Small toy dogs teach us more about the mystery and magic of canines than the larger dog breeds. Sharing your life with a toy dog can be one of the most enjoyable and intimate experiences you will have with a pet. These little guys will follow you from room to room. In fact, they can be quite nosey. The little guys just love to know exactly what you are doing at all times. He will hop on your lap suddenly while you are reading or watching T.V. You will just routinely start to take him with you on all your errands. Just be sure you have chosen the right type of dog carrier for all your expeditions with these little guys, or better yet, with the choices we have today in dog carriers and dog accessories you will want to have a different dog carrier for each type of journey.

There is a pocket-sized toy breed dog for every kind of dog lover, teeny tiny Terriers, Poodles and Yorkies, Japanese Chin, Pomeranian, Miniature Pinschers, teacup and imperial size Shih Tzu, and Chihuahuas. The little guys look so sweet and adorable dressed up in the latest of dog fashions and accessories.

The little guys can do almost anything their larger canine cousins can do, but they do it in less space. Humans don’t have to be top athletes to keep up with them. The little guys have a spirit that is every bit as big as the dogs 10 times his size. He just comes in a much handier package to haul around.

The little guys fit into our lives in a way big dogs just can’t. As we live closely with each other, we breathe the same air; we experience the same places and hear each other’s heartbeats. This connection with your little guy may be the most profound bond you’ll have with any animal in a lifetime. Registration for larger dogs has decreased while registration for the little guys continues to increase.

Although it can be very rewarding to share you life with these little guys it can also be quite frustrating. There are always negatives to everything in life we encounter. The toy breeds seem to be notoriously harder to housetrain. If they decide not to come to you when you call for them, well then that is just the way it is. You have a pocket-sized rocket racing between your feet that you can’t catch no matter how hard you try.

There is hope, however, and with all that said, you can still live peaceably with the little guys. It just takes a little more patience and time with all things you want him to learn.

And after all is said and done with the little guys, when you dress up your little guy or gal in the latest from the dog fashion world for your Sunday afternoon stroll in the park, you will still be glad you gave your heart and home to that cute, adorable little bundle of fur.

Afghan hounds are tall and elegant dogs with long, flowing coats. They were originally developed in Afghanistan in the 19th century as hunting dogs. They were used to hunt large prey over rough and unstable terrain. This may seem contradictory to the current perception of the breed as one of the most pampered pooches.

Afghans require a lot of grooming maintenance to keep their long silky hair in top condition. Even if you don’t have a show dog, a clean and healthy coat will enhance your pleasure of owning this graceful breed. Hair is the signature feature of the Afghan and, when properly cared for, it brings drama and elegance to the Afghan’s every move.

The natural sate of an Afghan coat does not require you to clip or trim the dog’s hair. The long, silky coat occurs naturally, but this does not imply that the coat is maintenance-free. The keys to keeping an Afghan coat beautiful are regular bathing and maintenance grooming.

Afghan puppies require little grooming as they have a short, plush coat of hair. At this age, daily brushing is more for getting the animal used to grooming than for necessity. Between 9 months and 2 years of age,

Afghans begin to shed their puppy coat and the silky adult coat begins to grow in. Daily brushing is an absolute necessity during this period to remove the old puppy hair. Skimping on brushing will result in unwieldy mats of the puppy coat tangled with the new growth adult coat.

Adult Afghans only need to be brushed three times a week and bathed up to twice a week for show dogs, and every two weeks for family pets. The breed has a dual coat of a thicker undercoat and a silky overcoat. The coats are essentially two different types of hair and need to be brushed separately. If you only brush the outer coat, your dog will develop mats. A pin brush will penetrate the undercoat sufficiently and smooth the outer coat as well.

Before bathing an Afghan, brush the dog thoroughly and remove any mats present. Use your fingers to search for mats behind the ears and in the armpits of the dog. If you are bathing your dog yourself, you may find a raised tub with a hand sprayer will make the job much easier.

When you apply the mild shampoo, make sure to work it into the coat well but never rub or scrub the dog’s skin. Rinse well until the water runs clear and then apply a cream rinse. Afghan coats benefit from the cream rinse and the treatment makes their overcoat silky, shiny and tangle-free.

Afghans are a breed that must be blown dry. Allow your dog to drip dry for about an hour on towels. Brush from the skin out and allow the blow dryer to part the dog’s coat. Most owners start at the head, and work their way back to the tail of the dog.

Another important part of Afghan maintenance grooming is using a ’snood.’ These protective tube-like head covers keep the dog’s long ear fringe out of the way when it is eating. Snoods can also be used to protect the coat quality of the head and ears of show dogs.

The Beauceron dog has variously been known as the:

• French Shorthaired Shepherd
• Beauce Shepherd
• Bas Rouge
• Red Stocking
• Berger de Beauce

Beauceron Dog History

With origins that date back to the late 1500s, the Beauceron dog is an entirely French dog breed. The name Beauceron actually stems from the plains and region around Paris known as La Beauce. The Beauceron properly came into its own as a definitive breed in 1809 when concerted efforts were underway to separate the multitude of various French herder dogs. Eventually it was decided that the shorthaired dogs would be named after the Beauce region while the longhaired ones would be named for the Brie district.

Beauceron Dog Breed The Beauceron dog is the largest of the French sheepdogs and its heyday as such was utilized as an all purpose farm dog with herding, protection and guarding duties. In 1893 the Beauceron was registered for the first time by the Societe Centrale Canine and by 1900 it was appearing in dog shows. In 1911 the first Beauceron breed club was formed but despite that this well-recognized French dog breed remained pretty unknown outside of France.

The Beauceron\’s character and intelligence makes for the ideal police dog and during both world wars this dog breed was used by the French military as a messenger dog and was even employed to carry replacement ammunition belts strapped to its body. To this day the Beauceron still plays a useful role within the military, commonly being used to detect mines and explosives, a task at which it has proved to be particularly adept.

Beauceron Dog Temperament

The Beauceron is an exceptionally intelligent dog breed as befits an animal whose original purpose was to excel at multi-tasking. Beaucerons are very loyal, calm and courageous dogs that are little disposed to strangers or other animals which is unsurprising because one of their breed traits was to protect livestock and guard the farm. Overall the Beauceron is a relatively strong-willed breed that requires early socialization and a firm hand if it is not to become unruly. That said the Beauceron is invariably safe around its own family members and will go to great lengths to protect them. However they can become a little rowdy with kids and tend to want to herd them so it is wise to set boundaries.

Beauceron Dog Maintenance

The Beauceron dog is a very active animal with an extremely agile mind that needs a good dose of daily stimulus both physically and mentally. In the absence of sufficient daily stimulus the Beauceron dog has a tendency of becoming destructive because it is bored. Despite its work-dog heritage as a herder, the Beauceron is very much the family dog and it is unwise to relegate it to long periods of isolation in a kennel.

Beauceron Dog Appearance

Quite commonly the Beauceron dog is illustrated in photos with pointed or pricked up ears giving the dog an added aura of fierceness, but this is not the natural appearance of this dog breed. In fact with a growing distaste for cosmetic mutilations in dogs more and more people retain the Beauceron dog with its ears allowed to hang down in their natural state. In appearance the Beauceron dog has been likened to a cross between a German Shepherd and a Doberman Pinscher.

The body of the Beauceron dog is powerful yet athletic in appearance befitting an animal designed to herd and protect livestock. Typical of herding dogs the Beauceron does not hold its head high when moving but keeps it level with its back. The Beauceron sports a dense outer coat of medium length comprised of straight hair in conjunction with a dense undercoat the combined combination of which make for formidable weather-resistant protection. The usual color pattern of this dog breed is black-and-tan like that of the Doberman but rare harlequin form does exist too.

The Beauceron dog strangely enough possesses rear double dewclaws a throwback from more superstitious times that has persisted up until till today whereby any dog lacking this largely useless feature will be disqualified from competitions as they are now considered a breeding trademark.

Weight: 65 – 85 lb

Height Male: 25.5 – 27.5 inches

Height Female: 24 – 26.5 inches
More about the dog