Sandra pointed out that not all chihuahuas are noisy and aggressive, she knows three that aren’t. And she’s right, I shouldn’t stereotype. So I looked.
The American Kennel Club says,
The Chihuahua is a tiny dog with a huge personality….
Chihuahuas possess loyalty, charm, and big-dog attitude. Even tiny dogs require training, and without it this clever scamp will rule your household like a little Napoleon. Compact and confident, Chihuahuas are ideal city pets. They are too small for roughhousing with kids, and special care must be taken in cold weather, but Chihuahuas are adaptable as long as they get lots of quality time in their preferred lap.
About training them:
The Chihuahua is a very alert little dog of high intelligence. He is eager to please his humans and responds well to positive training practices. Chihuahuas seem well aware of how cute they are and learn how to get their way. From the very beginning you must enforce the fact that you are in charge. Never allow your Chihuahua puppy to do anything that will be unacceptable in an adult. They can have a bit of a ‘terrier’ temperament, so a firm but gentle hand is necessary when training. They can excel in obedience training and other canine sports.
Spruce pets says they are suitable for apartments:
Chihuahuas pack lots of personality into a tiny frame. The breed has a medium to high energy level, requiring daily walks and play, but its petite size means a small apartment is adequate space. Some Chihuahuas can be a bit vocal, especially when they hear potential intruders, but with adequate training you can curb barking.
After writing the above I remembered a woman who was in one of my groups almost 30 years ago. She never went anywhere without her chihuahua, who was so well-behaved it was allowed in the library with her. She was partially handicapped, as I recall, and drove around town on a little scooter with the pup in the basket. She always wore a colorful scarf around her neck, with a matching one for the pup. I never heard it bark…it always seemed content, happy to be whereever it was, with her.
I had forgotten about that, and it warms my heart to remember.
June 12, 2023
I know a lot of apartment dwellers seem to have, and you can well understand that they could indeed live in a “basket” in your apartment – and be as sweet as pie with a little training…
A bit like having a budgie instead of a cat or similar
The training is so important.
My mother in law had a chihuahuas mix. She taught it so many tricks and it was just the smartest dog I have ever met.
The are supposed to be smart, so teaching them tricks is good mental stimulation for them.
this reminds me of the saying, there are no bad dogs, only bad owners. My Aunt had a nasty Chihuahua and it was all her fault, she spoiled him rotten and he never had any training and never knew the word NO.. No is a good word to teach any and all dogs, as long as the owner means it. this is a lot good info..
The owners have to be consistent. That’s the hard part.
It really does depend on the owner, though. Of course, all dogs of all breeds can be charming and easy to live with. But some breeds require a dedicated owner who will take charge. My friend had a Chihuahua but was extremely weak on training and (gasp!) discipline. As a result, that poor dog hated everyone but my friend. Tried to bite her husband when he dared to get into their bed.
Wow!
Can’t say that I’ve ever been around a Chihiahua, but it doesn’t sound like a breed I’d prefer. I’m remember when Tom’s oversize (mixed Lab) was desperately ill and couldn’t walk. We couldn’t find a vet available to come to the house and neither of us was strong enough to carry him. We would up rolling him onto a quilt and carrying him out, praying he wouldn’t roll off. Nightmare! He lived another year or so, but after that I swore, no more big dogs.
That must have been scary!
Well, they are maybe not ALL like what we had said, but I do think they all have a good opinion of themselves!
🙂
I have stories about chihuahuas…when we were first married the couplenext door to us had one and they had two kids. And Sandy was fine with them. Never nipped them, let them love on her. But if she got outside, she would sneak over to our house and come in and stay…I think i would call her mom and let her know she had got under the fence.
Then my mom ended up with my sister’s…my sister was staying with us while her husband was somewhere while in the air force. My sister had to have surgery. Missy became totally mom’s. She was crazy. my brothers were hunters, so had guns and bows….and you could show her one and she would start growling. In fact you could say her name, and wiggle your finger at her and she would start growling.
She did not want anyone’s attention but mom’s, though she was not terrible if we were to pet her. And sometimes she like to play…her fun time was to come and lay down in front of us on linoleum or tile, and we would put her on her back and shove her across the room. She would promptly get up and run back to us for us to do it again and again. We have not idea how she started doing that and I don’t remember who discovered she liked it.
Thank you for sharing that! 🙂