Small Dog Breeds That May Be Too Much for First-Time Owners: What to Know Before You Choose

Hello, dog peeps. Jack here. Just a quick one before we get into this episode. You may or may not be aware that when I'm not talking dog stuff with Max, I in fact interview people who are incarcerated in prisons across the United States on a show called One Minute Remaining: Stories from the Inmates. And that show has been nominated for an award in America. And I would love your support if you've got 60 seconds to click the link in the show notes of this episode and just vote for my show. That would be amazing if you could. Thank you very much indeed. Oh, and don't forget to verify your email address. Otherwise, the vote does not count.

Thank you.

Therapy's biggest impact doesn't show up in some dramatic breakthrough. It shows up in the smallest moments. You bite your tongue instead of escalating. You put your phone down instead of firing off that text. You say what you actually mean instead of what would hurt someone else the most. Nobody applauds those moments, but they quietly change your life. That's what growing feels like, and that's exactly what Grow Therapy is here for. Grow is therapy that works, covered by insurance. Sessions average $21 with insurance, and some pay as little as $0 depending on their plan. There are no subscriptions, no long-term commitments. You just pay per session. Grow connects you with thousands of high-quality licensed therapists across the US, offering both virtual and in-person sessions nights and weekends. You can search by what matters, like insurance, specialty, identity, or availability, and you can book a therapy session in minutes and begin in as little as 2 days, not the national 48-day average. See if you could pay as little as $0 for therapy in seconds at growtherapy.com/startnow. That's growtherapy.com/startnow. growtherapy.com/startnow. Availability and coverage vary by state and insurance plan.

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It's the Dog People Podcast with your host Jack Lawrence. Secretly, I decided to start this podcast for some free dog training advice. You know, Malinois seem to be like the dog at the moment. Like, I think people see them on Instagram doing these incredible things.

Yeah.

Go, oh my God, that's awesome. And then they get one like, oh my God, what the fuck? And Max O'Neill.

You would not believe how many people I meet And I go, what made you want to get, say, an Aussie Shepherd? They go, I don't know. I go, had you met one before? They go, no. If you want to ask me how often I walk my own dog a week, it's only twice a week.

It is the Dog People Podcast, the podcast hopefully giving you a no-nonsense approach to dog training so you never have to shout, it's okay, he's friendly. My name is Jack Lawrence, not a dog trainer, just a dog training enthusiast. But of course, as always, joined by the man in the know when it comes to the dog and dog world, Max O'Neill from the Down Under Dog Trainer. Now, Max, we recently covered the top 3 breeds of large, medium, and small for new dog owners that you would recommend. So if you're looking for a new dog, you're a new dog owner, or you haven't had a dog in a long time, listen to those episodes, small, medium, and large breeds. But today we want to cover the topic of dogs not recommended, and this is for new dog owners. So not experienced dog owners or anything like that. This is new dog owners.

We're not saying they're bad dogs. We're not saying no one should own them. We're just saying if you're a new inexperienced owner or someone who just wants like a low maintenance dog, these dogs probably aren't the best for you. Same thing, we're gonna start small, medium, and large, and I'll give you our top 3 for each of those. So we'll kick it off with the small ones.

Round 1, let's go.

Cool. All right, number 1, the Jack Russell.

Yes, agree.

Yeah, I see so many of these guys, and I think people see their scruffy little personality, or, you know, their look. They see them in movies and go, oh, like these guys are just these little distinguished old gentlemen. No, no, Jack Russells are fucking methodic sociopaths. Is they are just, they've got as much energy as any breed out there. And again, it's not a case of they will take as much as they can get, but they don't need much.

No, no, no.

They need a lot. They are just endless pits of, you know, needing energy. They're just honestly, they're monsters. Jack Russells are intense. They need so much from you. They have got one of the highest prey drives out of all the breeds out there. And unless you're prepared to give them an overwhelming amount of stimulation each and every day, both in terms of a physical sense, their mental sense and their breed or genetic sense, which we've talked about in previous episodes, is it's almost a part-time job for these guys. They need so much from you. And they're one of those ones where I see getting up to mischief all the time because they're out there, you know, chasing toads or eating poisoned rats, attacking the neighborhood cat, jumping 6-foot fences. You know, that you can see some things like, you know, handler aggression, poor dog sociability. They shed like no tomorrow. They're a great dog. But honestly, if it's your first time owning a dog, it will be a shock to the system. They are a really cool dog. If I ever own acreage where there's a barn sort of set up keeping all the, you know, animal food. Hells yeah, sign me up. I'll get a Jack Russell to keep that thing, you know, void of any rodents and vermin. But—

Well, I mean, like, speaking of that, if you were thinking about getting a Jack Russell, like, just go online on Instagram and just search Jack Russell because there's a few pages I've seen where these guys use them to do— they use them for what they're bred for, vermin extermination. And you see a Jack Russell Or a couple of Jack Russells going for a bin of, you know, you've seen, I've seen this guy open up a bin and like 20, 30 rats just come running out from everywhere. And this Jack Russell is just picking them off one by one and bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam. And that is what they're bred for. And like, you know, and so you're bringing that into your home and going, okay, so we're just going to go for a walk around the block and then I might throw a ball for you.

Yeah, we'll strap you to a lead and this and that. And again, that's not just what they can do. That's what they need. And like I said, they're just They're just endless amounts of energy. They will just go all day long.

So my parents had one, but I mean, Jooky, like RIP Jooky, he's gone now. But I mean, he was— the amount of times my old man would ring me, oh, Jooky got hold of a bloody cane toad again. And you know, because he was just— and bush turkeys, because they lived in, um, at the time in Mudrabah, and bush turkeys, everybody saw a bush turkey, oh my God, he'd be gone. Yeah. And every time someone opened the front door My parents would shut the door. Where's the dog? Because he would just be out looking for something. He'd be gone chasing wallabies and whatnot. And obviously that's not great for, you know, local wildlife either. So yeah, so Jack Russells is probably for, I mean, you know, yeah, certainly new-time dog owners, a hard pass.

On top of that, they all seem to live to about 15 to 20. So it's a long commitment too. Like if I was to get a Jack Russell now, there's a high likelihood I don't have that dog until I'm 50. That's kind of crazy to think about.

Because they're units too. Like this Jooky, my parents' dog, He was a solid unit.

Yeah.

And he did. I mean, he went senile in his, in his old age. Poor thing at the end was blind. He couldn't see, couldn't hear anything, but he was still going strong. It was just like, they're crazy dogs.

Yeah. So Jack Russell, wait till you've had a few dogs before you go to a Jack Russell.

Yeah.

Therapy's biggest impact doesn't show up in some dramatic breakthrough. It shows up in the smallest moments. You bite your tongue instead of escalating. You put your phone down instead of firing off that text. You say what you actually What would you actually mean instead of what would hurt someone else the most? Nobody applauds those moments, but they quietly change your life. That's what growing feels like, and that's exactly what Grow Therapy is here for. Grow is therapy that works, covered by insurance. Sessions average $21 with insurance, and some pay as little as $0 depending on their plan. There are no subscriptions, no long-term commitments. You just pay per session. Grow connects you with thousands of high-quality licensed therapists across the U.S., offering virtual and in-person sessions, nights and weekends. You can search by what matters, like insurance, specialty, identity, or availability. And you can book a therapy session in minutes and begin in as little as 2 days, not the national 48-day average. See if you could pay as little as $0 for therapy in seconds at growtherapy.com/startnow. That's growtherapy.com/startnow. growtherapy.com/startnow. Availability and coverage vary by state and insurance plan.

I'll admit it, I'm one of those people who gets excited for football season way before the first kickoff. That's why a trip to Total Wine& More has become part of my game day routine. I can get the cooler ready with my favorite beers and ready-to-drink cocktails. I'm usually picking up enough for everybody, so it's nice knowing I'm scoring the lowest prices. This season, make Total Wine& More part of your game day tradition. Spirits are not sold in Virginia and North Carolina. Drink responsibly. Be 21.

You know that thing where you get an amazing pair of shoes at a really great price and want to tell everyone about it? Yeah, so do we. Here at Designer Shoe Warehouse, we'll give you something to brag about, like the latest styles from brands you love, or the trends everyone's obsessing over, or shoes that make you feel like Well, you. So go ahead, show off a little. Find shoes that get you at prices that get your budget. Head to your DSW store or dsw.com today. DSW, let us surprise you.

Number 2, you're not going to like us for this one, but we're going to say it.

Oh yeah.

Dachshunds.

Absolutely.

Dachshunds. People think they are just these happy little lapdogs.

They just tootle around with their little legs and their little sausage body and they're like, oh, that's cute. They can be an utter nightmare. Yeah.

If I was to crunch our numbers and look at the breed we see the most of, it probably would be dachshunds, I think, is honestly, it's A, due to their overwhelming popularity, but B, is that it's these— look, I love them, but God, they're just these little bundle of nerves.

Reactivity.

Super reactive, super anxious. They've got to, again, for first-time dog owners who don't really understand that much about the way dogs think, act, and behave is Like, man, they've got a lot of prey drive. They want to, you know, again, if you don't know what a Dachshund's bred for, jump on YouTube and look up a Dachshund working. They're bred to go and flush out badgers from tunnels. And that's why they're shaped that way, is to be able to stick their head down there and manoeuvre through these things and catch rats. And they're intense little dogs. And again, when you meet one that's been well trained and well raised and well stimulated, they're fantastic. But unfortunately, I see most people get that pretty wrong. And again, most of the people I see are, you know, novice dog owners. And it's just, it's a lot. Like, people think these cute, sweet little things, and for sure some of them are, but I'm going to say most of them are a lot more dog than you probably bargained for. Um, so again, they look super sweet, but maybe get something else from one of the breeds we did recommend first, because a Dachshund again will want to be those— be one of those dogs that is a bit of a shock to the system and need a lot more work to put into it. than you have probably planned for.

I want to give a shout out here at the moment to Jacob from the Yorkshire Canine, because he— if you were ever thinking about getting one of those dogs, he recently took on a dachshund, and he talks a lot about how hard they are. I mean, this is a guy who's got Malinois and all the rest of it and trains like really reactive and hyper dogs. And even he talks about how tough it is and it has been with that Dogs, how reactive it was and all the rest of it. So go check out his Instagram page and you'll see the videos of his little dachshund.

Yeah, they're a lot. Like I said, they're the breed I probably see the most of, uh, off the top of my head. So if you're getting one, factor in that you're probably going to have to work through some behavior problems even if you do everything right. Because again, due to their popularity, everyone's kind of jumped aboard the little micro dachshund economy. And, uh, yeah, all of a sudden there's people breeding them everywhere with all sorts of health issues, physical and mental, and Yeah, they're a lot of dog. There's, there's better dogs for beginner dog owners than Dachshunds for sure.

All right. Third in our list.

And number 3 is the, again, sorry guys, but the French Bulldog.

Oh my Lord.

Another one.

We will never be able to step foot in Melbourne ever again. There'll be placards.

They're another one I see an absolute stack of. And again, Frenchies are just a lot. You meet the odd gem who's really calm, but I would say 80 to 90% of them are just absolutely just chaotic in their nature. They really struggle to settle. They've got a very sensitive Gas pedal, so to speak. So they ramp up very quickly. And just there, and there are a lot, is that, and they can be pretty poor sociability just by nature. If you look at what the French Bulldogs are bred for, they stemmed from, you know, people from Britain bringing over Old English Bulldogs. And again, if we look at what Bulldogs are bred for, they were bred for taking to the meat market, getting underneath the bulls. And that's where they kind of got that funny upturned head and jaw to get up there and, you know, bite the bulls and tease them and do all that sort of stuff. So pretty intense dogs. They brought these dogs over, they bred them with like the native dogs of France, who are these little, you know, ratty, you know, when I say ratty, I mean like they're little rat hunting little terrier sort of things. And they bred the French Bulldog to make this little companion dog. But again, when you think about it, is they tried to get this companion dog from a bulldog who's the most like tough, bruisey sort of dog. And then they got like the little high drive, little ratting rodent catching dog and bred this companion. Dog in air quotes. And that's what you've seen them— they're, they're intense. On top of that as well, again, just like the Dachshunds, because their popularity has surged, it means you see a lot of people out there who are looking for a quick cash grab who are breeding some pretty poor examples of the breed. And I mean that in a health sense, is if you get a French Bulldog, honestly, most of my clients I've seen have all spent at least $10,000 on health bills, um, on top of the figure you can pay for them. I've had some clients that have paid $8,000 to $12,000 for French Bulldogs Plus all the health concerns. I think the most expensive one I saw was a $40,000 dog when you factor in how much they paid for him, all the vet costs and everything. So you've got to factor that in again. And if you've never owned a dog before and Google said, you know, it'll only cost you this much, add an extra couple of zeros to that for a French Bulldog. They're not a cheap dog and they can be, again, a real shock to the system and a lot more than you bargained for.

Yeah. My brother-in-law had to just— well, he's had to— his in-laws have now had to take on his French Bulldog because his French Bulldog He's had major issues with it for a long time. It was reactive as hell, but it ended up biting his neighbour. The neighbour was like, that dog goes or I'm calling, you know, having it put down. So it now lives with his in-laws because he just couldn't have it around. And it was— and he's got 2 small kids and it's just not— it was just not a good situation.

It's one of the most common things I see them for is just really poor sociability, mostly with other dogs. But yeah, people as well.

So now we do want to— I do want to caveat this by saying, number one, as we said, we're not saying these are bad dogs. And number two, You may have one of these breeds and it'd be absolutely perfect and wonderful and all the rest of it. And you've never had an issue. We're not saying all these dogs are, you know, but it's about highlighting the issues that new dog owners or inexperienced dog owners could face with these particular breeds.

Yeah. You might be the exception to the rule. If I had a family member tomorrow who had never owned a dog before, who said, hey, I want a small dog, give me 3 breeds I should consider and 3 popular breeds I probably shouldn't consider as a first-time dog owner. This is the same advice I'd give to them. And it's advice I'm giving to you.

So there they are, the 3 breeds, uh, not recommended for new dog owners in the small category. Coming up, we will do medium and large. Any questions on the breeds you've heard, make sure you go to Facebook, search the Dog People Podcast, and we'll answer your questions.

The Dog People Podcast is a Mashed Pumpkin production hosted by Jack Lawrence and Max O'Neill, edited, produced, and audio production Finding ways to be financially savvy is a smart move, and knowing you could be saving money for the things you really want, like that dream home or new ride, is a great feeling. That's why the State Farm Personal Price Plan can help you save when you choose to bundle home and auto. Bundling— just another way to save with a Personal Price Plan. Head to statefarm.com to get a quote. Prices are based on rating plans that vary by state. Coverage options are selected by the customer. Availability, amount of discounts and savings, and eligibility vary by state.

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