Siracusa hasn’t seen a study comparing shivering across dog sizes, but he quite frequently sees tiny dogs shiver in his practice. Small dogs are losing to physicsIf small dogs really tremble more (which no one’s formally studied), Siracusa says, it’d likely be to maintain a consistent internal body temperature, no matter the environment. Small dogs burn about 60 percent more energy per gram of body tissue than large dogs do. To understand if cold temperature is really what causes your tiny dog to shiver, Siracusa shares a few tips. So, the next time you see a tiny dog shivering, don’t immediately assume you know why.