This is the one big sign your dog has 'small dog syndrome' - YOU Magazine Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Sign in Welcome!Log into your account Forgot your password? Password recovery Recover your password Search Sign in Welcome! Log into your account Forgot your password? Get help Password recovery Recover your password A password will be e-mailed to you. YOU Magazine Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Home Life This is the one big sign your dog has ‘ small dog syndrome’ By You Magazine - August 8, 2018 If you’re the proud owner of a pint-sized pooch, you’ve probably come across the expression ‘small dog syndrome’. The phrase – the canine equivalent of ‘small man syndrome’ – sees little dogs across the nation displaying excitable or aggressive behaviour in a bid to show their dominance. So how can you tell if your four-legged friend is one of them? A new study, led by Betty McGuire at Cornell University, has revealed that small dogs often display one of the main signs of the syndrome when they’re out on their walks. Getty Images Although leaving scent on their travels is a normal behaviour for most dogs, mini mutts apparently will try to make their mark as high up on an available surface – think a lamp post or tree trunk – as possible, to give other passing pets the impression that they’re bigger than they are. ‘Small adult male dogs may place urine marks higher, relative to their own body size, than larger adult male dogs to exaggerate their competitive ability,’ the researchers explained in the report, which was published in the Journal of Zoology. ‘Our findings support raised-leg angle as a proxy for urine mark height and provide additional evidence that scent marking can be dishonest,’ they continued. So if you spot your dog jumping up or raising their leg at an awkward angle, now you know why. Getty Images Writing for Purina, animal behaviourist Dr Joanne Righetti says that other symptoms of small dog syndrome include jumping up on owners, other people or dogs, lunging or snapping at perceived threats avoidance or fear of larger dogs, reluctance to move off sofas and beds and failure to obey commands. ‘There is no doubt that many small dogs get away with behaviours that owners of large dogs would not allow,’ she says. ‘Jumping up on us, for instance. A large dog would be more likely to knock us over but a small dog can often be encouraged by owners. Inadvertently, owners often reward the very behaviours we dislike.’ ‘Changing dog behaviour generally involves changing owner behaviour too and, in fact, this syndrome may have more to do with the owner’s behaviour than their dogs! Understanding dog behaviour, and how humans affect it, is the first step in improving small dog syndrome.’ RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR Everything we know about The Crown season 5 Aldi s exercise equipment is on sale with up to 50% off The best Halloween events for 2022 across the UK Popular in Life The You magazine team reveal their New Year s resolutions December 31, 2021 Susannah Taylor The TLC tools your body will love January 23, 2022 How to stop living in fear February 6, 2022 Susannah Taylor My pick of the fittest leggings February 27, 2022 Women’ s Prize for Fiction 2022 winner announced June 17, 2022 These BBC dramas are returning for a second series June 30, 2022 Susannah Taylor gives the lowdown on nature s little helper – CBD April 17, 2022 The baby names that are banned across the world April 27, 2022 The Queen has released her own emojis May 26, 2022 Sally Brompton horoscopes 27th June-3rd July 2022 June 26, 2022 Popular CategoriesFood2704Life2496Fashion2240Beauty1738Celebrity1261Interiors684 Sign up for YOUMail Thanks for subscribing Please check your email to confirm (If you don't see the email, check the spam box) Fashion Beauty Celebrity Life Food Privacy & Cookies T&C Copyright 2022 - YOU Magazine. All Rights Reserved