Talk:Toy dog

Breeds not consistent/not listed
English Toy Spaniel, Phalene, and Brussels Griffon are not listed on the List of dog breeds page and apparently need to be there, at least w/cross-references to the breed name as it appears elsewhere on the list. See Sannse's spreadsheet--? Elf | Talk 01:36, 28 Jun 2004 (UTC)
 * Well, I took it upon myself to add Phalene (also wrote a stub) as I think they're adorable and also (and more to the point) know that the FCI classes them as a separate breed. Fun and games....  Quill 09:41, 28 Jun 2004 (UTC)

Bravo to the person who updated the definition of "Teacup." It looks good now! AND CORRECT!

I have to disagree about the definition of "Teacup", as even though there are many faults to the teacup breeds, the bias of the writer is extremely obvious that these dogs should not be bred and/or bought. Neutrality is a serious issue in that section.

Is Neutrality considered an issue if everything they stated is completely correct? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 207.45.93.164 (talk) 04:12, 29 October 2011 (UTC)

"Teacup" Should be removed all together. 90% Of all teacups are well within the written standard of the breed. Also being smaller than the standard does not make a dog a "runt" Runt refers to size at birth when compared to the rest of the litter and not all litter have them. The term "teacup" is a fallacy and if the section remains should point that fact out, nothing more. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.253.99.199 (talk) 03:09, 25 January 2012 (UTC)

Belgian Griffon
Isn't that a Brussels Griffon? I'm about to revert... Quill 01:02, 12 Nov 2004 (UTC)


 * Nope, actually 2 different breeds. Why can't they call them things like Quasinudulated Fangimonial Doghound instead of something that sounds really similar to something else? Those fools, if only they'd have asked me--  Elf | Talk 00:02, 16 Nov 2004 (UTC)


 * We need a 'rolling on floor laughing' emoticon! Quill 21:47, 16 Nov 2004 (UTC)

Bichon Frise Photo

 * The photo of the Bichon is a bit of a problem. In the U.S. neither the AKC nor the UKC list Bichon as members of the "Toy Group." In AKC the Bichon would be in the non-sporting group. (posted by User:209.187.42.202)


 * You're probably right. If someone can identify a nice photo of an all-toy breed, that would be good. Could start looking here: List_of_images/Nature/Animals/Dogs. Elf | Talk 21:48, 19 December 2005 (UTC).


 * Or it could be possible to keep it and use it as an example on the differences between Kennel clubs... just a suggestion. Tekana 18:28, 22 December 2005 (UTC)


 * This whole article is a mess if you want to talk about AKC groups. A lot of the breeds are technically listed as non-sporting breeds or terriers.  A lot of these dogs aren't even AKC recognised.  I'd consider fixing it, but then all these rare-breed enthusiasts would come out of the woodwork and mess it up again. 165.254.143.30 17:43, 18 December 2006 (UTC)

Shih Tzu
Is the Shih Tzu actually counted as a toy dog? Jerazol 14:24, 30 June 2007 (UTC)


 * Depends on what you mean by "counted." It is a small dog, and many registries list it in the Toy Group. The Kennel Club (UK) lists it in the Utility Group. The New Zealand Kennel Club lists it in the Nonsporting Group. Under international rules (Fédération Cynologique Internationale) it is listed in Group 9 Companion and Toy Dogs Section 5 : Tibetan breeds. Also, there are lots of internet based registries and businesses that would be glad to register it for you any way you want. If you are not interested in training and showing your dog, all of this is irrelevant anyway. Historically, the Shih Tzu breed was developed from an ancient lapdog dog type.--Hafwyn (talk) 15:49, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

Toy Dog Lists
I notice that there are many countries whose lists of toy dog breeds are not mentioned. If most of this article is going to be wasted space devoted to pointless lists, I think many more should be added. Bob98133 (talk) 13:51, 23 August 2008 (UTC)


 * As far as the space being wasted, as far as I can tell, lists ares the only way to define "Toy dog"; the term doesn't actually mean anything, it is just a category assigned by kennel clubs. What would really be nice if someone knows how to do it, would be to make the lists into a comparative chart. What is there now covers the standard international definition, and the definitions of the major (oldest, best established, one per country except for the US, which has the United Kennel Club as well as the American Kennel Club; but the United Kennel Club does not recognise the term "Toy dog") registries in most English-speaking countries; that could be one chart, and then if you want to add some of the hundreds of breed clubs, internet based minor registries, and businesses that sell"papers", that could be another chart. Oh and there could be another chart for as-yet unrecognised (by the major registries) "new" or "rare" breeds of toy dog. --Hafwyn (talk) 14:52, 24 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Hi - I just posted a change to condense the lists - not perfect, but at least there isn't constant reptition. Let me know if that is any esier to read. Bob98133 (talk) 14:54, 24 August 2008 (UTC)


 * I like it (the flags), and I think it is helpful. --Hafwyn (talk) 23:13, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Contemplating an overhaul
When I came to this article I was thinking I'd see something along the lines of
 * What is a "Toy dog"?
 * General history of Toy dogs; as noted in the article, the practice of keeping small companion dogs is very ancient, as are some of the breeds themselves
 * Examples (just some) of Toy dogs of each type (spaniel, terrier, sighthound, spitz, mastiff...did you know that a Pug is a toy mastiff?
 * Roles played by Toy dogs: the Italian Greyhound as hot-water bottle, Toy dogs as child substitutes, as service and therapy dogs, as...
 * Toy dogs in pop culture (literature, movies, memes and such)
 * Maybe something on the scientific side of the house: neoteny, dwarfism vs miniaturisation, health issues common in Toy dogs...
 * References that discuss Toy dogs as a phenomenon - say, hypothetically, a book called Little Dogs, Big Ideas (afaik, this book doesn't actually exist, but the refs would be to that kind of thing)

Would something like this be useful? The lists of specific breeds are already nicely covered in Toy Group; should I try for something a little more comprehensive? -- Marius the Wanderer (talk) 02:02, 22 February 2011 (UTC)

Subjective statement
"The Yorkie is one of the most popular of the toy breeds; unfortunately some breeders try to reduce the size of this breed, which results in unhealthy individuals." This is a generalization and should be removed or at the very least—cited with proof.

Someone seems to have an agenda regarding this dog breed: "The very smallest toy dogs are sometimes called "teacup" size, although no major dog registry recognizes that term.[citation needed] Most dogs labeled "teacup" dogs are simply undersized dogs (usually runts). The name is often applied to small dogs by unscrupulous breeders in order to make more money off of the dog by making it seem special. Dogs bred to be "teacups" often have many health problems associated with them.[12][13]"

–2601:140:8301:3A1:E531:5705:BDB5:2E05 (talk) 02:02, 14 March 2016 (UTC)

Merge from Toy Group
Redundant WP:CONTENTFORK, maybe even a WP:POVFORK. We already merged a bunch of these pointless overlapping articles over the last two years; not sure why this one was left out. See also Talk:Terrier; Talk:Herding dog; Talk:List of dog breeds recognized by the American Kennel Club; Talk:Fédération Cynologique Internationale. — SMcCandlish ☏ ¢ 😼  20:35, 20 February 2018 (UTC)


 * Fully support, including on WP:COMMONAME grounds. William Harris •   (talk) •  08:03, 21 February 2018 (UTC)


 * Conditional support, provided this page does not become an article about show groups and dog club classifications. Cavalryman V31 (talk) 06:33, 23 February 2018 (UTC)


 * Support: Please, do it.--Miki Filigranski (talk) 22:13, 28 May 2018 (UTC)

Page contains two hyperlinks to "Toy Group" that redirect back to same page
Toy Group hyperlinks in "Breeds" (first sentence) and "See also" redirect back to the same page.

68.5.187.44 (talk) 06:38, 12 December 2019 (UTC)
 * Fixed. Cavalryman (talk) 09:06, 12 December 2019 (UTC).