What is the definition of a small dog?
In this article, we explain why we standardize dogs into different categories, including breed, type, and size. We then define what a small dog is, and list all 72 breeds that meet the small dog criteria.
This article is part of our new puppy starter guide series, answering common questions about small dogs, providing essential shopping list items for new puppies, and more.
A small dog is defined as a fully grown, adult dog that weighs 22 pounds or less. It will take a small dog between 6-12 months to become fully grown.
Why the need to standardize dogs by different categories?
The ability to standardize dogs by breed, type, and size, simplifies administrative tasks for the health and welfare of dogs.
Knowing what breed of dog the patient is, gives the vet a pretty good idea of the quantity of medication to prescribe, and that’s without even seeing the dog, or checking its weight.
Breed and size categories also become descriptive of the type of work undertaken, and at what scale.
How many dog size categories are there?
There are 4 major dog size categories that are commonly used to define the size of a dog, small, medium, large, and giant (also known as extra-large).
What are dog size categories?
So what are dog size categories, and how, or why, are they used?
Dog size categories are a standardized way of grouping dogs by the scale at which they can execute a task from a domesticated perspective.
Why are dogs categorized by size?
As with the dog breed types, which are used to standardize and categorize domestic dogs based on form, function, or style of work, dog size categories are used to separate dog breeds by size and/or weight class, which is useful for defining the scale at which the dog can execute its “job”.
Whilst it might seem like an unrealistic example for our modern times, for the purposes of explanation, if you were hunting bear, boar, or dear, you may choose to use a Great Dane, categorized as a giant, or extra-large dog breed. But when hunting for game, you’ll want to use a dog who can literally point them out to you, such as a Pointer, which is categorized as a large dog breed.
What about dog size edge cases?
Does your dog weigh slightly over, or under the ideal average weight of the dog breed? If so, that won’t change the size categorization of your dog. It just means your dog is at the top, or bottom end of the spectrum as defined by the ideal average weight of the dog breed.
How many dog size categories are there, and what are they?
There are 4 major dog size categories that are commonly used to define the size of a dog, small, medium, large, and giant (also known as extra-large).
The small dog size category consists of 2 additional subgroups of toy, and miniature.
Now we know how many dog size categories there are (6, including subgroups), let’s place a definition against each one, and find out a little more about each dog size category.
What is the definition of a small dog?
A small dog is defined as an adult, fully grown dog, that weighs 22 pounds or less.
The top 10 small dog breeds
Here we list the top 10 small dog breeds, based on the total number of small dogs registered with the American Kennel Club in 2020.
- French Bulldog
- Miniature Poodle
- Miniature Dachshund
- Yorkshire Terrier
- Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
- Shih Tzu
- Boston Terrier
- Pomeranian
- Havanese
- Shetland Sheepdog
How many small dog breeds are there?
In total, the American Kennel Club (AKC) recognizes 74 small dog breeds, which include:
- Affenpinscher
- American Eskimo Dog
- American Hairless Terrier
- Australian Terrier
- Basenji
- Beagle
- Bedlington Terrier
- Bichon Frise
- Biewer Terrier
- Bolognese
- Border Terrier
- Boston Terrier
- Brussels Griffon
- Cairn Terrier
- Cardigan Welsh Corgi
- Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
- Cesky Terrier
- Chihuahua
- Chinese Crested
- Cocker Spaniel
- Dachshund
- Danish-Swedish Farmdog
- English Toy Spaniel
- French Bulldog
- German Spitz
- Glen of Imaal Terrier
- Havanese
- Italian Greyhound
- Jagdterrier
- Japanese Chin
- Japanese Terrier
- Lakeland Terrier
- Lancashire Heeler
- Lhasa Apso
- Löwchen
- Maltese
- Manchester Terrier (Standard)
- Manchester Terrier (Toy)
- Miniature Bull Terrier
- Miniature Pinscher
- Miniature Schnauzer
- Norfolk Terrier
- Norrbottenspets
- Norwegian Lundehund
- Norwich Terrier
- Papillon
- Parson Russell Terrier
- Pekingese
- Pembroke Welsh Corgi
- Peruvian Inca Orchid
- Pomeranian
- Poodle (Miniature)
- Poodle (Toy)
- Portuguese Podengo Pequeno
- Pug
- Pumi
- Rat Terrier
- Russell Terrier
- Russian Toy
- Russian Tsvetnaya Bolonka
- Schipperke
- Scottish Terrier
- Shetland Sheepdog
- Shiba Inu
- Shih Tzu
- Silky Terrier
- Smooth Fox Terrier
- Swedish Vallhund
- Teddy Roosevelt Terrier
- Tibetan Terrier
- Toy Fox Terrier
- West Highland Terrier
- Wire Fox Terrier
- Yorkshire Terrier
Average dog growth chart by percentage
When a dog hits twelve months of age, it’s no longer a puppy regardless of breed size. However, a dog will continue to grow in height and size while its bones are still developing. This process can take between 6 and 24 months. Their skeletal growth ultimately determines how large the dog will be as an adult.
Your puppy will continue to develop muscle and fat even after its bones are fully developed, just as we humans do.
We’ve created a simple table that shows, as a percentage, the growth of your dog by age.
| Age | Small (0-22 lbs) | Medium (21-50 lbs) | Large (51-100 lbs) | X-Large (100+ lbs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 months | 75% | 66% | 60% | 50% |
| 9 months | 90% | 85% | 75% | 65% |
| 12 months | 100% | 95% | 85% | 80% |
| 15 months | 100% | 100% | 95% | 90% |
| 18 months | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
Summary
With so many different small dog breeds, it won’t be hard to find a dog with the personality, activity level, and coat type you want.
Small dogs don’t require as much exercise as larger dogs, so they are ideal for apartment living. But not all small dogs are lap dogs! Some have a tough-as-nails personality. Some breeds, like Dachshunds or small terriers, enjoy the country life and the chance to run.
With young children, make sure the dog has a place to be alone when needed or research breeds that may better suit your family’s lifestyle.
The truth is that some small dogs are too delicate to live with a boisterous family of young children.
Remember, a small dog is defined as a fully grown dog, that weighs 22 pounds or less. The small dog size category also contains 2 additional subgroups of miniature and toy.
