Well, yes there are differences between the various breeds of dogs. They all have different attributes, abilities and personality quirks. I have owned at least 7 different kinds of purebred dogs over the years and each was different in it's own way. I think the thing I found most challenging with the Yorkie was the terrier personality that Gracie exhibited even as a young puppy. Her personality was so much more active and aggressive than any other puppy I have had. I found I did have to learn a different way to train her.
Maybe people make excuses for not properly training their dog for various reasons. I suppose it is possible to make your dog a neurotic mess by doing too much for it or preventing it from doing things it should do. With Gracie being such a tiny puppy I did have to go to special lengths to protect her from herself.
My mother-in-law had two of the most annoying tiny dogs. They were tiny so she never spent any time teaching those dogs anything. They were yappy and I always had to watch them around my kids when they were young because the dogs would bite. Some trainers call it "small dog syndrome" when a small dog is not trained properly. Small dogs do tend to be closer to their human than larger dogs because they sit with them and many times sleep with them. I don't think that is wrong unless you have not taken the time to train the dog in basic obedience. Sit, stay, down, heel are basics a dog needs to know and needs to realize it must do because the human is in charge. Just because a dog is tiny does not mean it cannot or should not learn basic manners.
Once I got over the shock of the terrier personality I was facing with Gracie I found her traits to be very much more entertaining and challenging than other dogs I have owned. Though I loved each of my other dogs for their particular traits I have to say that Gracie is different than any of my other dogs. I love it and would not have it any other way. |