dog lived with. Agree on the rules for jumping, couches and laps before the first evening, because small dogs are often handled by visitors as well as family. Our board and train page sets out both programs, and private sessions from $94 help if one habit keeps slipping.

On Cape Ann, the fenced Gloucester Dog Park at Stage Fort Park has separate small-dog and large-dog areas, a useful place to watch big dogs from a safe distance before going anywhere near them. For $10 each way, the Pup Van collects small dogs and large ones alike in Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea. Dogtown Grooming can bathe your dog before pick-up, $55 for a dog up to 25 pounds, and nail clipping is a $16 add-on.