Animal trainers told The Post that crime-weary New Yorkers are tutoring their petite-sized dogs to provide protection the size of large dogs.
Debra Bash, a Bronx-based author, Hollywood consultant and celebrity pet trainer, said the dog “represents an amazing psychological deterrent to criminals — no matter their size.”
He noted that about a third of his clients these days are seeking help in transforming a miniature city into criminal fighters, a “remarkable increase” over recent years.
One Turtle Bay dog mum said she “feels completely safe” on the dangerous streets of Gotham with Joey, the 16-pound Chihuahua mix she adopted at the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020 and trained to take advantage of his inner lion.
“A random guy from skateboarding won’t attack me when I walk with Joey,” said Susie Lieberman, a Dibra client.
“You come between him and his mother, he will bite you, he will attack you,” she added.
Some of Dibra’s techniques were unconventional—like the time he encouraged a celebrity couple to throw their dog at offenders in the crime-ridden ’70s.
A veteran dog owned by “The Tonight Show” presenter Jack Barr has released Debra’s professional training dogs for the rich and famous, after the wife of comedian legend Miriam was robbed in Central Park.
He taught their hardened dachshund to fight angrily at their aggressors when Mrs. Barr gave a signal – in her case picking up the dog if she feels trouble in the future.
“Even if someone tried to catch her, she could throw the dog at him as a last resort,” Debra said, as she ran or yelled for help. “That little dog was a great deterrent.”
Shooting puppies into perps is no longer part of his training program as it was when Paar was stolen. But the fundamentals of his system remain the same.
Vulnerable rookies are taught to talk, bark, growl and bare teeth in the direction of danger, based on a signal from the owner.
Debra noted that criminals pursue soft targets and paths of least resistance, so the snarl of a small dog is often enough to fend off potential attackers. He said that even emotionally disturbed people are “instinctively” deterred or disarmed by the presence of a dog.
The desire for quadruple safety patrols comes as the city is going through a historic crime wave in 2022: assaults increased by 20.9 percent, shootings by 30.9 percent, rapes by 32.1 percent, and robberies by 42.4 percent, compared to the same previous point. general, according to to the NYPD.
Dogs are a particularly effective deterrent against home invasion. FBI data shows that 95 percent of bad guys will skip a home if they hear a bark, regardless of animal size.
And it’s the puppies – the type preferred by crowded city dwellers who live in small spaces – that do the job the most.
Dachshunds, Chihuahuas, and Jack Russells are among the three most aggressive breeds in terms of bite frequency, according to animal research data.
French Bulldogs – also without slouch – grow no more than 28 pounds, and are the most popular breed in New York City, according to the American Kennel Club.
“Small dogs can be just as tough and aggressive as larger dogs, but even more so,” Anthony Newman of Calm Energy Dog Training in Brooklyn agreed. “You have gentle giants among the great breeds and a Napoleon complex among the little dogs,” he said.
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