Let's Hear It for the Toys by Matthew Margolis on Creators.com

Recently

The Yard's the Thing If our dogs could speak words to be understood by the likes of man, they might wake with the sun, stretch and, as padded paw hits grassy earth, reflect as Thoreau did in "Walden," "I have, as it were, my own sun and moon and stars, …Read more. It's Not Always a Picnic, Buster President Obama, like him or not, takes education seriously. And there's little mystery surrounding how that came to be. According to the president, "Five days a week (my mother) came into my room at four in the morning, force-fed me breakfast …Read more. Sleeping with a Three-Headed Rattlesnake H.L. Mencken said, "The most costly of all follies is to believe passionately in the palpably not true. It is the chief occupation of mankind." The following letter from a reader demonstrates that it is certainly the chief occupation of …Read more. You're Not the Don, and It's Not Personal Daisy is a 20-pound mutt, female, somewhere between 2 and 4 years old. We also have 6-year-old Labradoodle. We rescued Daisy from a reservoir near our house in December of 2011. She was on her last leg and has recovered nicely except for one thing: …Read more.

Let's Hear It for the Toys

If you've walked the aisles of an animal shelter anytime in the past decade, I'm sure you noticed a breed that tends to dominate in terms of numbers. Hint: They fit in the palm of your hand, have eyes like watery walnuts and look like they're about to bust out with, "Yo quiero Taco Bell."

What's wrong with Chihuahuas? Why do so many of them end up at the shelter?

The American Kennel Club has this to say about Chihuahuas: "Graceful, alert and swift-moving with a saucy expression, Chihuahuas are highly intelligent and should not be underestimated even though small in size. The breed can be any color — solid, marked or splashed — and the coat may be long or short. These sassy little dogs are well known as 'purse dogs' like the famous Bruiser in the movie 'Legally Blonde' starring Reese Witherspoon."

Graceful and smart? Travel-ready? Adored by the rich and famous? What's not to like?

The fact that Chihuahuas and other toy dogs end up in shelters in high numbers has nothing to do with the breed and everything to do with this fully unsupported idea that the smaller the dog the less in need of training he is.

A horseman doesn't lead a new horse into his bedroom, feed him breakfast in bed, put little ribbons in his mane and wait for the horse to tell him he needs to relieve himself.

And no one brings home a Great Dane and pooh-poohs the notion of housebreaking.

I spoke with a man last week who was having trouble with his min-pin. He is tired of cleaning up the messes his dog leaves in the house and is disgusted by the smell of his own home.

"How did he housebreak his dog?" you ask. Yeah, so did I. The guy designated his hallway and kitchen, both tiled, the dog's bathroom. He not only allowed his dog to urinate and defecate in those areas, he encouraged it. And now he's pissed at the dog.

The damage created by this kind of negligence on the part of toy dog owners extends far beyond soiled grout, stained tile and ruined carpet. The unfettered yapping of an untrained dog creates tension among neighbors. The unchecked dominance of a family dog can lead to aggression toward family members, the effects of which range from annoying to dangerous. And housebreaking problems — one of the easiest behavioral problems to solve — most often land a dog in the shelter.

I was at the airport a couple of weeks ago waiting to board my flight. Sitting in the boarding area across from me was a woman who was traveling with her Cavalier King Charles spaniel. The dog was elegant, smart, energetic, agile and small in stature — just as the AKC describes. He was also extremely well behaved, which is no accident of DNA. His good behavior has nothing to do with his breed or size and everything to do with his owner — who trained her dog and never lost sight of the fact that he is, indeed, a dog.

Dog trainer Matthew "Uncle Matty" Margolis is co-author of 18 books about dogs, a behaviorist, a popular radio and television guest, and host of the PBS series "WOOF! It's a Dog's Life!" Read all of Uncle Matty's columns at www.creators.com, and visit him at www.unclematty.com. Send your questions to dearuncle.gazette@unclematty.com or by mail to Uncle Matty at P.O. Box 3300, Diamond Springs, CA 95619.