To think chihuahuas are the best dog?

[maybeimbornwithit]

I have never been a lover of small dogs, always imagined myself with a Labrador or two. However, after doing some (lots) of research we thought chihuahuas would be the best fit for our family as first time dog owners. So we brought 2 home six months ago (different litters).

I had the puppy blues for a couple of weeks, really thought I'd made a mistake but as the time has went on I've grown to love them so so much. They are the easiest dogs ever, don't require too much walking, walk great on the lead, lovely temperaments, not destructive, sleep a lot, sleep through the night, excellent recall, easy to obedience train, good with the cats and children, the only complaint is they are very hard to toilet train.

I have been treating them like dogs rather than accessories. I love that if there's a day I can't take them their walk they have a massive garden to run about in and play with each other and we do loads of brain games. I am really enjoying being a dog owner and never expected it this much.

I now could never see myself having a big dog, the only downside is I would love to walk them longer and further.

AIBU to think small dogs are easier and less messy than big dogs? Which do you prefer and why?

The OP literally asked for opinions and why. Dogs can't read so I am sure they will be ok 🤷‍♀️

I’d always go for a big dog because I love really long walks and my husband runs, you can’t beat a Dalmatian! I love all dogs though, would be nice having something Curled up on my lap not taking over the whole of the sofa.

I don't mind them, I think they are pretty cute BUT the majority of ones I have met and very yappy and nippy/bitey which is off putting although I am sure with the right training, they are just as nice as any other well trained dog.

We have just got a lab puppy, its a bigger dog than I initially wanted but that breed and its temperament seemed the best fit for us

Here's my Bella. Love her to pieces. She's a deer headed long coat chihuahua. I bought the book easy, peesy, puppy squeesy and learned that puppies need to be socialised before 16 weeks, and how to train her. Never had a dog before, so was a steep learning curve. But wouldn't be without her now. Check out:

www.reddit.com/r/Chihuahua

Other chihuahuas I've noticed are babied or treated like a toy, that's when they are spoiled, and prone to being snappy. If it was a bigger dog breed, that behaviour wouldn't be tolerated. It would even be deemed a danger.

Good points. Our lab turned 9 a couple of months ago and I literally has just opened a PetPlan email with this years renewal £897.96 😭 (£769.41 last year) and that is for only £4k/year (lifetime) cover.

Can't bring myself to cancel it just incase!

Yes chihuahuas are the best. I heart my chi. She is horrible to people not in our family but is a super lover of her people.

My friend has one and he is so cute. I had the same impression as some other posters, yappy, snappy and annoying but I absolutely love my friend's. He is really cuddly and he is great with kids.

A elderly neighbour has a long haired chihuahua. The dog is so funny and nosy, she trots over to the children playing out to say hello. She's a local celeb.

Picking one up because it is being a knob does not count as training.

Seen that before too. We actually had one chi owner cross with us when our lab wouldn't recall as they were worried ours could stand/fall on theirs and injure it. Ours was trying to come back but kept running away from theirs which was being yappy/nippy and wouldn't leave him alone and owner couldn't catch it. Trying to explain to the owner that their little darlings tiny teeth were still painful, and no dog would stand still when being attacked by another dog no matter how small and they were lucky he was not an aggressive dog or his would really get hurt, fell on deaf ears. 🤦‍♀️

Ours is halfway between being kind of a dog and being a stereotypical, spoiled accessory. She's not my dog, she's my 18 year old daughter's.

When she first got her she was impossibly small. DD wouldn't even allow her on the floor much less interact with my rottweiller cross. Then she went out one day and left her dog with me. 10 minutes later this happened

I did insist on her being very heavily socialised due to knowing Chis were prone to bonding with only one person and prone to guarding and snapping at others. She even came on holiday with us a few weeks after we got her. She's not in the least bit snappy but she is very shy of strangers and takes a long time to warm up to people.

I find it funny when people are so opinionated on how rat like chihuahuas are. I also find rats to be very cute and they're highly intelligent so I don't really understand the insult. It usually comes from people who I wouldn't exactly class as cute and good looking either 🙃

This is so true ! Such a nasty expression. There’s dogs I don’t like but don’t call them rats . Yours is adorable .

Nastiest dog my DH knew when he was a practising vet was a chihuahua, needed gauntlets on to deal with it. I've always had Great Danes, funnily enough giant breeds need less exercise than smaller dogs, and they curl up quite neatly. Great with my grandchildren when they were small as well.

Does a chi care if someone calls them a rat? Why should the owner?

I've spent plenty of time with chihuahuas. I still think they're yappy little rats

I don't understand why you're so offended by what other people think?

I don’t in the fact I call my own dog a rat but I say it affectionately or with exasperation.

I don’t say it as an insult which you clearly are. Even if the dog doesn’t understand

I can't agree with you at all. I don't like the way they look, the size of them, the way the tremble, their barks...basically everything about them.
I have a German Shepherd who I think is absolutely beautiful....but each to their own.

@Gmamaofboys13 awwww she's absolutely gorgeous!

Yes! I have two and their toileting drives me crazy but they have the biggest personalities (and the smallest poos) I love them so much.

Ha, can't believe I am "vile" for calling chis rats.
I did know a nice one btw. The owner tried their best to get their chi registered as a Pet as Therapy dog. They kept failing the pulling on lead test. They were actually quite a sweet little dog. Still a rat though.

Yes, and they go furthest too.

(It's a bad taste joke, I know)😾

My double trouble

I'd say it's all in how you bring them up. My experienced dog owner parents had a chihuahua (alongside a couple of bigger dogs), and he was a proper - if teeny - dog. Well behaved, confident, obedient (mostly), not yappy or fearful.

RIP Knuckles 😃

I pick up my chihuahua when another dog comes towards us. Because once another dog off a lead came and tried to rip her head off which set off a lifetime of anxiety for my pup. Chihuahuas ARE fragile and a bigger dog could kill them even if just playing. There is so much judgement in this thread, it's actually disgusting.