Small Dog Breeds
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.
I can remember having almost an unlimited amount of questions when we were researching dogs, and it felt like the more we searched, the more questions we had!
Random questions would pop up in our heads that otherwise wouldn’t have been obvious, including things like what are dog breed groups and why do they exist? Discovering that dog breeds all have different characteristics and traits and that these can be used to help determine suitability depending on your needs.
Once we agreed on the dog breed (miniature dachshund), we then needed a shopping list of puppy essentials just to get us started on our new journey! This shopping list contains things like a dog collar with a name tag, poop bags, dog bowls, puppy food, treats, a dog crate, etc.
Can you guess what the next job was? Yup, that’s right, choosing a dog name! This task was seemingly no easier than any of the previous tasks!
Luckily for you, we’ve created a bunch of helpful articles on this website. So be sure to use the search bar at the top of this page if you can’t find what you’re looking for!
What is a Purebred Dog?
Purebred dogs are bred from a line of same breed dogs on both sides (Mother and Father).
What is the opposite of a Purebred Dog?
Now we know the definition of a purebred dog, it should be pretty obvious what the opposite is. But, what are they called?
The opposite of a purebred dog is a crossbreed dog, sometimes also referred to as a mixed-breed, hybrid, mongrel, or mutt.
What is a Crossbreed Dog?
A crossbreed dog otherwise referred to as a mixed-breed dog, is defined as having parents of two different breeds, or a mixture of several breeds.
Another name for a crossbreed dog is a “mutt”, and this type of breeding usually happens unintentionally.
What is a Designer Dog?
Sometimes also referred to as hybrid breeds, a designer dog is technically a mixed-breed or crossbreed dog, but in most cases, the parents were purebred. These purebred parents are then deliberately used to mate and create the desired hybrid, or mixed-breed dog.
The reason for breeding designer dogs is to develop a new breed that inherits the positive attributes of the two parent breeds. This can be desirable in scenarios such as a young family looking for hypoallergenic dogs that are family-friendly.
Most Popular Small Dog Breeds
Below is a list of the top 10 small dog breeds, which is based on the more than 1 million dogs registered with the AKC every year.
But why is listing the most popular small dog breeds so important? Well, think of it as an exercise to try and understand why these dog breeds are so popular.
People have different criteria when deciding which dog to bring into their homes and lives.
You might be looking for the ideal dog for apartment living, or you could be looking for hypoallergenic small dogs because you or someone in your household has allergies? Maybe you’re looking for dogs that don’t drool?
People research all sorts of questions before buying a dog, which means all of the reasoning mentioned above helped to determine the top 10 most popular small dog breeds.
Top 10 small dog breeds
List of Small Dog Breeds
Here is an easy-to-access list of all small purebred dogs that can be found in our database, which can help you find the perfect breed for you, your lifestyle, your family, and most importantly, the dog itself.