Toy dog

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.

[1] 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.

[2] As of September 2008,[update] 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.

[3] The breeds in the "Companion and Toy" category of the Fédération Cynologique Internationale are: Small or toy-sized breeds not classified by the FCI in its toy group include: Member kennel clubs of the Fédération Cynologique Internationale and non-member clubs may use slightly different nomenclature, depending on the country.

In addition, some new or newly documented rare breeds may be awaiting approval by a given kennel club.