Toy dog traditionally refers to a very small

dog The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the gray wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it was selectively bred from a population of wolves during the Late Pleistocene by hunter-gatherers. ...

or a grouping of small and very small

breeds A breed is a specific group of breedable 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 seve ...

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, 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 cont ...

s. Types of dogs referred to as toy dogs may include

spaniel A spaniel is a Dog type, type of gun dog. Spaniels were especially bred to flush game out of denser brush. By the late 17th century, spaniels had been specialized into water and land breeds. The extinct English Water Spaniel was used to retriev ...

pinscher The Pinscher is a group of German dog breeds, developed originally as ratters on farms or as guard dogs. In the twenty-first century they are commonly kept as companion animals. Origins It is considered that the German Pinscher is a proto ...

s and

terriers Terrier () 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. There are five different groups of terrier, wi ...

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

lap dogs A lap is a surface (usually horizontal) created between the knee and hips of a biped when it is in a seated or lying down position. The lap of a parent or loved one is seen as a physically and psychologically comfortable place for a child to sit ...

Small dogs

Dogs found in the toy group of breed registries may be of the very ancient lapdog type, or they may be small versions of

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

s or

working dog A working dog is a dog used to perform practical tasks, as opposed to pet or companion dogs. Definitions vary on what a working dog is, they are sometimes described as any dog trained for and employed in meaningful work; other times as any ...

s, 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 Royal 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 ...

(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 registries services for those purebred dogs approved for its control by Agricultur ...

, the

American Kennel Club The American Kennel Club (AKC) is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit breed registry, registry of purebred dog pedigree (animal), pedigrees in the United States. In addition to maintaining its pedigree registry, this kennel club also promotes and sanctions eve ...

, the

Australian National Kennel Council The Australian National Kennel Council, currently known as Dogs Australia, is the coordinating kennel club and main canine association of Australia.''Encyclopædia Britannica''"Dog breeds" ''britannica.com'', retrieved 23 December 2018. It is a ...

, and the

New Zealand Kennel Club The New Zealand Kennel Club (now trading 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 do ...

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 indivi ...

(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 Type may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc. * Data type, collection of values used for computations. * File type * TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file. * ...

, 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. The breeds in the "Companion and Toy" category of the

Fédération Cynologique Internationale The (; FCI; ) is the largest international federation of national kennel clubs and purebred registries. The FCI is based in Thuin, Belgium and has 98 members and contract partners (one from each country). History The FCI was founded in 1911 un ...

are: *

Bichon Frisé The Bichon Frisé or Bichon à Poil Frisé is a Franco-Belgian breed of small toy dog of bichon type. It was recognised by the Société Centrale Canine in 1933 and by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale in 1959. Etymology The Fren ...

Bichon Havanais The Havanese, a bichon-type dog, is the national dog of Cuba, developed from the now extinct ''Blanquito de la Habana'' ("little white dog of Havana"). The ''Blanquito'' descended from the also now-extinct Bichón Tenerife. It is believed that ...

, Havanese * Bolognese *

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. Boston Terriers are small and compact with a short tail and ere ...

Bouledogue Français The French Bulldog () is a French breed of companion dog or toy dog. It appeared in Paris in the mid-nineteenth century, apparently the result of cross-breeding of Toy Bulldogs imported from England and local Parisian ratters.Poodle The Poodle, called the in German () and the 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 is no ...

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (CKCS) is a British list of dog breeds, breed of toy dog of spaniel type. Four colours are recognised: Blenheim (chestnut and white), Tricolor (dog), tricolour (black/white/tan), black and tan, and ruby; the coa ...

* Chihuahueño, Chihuahua * Chin, Japanese Chin *

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

* Coton de Tuléar * Epagneul Nain Continental, Continental Toy Spaniel: Papillon,

Phalène The Phalène (, ''"moth-eared"'') is a toy dog dog breed, breed, the drop eared variety of the Papillon (dog), Papillon (''"butterfly-eared"'') dog. Both varieties can occur in the same litter. Appearance and behavior The Phalène is an ...

* Griffon Belge *

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 *

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 wer ...

* Kromfohrländer * Lhasa Apso *

Maltese Maltese may refer to: * Someone or something of, from, or related to Malta * Maltese alphabet * Maltese cuisine * Maltese culture * Maltese language, the Semitic language spoken by Maltese people * Maltese people, people from Malta or of Maltese ...

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

Petit Brabançon The Griffon Bruxellois or Brussels Griffon is a dog breed, 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 Peti ...

, Small Brabant Griffon * Petit Chien Lion, Löwchen, Little Lion Dog *

Pug The Pug is a breed of dog with the physically distinctive features of a wrinkly, short-muzzled face, and curled tail. An ancient breed, with roots dating back to 400 B.C., they have a fine, glossy coat that comes in a variety of colors, most ...

Russkiy Toy The Russian Toy (also known as the Russian Toy Terrier, and in Russia as the Russkiy Toy, ) is a very small Dog breed, breed of dog originally bred in Russia from the English Toy Terrier. There are two types of coats in the breed: smooth coat and ...

* Shih Tzu * Tibetan Spaniel * Tibetan Terrier Small or toy-sized breeds not classified by the FCI in its toy group include: * Affenpinscher *

Australian Silky Terrier The Australian Silky Terrier or simply Silky Terrier (depending on the breed registry) is a small breed of dog of the terrier dog type. The breed was developed in Australia, although the ancestral types and breeds were from Great Britain. It is c ...

Italian Greyhound The Italian Greyhound or Italian Sighthound () is an Italian dog breed, breed of small sighthound. It was bred to hunt European hare, hare and European rabbit, rabbit, but is kept mostly as a companion dog. History Small dogs of sighthound t ...

Miniature Pinscher The Miniature Pinscher, also known as the Zwergpinscher, Mini Pin and Min Pin for short, is a small breed of dog of the pinscher type originating in Germany. While the breed's visual similarities to the Toy Manchester Terrier, which somewhat resem ...

* Dwarf German Spitz: Pomeranian *

Volpino Italiano The Volpino Italiano or Volpino is an Italian breed of dog of Spitz type. It is closely related to the Pomeranian and to the German Spitz. History Small Spitz-type dogs resembling the modern Volpino have been identified in a number of pa ...

Yorkshire Terrier The Yorkshire Terrier, also known as a Yorkie, is a British breed of toy dog of terrier type. It is among the smallest of the terriers and indeed of all dog breeds, with a weight of no more than . It originated in the nineteenth century in the ...

Xoloitzcuintle The Xoloitzcuintle (or Xoloitzquintle, Xoloitzcuintli, or Xolo) is one of several breeds of hairless dog. It is found in standard, intermediate, and miniature sizes. The Xolo also comes in a coated variety, totally covered in fur. Coated and hai ...

Member kennel clubs of the Fédération Cynologique Internationale and non-member clubs may use slightly different nomenclature, depending on the country. The term ''toy'' is only used to group dogs for show purposes. Some breeds without FCI recognition are recognised by

of Great Britain (UK), by the

(Can), or by the

: * Chihuahua (Long Coat) (UK, Aus, NZ, Can) * Chihuahua (Smooth Coat) (UK, Aus, NZ) * Chihuahua (Short Coat) (Can) * Mi-Ki (US) *

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 United States with the UKC as a separate breed. Description Appearance Toy Fox Te ...

(US) *

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 ...

(Can, US) 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

{{Authority control Dog roles

Small dogs

Breeds

See also

References