Without the bright main star Procyon, the Little Dog would be a very faint constellation. The second brightest star in the constellation shines at only 2.9^m, so that the Little Dog is difficult to detect in the starry winter sky.

Procyon, or α Canis Minoris, with its 0.38^m, is one of the brightest stars in our sky. At a distance of 11.3 light-years, it is the fifth closest star that is visible to the naked eye, while Sirius is the fifth closest star of all. Just like Sirius, Procyon is also orbited by a white dwarf, but this one remains also in the telescope mostly invisible.