Maltese

The Maltese is a companion dog that was originally bred for royalty or the very wealthy. They are natural born troublemakers, but are very loyal to their owners. They are not at all good with children, other animals, or strangers. They’re considered to be dogs of average intelligence and trainability. Their beautiful coats require frequent grooming.

Pekingese

The Pekingese was originally bred for the Emperors of China. These little dogs have a boisterous personality and are not very tolerant of children or other animals. They do bark a lot and are often difficult to train. Wary of strangers they can make a good watchdog and will bark loudly when strangers approach their home.

Pug

The Pug comes from East Asia. Their short coat requires little grooming, but the folds and wrinkles of their faces must be cleaned often. Pugs make wonderful family dogs because they are very docile, don’t bark a lot, and are good with children and other animals. They are highly intelligent dogs and very social.

Angela Schulz

http://www.dogs-picture.com

No, you don’t wind them up and they don’t take batteries

“Toy” dogs are becoming more popular all the time. These little dogs, the result of generations of selective breeding, are generally bred as companion animals and people just seem to love them. Their miniature size and playful nature (most toy breeds are good natured dogs with a few exceptions) make them wonderful companions and for several years they have been chic among well to do people.

Most of the toy dog breeds hail originally from Asia where the process of selectively breeding dogs to make them smaller is believed to have begun, but there are plenty of toy breeds from other areas of the world as well.

Bichon Frise

A small dog that was originally bred as a companion dog, the Bichon Frise possesses a boisterous personality, is very tolerant of children, other animals and strangers, and is highly intelligent and very trainable. These dogs have a short and curly white coat that does require frequent grooming.

Chihuahua

The Chihuahua may be the best known of the toy dog breeds. They have a short or medium coat, are easy to groom, and possess average intelligence and trainability. They do not have the best personalities and are not tolerant of children, other animals, or strangers. The Chihuahua hails from Mexico originally and is the smallest of the toy dog breeds.

Angela Schulz

http://www.dogs-picture.com

by: S. Roberts

Every year, around Christmas time the RSPCA make appeals to everyone to think before buying a puppy or any other pet as a Christmas present. The RSPCA’s message is “A dog is for life, not just for Christmas”. This prompt is to make people think, and to consider the implications of owning a pet.

It is a wonderful experience to see your child’s face light up when you present them with an adorable puppy. There’s no getting away from that, however it doesn’t last very long and it is only one side of the coin.

Puppies are hard work. They chew, they soil, they can interrupt sleep, they dig and they demand a lot of attention, it’s rather like taking on another child.

Although puppy’s grow quickly, their education is a slow process, even if you have an intelligent breed. During your puppy’s education and socialisation you need to remain calm and patient at all times, and above all you must be consistent, even if you are at the end of your tether. One small slip up confuses your pup and can set his education back.

Puppies tend to take up a lot of time, Just like a child. Your puppy would need walking (come rain, blizzard or shine) training, feeding, brushing, cleaning up after, as well as playing with. Children soon loose interest with all these chores and they inevitably fall to the parents. Do you have time for all these little jobs every day? If not your bored depressed little puppy will probably eat your sofa.

Of course puppy farms are applying hard sell tactics in the run up to Christmas. They prey on people who are unsure if they should buy a puppy or not. The puppy farms force people into making rash decisions that are not thought through properly. The salesmen may say “Well, someone else is interested in this pup”, of course there isn’t anyone else, they just want to force the sale by making the buyers think that they may loose the chance of buying the cute little puppy they have shown interest in. The puppy farmers are not concerned if you are ready and able to take on a puppy, they are only thinking of the wonderful Christmas they can have once they have their hands on your cash.

Christmas day will no doubt be a wonderful day with your new puppy and your happy children. Any puppy mishaps will be regarded as little accidents and mischievous behaviour and all pups’ naughtiness will be heart warming and laughed off.

Six to eight months down the line, puppy is still having little accidents. Puppy is now a big puppy, and proving to be a bit of a handful. The kids have lost interest and everything is covered in dog hairs

This is when the RSPCA see a boom in puppies that have been placed into their care. The RSPCA can not possibly re-home every adorable puppy that comes to them. Anyway, who wants your unruly puppy at the RSPCA when they can go to the puppy farm and buy a younger, smaller and cuter puppy there?

The fact is that some cute adorable pups that find themselves at the RSPCA have to be destroyed, due to no fault of their own, other than nobody want them.

Happy Christmas Pup!

About The Author

S. Roberts write for http://www.santaspostbag.co.uk/

By Shannon Emmanuel.

Dogs and children are a perfect fit. They are what fond memories are
made of and part of a joyful childhood. But sometimes tragedy does
strike. What should you do to prevent an accidental attack?

The first caution for parents is to NEVER leave very young children
(pre-school age - under six) left unattended with a dog. If you
trust your dog then you likely do not believe that the dog will
suddenly choose to attack. However, the dog is not much different
than a small child itself. If a dog is unintentionally harmed or
feels threatened it may bite in self-defense, just as small children
may push or scratch another child when they feel threatened. Do not
subject your dog or child to possible harm by leaving them alone to
play. Your dog is not an adult. Always supervise dogs and children
and you will be preventing a problem from occurring.

Discourage your children from hugging and kissing their dog as most
bites to the face happen this way.

Regardless of the age of your children you should discourage
roughhousing with the dog. Some of the larger breeds can generally
handle rougher play, such as Newfoundlands and Boxers, without
becoming agitated. Other large breeds may become irritated by ear
pulling, grabbing and other play and accidentally harm your child.
Large breeds may even knock over a small child unintentionally.

On the other hand, smaller breeds sometimes hurt children because
they feel threatened by overly affectionate mauling or fear being
stepped on. In these cases they may bite or scratch in an effort to
protect themselves from harm. It is recommended that roughhousing
should be discouraged with all breeds.

You should seriously consider fully training any dog you choose as a
family pet. While some trainers may feel that the owner is
adequately qualified to take on this task, you may wish to consider
having your dog professionally trained if possible.

Incorrect training can actually lead to behavior problems. Owning a
fully-trained dog will give you the peace of mind you are looking
for when selecting a pet for your children.

These are just some of the points to consider when bringing a dog
home for your children. By taking the time to understand and learn
about dogs before bringing one home, you are more likely to find the
life-long friend your children deserve!

Shannon Emmanuel is a freelance writer and the author of `How to
Select the Best Dog or Puppy for Your Children’. Find tips and
information on dogs for children at

www.best-dog-breed-for-children.com

This is why you need to use a password on your pc when you’re not around:Sophie - NewfoundlandBy Melissakins’ post, What your dogs do when you’re not home

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