I don't have one of those dogs, but my daughter did have an 8 week old for a few days... This little puppy bailed up my 40kg dog... Later she tried to attack my daughter, when she put her to bed...

I think any dog, small or large, needs training... Many people don't train their little sweethearts..

 

Any dog is what you make it.

 

Total depends on the dog's enviorment that it is raised in. Most of the Chihs that I have worked with (I work at a boarding kennel) have been pretty nice. They have personality, that's for sure. However, I am not sure I could classify them as "sweet tempered" or mean as either or.
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I have to agree with the above - it's the owners just like any dog. I live in a neighborhood that Chihs are the dominate dog breed and most owners don't bother with any training because they are "so small". These are the horrible ones, the ones that make me want to say I don't like the breed. But then I run into a few here and there that the owners have worked with, and they are great little dogs - full of spunk.

 

Most of how any dog behaves is due to genetics, the rest is training (It's a 70-30 ratio, about). So, yes there are good chihuahuas - but these aren't the ones that come from BYB or puppymills.

Another thing is that that they must be trained and treated like big dogs in order for them to have "maners" and "behave". If youo think, a lot of little dogs are nippy because owners might think it's cute on a small dog, however it's not cute on a big dog. Hence why more little dogs bite then big ones, they weren't trained to not bite.

 

I have owned several chihuahuas. They vary tremendously in behavior, due to both training and genetics. Here in california, pretty much everyone has one, so I've probably met hundreds if not thousands of them, you can walk into any kill shelter and pick from 50 or so of them if not more.

For the most part, they are friendly and get along well with other animals. The fiesty personality attributed to small dogs is well, due to size. When your 6lbs, people grab you, step on you, frighten you etc.

They are prone to luxating patella which can be a major issue or not a problem at all.


Keep in mind this is a companion breed, bred to be WITH people. Som' of them can develop severe separation anxiety if they aren't "handled" right. If you get a puppy, its important to teach it its OK and FUN to be alone, and not to carry it around or let it be in your lap too much. Most of the "Aggressive" chihuahuas are simply resource guarding their humans. They feel safe in the lap or arms, and are seeking to protect their spot. This can be minimized or eliminated through training.

 

My Chihuahua is a sweetheart. She lives with several cats, a 98 lb dog and a 20 pound dog, as well as an infant and a three year old. I got lucky though. Most Chihuahua's I've known don't have nearly as nice a temperament. If you buy from a breeder buy from an ethical, responsible breeder as genetics do play a huge part in temperament. Socialize and train. Treat it like it's a real dog. My Chi is a re-homing situation. Previous owner passed away when Lil Chocolate was three or four years old. None of my dogs are from breeders. I'm a big fan of Chihuahua's. Both the Chihuahua's I've owned have been barkers so I would call them a vocal breed.

 

Thanks so much for all the replies. It is nice to hear from owners and those who have had experience with this breed. I like learning about other breeds of dogs and the opinions of owners and those who spend time with them. I'm so used to herding breeds that I simply don't really know much about the toys. As a child I had a mix breed long-haired small dog and it was a delightful companion. Later I had an English Cocker, but for the last 14 years, I've had my beautiful border/cattle dog mix and now our year old Mini Aussie Shepherd. We love the herding breeds, but I have to say, I'm curious about the smaller dogs as I get older and so does my precious 14 year old girl.

I'll probably continue to ask questions on this site about different breeds of smaller dogs because I am curious and I love learning about breeds that at one time, I simply wouldn't have thought of as a companion. That's what is great about this forum. One can learn about different breeds and it isn't coming from someone who is just looking for a sale...It actually comes from true love and concern for the furry friend.

Again, thanks for the information and in closing, I have to agree that no matter what the dog, responsible breeding plays a huge part and also, it's how you treat the dog that can really matter. Training, no matter what the size of the dog, is crucial.

 

I own two Chihuahuas. Chloe, a 5 year old female spayed chihuahua, and Dexter, an 8 week old male.
I rescued Chloe when she was 4. She was bred from over and over in a puppy farm, causing her to be submissive, yappy and scared.
I spayed her, trained her, socialised her, and gave her all the love I can give. She is now the sweetest dog I have EVER come across, and hasn't got a bad bone in her body. She loves cuddles, and will lick you all day every day if she could! She barks if someone comes to the door, and when she needs to go potty, but other than that she doesn't bark at all. She cuddles up with Darcy the kitten, and my 2 guinea pigs! She even tried to nurse the hamster!
I purchased Dexter from a breeder, and he is a sweetheart too. Chihuahua's CAN be hard to house train, but I haven't had a problem with Dex or Chloe. Dexter's almost housetrained already!
Basically, it's how the owner brings up the dog. You can chose to not socialise, house train or obedience train and get a snappy, yappy dog.
Or you can put in the time and effort to socialise, housetrain, love and care for the dog, and get a loving, sweet companion. Its up to the owner.
In the year I have had Chloe, she hasn't been ill once. But she has got some anxiety, because the previous "owner" used to hit her.

 

Our chihuahua we've had for almost a yr. We got her when she was 10 m/o from a rescue. She has always been pretty sweet except when she's scared and nips. She has nipped at my 2 youngest kids several times and someone else's 3 y/o when she ran at her. I think chihuahuas get very self conscious because of their size and act out but again, that could just be my dog. She also barks a lot if any stranger comes over. She's a definite watch dog. The only thing I would change about her (and hopefully it does change at some point) is her nipping at small children when she feels cornered or aggravated. She's fine with our two cats and today we brought a stray hound in and she was mean to her at first but within an hour she has stopped. She's being a teeny bit territorial and jealous.

We would never give her up in a million yrs.

Good luck with everything!

 

I don't own a chihuahua yet, but I fell in love with one from the shelter. We've just got to wait on word for our new house before we can have her, if she's still there. Anyway, my 14mo and I went to see her yesterday for the first time (previously I'd seen her online...we're in Idaho and something like 40 chihuahuas came from an overcrowded shelter in CA...she is one of them). She was very timid at first, and did a half growl towards my daughter and tried to nip her once. I firmly told her no and I held her such that my 14mo could touch her back. After about 10 minutes, the chihuahua was fine with my 14mo standing near her. Eventually she let my daughter touch her face and feet even, and the little stink pulled on her ears too. I'm sure not all of them would react this way after a few minutes of being around us, but it was exciting to see the change.

That said, I remember growing up, some relatives had chihuahuas and they were the absolute worst behaved dogs I've ever been around. But I guarantee it's because they were raised like lap trophies instead of like dogs. We've been doing quite a bit of research in our waiting period, and everything reputable we've read says it's vitally important to treat all dogs like dogs, not just big ones. So that's what we plan to do.

I've wondered about separation anxiety too, but thankfully I homeschool, so my kids and I will be home with the dog virtually all the time (minus a few hours for errands a few times a week...which I'm hoping will get my husband to see that we need two dogs so they can be friends! lol). I plan on working in animal care and training into our homeschooling experience too so that my kids can take pride in their new relationship with the dog. And so that she gets used to being led by all of them, not just my husband or I.

Oh, I almost forgot, I did read in a chihuahua book that sometimes it's best to crate the dog when company with small kids is over if the dog is too afraid. I plan on leaving that as an option for our dog.

 

We've only had ours about a week. Chloe was from a rescue litter so we don't know much about her history. She's around 12-14 weeks old. She has a very good disposition and seems rather smart. For example, she picked up house/pad training very quickly, even though the rescue people said that she hadn't had any training, and is learning basic obedience stuff at a fast pace.

She does seem to have some separation anxiety issues but our cats seem to be helping her with that. Our Persian "young adult" kitten will hang out with her beside the crate, usually napping. They love to play together as well.