Yap!: A Short History of Small Dogs

by Stephanie Howard-Smith

Small dogs are our first true pets - the first creatures we invited to share our homes, and often our beds. From the convents of medieval Europe, where nuns hid small dogs to be their faithful companions (despite the disapproval of male church leaders), to King Charles II's spaniels, Queen Victoria's Pekingese, Paris Hilton's Chihuahua and the pet influencers of 21st-century social media, Yap! follows the pawprints of the breeds we have grown to love and cherish. While celebrating the pets with whom we've had the longest and closest relationship, from French Bulldogs, to Poodles, Shih Tzus and Pomeranians, Stephanie traces the rise and fall in popularity of different breeds through the centuries and offers a passionate defence of the pooches that some love-to-hate.

Yap! reveals how small dogs have shaped our lives as much as we have theirs, challenging social dynamics, changing the way we spend our leisure time, offering valuable companionship and a chance for self-expression, and contributing to a global industry now worth over �250 billion. A must-read for any lover of small dogs, Yap! is a paean to the unbreakable bond between humans and their petite pets.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Animals

304 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication October 8, 2026

About the author

Dr Stephanie Howard-Smith is a lecturer, writer and historian of dog-human relations — and a lifelong dog lover. She completed her PhD on the cultural history of the lapdog in the eighteenth century at Queen Mary University of London. She has lectured in English and History at universities across the United Kingdom.

Reviews

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned. I laughed. I cried. As a chihuahua mom, I found this book absolutely fascinating and so will any small dog owners! My partner is rarely interested in what I'm reading and he was on me about finishing this book so I could give him chapter by chapter updates of where we were in small dog history. I think it took me so long to read because I kept getting sidetracked wanting to look up more details or see pictures of the dog paintings described. The book is a biproduct of the author's PhD research so it feels very academic but with a personal touch, for instance she tells us about when her own family dogs passed away while writing the book. 😭 I feel like I have stories and tidbits of knowledge to tell about dogs for a lifetime. The single most interesting thing I learned was that women have been criticized for over a thousand years for loving on their small dogs "too much" and you can bet we'll continue because there's a reason!!! ❤️

Thank you Ballantine Books and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

hear about it in my reading wrap-up https://youtu.be/NXFT5ud1tbM

[Anya Leonard · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a small dog lover, reading about the history of how they came about as a pet as well as the way they have been cherished throughout the millenia is so refreshing and interesting. I really enjoyed tracking the different impacts that small dogs have had on people from Africa to Mexico, China, and beyond. This book was so well written and engaging that it read more as a story than non-fiction. I would absolutely recommend this for anyone wanting to know more about little dogs, or anyone who loves them.

This ebook was provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Autumn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was excited to read this because I love small dogs, especially lapdogs. This gave an interesting background on small dogs but ultimately it felt a little too much like I was studying for school. It made me thankful that I graduated 20 years ago! But I did enjoy learning more about these amazing little creatures. Overall, “Yap! A Short History of Small Dogs” could have been a little shorter, but I loved reading a lot of the stories and it made me grateful for my own small puppies and the time we live in!

I read an advanced copy on NetGalley and opinions are my own.

[Zoe Lipman · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/5

This cover is fun. I love a historical painting with a neon color type.

This non-fiction book is about iconic and beloved small dogs through history, helping to tell the history of their development and popularity.

I really liked the use of art and photos. I think that helped to show how beloved and special they were to the people who's lives they were a part of.

This was a very sweet and easy to read non-fiction. And I learned a lot!

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book caught my attention because I have a dog that looks like the dog on this cover. She's a shaggy terrier mix but probably more medium size than small. I've never been a fan of small dogs but this book proves that throughout history, plenty of people have owned small dogs that have obviously had an impact on their lives. My dogs are my fur babies so it was fun to look back and see how people's love of dogs has been there for a very long time.

[Julia Dudley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a delight to read! Well-cited, engrossing, and charming - every chapter there was something I read out loud to my partner that was fascinating. I particularly loved the sections in reference to little dogs in ancient Rome and China, and the connections to gender. Fascinating!