Little dogs are made for love. The World History of Small Dogs A small dog meets other dogs on the street

Decided to get a miniature dog and can't decide on the breed? Definitely, you are here.

Dog lovers do not usually separate large and small breeds. "A dog is a dog" they say.

Who would argue. But people with different needs dream of a dog: some want to see a pet as their only friend, others want a ferocious protector of property, others want a reliable nanny for small children. And they can't afford a big dog - and the dream remains a dream.

But did you know that these qualities are found, and even combined, among small dog breeds?

So that one day, choosing which little one is better to have, you find all the answers - consider all breeds: from lively watchdogs to demonstrators of the master's status and dog pedicure.

Outside

If the future owner has nothing to lose in terms of torn furniture or, for example, precious time, he chooses a puppy solely on appearance.

However, almost all of us first of all want a beautiful, well, or funny-looking pet.

For starters, all small dog breeds are ranked for 3 types:

• toy – growth– up to 28 cm, the weight- on average up to 2 kg;
• dwarf – growth– up to 35 cm, the weight- 2-5 kg;
• small dog – growth– up to 45 cm, the weight- up to 10 kg.

After the dimensions and attractive faces (here everyone has their own preferences), we are interested in dog vegetation: "fur coat" and "hairstyle".

Shorthair breeds

The ideal small dog for allergy sufferers, anti-woolers and just lazy people is a smooth-haired one.

Such a pet does not shed, does not require special care, which is suitable for children and the elderly (remember which dogs the old ladies of your yard kept).

For example:

Pug- a charming strong man of black, silver or fawn colors.

Differences in grooming shorthair and longhair domestic breeds of small dogs will be discussed later; but for now - the second component of choosing a puppy - character.

Inside

All breeds of small dogs, of course, combine character traits such as: perky disposition, liveliness, optimism, devotion and gullibility.

Everyone guesses that there are plenty of other qualities in different breeds, but no one takes this into account. Everyone remembers the feisty "mutt" in the neighborhood, fighting with his own shadow and darkly illuminating the whole street with barking.

There are also breeds that especially appreciate home comfort, master's "handles" and attention: Bolognese, Russian colored lapdog, Norwich Terrier, Coton de Tulear.

And about whom or what do you first of all think about when choosing a dog by character?

About children

To be sure of protection and even raising a small child, take a pug.

So that the children can play in a dog hairdresser and stylist, choose, and Chinese crested.

For a teenager to find a faithful and affectionate friend Get a Bichon Frize dog. Despite its fluffy appearance, it does not shed or smell.

To make a calm child happy, take the American Eskimo. The breed listens to every word of the owner and loves gentle communication.

Size doesn't matter here: In any case, children need to instill respect and proper treatment of the pet.

About security

A good guard dog is not necessarily an aggressive calf.

Get a little watchman - he will do just as well. For example:

(miniature or miniature schnauzer). The smallest service breed in the world. Unusually brave, sensitive and active dog, easy to train.

Since 1955, Peter Newman has been actively involved in the breed: he brought puppies from America, successfully participated in exhibitions.

. The Chinese consider this breed to be a protective spirit: the Pekingese are always ready to guard the owner and his property. Despite their lively disposition, Pekingese are very gentle and love to be taken care of.

But you can’t overdo it here: it’s wrong to indulge all the whims of the dog, thereby knocking out the “leaders of the pack”.

Miniature Pinscher. This dog is energetic, playful, but restrained and quick-witted. He can rush at a stranger who is dangerous in his opinion, an excellent "bell".

This breed also cannot be spoiled too much: without proper upbringing, a puppy can grow into an uncontrollable dog.

As if they compensate for their size with fearlessness: they warn very loudly, excitedly about the threat and can engage in battle with any opponent.

Along with militancy, this breed has an interesting feature: the need to burrow into the folds of blankets, bedspreads, arranging a “nest”.

About beauty

If you are going to flaunt with your pet at social events or just enjoy the charming face and devoted eyes, get , maltese, shih tzu or pug- These breeds are most popular among "bag dogs".

Remember: any dog ​​is the result of your upbringing. Exemplary behavior with the right approach is not at all difficult to achieve.

Given the variety of breeds, it cannot be said how difficult it is to care for a miniature dog - the features of the content are not so special.

1. Due to their size, decorative dogs feel great even in the smallest apartments and are content with a couch in a corner. Nonetheless, need a walk.
2. small dogs handle the road well both on hands and in a special bag, without causing inconvenience to the owner and others.
3. Small pet fur needs proper care: conditioners and soft brushes (for silky hair), brushing with a stiff brush (for thick hair), dog shampoos and grooming.
4. Pet dogs need trim nails as they grow.
5. Small dog diet must compensate for the energy spent: be easily digestible, rich in amino acids, fatty acids and vitamins.

   Important teach your pet to eat right from puppyhood: small dogs quickly get used to a certain diet.

   Dog should be fed in small portions - overeating is not alien to small breeds.

6. With the health of a small dog you should be careful: such a small fry easily catches a cold, but it is even easier to get injured when it gets under your feet.

   These breeds also have a predisposition to diseases: necrosis of the femoral head, tartar, non-loss of milk teeth.

   Dogs are also prone to allergies of "home origin" and poisoning.

7. be ready diligently maintain a veterinary passport and regularly show the animal to the veterinarian.

Males of miniature breeds sometimes strive to mark corners in the house. Save only castration.

You can determine some deviations yourself - see regulations for small dogs:

Many people in the modern world dream of acquiring a small dog. Such pets, in addition to their cute appearance, have a cheerful character, are strongly attached and love their owners, they are convenient for transportation in a car or plane. The choice of breeds is very rich: Chihuahua, Toy Terrier, Spitz, Petit Brabancon, Yorkshire Terrier, Biewer Yorkie and many others. But before you make a little friend, you should be well aware of their features and possible problems in care and health.

In the first year of life, puppies especially need attention. The very first veterinary procedure is deworming, followed by two vaccinations - at 2 and 3 months. It is necessary to pay attention to the fontanel, it must be completely closed. Indeed, in the case of the opposite, the brain is not protected from injury by bone tissue, which is especially dangerous for small dogs and, unfortunately, is very common due to their anatomical structure. As a rule, from the age of 5 months, dogs begin to change their teeth. A feature of small breeds is the untimely loss of milk teeth, especially canines. They have the longest roots, due to which the teeth can grow in two rows or have an incorrect position. Some permanent teeth may not grow at all. Such problems have to be eliminated by removing the teeth under anesthesia. Quite often there are pathologies such as undershot bite and overshot bite. Therefore, it is important to regularly show the puppy to the veterinarian so as not to miss the time and carry out the necessary correction in time. As dogs age, they can suffer from periodontal disease and plaque buildup. There is a smell and teeth begin to fall out. Sometimes by the age of 5 many permanent teeth are missing. Regular examination and sanitation of the oral cavity are mandatory for such patients.

Puberty in small breeds occurs quite early. As a rule, males begin to show unwanted sexual behavior (marking) from the age of 6 months, the activity of hormones throughout life is very high, which leads to diseases of the prostate gland. Diagnosis of these problems is carried out by ultrasound. Among dogs of small breeds, the number of cryptorchids is high - dogs with one or two testicles that have not descended into the scrotum, which is due to genetic heredity. Because of all the above factors, they are, for medical reasons, necessarily subject to castration. Girls have no less problems. Small breeds suffer from many gynecological diseases - pyometra (purulent inflammation of the uterus), polycystic ovaries, neoplasms of the uterus, ovaries and / or mammary glands. As for pregnancy, not all females are able to bear fruit, childbirth often ends in a caesarean section. After the birth of puppies, eclampsia can occur - a decrease in the level of calcium in the blood to a life-threatening level, leading to a convulsive syndrome. After estrus, false pregnancy often occurs, manifested by psychogenic disorders, the appearance of milk in the mammary glands, and, as a complication, mastitis.

As for the respiratory system, tracheal collapse is common here - a narrowing of its lumen, which manifests itself in the form of coughing or shortness of breath, especially during emotional and physical exertion. The diagnosis is made on the basis of X-ray examination, bronchoscopy. Severe cases of this disease require surgical placement of a stent.

The musculoskeletal system is especially often exposed to trauma. Any careless jump, even just from the hands of the owner, can lead to fractures. Often in dwarf breeds, Perthes disease occurs, or aseptic necrosis of the femoral head, which develops by the age of one, and is manifested by lameness on the pelvic limb.

A separate place is occupied by a "weak" gastrointestinal tract, diseases of the liver and pancreas. It is important to note the correct diet of your pet. An unbalanced diet of natural foods or poor commercial diets can cause gastroenterocolitis, which can also be ulcerative. In such dogs, vomiting is often observed, especially on an empty stomach, intestinal distention, diarrhea, sometimes with mucus and streaks of blood. Diseases of the gallbladder and bile ducts are widespread, it can be both cholecystitis and stones in the lumen of the passages and the gallbladder, the formation of thick and heterogeneous mucus, polyps. Among liver diseases, there is a severe pathology - a porto-forging shunt - anastomosis between the veins of the gastrointestinal tract and the caudal vena cava. Due to the presence of this vessel, the blood flowing from the intestines is not purified in the liver, but enters the body immediately. Normally, all the blood flowing from the intestines passes through the liver, where it is cleansed of ammonia and other poisons, and only then merges with the rest of the body's blood. To examine these organs, an ultrasound examination is used, blood tests are taken, x-rays are taken.

The range of neurological problems is very wide. The most common is hydrocephalus (an increase in the volume of the ventricles of the brain). The most typical clinical signs of intracranial hypertension are circling, aimless wandering, head tilt, head tilt, epileptiform seizures, visual impairment. Another common symptom of the complex is atlanto-axial instability. Incorrect anatomical interaction between the first and second cervical vertebrae can lead to their displacement and compression of the brain. There is a pathology of sharp pain when turning or tilting the head, its forced position, poor sensitivity in the thoracic limbs and their poor motor activity. If you suspect these diseases, you should contact a neurologist.

Now, in pursuit of excessive miniaturization, breeders are breeding dogs of smaller and smaller sizes, not observing selection standards. When choosing a small pet from a breeder, you should not choose a dog that is too small and obviously does not meet the breed standards. Such an animal is likely to be susceptible to many diseases, and you risk losing him in a few years. It is better to immediately see a veterinarian so that he excludes the main problems and talks in more detail about caring for a puppy.

26-10-2014 6:06 am

Not so long ago we published an article by Anton Volkov about small dogs. Today we are publishing an absolutely wonderful note by Anna Rossolenko, the owner of a dog named Rika, who has turned from a tiny shy creature into a self-confident dog who knows everything, everything, everything! Anya shares her observations about life with small dogs, as well as funny photos from the family archive.

Start of the day with a small dog

A normal day off, I wake up from trampling on me by a small elephant, namely my dog ​​of the Chihuahua breed. In the morning, Rika wakes up in her couch, located on an armchair and covered with a warm blanket, and watches when I wake up. And as soon as I wake up, this 3-kilogram baby elephant rushes to inform me that it's time for breakfast and the dog needs a portion of attention.

Small dog and other family members

Then Rika cheerfully runs to each member of the family, says hello and jumps to the kitchen. Rika eats boiled meat with porridge and vegetables, and also treats herself from the table. Rika knows the approach to everyone, even the most strict family members. She pushes someone with her paws from a running start to the legs, sits down to someone in the corridor in the “bunny” pose and looks sadly, a la a poor relative, does not stand on ceremony with someone, jumps on her knees and crawls under her arms, showing what she would like to taste from the table. Rika is great with people and loves her family. Therefore, it is not possible to excommunicate from the table. And also, thanks to educational games, Rika learned not to give up in achieving her own goals!

Small dog toilet

When it comes to care and feeding, there are some differences compared to keeping a larger dog. A small dog's toilet may not depend on a walk - a litter tray is quite suitable for the needs of the dog, and there is no need to go for a walk in frost or rain, this can be done during the day. The dog does not need to endure, and this is a significant plus for the owner, who cannot come at the same time.

Small dog food

We have no problems with natural feeding. Rika eats everything.

When we picked up Rika as a puppy, they gave her to us with a bag of dry food in addition. At first, I fed her food. But gradually we switched to natural feeding. The impetus for this was the advice of relatives who felt sorry for the dog: after all, everyone around eats what they want, and the dog was offered a strange kind of smelly crackers for all meals! So we, through trial and error, made Rike a diet of natural products. We also have handouts from the table, and I think that there is nothing wrong with the dog trying our food, for example, vegetables, fruits and dried fruits, cottage cheese and other rather harmless dishes. I also give her to chew the cartilage that I come across while cooking. In addition to meat, I cook offal, which Rika loves very much.

Concerning a resting place of a dog. I noticed that many small dogs love warm soft houses with a roof or a blanket so that you can wrap yourself comfortably and warmly.

Toys

Our favorite toys are Kong and various balls where food is placed. Often, when I sit down at the table, I ask Rika to bring a ball or Kong. The toy fills with cheese and Rika takes care of it while we sit quietly at the table.

Ammunition for a small dog

Rika goes for a walk in a beautiful Haqihana harness with an attached address tag. We have a lot of leashes, but most often we walk on a locked tape roulette for small dogs - because it has a length of 3 meters and a small, light carabiner. On a walk in the city I I always stop the leash at two meters, in the yard at three, and in the forest I let the dog off the leash. Be careful: a loose tape measure can cause discomfort to the dog and teach him to pull on the leash!

Clothes for a small dog

We need clothes. The main thing is that the clothes do not constrain, do not get confused under the dog's feet. In the rain, this is a raincoat, in the winter - a warm blanket, and in the summer - sometimes a light cotton overall soaked in an anti-mite agent. This is necessary because the dog is small, and all the chemicals and dirt from the road almost eat into its sensitive skin.

Anxiety in small dogs

Since the dog is small, and the world around is big and sometimes scary, plus a lack of understanding of the importance of socialization by breeders and owners, all this can lead to the fact that the dog will be shy, overly excitable, overly responsive to various stimuli. It's important to know here your dog and anticipate her reactions and the actions of strangers.

A small dog often attracts increased attention. People are in awe of the petiteness and charm of the dog, and are ready to hover over it to pet it, continuously, lovingly, look into its eyes, make sudden movements - simply because they did not notice the small dog next to them - and do other uchi-ways ! In these cases, I use the separation signal to show the dog that he does not need to be afraid of the stranger. I also use feedback, switching attention, or - only in extreme cases! - lifting the dog in your arms (we have a special “on the handles” signal for this, after which Rika is ready to be lifted).

At home, before the arrival of the guests, I also prepare congas, balls of food and warn the guests to try to walk slowly, not to look at the dog and treat it - then everything will go smoothly.

Great intelligence of a small dog

A small dog is not inferior in intelligence to large dogs. Rika knows commands from a regular workout, from a trick one, knows how to smell things and sweets, does an excellent job with educational games of all complexity and clicks, like nuts, toys made with her own hands from improvised materials. She also knows things by name, knows how to imitate and is well versed in Russian. Her most amazing achievement is expression of desire. When Rika runs and rubs near a person, it's reasonable to ask her the question "What do you want?" , then open the door, etc. Everything is very clear.

Rika is also a great helper - if you call someone loudly, Rika runs and barks to this person that his name is. If necessary, Rika can be asked to close the door, or make sure no one is at the door, bring slippers, find the TV remote, or pick up trash.

Small dog meets other dogs on the street

My Rika is afraid of big dogs, running away from them, and I'm afraid to let her near them. Because it is impossible to learn anything about the experience of a large dog from a distance, and for a small dog, the trouble of meeting a large dog can be too dangerous. What do we do in such cases? We approach a large dog either on a leash or on our hands, then we greet the owner, observe the dog, and I decide whether to let Rika closer. I often let yard dogs go without preludes - however, if they do not have puppies and if this is not a pack. We greet medium-sized dogs and other small ones, we play with some, we like some, and some do not. Everything is like people.

conclusions

As a result of my short story, I can say this - a small dog is not much different from a large one in terms of its needs, in some ways it is not inferior to a large one in terms of abilities (for example, intellectual ones!). But at the same time, small dogs are quite sensitive, and can easily become shy and excitable. We humans are often to blame for this if we do not attach importance to the socialization and support of our dog. That's why living together with a small dog requires us to be even more attentive in assessing the various life situations in which our dog finds itself, and its internal states.

In conclusion from the editor

Anya Rossolenko and Rika have come a long way. Until recently, Rika was a little coward who burst into barking at the sight of strangers. And Anya was the hostess, who did not really understand what to do with it. But, being a responsible owner, Anya, at the first discovery of Riki's problem, began to search for its solution. Finding no answers in traditional cynology, she found a new cynology: these were

How does this happen?

When breeders have an idea to develop a new breed, the first thing they think of is a standard. At this stage, it is carefully prescribed what features the animal should have, and the appropriateness of these features is assessed. It happens that such a breed already exists, or unusual external data can adversely affect the pet's health. An example of this is bulldogs, which, due to their disproportionately large heads, are born only by caesarean section.

For crossing, breeds are selected that are closest to the desired result. Parents usually belong to the same weight category: a German boxer will not be bred with a Chihuahua, and a Pomeranian with a shepherd dog. There is a great risk that the female will not be able to bear such offspring. From the resulting litter, the healthiest and strongest representatives with the most striking desirable traits are selected and crossed with each other. That is, when breeding any breed, closely related crossing is usually used - inbreeding, with the help of which the necessary qualities are fixed. Selection and crossing continue until all the offspring have the characteristics prescribed in the standard - only at this moment they say that a new breed has been bred.

In order for a breed to be recognized, it must be registered with an official organization. For dogs, this is usually the International Cynological Federation, for cats - WCF, WCC, TICA, FIFe, CFA, CFF and others. Usually, about 20-50 years pass from the beginning of breeding a new breed to its recognition and issuance of the first documents. According to Julia Lakatosh, animal engineer and international judge of the FCI for all breeds of dogs, it took her six different breeds and 15 years of work to breed a Russian salon dog, and it took her another 9 years to register the breed.

Who is involved in the creation of new breeds?

Breeding new breeds of animals belongs to the science called breeding. For centuries, people acted intuitively: they chose animals whose qualities suited them, and tried to get offspring from them. With the discovery and development of genetics, breeders have learned to act more efficiently and with high accuracy to breed animals with a variety of qualities.

Today, felinological and cynological organizations, clubs, associations, nurseries and so on are engaged in the creation of new breeds. For dogs, this is the IFF, for cats - CFA, CFF, ICU and many others.

It is not forbidden to cross animals of different breeds even at home, but it is better if the breeding work is carried out by experienced geneticists who are able to predict the result with high accuracy. Only a scientific approach and laboratory research will help reduce the likelihood of failure to a minimum. Julia Laktosh agrees with this position: “I do not consider it dangerous or harmful when non-professionals are engaged in selection, but the likelihood of a healthy litter with the desired traits in this case is minimal. When two breeders cross dogs of different breeds and get beautiful offspring, most likely, the resulting traits will end on this offspring.

Why breed new breeds?

The main thing that breeders are guided by today is appearance, exterior. In addition, great efforts are made to improve the health of pets and make it easier to care for them. Many experts strive to create a "perfect" breed that will not have the shortcomings inherent in existing animals. For example, a "hypoallergenic" cat. Or a tick-resistant dog that doesn't need grooming.

If the vast majority of purebred cats perform an exclusively decorative function, then breeders who deal with dogs face a more difficult task. If we are not talking about decorative breeds, selection is carried out in accordance with the “specialization” of the animal: they improve the sense of smell of sniffer dogs, increase the natural endurance of sled dogs, and breed guide dogs with special qualities.

Selection work is also underway within an already existing breed. According to the breeder Natalia Khazkiel, the main attention is paid to fixing certain moments that bring the animals as close to the standard as possible. For example, Persians and Exotics have small ears, round heads without cones and furrows, large round eyes and a massive body on powerful paws.

What animals can be interbred?

The fewer breeds involved in breeding, the greater the chance of success. However, when two very similar animals are crossed, the offspring may inherit unfortunate traits from both parents. Therefore, it happens that purebred father and mother give birth to children with a weakly expressed breed, more like mongrels.

Dogs and cats that come from mixing different breeds have more diversity in their genes. Therefore, genetic disorders happen to them much less frequently. The crossing of significantly different breeds is called hybridization. Thanks to her, among the dogs appeared, for example, the East European Shepherd Dog, the Moscow Watchdog and the Black Terrier. Hybridization helps to get rid of unfavorable signs that have appeared and entrenched in the process of long inbreeding.

The most effective tool is the correct alternation of hybridization and inbreeding. To get the desired signs, pets of two different breeds are knitted. When offspring with these traits appears, it is crossed with each other and the result is fixed in several generations. To ensure a greater diversity of genes, at some stages, “new blood is poured in” - interbreeding is carried out again, and then the characters are again fixed with several closely related matings. As a result of this approach, the healthiest animals with the best set of qualities appear.

What are the problems in breeding new breeds?

Genetics is a capricious science, so no matter how perfect the theory is, practice does not always meet it. Even leading breeders cannot know for sure what will happen with a new combination of breeds. Some breeds are created quickly and easily, others do not survive, although experts put a lot of time, labor and advanced technology.

Lack of regulation in this area has led to the fact that some breeders, without special knowledge, began to knit animals of completely different breeds for the possible commercial benefit. Most often, such experiments end in failure. At best, the desired signs do not appear, at worst, the litter does not survive.

Julia Laktosh is sure that the creation of a new breed requires investment: at least a breeder needs resources to keep about fifty young individuals at the same time. Another problem in breeding is bureaucracy. The process of recognizing new breeds by official organizations takes a lot of time and effort. Deciding which animal can be considered a representative of a new breed and which can be considered a breeder's failure sometimes takes months and years.

small dogs indoor-decorative breeds some people just refer to them as "live toys", "purse dogs", or "fake" dogs. However, in the past there was a completely different attitude towards these dogs, some breeds were considered brave hunters, others were revered as a deity, and still others often had a more ancient history than many "real" dogs.

Soldier Mustash (translated from French Mustache) was a famous warrior in the Napoleonic army. The authorities noted his understanding, ordinary soldiers most of all liked his cheerful disposition. Mustash bravely participated in the battles and especially distinguished himself in the battle of Austerlitz. For saving the regimental banner, he was awarded a military order.

And no one was embarrassed by the fact that the order bearer was poodle. A big cute poodle who walked with the Napoleonic regiment half of Europe. Moreover, Mustash remained not only in history, but also in the French language. Since the beginning of the 19th century, brave warriors with lush mustaches have been called so.

Nowadays, poodles are willingly used by customs officers to search for drugs and weapons: these dogs have an excellent sense of smell, their intelligence is beyond praise, and they do not cause panic in the crowd, and the criminal will not be alert if he sees a cute curly dog ​​at the airport or train station. Here you have a room-decorative breed.

Oddly enough, in the distant past, the poodle was a hunting dog. True, they did not go to the bear with him. But the ancestor of the poodle willingly hunted down all kinds of water birds and got them out of the water. And even earlier, the poodle was a shaggy shepherd dog and joyfully drove sheep through the mountains of Hellas and Asia Minor.

In general, most indoor decorative dogs have a glorious and very ancient history. For example, Pekingese, or Chinese Spaniel. No one counted how many centuries these dogs ran around the gardens of the Imperial Palace in Beijing. They might have been happy to run around in other places, but they were forbidden to be taken out of the palace under pain of death. And it was impossible for anyone other than the emperor to keep the Pekingese. Because the priests declared these cute dogs to be the incarnation of the Buddha.

There are two legends about how the Pekingese conquered Europe. According to the first, the Anglo-French-Chinese War of 1860 is to blame. When the British and French took Beijing, the empress ordered that all Pekingese be killed so that the sacred dogs would not be captured by the Europeans. But five of them survived, they were brought to England.

Another version is more peaceful. The English General Dunn, after a long service in China in 1860, leaving for his homeland, asked the Chinese Empress to allow her to give Queen Victoria of England one Pekingese. The empress refused, the general did not argue and went to the port.

But, when Dunn was already boarding the ship, an unknown person approached him and handed him a basket, asking him to open it only at sea. There was a little Pekingese in the basket. Maybe the empress officially could not give up the sacred dog, but unofficially respected the request of the general?

The second "wave" of Pekingese reached Europe in 1900, after the suppression of the so-called Boxer Rebellion in China. Dogs began to be bred in England and Germany, and they were looked after so diligently that they even brushed their teeth (in those days, not everyone brushed their teeth).

Japanese temples had their own sacred dog - chin(Japanese pygmy spaniel, in Japanese this word means "treasure"). Its origin is shrouded in mystery. The Japanese believe that he is a native Japanese breed.

The Chinese believe that chins came to Japan from China... as part of a tax paid in the 8th century. Europeans insist that the Chin originated from European dogs. Allegedly, in the Middle Ages, the Dutch brought spaniels and Maltese lapdogs to Japan, from which Japanese dog breeders bred this breed.

Japanese Chin

Maltese(melita, maltese) is considered one of the most ancient decorative breeds. The first appearance of dogs similar to the Maltese, Darwin dated as 6 thousand years BC. It has been established that such dogs existed in the ancient cities of Egypt, Rome and Greece. It is possible that the ancestors of the Maltese caught rats in the seaside ports of Mediterranean cities.

Later they became a luxury item. The presence of Maltese lapdogs indicated the high status of the owner and testified to his great wealth. The crusades contributed to the further spread of the Maltese lapdogs. The victorious knights brought white silky dogs to their ladies, which immediately gained popularity in all the royal courts of medieval Europe.

There is little geographical confusion associated with the melites. Long-haired dogs were found on the island of Melita (and the breed was named after the island). And in the Middle Ages there were two islands with that name. Then one became Meleda in the Adriatic Sea, and the other became Malta. Of course, everyone was confused, and the lapdogs began to be called not Meledi, but Maltese. Although they were not in Malta.

Although, it is possible that Malta could be the birthplace of this breed. Indeed, at that time it was a highly developed center of civilization and, of course, for many centuries, the Maltese could exist there.

There is also a French lapdog. Although it was brought out not by the French, but by the Italians. So there are some geographical inaccuracies associated with both lapdogs. The French lap dog has a curly and short coat, because it was obtained by crossing a melita and a poodle. Melita has a long, straight coat.

famous tiny babies yorkies (yorkshire terriers) considered descendants of the Waterside Terrier. These small-sized dogs were famous in the 18th-19th centuries in Yorkshire (Great Britain) and were very much appreciated by the peasants, as they well guarded houses from rodents (rats and mice). Among the ancestor of Yorkies are also indicated hunting skye terriers, clydesdale terriers and paisley terriers.

In the twentieth century, Yorkshire terriers became especially popular after the Second World War because of the famous dog named Smokey. In February 1944, Smokey was discovered by an American soldier in an abandoned trench in the New Guinea jungle. For the next two years, Smokey was stationed with her master, Wynn, in the Pacific theater of operations. She survived at least 150 air raids and two typhoons in Okinawa.

During the breaks between fights, Smokey learned many tricks and entertained the wounded with their performance. According to Wynn, Smokey learned more tricks than any other dog of the time. In 1944, the Yankee Army magazine named Smokey "The best mascot (mascot) in the Southwest Pacific."

Smokey, thanks to her skills, helped military engineers build a military airfield in Linguayen Bay in Luzon, which made her a real heroine. Smokey's help in laying a communication cable through an underground pipe made it possible not to use 250 workers and 40 combat aircraft for this.

Smokey

After the war, the story of Wynn and Smokey was published on December 7, 1945 in the Cleveland Press. Soon after, she became something of a sensation. Over the next 10 years, Wynn and Smokey traveled to Hollywood and even abroad to demonstrate the dog's performance of various tricks, including blindfold walking on a tightrope.

There are a total of six monuments to Smokey in the United States. In addition, the Yorkshire Terrier National Rescue (YTNR) awards an annual "Smoky Award" to rescue dogs that excel that year.

Downy ball on legs, aka Pomeranian, the smallest representative of the Spitz. The breed got its name from the area located between East Germany and Western Poland, known as Pomerania. At the same time, the early ancestors of these dogs were used to transport goods on sleds and hunt in the ice-covered regions of the Arctic.

They differed in large sizes, their weight reached up to 15 kilograms. It is believed that it was from them that the Pomeranian inherited its thick coat.

At the beginning of the 17th century, the ancestors of these dogs were brought to Pomerania, where they were used to guard livestock. The glorious ascent of these dogs as court favorites began in the middle of the 18th century. At this time, the pygmy spitz was known in several European countries.

At first, the breed was very popular with ordinary people, later it was noticed by the nobility, and Spitz appeared at the courts of kings. At the same time, a decrease in the size of the rock began (probably for the convenience of carrying on hands). In a short period of time, through selection, these dogs became two to three times smaller than their ancestors - from 14-15 kg their weight decreased to five to seven.