Hey all! This is mainly curiousity speaking. I'll be totally honest - I used to think that chihuahuas were nothing more than overgrown, bulgy-eyed rats. I thought they were pointless little things. However, over time as I've become a pet fanatic, I've found them to be very.. Cute. So, I did some research. Reading chihuahua club websites, articles, care guides, etc. and, after some thought, have come to the conclusion that I would actually love to own one of these little bundles. Of course, it won't be for years yet - when I've moved out (as my family have enough pets as it is) and can afford it. I'd like to apply to a chihuahua rescue when I'm able to care for one, though possible resort to getting a puppy from a reputable breeder. I just love the thought of looking after a chihuahua as a dog, not a fashion accessory. It makes me so happy when I see them on leads, going for walks, instead of in handbags! So! I was wondering, from people who own or have owned chihuahuas, what do you think of them? I'm curious about personal opinions, compared to what I've read. How do you find their individual behaviours to be, perhaps compared to other dogs? How well do they cope in different enviroments? How well do they get along with other pets? Etc. Thanks muchly. C: (EDIT: Thanks to whoever moved this to the right section. XD)
if you live with one then you live with a tiny dog that beliveevs he is the biggest and the best and gues what he is right..
im currently training a chi x pom, she is a very independant little girl, pretty switched off to her owners, but that could be more to do with the owners kids smothering her, a problem I am currently trying to deal with,,,by makeing the kids follow a programe of training with the dog, but I cant say if its the chi in her or the pom that makes her like that, or it may just be the living situation,,, will keep you posted on her training though,,, shona x
I have a little long coated chi called Fudge who is nearly 2 now! I got him as a puppy from a breeder over here and I have to say he is a super little dog. He was really fast to train both toilet and the usual sit etc. Hes an independent little soul and doesnt like to be picked up too much and defiantely would not wear clothes! I bought him a lttle dog Coat from when it rains and he goes mad when I put it on him. He likes to be natural! All I can say is they are not what you think at all. He walks for miles loves being loved but wants his own spacewhen he wants it. Hes also a great guard dog and contrary to popular belief isnt scared of everything and sits shaking all the time! He does however think hes a great dane but loves other dogs and cats! He even does dog agility!!! I would definately advise anybody to own a chihuahua!!
Hi Darky...i am very lucky to be the proud owner of a Chihuahua...She is 6 yrsold now and from the minute she arrived to our home she stole my heart.Everything went on the back burner...she is playfull, loving, cute. She needs a lot of attention, 1 to 1...she is a great character, everyone that meets her just falls in love ...can be a bit noisey, i'm very surprised she is such a hardy dog...loves her walks, hates the rain and refuses to go out if i put a coat on her..!! She does bark at other dogs big or small ..I have friends that have dogs and she mixes well with their dogs...but if i'm out walking her i tend to keep her on the lead cause she is like a heat seeking missile when she see's a cat..overall i could not ask for a better pet, friend, To me she is beutiful, i wish i could put a photo up ...watch this space...her name is "leana"
I now have another chi,,,pure bread though not cross,,,at the training club, I have to say,,,yup they are not what I thought, no way is he fearful of dogs, or anything,,,hes a game wee sole, the only concern I have is he lifts a back leg and carries it sometimes, his owner said he had squealed one day when playing, and lifted it,,,after a few moments he put it back down but has done it quite often since,,,is the breed prone to luxating patella?
Hi , I've got 4 chihuahuas , all 4 of them go out on walks twice a day , My puppy is only 5 months old and has a leg problem so I do have to carry her a bit but all the others are ' real dogs ' A few walk's photos ( NOTE they look like they have little t-shirts/jackets on but they are not they are harness's )
Yes Chihuahuas are very prone to luxating patella Chihuahuas with this problem do a little ' hop ' while they are walking ..
That's true... My little Stanley had actually popped his knee cap right out of place while jumping. Poor little guy, he cried a bit when it happened but then stopped. He was carefull with that leg but never let up that it hurt... Well, because of our lack of knowledge (and a mean vet that we tried not to go to unless absolutely necessary) it was a week before we finally decided that we should get him checked out, just to be sure (although he had not complaiend of pain at all)... Sure enough that's when we figured out this stuff existed. My advice is to try and make sure the dog does not jump too high... The more they stretch thier legs, the easier it is for this bone to pop out. As for their attitude & behavior.... Smallest dog who thiks he's a doberman. He would jump and bark after anything and everything, and had no friends! lol However he was extremely loyal to us and even if he was menacing towards others, he never once bit them. He would bark and bark and run around the house, but once that person came up the steps Stanley figured he was ok and would let off. Even be somewhat friendly wanting to play! They are also very pig headed, to say the least. Stan would do what he wanted wether you said no anyway. We tried to teach him to sit but he would jump for the treat instead. They seem to be intelligent dogs, just independant and they associate people for certains things... For example my father would be who Stanley would go to for a treat or to play. He'd go see my mom when he wanted to be pet and rubbed. My brother was almost an outsider so to speak as Stan would only go see him if wanted to get on my bros bed, just to sit there, for whatever reason. And then I was the one he'd come to if he wanted to relax and just sit on my lap to try and take a nap.... It was alsways like that! I've found that they very mild mannered dogs and were not yappy at all (quite the opposite contrary to popular belief). However they are very protective and loyal and even jealous (he hated my Girlfriend!). I would love to get another one day... but not too soon! It's only been a few weeks...
My mum used to own a tea cup chiuahua , Not sure if thats the right term for it , He was black and white , Sadly someone saw fit to poison the little fella ,He was a tiny little fella with a big personality xxdk
I know a few Chi's and also have a good friend who is a breeder of them, not what you would expect at all really, very cheeky, always up to mischief, can be very clever, definately not daft! Huge characters, never a dull moment, can be stubborn though and not the easiest of breeds to train but this is due to their cocky attitude, not their intelligence. They have no idea of their size, they can easily become dog aggressive and they do need a lot of socialisation as puppies to prevent this, a lot of people fret that they are too fragile as they are so tiny as pups and they don't get to meet many other dogs in this critical time and that can cause problems. Worst problem Chi's seem to have is people treating them like toys or babies and not dogs, letting them get away with murder and of course this in turn causes behavioural problems that a bigger dog would be PTS for for, but people seem to think it's funny when a Chi is aggressive, it's not. My friend who breeds has took in a few 'problem' dogs and i've helped her on the very long haul of totally rewiring them so to speak, into the dog they never knew they were! One of them for instance, wouldn't eat at first unless you fed him bit by bit from a specific baby fork! He soon learned though, he now lives with a good friend of mine who treats him well and he's a happy wee guy, if rather spoilt! Lovely wee fawn smooth coat boy.
Oh I forgot to mention... They are also scavengers by nature! Anything that is his is his and anything that is yours becomes his if he gets his paws on it! lol Guards his stuff with his life! And for the poster who asked, I believe Tea Cup Chihuahua is the proper term. That's what Stanley was... all 4 pounds of him (and he was overweight too! lol)
Tea Cup is not a term for Chihuahua's! A Chihuahua is a Chihuahua - No matter what size. Breeders sometimes use this 'teacup thing' to sell runts of litters therefore make more money because they are extra small. Go to any decent breed club and you will find that term is never used.
From my understanding Tea Cup is the name used for a man-made breed of chihuahuas that grow no more than 3 or 4 pounds. Trust me, I've owned one. Stanley was all of 3 and a half pounds, and highly overweight at that (lol he had rolls down his neck) but he was beautiful. We were explained by the breeder (who's been doing this for years now) that Tea Cup is the smallest Chihuahua breed at 3 or 4 pounds. Miniature were second smallest at 8 pounds and then the Chihuahua came in at 12 pounds. That's what was explained to us. And if Tea Cup is the name for the "runt" of the litter, I guess that many people I know got stuck with runts because the entire litter ended up at 3 pound weight. The one before it aswell and the parents too... They can't all be runts can they? Like I said it is a man made breed, hence all the health problems associated with them, but they are indeed a breed of Chihuahua.
The only types of Chihuahuas are Long and Smooth Coats, No other terms are valid, and certainly not size. Was you Chi KC or AKC by the way? Here is a quote from the Chihuahua Club of America about the teacup myth! http://www.chihuahuaclubofamerica.com/teacup.htm Im not getting into a whole debate about this but if you google chihuahua teacup myth then you will understand.
KC or AKC? I mean, I know what AKC is, so I'll assume that KC is just Kennel Club? Either way, I'm not sure what you mean by this. LOL not the biggest dog expert in the world... lol If you mean Stanley was registered with AKC then nope, he wasn't. Hope that answers your question... Let me know otherwise.
i have 3 longhaired chi's and they are cheeky happy energetic, they think they are big dogs (shhhh dont tell them) they love to go for walks and they love to be warm mine all wear little sweaters to keep them warm my biggest is 6lbs then 5lbs and my smallest is 2.4lbs they are easy to care for and i think the best little dogs in the world but i guess i would lol http://stores.ebay.ie/MelsPetSweaters-more
