Chihuahua

[Bird]

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?

[MartyAnderson]

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

[Bird]

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.

[egon]

Consider a small poodle also.

Egon

[Bird]

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]

[Fred]

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]

[Bird]

Thanks, Fred. I think we want a young (or fairly young adult), preferably female, chihuahua, but I'm leary of the ones advertised for sale by the puppy mills, besides the fact that I'd rather not pay $600 to $900 for a pet if I can find one in a shelter that we can save. I'm guessing though that those are the ones adopted the quickest, so the hardest to find.

[Pat]

BIrd, There is a lot more risk in getting a Chihuahua than in a rat terrier as regards "accidents" on the floor or your lap. One of the problems with them is the same problem there was with Dalmations... fadish popularity which triggers of a puppy boom from unethical back yard breeders and puppy mills.

Millions of dollars worth of TV adds for Taco Bell and a few by GEICO fed a frenzy. If you go for the little c in place of the terrier I hope you get a good one.

I'll drop the other shoe now. "101 Dalmations" reruns, the remake, and sequel sparked a frenzy of GOTTA HAVE A DALMATION mania. According to insurance actuary statistics gleaned from hospital emergency rooms the Dalmation is one of the worst biters out there.

Bird with a "Rat on a rope" (tiny dog on a leash) takes a little getting used to... I could see a shepard or a golden retriever or...

[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[Bird]

Yeah, Pat, I know what happened with the Dalmations. And I'm not the one who wants a dog; my wife wants one. [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img] The trouble is that after we get one, I get too attached to it, too. [img]/forums/images/icons/frown.gif[/img]

[BlueRidge]

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.