Chihuahua (and other toy) owners!

[Borderstotheleftofme]

How noisy are your dogs..?

Space constraints mean next dog has to be small really.
Think we are decided on a chihuahua, but, I hate barking...

This is the plan which was followed for current (exceptionally quiet) dog and I’m hoping will work for pup?

• The puppy will be taught to go to it’s bed when the doorbell rings/door is knocked and stay there until released.
  

Lots and lots of treats for silence.

• Any barking and/or fence running outside mean an immediate end to being in the garden
  

• Complete ignoring of attention seeking barking.
  

• immediate doggy time out for barking eg at postman or people walking past window
  

Is it likely to work and result in a nice, quiet, non barking chihuahua?
Current dog virtually never barks in the house and that is exactly how I like it.

[Seeleyboo]

I've had Chihuahuas all my life. Currently have 2. Not a chance gagging them OP. Sorry. Choose another breed.

[Seeleyboo]

Posted too soon but you do realise that barking is a form of communication. Imagine if every time you spoke someone shut you down and punished you. Maybe a cat would be better.

[itstrue]

My Chihuahua was good but she did used to bark at me if she wanted something! We currently have a large toy poodle. She's a bit barky!

[LightDrizzle]

What about a Whippet? They are not a toy breed but they are compact and not barkers.
I’d love a Whippet. Sadly DH doesn’t like dogs.
A lot of toy breeds do tend to be yappy, although I think many suffer from owners who take the “toy” descriptor a bit too literally and treat them as fwuffy, fur babies rather than dogs, neglecting training.
Breeds do vary massively however in terms of how vocal they are. Sight hounds tend to be quiet but many are large, which is why I suggest whippets. Italian Greyhounds are even smaller and also quiet, but they are notoriously slow to house train and very fragile as they are so fine boned. The latter reason would stop me buying one personally as I don’t think they should be bred with such vulnerability.

[MrsMaryBOOface]

Chihuahuas are Watch Dogs. This means it is their God-given job to notify you by barking continuously when someone so much as walks past your house.

They also like to have the last word, and are notoriously hard to train as they are very intelligent but very stubborn.

[vanillandhoney]

Every single chihuahua I've ever met has been a right noisy bugger 😂 they're bred to be watch dogs after all, you'd be trying to train out years and years of breeding.

I would go for another breed.

[YippeeKayakOtherBuckets]

Hahahahahaaaaa at a quiet Chi. Sorry. Nope.

Mine thinks her job is to let me know when someone walks past the house/a plane goes over/the wind is blowing/there’s a bird in the garden. And she is LOUD.

[Greywind1523]

I know one that barks as soon as anyone comes within about 20 feet of them while on a walk, and another that barks and snaps at anyone it doesn’t know if they go to say hello to it. I’m sure it’s lack of training on the owners’ part but it would really put me off one of the really small breeds as they always seem to be the ones that bark and snap! They say he was really hard to train but I think it’s more the fact that he was so small as a puppy they just let him get away with it.

How about a toy poodle or toy poodle cross? I know a cockapoo and cavapoo, both of which don’t bark excessively (only if someone knocks at the door). Poodles are also very clever which makes them easier to train.

Or if you can go a little bit bigger I know a few Frenchies that don’t seem to bark much.

[ittooshallpass]

I'm reading this and can hear the chihuahua's who live in the next street barking. Again. I feel very sorry for the people who live next door. They really are awful dogs. I see them out and about; constantly barking, growling and snapping at anything from other dogs within a 20 mile radius to a leaf that has the nerve to fall from a tree. Don't do it OP! If you're looking for a quiet dog, a chihuahua is not it! You will NEVER get it to be quiet.

[AmandaHoldensLips]

My neighbour has chihuahuas - bloody awful yappy creatures that NEVER SHUT UP. The slightest thing sets them off. Horrible things. Can't stand them.

[LaughingDonkey]

I would not suggest Frenchie if you like quiet. Not because of barking - this can be taught (for example, my Frenchie only barks when someone is in our back yard as I have taught him it is ok), but because he/she will snore loudly. Think ''grown man'' loudly!

I'm not familiar with Chihuahuas, however I have seen a lady with one working next door to my office (pre-lockdown) and I swear that dog never made a peep!!! It was the most chilled, always smiling pup!

I suppose it depends on dog personality and training.

[mrsjackrussell]

Shi Tzu's in my experience don't bark a lot and are very chilled. Iv had 2 over the years.

[MrsMaryBOOface]

@Greywind1523

I know one that barks as soon as anyone comes within about 20 feet of them while on a walk, and another that barks and snaps at anyone it doesn’t know if they go to say hello to it. I’m sure it’s lack of training on the owners’ part but it would really put me off one of the really small breeds as they always seem to be the ones that bark and snap! They say he was really hard to train but I think it’s more the fact that he was so small as a puppy they just let him get away with it.

How about a toy poodle or toy poodle cross? I know a cockapoo and cavapoo, both of which don’t bark excessively (only if someone knocks at the door). Poodles are also very clever which makes them easier to train.

Or if you can go a little bit bigger I know a few Frenchies that don’t seem to bark much.

As I said in my previous post, Chihuahuas are notoriously difficult to train.

[Borderstotheleftofme]

Posted too soon but you do realise that barking is a form of communication
I don’t mind barking outside, just not in the house

Imagine if every time you spoke someone shut you down and punished you
Equally, imagine how stressful it would be if you suddenly found yourself homeless and alone without a clue what you did wrong.
Just look at all threads here where people have received council letters for barking.
Even if a dog only barked once at the door say, we get a lot of deliveries so even that would be a lot.

Maybe a cat would be better
Never again!
Too destructive.

[Borderstotheleftofme]

I was expecting the responses I suppose but so disappointing!
I was really hoping it was purely down to poor training but seems maybe not.

DH likes staffies but I’ve never been that attracted to them.
It’s not a very nice thing to say really, but aesthetically they’ve never really appealed to me.
Ditto whippets/Italian greys which DH also likes.

I wouldn’t mind a little poodle but DH is very against one, doesn’t like the look of them whether sensibly clipped or show clipped.

Darn.
Okay, are they any small (staffy or under sized) breeds that can be trained to be quiet?!

[donutpretzel]

Someone upthread said about shih tzu's being quiet.. the only ones I've known have barked as much as what people are saying about chihuahuas. Someone I know has 5 dogs and the shih tzu is the worst for barking by FAR.

I'm slightly gutted reading this thread as I've always wanted a chihuahua and always thought I would have one one day. Saying that I currently have a terrier cross which are generally notorious for barking and she's a dream. Bit of consistency and training and she's golden

[dodgeballchamp]

I’m going to go against the grain here. I have a chihuahua and he barely barks - maybe a few times in the evening when he’s being playful. He’s incredibly friendly, loves other people and dogs, greets them by bouncing on his hind legs and licking - he’d be a useless guard dog because he’d welcome in the burglar with open paws. He’s only 4 months old so I accept this could change as he matures but he certainly isn’t the aggressive yappy bad tempered demon dog people above are describing! He does chew and shred things when he’s bored though. I’ve also got a pug who is pretty quiet apart from snoring and he’s much more bad tempered than the chihuahua!

[Borderstotheleftofme]

Someone upthread said about shih tzu's being quiet.. the only ones I've known have barked as much as what people are saying about chihuahuas. Someone I know has 5 dogs and the shih tzu is the worst for barking by FAR
I probably wouldn’t have a Shih tzu anyway tbh because of the squashy face, same for frenchies.

I'm slightly gutted reading this thread as I've always wanted a chihuahua and always thought I would have one one day Saying that I currently have a terrier cross which are generally notorious for barking and she's a dream Bit of consistency and training and she's golden
Me too, it’s really made me reconsider.
I too was really hoping that with consistency and training a chihuahua would be fine but now I’m not so sure.
I really don’t want a dog that barks a lot as I’m very worried about annoying neighbours and getting reported.
Plus I can’t stand the noise myself!

[itstrue]

I didn't have a problem with my chihuahua barking. I think a lot is them being scared so if you socialise a lot then it's less of an issue. Mine used to come with me everywhere I could take her. She loved it! She even went tramping. They are great little dogs.

[SauvignonBlanketyBlank]

My Chihuahua is a barky bastard 😤 but he's an excellent alarm system to have.he can hear the slightest noise and i feel safe at night as he would hear someone sneaking around for sure.Pity he only weighs 4lb and has got nothing to back it up 🤣

[Soubriquet]

I’ve got two chi’s....

They are gobby noisy little shits!

It’s a good job I love them

[SauvignonBlanketyBlank]

My guard dog

[SauvignonBlanketyBlank]

@Soubriquet I know they are adorable arent they.Mines a little shit but god I love him.

[passthemustard]

I like chihuahuas. To look at. I have one that lives next door to me and the adorable little thing barks continually from the moment it's owner goes out until the moment she comes home. And then if someone walks past our houses, or the postman comes, or the phone rings ...... it also attacked me last week and left some nasty puncture wounds in my hand. (It had escaped and I was trying to stop it getting run over, I don't have any grudge against the dog it was stressed and I'd have fought someone in that situation too 😂)
But I have a pug and he is super chilled, never barks apart from some dolphin type noises when I'm getting his supper ready.

[Yokohamajojo]

In a lighthearted way it seems like your husband wants a "manly" looking dog and you want a small cute one

What about a Maltese or a Border terrier?

I would encourage your husband to meet (I know it's difficult at the moment) with lots of smaller dogs to get over his small dog problem, talk to owners you meet etc.