If you own a German Shepherd and it jumps up on people, you have to get that stuff under control, because a hyperactive German Shepherd can probably hurt someone. However, when a Min Pin does the same thing, we act like it's adorable and don't bother because, again, they're tiny and can't hurt us.

What happens though is that you're reinforcing in the mind of the small dog that they are in charge, and to them it doesn't really matter that you are 10 times their size and that this game of dominance can be won with an overturned laundry basket and a dictionary.

"It started with naming a song that, but before the band name became Small Dog Syndrom, the song is originally about a person who attempts to dominate others, as well as being snippy and stubborn," says Nortnii via email. "We kind of decided to make it our band name because it just fits."

Well, they certainly seem to be scrappy little folk. As we mentioned most of the tracks we've heard from them take the concepts of peace, love, and understanding and draw dicks all over its face when it's sleeping.

Yet in heraldry, dogs are supposed to represent loyalty, courage and vigilance, not viciousness like tigers do. Before pronouncing final judgment, we decided to ask Nortnii the ultimate question to determine the depths of someone's malice... or whether they're Homer Simpson.

"Is there a doggy hell?" we queried.

"Ha ha! Probably," she answered.

FINAL DEFINITION

Small Dog Syndrome: (n) 1. A tendency of small dogs to believe themselves to be dominate to the humans they live with; 2. An experimental ska band; 3. Doggy hell.

Small Dog Syndrome plays Scout Bar Friday, February 17, with From Guts to Glory, Six Gun Sound and Abolition Formula.