“Small dog breeds” gets searched more than anything else in this category, over 41,000 times a month, and these six are the ones people picture when they type it. Between them you get a real spread of coat types, temperaments, and working histories, not just one shared size bracket.
Chihuahua
The Chihuahua is the world’s smallest AKC-recognized breed, typically under 6 pounds. It’s named after the Mexican state where American tourists rediscovered it in the 1850s, though its roots probably go back further, to small companion dogs kept by ancient Mesoamerican civilizations, possibly the Techichi, a small mute dog thought to have held ceremonial significance.
Despite the tiny frame, Chihuahuas are bold and confident, often fiercely loyal to one person and wary of everyone else, dogs included. That surprises owners expecting a docile lapdog. They come in smooth and long coat varieties, in colors from solid black to fawn, chocolate, and multicolor combinations.
You’ll also hear owners talk about “apple head” versus “deer head” Chihuahuas, referring to skull shape. Only the rounded apple head is accepted in AKC show standards. Their big eyes and upright ears give them that alert, fox-like look the breed’s known for.
The negative: Chihuahuas have a soft spot in the skull at birth called a molera, similar to a human infant’s fontanelle. In some dogs it never fully closes, so head trauma stays a real risk their whole life. They’re also prone to patellar luxation, dental crowding, and, given how small they are, injury from falls, rough handling, or just being stepped on. Housetraining tends to be harder than with most breeds too; expect to need patience, a consistent schedule, and crate training. Their small bladder means more frequent bathroom breaks than a bigger dog would need. Lifespan runs 14 to 16 years, one of the longest of any breed.
That size and lifespan combination makes them a practical fit for apartment dwellers or older owners who can’t manage a bigger dog’s physical demands, as long as socialization and training start early rather than getting skipped because “he’s so small.”
Dachshund
Developed in Germany to hunt badgers underground, the Dachshund’s long body and short legs were built to navigate burrows. The breed comes in three coat types (smooth, wirehaired, longhaired) and two sizes (standard and miniature). The name itself translates to “badger dog” in German, no mystery about the original job.
Bold, curious, and stubborn for their size, Dachshunds keep real digging instincts and a strong prey drive toward small animals. That shows up in backyard behavior fast, whether that’s an excavated flower bed or determined tunneling under a fence.
Each coat type has its own upkeep: smooth coats need almost nothing, wirehaired coats benefit from hand-stripping to keep their texture, and longhaired coats need regular brushing to avoid matting, especially around the ears and legs.
The negative: that long spine puts Dachshunds at real risk of intervertebral disc disease, with some studies suggesting up to a quarter of the breed will have a back problem at some point. Limiting jumping on and off furniture, using ramps, and keeping a healthy weight all help, since extra weight puts direct strain on an already vulnerable spine. Dachshunds are also prone to plain old weight gain, given their food motivation and low exercise needs. Lifespan runs 12 to 16 years.
Dachshunds were sometimes bred to hunt in packs for bigger game like wild boar too, which explains why some of them show more nerve than their size would suggest. Watch one square up to a much larger dog and it makes a lot more sense.
Pug
An ancient breed with roots in China, later favored by European royalty after Dutch traders brought it west in the 1500s, the Pug’s deep wrinkles, round eyes, and curled tail make it one of the most recognizable small-breed faces there is. The breed became the official dog of the House of Orange in the Netherlands after a Pug reportedly saved a prince’s life by raising the alarm during an assassination attempt.
Affectionate and comedic, Pugs bond with the whole household, not just one person, and do best as a constant companion rather than a dog left alone for long stretches. They tend to follow their owner from room to room all day.
Pugs come in fawn and black, fawn being far more common, and breed standard calls for a double-curled tail, something judges look at closely at shows.
The negative: Pugs are severely brachycephalic, among the most extreme flat-faced breeds around, which brings real breathing difficulty, heat intolerance, and a real risk of proptosis, where the shallow eye socket lets the eye partially dislodge under even moderate trauma. Pugs snore heavily, are prone to skin fold infections without regular cleaning, and put on weight easily given low exercise tolerance and a strong food drive. Lifespan runs 12 to 15 years, though breathing problems remain a leading quality-of-life issue for the breed.
Pugs are also one of the more food-motivated breeds here, which makes them easy to train with treats. That same food drive is exactly why portion control matters so much.
Yorkshire Terrier
Developed in England to catch rats in textile mills, the Yorkie’s working-class origins are easy to forget given its current life as a silky-coated lapdog. The coat can grow to floor length and gets compared to human hair more often than typical dog fur.
Despite weighing under 7 pounds, Yorkies carry real terrier confidence, sometimes bold or scrappy with other dogs. That regularly surprises new owners who expect a purely delicate temperament to match the breed’s dainty, purse-dog reputation.
Most pet Yorkies are kept in a shorter “puppy cut” rather than the dramatic floor-length show coat, since keeping full length means daily brushing and often wrapping sections of hair to stop it breaking.
The negative: very small breeds like this one face real risk of dental crowding, collapsing trachea (the windpipe’s cartilage weakens over time and can cause a persistent honking cough), and a liver condition called portosystemic shunt, where blood bypasses the liver and toxins build up. Their tiny size also makes them more vulnerable to falls than most owners expect going in. Lifespan runs 13 to 16 years.
The Yorkie’s low-shedding coat is part of why the breed gets recommended to allergy-sensitive households, though as with any breed marketed this way, no dog is truly hypoallergenic.
Shih Tzu
Bred for companionship in Chinese imperial courts, the Shih Tzu’s name translates roughly to “lion dog,” a nod to its symbolic role in Buddhist and Chinese art rather than any actual job. The breed stayed closely guarded within the Chinese court for centuries before reaching the West in the 20th century.
Affectionate and adaptable, Shih Tzus do well in apartments and need only moderate exercise. They tend to greet strangers with curiosity rather than the suspicion some small breeds show, which makes them an easy, relaxed presence around visitors and other pets.
The double coat, kept long, needs daily brushing to avoid matting, which is why many owners choose a shorter all-over clip instead, one that still keeps that round face the breed’s known for.
The negative: like other brachycephalic breeds, Shih Tzus can struggle with breathing and heat, and their prominent, protruding eyes are far more prone to corneal scratches and ulcers than a typical dog’s more recessed eyes. Regular eye checks are just part of owning one, not an occasional extra. The breed is also prone to hip dysplasia despite its small size. Lifespan runs 10 to 18 years, and well-cared-for dogs regularly hit the higher end.
Shih Tzus were historically bred alongside Pekingese and Lhasa Apsos in Tibetan and Chinese breeding programs, and some genetic research points to all three breeds sharing closer ancestry than their very different modern looks suggest.
Pomeranian
Descended from much larger German Spitz sled-pulling dogs, the Pomeranian got shrunk down through selective breeding, a process Queen Victoria sped up considerably with her preference for smaller Poms in the late 1800s. Today’s 3-to-7-pound companion breed descends from working dogs that once weighed around 30 pounds.
Alert and loud for their size, Pomeranians often act (and bark) like a much bigger dog. Without consistent early training, that can tip into pushy, reactive behavior, sometimes called “small dog syndrome” by trainers, since owners tend to let it slide in a small dog when they wouldn’t from a big one.
The thick double coat comes in nearly every color found in dogs, and the standing-off ruff around the neck and chest is one of the breed’s signature features, needing regular brushing to keep its full, plush look.
The negative: Pomeranians are prone to luxating patella and dental crowding, given how many teeth have to fit into such a small jaw, and their thick coat can hide weight gain, so hands-on checks matter more than eyeballing it. They’re also prone to tracheal collapse, like other small breeds. Lifespan runs 12 to 16 years, one of the longer spans on this list.
The breed’s popularity got a real boost after the Titanic sank, when two Pomeranians were among the handful of animals rescued in lifeboats, a detail that stuck in the public imagination well into the 1900s.
FAQ
What officially counts as a “small” dog breed?
There’s no single universal cutoff, but breeds under roughly 25 pounds are generally considered small, with anything under about 10 pounds usually called toy-sized specifically.
Do small dogs generally live longer than large dogs?
Yes, this is a well-documented pattern across breeds: smaller dogs tend to live longer than giant breeds, sometimes by several years, likely tied to how smaller bodies age more slowly.
Are small dog breeds easier to train than large ones?
Not inherently. Trainability comes down to the individual breed’s history and temperament more than size, and some small breeds, Chihuahuas especially, are notoriously harder to housetrain than many larger breeds.
Do small breeds need less food than large breeds?
Less in total, yes, but small breeds actually have a higher metabolic rate relative to body weight than large breeds, so their calorie needs per pound run higher, not lower.
Are small breed puppies ready to leave their mother at the same age as large breed puppies?
Many breeders of very small breeds keep puppies a bit longer than the standard 8-week mark, since toy breed puppies are more vulnerable to hypoglycemia and benefit from extra nursing and development time before rehoming.
The Bottom Line
These six breeds are the most searched, most recognizable small dogs, and each one carries its own specific health and temperament trade-offs worth knowing before size alone makes the decision for you.
For more on small and toy breeds, see Best Small Dog Breeds, Little Dog Breeds, Tiny Dog Breeds, Cute Small Dog Breeds, Cutest Small Dog Breeds, Toy Dog Breeds, Small Dog Breeds That Are Low Maintenance, and Small Dog Breeds Chart.
