Are you looking for a little pocket lint to be your constant companion? A little friend to love? Then you might be looking for a Toy dog, which are often miniature versions of larger breeds.
Toy dog breeds may be small in size, but they definitely don’t have little personality. The breeds in the Toy group are affectionate, sociable and adaptable to a wide range of lifestyles.
Just don’t let their size and attractive expressions fool you: they are intelligent, full of energy and many have strong protective instincts.
Toy dogs are popular with city dwellers because they are ideal as apartment dogs and are excellent lap warmers.
Many Toy dogs are very good with children if they are raised with them, or socialized with children when they are puppies. Without proper socialization, some can be agitated and quick if provoked.
Being quite small, they are also susceptible to injury if they fall. Toy breeds require owners who can provide them with love, but they must also know how to provide basic training for their Toy dog and give them a good place to live.
There are many small dog breeds to choose from, and they vary greatly in appearance and personality.
Some are ideal pets for young children because they are energetic and will not be overwhelmed in size. Others are sedentary in nature and are appreciated as adorable lap dogs.
History of Toy dogs
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The name ‘Toy’ is a general title for dogs that are naturally small in stature (but often have great personalities).
And they can come from any of a wide variety of different types of dogs.
Some dog designations such as Spaniels and Terriers have specific breeds within their type that are classified as Toy dogs, while other animals from the same group in general can be full size.
Depending on their breed, Toy breeds may simply be naturally small, since their tiny size is a basic feature of the breed, or in the case of dogs such as the English Toy Terrier, they were selectively bred from larger dogs to produce a smaller breed dog that shares many of the traits of their full-size breed.
The Toy dog has recently been traced through the evolutionary history of the grey wolf, wild canines and a variety of other breed dogs.
Archaeologists have found ancient canine remains in Belgium, Germany and Russia dating from 12,000 to 31,000 years ago, which were similar in size to the Great Dane.
Other dog remains discovered in the Middle East, dating back 12,000 years, were similar to a small Terrier.
To discover the origins of the Toy breed dog, researchers studied a gene called IGF1, which was studied with the gray wolf and other canines.
The researchers found that the history of Toy dogs goes back to the gray wolf. All small dogs weighing 9 kilograms or less share this IGF1 gene found in the gray wolf.
This means that the gene must have emerged early in the history of small dogs and the Toy breed.
Toy dogs were first domesticated 12,000 years ago, according to DNA studies and archaeological records. Humans have played an important role in the mutation of the small breed dog through a selection process for the most desired trait.
The change in behavior of Toy dogs, size, head shape, nose length, coat length, temperament, hunting and gathering over the years has been the result of this manual selection process that is still evolving to this day.
The general qualities of Toy dogs
Apart from the fact that all Toy dogs are, of course, small in stature, there are really very few similarities between Toy dog types across the range.
Some breeds of Toy dogs are quiet and prone to laziness, and do not like vigorous exercise; others are full of energy and require a significant amount of stimulation.
Some are calm and excellent with children, others need plenty of maintenance and care. Like many Toy dog breeds, they are especially descendants of other larger breeds, such as Terrier and Spaniel groups, specific Toy dogs, depending on their type and origin, may in fact have more in common with larger dogs of the same ancestry than with other Toy dogs of different breeds.
The most popular Toy dogs
1) Brussels Griffon: It’s a Toy dog breed. There are two varieties of Brussels Griffon, rough coat with a wavy coat and smooth coat with a shiny coat.
2) Cavalier King Charles Spaniel: It is a Toy dog, equipped with a moderately long coat, long and loose ears and a well feathered tail.
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppies were originally developed by crossing King Charles Spaniels with Pugs.
3) Chihuahua: It is the smallest breed of dog and bears the name of its place of origin: Chihuahua, Mexico.
Chihuahuas come in many different varieties, and each one is as unique as its owner.
4) Italian Greyhound: It is a thin dog with fine bones; it looks quite similar to the Whippet but is smaller in stature.
5) Japanese Spitz (Pomerania): The Pomerania is a small Toy dog Spitz type that bears the name of the region of Pomerania in northern Poland and eastern Germany.
6) Miniature Bull Terrier: It is a small and robust dog but very strong. Selectively created from smaller examples of the full-size Bull Terrier, the miniature version is almost identical in appearance and temperament.
7) Miniature Sausage: There are three varieties of miniature sausage, including short-haired, long-haired and coarse-haired.
8) Fox Terrier Miniature: Also known as Mini Foxie and Toy Fox Terrier, is a small sized dog that was originally bred for the game of hunting.
9) Miniature Pinscher: It is a small domesticated dog, muscular and full of energy. It is an ancient breed, the miniature Pinscher goes back more than 200 years.
10) Papillon: It is a small and energetic dog, which is also known as the Continental Toy Spaniel or Dwarf Spaniels.
11) Pekingese: They are very small dogs that have a long coat, soft and straight that feels quite hairy to the touch. The dog looks like a miniature lion with a mane.
12) PoodleToy: It is a small, lively dog, known for its thick, curly coat and enthusiastic nature.
13) Pug: It is a small breed of dog known for its wrinkled face and curly tail. The pug is a fairly old dog breed, originating in China before being imported into Europe in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
14) Yorkshire Terrier: It is a small dog, the size of a toy, known for its long coat, silky and smooth. It bears the name of its place of origin in Yorkshiere, in the north of England.
This Other Extraordinary Publication “7 Best Breeds of Medium Dogs” May Interest You Come in and see for yourself!
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