Toy Breeds
Toys or ‘lap-dogs’ were designed to sit on human laps so they could be stroked and petted. Historically developed over centuries by the aristocracy, these small dogs possess great dignity as they were pampered, fed gourmet delicacies and slept in privileged sleeping places. Although some Toy breeds may not be as robust as their larger counterparts and prefer to live indoors, they make wonderful companions for people living in small houses and apartments.
The classification of the dogs in the Toy Group varies from country to country. For simplicity of navigation and accessibility, the table below lists the breeds alphabetically that appear in the Australian classification, divided into five sections based broadly on their historical purpose.
History indicates that Toy Spaniels developed independently in England, Europe and Asia simultaneously. Today we have 5 distinctly different modern pure breeds descending directly from these ancient Spaniels.
In the mid to late 1800's, ratting or vermin killing was important to maintain some form of human hygiene. At the same time some individual breeds of dogs were recorded in the first Stud Books. As the show dog scene developed over the next century or so, the traditional role of these ratting terriers co-incidentlly diminished because of the use of more sophisticated means of vermin destruction. In this section we shall consider six separate Toy breeds which were originally developed as specialized killers of rats, mice and other vermin.
Merchants and sailors especially those who travelled between the West of Europe and South America, often carried small companion dogs, usually from the Bichon family to present as gifts to the wives of the wealthy land owners. The gift of one of these delightful small white hairy dogs ensured the traders' entry into the foreign houses in order to trade their goods.
The Toy Group also contains breeds that were miniaturized from larger breeds. Examples of this are the Pomeranian which is the smallest member of the Spitz family and the Italian Greyhound which is the smallest of the Sight Hounds and resembles a Greyhound in miniature. The Chihuahua was originally a small hunting dog of Mexico, but his miniature size made him popular in America where he was first recognized as a pure breed.
This wonderful statue is the Chinese Happa Dog, a short coated dog believed to be the ancestor of the Pekingese, the Pug and many other short faced breeds. This section examines those Toy Breeds evolved purely as pets mainly for the aristocracy and the wealthy. As such they have always enjoyed privileged lives!