While geneticists are still unraveling the complex histories of toy dogs, there are some interesting facts about this type of dog that can shed light on both our past and our present relationships with them as pets. Many people are unaware, for instance, that many of the dogs in the toy group are actually dwarves. There are three kinds of dwarfism observed in dogs, each having a different effect on the shape of the animal. While some toy breeds carry all three kinds of dwarfism, it is quite possible that all of them carry at least one kind—ateliotic pituitary dwarfism—which dictates their much smaller size.(25) In other words, the great variety of toy dogs we see today could very well have begun as simply smaller representations of their larger counterparts from other groups of dogs. A simple mutation may have resulted in a developmental hindrance that prevented these dwarf dogs from maturing “normally” and kept these dogs little—and we loved it.

“Woman with a Lap Dog,” circa 1575 and circa 1600, Florence, Italy.
Source: Walters Art Museum.

After all, who doesn’t love a kind, permanent puppy that stays small and needy? It makes us feel so good, so special. Given their incredible popularity over the millennia, apparently very few of us. Any one of us can feel like a king or queen when one of these little lapdogs is sitting with us today.

Upbringing

Should you have the chance to raise him from a pup yourself, one of the greatest favors you can do for a toy dog is to develop his self-esteem and comfort about being physically independent and alone. Familiarize him with your absence in a comfortable and gradual way while he is young. More than many other dogs, he will need to build up his courage for spending time alone (with some extra pacifiers like cozy blankets and a pile of favorite toys). If he is unprepared and falls apart, you will surely hear about it (your neighbors will tell you that he cried all day long); and you will very likely feel his pain (or the wet carpet under your feet) when you return.