Small Dog Cross Breed As A Pet

Our dog, Mika , is quite a mix of breeds. Her parents and grandparents were all small dogs. Their breeds include Chihuahua, Shih Tzu, Pug, Pomeranian and Poodle. As a result, she is a small dog that resembles these breeds, but she is a unique looking dog. Various groomers and vets have looked at her and not been able to identify her breed. At first glance, she is cute enough to be a pure breed, but which? When she is studied, her tail is wrong for one breed, her nose wrong for another, her size wrong for another. We like to think that she is a perfect hybrid. She has the best qualities from her ancestral breeds. She is under 16 pounds so she is in the toy class of dogs, but she doesn't know it.

One night, she spooked a raccoon and chased it off the deck. That animal was slightly larger than her. Another night, she did the same with a large male deer which was about 10 times her size. She chased it across the yard, barking all the way. When she trapped it in the corner, the deer seemed to realize that this was actually a toy dog. He charged Mika . With a big yelp and a swerve, Mika avoided the deer and was unharmed. We try to keep her from chasing deer now, although with our new fence, they don't actually gain access to the yard anymore. Good for Mika , but I'm sure that she would like another chance to handle that deer.

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Avoid Puppy Mills

Mika was picked up at a local amateur dog breeder's kennel. Too many people make the mistake of getting a puppy that was born in a mill. These are essentially factory puppies. Dogs are bred according to the popularity of the result. No attention is paid to the breeding quality of the parents. Mother dogs are especially harmed in these facilities.

Although Mika wasn't born in a professional operation, her parents were strong, and nice, dogs. They were still in their prime of life. The owner didn't breed them excessively. As a result, Mika was a good product of the parents.

If you do get a dog from an established breeder, make sure that the place is qualified. The parents should be fit animals. The premises should be clean. No animals should be dirty or sick. This may help to ensure that your new toy breed dog is as healthy as possible.

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What Does This Dog Do?

She is extremely outgoing, so it is fun to pet her. She gets really excited and jumps around. She also loves to chase balls. She is even pretty good about bringing them back to you. Usually she drops them within 10 feet of you. She also likes to play soccer. The ball is half her size but she can push it around the yard really well.

Meeka loves Spooky, the cat, as you can see here. Spooky is an adult now and they still get along great. They often don't see each other for weeks at a time. When Meeka finally visits, they chase each other around the house and outside too. Spooky hates other dogs with a passion.

The dog is also a big fan of snow. When there is snow on the ground, she gets very excited. She runs in it and burrows. She loves to chase snowballs although she gets frustrated if they disappear into deep snow. If the snow is fluffy, however, it starts to cause trouble for the dog. It will pack on the legs. This makes it hard for the dog to move around. She also gets quite cold rather quickly. It's more of a problem with fairly dry snow. The wet stuff tends to get get messy.

She also likes rocks. She will move them around the yard with her feet and mouth, whining at the time. Sometimes she picks them up in her mouth. The rocks are usually the size of a tennis ball, or a little bigger. It isn't a big problem but we discourage her partly because of the obnoxious noises she makes and because she tends to rip up the grass when she plays with the rock.

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Poodle Cross Advantages

Having a dog with poodle ancestors is quite a good thing. They make excellent pets. First, they tend to be smarter. Next, the hair is less problematic.

Poodles are among the smartest of all dog breeds. They can be trained readily. They are also have good natures and are not timid. They are agile and have good activity levels. They will also settle down easily.

Poodle hair is good as well. These dogs don't shed. Their hair is also less likely to cause trouble for people who are allergic to dogs. Since the hair is generally curly, it tends to stay neater on the dog.

Many small toy dogs with poodle blood lines will retain many of the poodle traits. This can mean that your dog, that doesn't look at all like a poodle, will still be smart, and have good hair. In our dog, she doesn't shed, her hair is not a problem for many people who are allergic to dogs. The only issue with the hair is that it is rather straight, not curly. This makes it fairly long, requiring regular clipping. 

Soccer Playing Dog

Mika kicks the ball around when she can. There is a problem, though. The ball is half her size. Mika can't kick it very well with either her front or hind legs. Instead, she does a hip smash onto the ball and sends it across the yard. She also dribbles it forward between her front legs. I need to get busy and make a video of her doing it.