Toy dog traditionally refers to a very small dog or a grouping of small and very small

breeds A breed is a specific group of domestic animals having homogeneous appearance ( phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist several slig ...

of dog. A toy dog may be of any of various

dog type Dog types are broad categories of domestic dogs based on form, function, or style of work, lineage, or appearance. Some may be locally adapted dog types (or '' landraces'') that may have the visual characteristics of a modern purebred dog. In ...

s. Types of dogs referred to as toy dogs may include spaniels, pinschers and

terriers Terrier (from Latin ''terra'', 'earth') is a type of dog originally bred to hunt vermin. A terrier is a dog of any one of many breeds or landraces of the terrier type, which are typically small, wiry, game, and fearless. Terrier breeds vary g ...

that have been bred down in size. Not all toy dogs are lap dogs.

Small dogs

Dogs found in the Toy Group of breed registries may be of the very ancient

lapdog A lap dog or lapdog is a dog that is both small enough to be held in the arms or lie comfortably on a person's lap and temperamentally predisposed to doing so. ''Lapdog'' is not a specific breed, but a generic term for a type of dog that is sm ...

type, or they may be small versions of

hunting dog A hunting dog is a canine that hunts with or for hunters. There are several different types of hunting dog developed for various tasks and purposes. The major categories of hunting dog include hounds, terriers, dachshunds, cur type dogs, and gu ...

s or working dogs, bred down in size for a particular kind of work or to create a pet of convenient size. In the past, very small dogs not used for hunting were kept as symbols of affluence, as watchdogs, and for the health function of attracting fleas away from their owners.

Breeds

Most major dog clubs in the English-speaking world have a toy group, under one exact name or another, in which they place breeds of dog that the kennel club categorizes as ''toy'', based on size and tradition.

The Kennel Club The Kennel Club ("KC") is the official kennel club of the United Kingdom. It is the oldest recognised kennel club in the world. Its role is to oversee various canine activities including dog shows, dog agility and working trials. It also oper ...

(UK), the

Canadian Kennel Club The Canadian Kennel Club (or CKC), founded in 1888 and chartered under the Animal Purebred Act, is one of the national kennel clubs of Canada. It maintains breed registry, breed registries services for those purebred dogs approved for its control b ...

, the

American Kennel Club The American Kennel Club (AKC) is a registry of purebred dog pedigrees in the United States. In addition to maintaining its pedigree registry, this kennel club also promotes and sanctions events for purebred dogs, including the Westminster Ke ...

, the Australian National Kennel Council, and the

New Zealand Kennel Club The New Zealand Kennel Club (now known as Dogs News Zealand, and also known as Dogs NZ and NZKC) is the primary kennel club responsible for dog pedigree registration services in New Zealand. They also provide training services, judging for dog ...

all have a group named "Toy", although they may not all categorise the same breeds in this category. The United States has a second major kennel club, the

United Kennel Club The United Kennel Club (UKC) is a kennel club founded in 1898 in the United States. In contrast with the American Kennel Club, which is non-profit and which only clubs can join, the United Kennel Club is a profit-making corporation, open to individ ...

(UKC, originally formed for hunting and working breeds, though general today), and it does not recognize such a group; instead, small dogs are placed with larger dogs of their type, or into a UKC's "Companion Dog" group. the American Kennel Club began debating whether or not to change the name of their "Toy" group to "Companion", in order to emphasise that dogs are not playthings, but the name change was resisted by traditionalists. Not including the color and size varieties, breeds categorized by

Fédération Cynologique Internationale The Fédération cynologique internationale (FCI) (English: International Canine Federation) is the largest international federation of national kennel clubs. It is based in Thuin, Belgium. History The FCI was founded in 1911 under the auspices ...

members as "Companion and Toy" are listed here in alphabetical order. Those with flags are also recognized by the non-member countries indicated by the flag. * Bichon Frise * Bolognese (Bolognese) Flag of Italy

Boston Terrier The Boston Terrier is a breed of dog originating in the United States of America. This "American Gentleman" was accepted in 1893 by the American Kennel Club as a non-sporting breed. Color and markings are important when distinguishing this breed f ...

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is a British breed of toy dog of spaniel type. Four colours are recognised: Blenheim (chestnut and white), tricolour (black/white/tan), black and tan, and ruby; the coat is smooth and silky. The lifespan is u ...

Chihuahua Chihuahua may refer to: Places * Chihuahua (state), a Mexican state **Chihuahua (dog), a breed of dog named after the state **Chihuahua cheese, a type of cheese originating in the state **Chihuahua City, the capital city of the state **Chihuahua Mu ...

Chinese Crested Dog The Chinese Crested Dog is a hairless breed of dog. Like most hairless dog breeds, the Chinese Crested Dog comes in three varieties, with hair, without hair and a combination of the two, which can be born in the same litter: the Powderpuff, the H ...

Coton de Tulear The Coton de Tuléar is a breed of small dog named for the city of Tuléar (also known as Toliara) in Madagascar. This breed is thought to have originated from a group of small white dogs that swam across the Malagasy channel following a shipwrec ...

* French Bulldog (Bouledogue français) *

Griffon Bruxellois The Griffon Bruxellois or Brussels Griffon is a breed of toy dog, named for their city of origin of Brussels, Belgium. The Griffon Bruxellois may refer to three different breeds, the Griffon Bruxellois, the Griffon Belge and the Petit Brabanç ...

(Brussels Griffon) * Havanese Flag of Cuba

* Japanese Chin (Chin) Flag of Japan

King Charles Spaniel The King Charles Spaniel (also known as the English Toy Spaniel) is a small dog breed of the spaniel type. In 1903, the Kennel Club combined four separate toy spaniel breeds under this single title. The other varieties merged into this breed w ...

* Kromfohrländer Flag of Germany

Löwchen The Löwchen or Little Lion Dog (German: ''Löwchen'', "little lion"; French: ''Petit chien lion'', "little lion dog") is a breed of small dog. The Löwchen once had the dubious distinction, like the Portuguese Water Dog and the Havanese, of ...

(Löwchen, Little Lion Dog) * Papillon Flag of Belgium

* Petit Brabançon (Small Brabant Griffon) * Phalène (Epagneul nain Continental, Continental Toy Spaniel) * Lhasa Apso Flag of the People's Republic of China

* Maltese * Mi-Ki *

Pekingese The Pekingese (also spelled Pekinese) is a breed of toy dog, originating in China. The breed was favored by royalty of the Chinese Imperial court as a companion dog, and its name refers to the city of Peking (Beijing) where the Forbidden City i ...

Poodle The Poodle, called the Pudel in German and the Caniche in French, is a breed of water dog. The breed is divided into four varieties based on size, the Standard Poodle, Medium Poodle, Miniature Poodle and Toy Poodle, although the Medium Poodle var ...

(All three sizes are in the Fédération Cynologique Internationale Companion and Toy group) * Pug *

Russkiy Toy The Russian Toy (also known as the Russian Toy Terrier, and in Russia as the Russkiy Toy and Toychik, russian: Русский той, Тойчик) is a very small breed of dog originally bred in Russia from the English Toy Terrier. There are t ...

* Shih Tzu Flag of the People's Republic of China

* Tibetan Spaniel Flag of Tibet

Tibetan Terrier The Tibetan Terrier is a medium-sized breed of dog that originated in Tibet.American Kennel Club (2013). '' Get to know the Tibetan Terrier.'' Retrieved from http://www.akc.org/breeds/tibetan_terrier/index.cfm Despite its name, it is not a membe ...

Registries within individual Fédération Cynologique Internationale members, such as the Australian National Kennel Council, may use slightly different nomenclature, depending on the country. Non-member countries use other terminology, but the term ''toy'' is only used to group dogs for show purposes.

(UK) places breeds marked in the Toy Group. The

recognizes breeds marked in Group 5, Toys. The

places breeds marked in the Toy Group. Additional national organizations also recognize the following breeds in their toy groups. * Affenpinscher * Australian Silky Terrier * Chihuahua (Long Coat) * Chihuahua (Smooth Coat) * Chihuahua (Short Coat) * English Toy Terrier (Black & Tan) *

* Italian Greyhound * Japanese Chin *

Manchester Terrier The Manchester Terrier is a breed of dog of the smooth-haired terrier type. It was first bred in the 19th century to control vermin, notably rats, at which it excelled. So efficient at the task was it that it often appeared in rat-baiting p ...

* Mi-Ki * Miniature Pinscher * Pomeranian *

* Australian Silky Terrier *

Toy Fox Terrier The Toy Fox Terrier is a small terrier breed of dog, directly descended from the larger Smooth Fox Terrier but since 1936, it has been registered in the USA with the UKC as a separate breed. Description Appearance Toy Fox Terriers are ...

Toy Manchester Terrier The Toy Manchester Terrier is a breed of dog, categorized as a terrier. The breed was bred down in size in North America from the Manchester Terrier, and is placed in the Toy Group by the American Kennel Club and the Canadian Kennel Club (the Man ...

* Yorkshire Terrier * Mexican Hairless Dog The major national kennel club for each country will have its own list of breeds that it recognizes as Toy. In addition, some new or newly documented rare breeds may be awaiting approval by a given kennel club. Some new breeds may currently be recognized only by their breed clubs. Some rare new breeds have been given breed names, but may only be available from the breeder or breeders who are developing the breed, and may not yet be recognized by any kennel club. In addition to the major registries, there are a plethora of sporting clubs, breed clubs, and internet-based breed registries and businesses in which dogs may be registered in whatever way the owner or seller wishes.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Dog roles

Small dogs

Breeds

See also

References

External links