Does anyone have a chihuahua? The little smooth haired ones, especially the fawn and white, sure are cute and my wife wants a house dog again. A nearby animal shelter had a young female come up for adoption yesterday, but there were 4 people wanting her so they had a drawing and we didn't win. I've heard conflicting stories about them perhaps being hard to house break and sometimes being bad tempered, although the couple I've seen lately were certainly friendly. What's others' experience with them?
Bird
I have had several friends who have owned Chihuahuas. Their universal traits are yapping & lack of bladder control. Just about anything get's them excited & that's when they cut loose.
Have you checked out Boston Terriers? They are very intelligent, easily trained, & know (+ let you know) when it's time to go outside.
Marty
Thanks for the information, Marty. I don't really know what we're going to do. Our last dog was a rat terrier we got from the animal shelter and couldn't have asked for a better dog than he was. However, if we get another dog, we'd prefer one even smaller. One of our daughters has a pair of maltese. They're good little dogs and she'd like to give us one when she has a litter, but I don't want a shaggy dog. A Boston Terrier would probably be a good one to consider.
No, no, Egon. We (well, actually our youngest daughter) had a small poodle many years ago; never again. Unless I lose a battle with my wife, there won't be any dogs that have to be taken to the beauty shop for grooming. [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img]
Very smart of you considering the grooming factor, which you would need to do with the Maltese, too.
Chihuahuas are know for their small bladders, but the ones I take care of all have pretty good potty skills. They are also all on the timid side and the one still hasn't warmed up entirely to her owner's husband I am told. You'll find this with a lot of lap dogs, though. They are primped and pampered and don't get "out" much and socialized. Most of the people I know that have them have them trained to go on puppy pads (or Depends actually, much cheaper). They live a long time, too.
I'd go for it. [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img]
I grew up with a Chihuahua as MY DOG, and when, as a grown man, I had to have him put down, I wept for hours. He was MY DOG, and I loved him.
That said, I would never have one again. Looking back with the objectivity of time, I can say he was a miserable beast. Entertaining in many ways, but a miserable beast. A biter, a constant yapper at guests, and would turn on us in a nanosecond if we offended him.
It's a wonder we didn't get sued!
His hair, while short, got into everything. Very stiff, so it worked its way into fabrics.
As for Boston Terriers, they can be VERY aggressive.
Consider a Pomeranian. For a little dog, they seem to have good temperments - more like a big, laid back, dog.
The only thing with a Pomeranian, they own the house.
Good alarm dog, but once you are in, they are friendly.
Independent, smart, quick learners, like to bark, obstinate. When they are young, they like to run, an open door for a second and they are gone, this gets a lot better once they are older.
Ours acts more like a cat sometimes, up on back of couch, then lay there and look out the window.
Mark, that's kind of what I'm afraid of with a chihuahua. And of course I know both my wife and I would get attached to any dog we get and it'd be tough if or when something happened to it.
I just don't want a long haired dog. If I did, we'd get a maltese. But I really thing that IF we get a dog, we'd be better off with a rat terrier, or at least we would if it were anything like the last one we had. Buster loved everyone and everything. He'd play with anyone or any animal that would play with him and didn't want to hurt any of them.
Bird, My sister inherited an 11 wk old Chihuahua 4 months ago. We think she came from a puppy mill because she had fleas and worms. She is fine now. Litter box trained. Not “yappyâ€Â. Very social with a sweet disposition. Loves people. Gets along great with her “big brotherâ€Â, a much larger 14 yr old mixed breed, and with her “cousin†a Boston Terrier puppy. DH has never been one for small breeds but Lola has won his heart. This first pic is Lola 4 months ago.
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