Image source: imageshack.us
The Napoleon complex is described as a psychological phenomenon wherein shorter-than-average men demonstrate unwarranted aggressiveness to compensate for their lack of height. The name of the syndrome was inspired by French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, who was a short man notorious for seeking power by starting wars.
In the canine world, Napoleon complex is thought to exist in small breeds. Male toy dogs, like chihuahuas and poodles, are sometimes found to be overly aggressive towards bigger animals. They are even known to instigate a fight, seemingly unaware that the larger animal could very easily hurt them. The mistake dog owners make is to assign this complex to the breed. In truth, Napoleon complex cannot be diagnosed, and no single breed is more prone to developing it than others.
Image source: 123rf.com
The more likely cause of canine Napoleon complex is actually the dog owner. Dogs respond to their environment and take cues from their owners’ body language. A small dog may sense that his owner is afraid he will be hurt or attacked by larger dogs. He will interpret this as his cue to protect himself by showing aggression or launching preemptive attacks. Dog owners must remember to remain calm and lower their anxiety when taking a small dog out in situations where they might encounter a much larger dog. When the small dog senses that his owner is unafraid, he, too, will not feel the need to protect himself against larger dogs.
Small dogs are generally higher maintenance dogs than medium or large breeds. Experienced dog breeder Suzy Azalea talks about breed-specific care, training, and feeding on this website.
Image source: dogster.com
No comments:
Post a Comment