Chihuahua- good pet for 9 year old?

[whydontkidscomewithauserguide]

Hi everyone

It's our daughters birthday coming up and she would love a puppy which we are happy to get for her. She's sensible and responsible, and will be thrilled to bits bless her.
Can anyone lend any advice regarding chihuahua's as a family pet?
Thanks x

hi (I love your user name by the way!)
Chihuahuas tend to have a reputation of snapping at smaller children and they can be a little aggressive if teased. I think they tend to be recommended for families with teens or no children. they are larger than a Chihuahua but have a look at a Norwich terrier (more info about them here). They are (generally) very affectionate and like to play

I work closely with dogs OP and I can second that, while some chihuahuas are lovely, many can be snappy/unpredictable with children (and adults!). Therefore not a breed I would recommend for a young family

If you're not going through a rescue then I'd advise researching breeders and don't but from Facebook ads or places like gumtree as there's a lot puppies on there come from puppy farms and disguised to look like someone selling a pet, I've seen that they even rent properties and pay people to pretend to be a family selling a puppy.

Animal ownership costs more than just the price, for example if you seek an ethical breeder then you might have to travel quite a bit and fuel isn't cheap, then there's insurance, food, jabs etc. Insist on seeing Mum and ideally dad with the puppy. There's also the cost of paying someone to care for puppy if nobody is home for large amounts of time. I've pulled hundreds out replacing shit my puppy damaged over the first year, vacuum cleaners, remote controls and cables are her destruction of choice!

Research the breed for temperament and also common health conditions so that you know what other expenses you may have in future.

I know you say it's for your nine year old but realistically it's going to be yourself or her father providing bulk of the care and training in the first weeks/months as you dd will be busy with school most days. They need a lot of attention and care and the first few months, it's often compared to caring for a newborn baby, it's difficult and as it's going to be yourself or another adult at home with it most of the time I'd say to only go ahead if the adults choosing to buy a puppy are prepared to take on that responsibility if dd does change her mind. Things like the chewing and biting could make her lose interest quickly.

I have three chihuahuas and they are lovely dogs, mine aren't yappy etc but they are very delicate. But also easy to look after so depends how heavy handed your daughter is :)

Thanks so much for your help everyone! Lots to think about :0)

You don’t get a puppy for a child. I’m currently covered in bruises and can’t take my eyes off the pup for a second unless she’s asleep.
If you (not the child) want a dog then consider the training, grooming, exercise etc you’re happy to do.

You don’t buy a puppy for a 9 year old child for god sake. Or any child for that matter. You buy a puppy for the family, as a family decision and to become part of the family. This is exactly why dogs end up in rescue centres.

I agree with adding a dog to your family for yourself and the whole family not as a gift to your 9year old.
Trust me when I say even a dog mad 9yr old will be thrilled for all of a week before the novelty wears off ( in my experience anyways)

My Chihuahua 3.5 years has been with us since a puppy and he adores ds 5.He is very wary of other children though and gets barky and nervous.They are such loving funny dogs I wouldn't swap mine for the world.

My rocky

@Tinderingalong thanks for your input however you jumped straight from a-z there presuming we haven't had the discussion as a family, which we have. But the new addition will help build responsibility in our daughter, with our support and love obviously. Way presumptuous if you assuming our much loved and wanted pet would end up in rescue.

Thanks everyone else for your helpful comments. Can't wait to welcome out beautiful little one once we've found him!

@PrincessHoneysuckle oh my gosh he's so cute!!!

Lots of chihuahuas over the years in my family circle (aunt has 3 for starters) and no they would not be my first choice for a 9 year old. Apart from being yappy at best and snarling beasts from hell at worst, they are also very fragile, especially as pups. Their heads have a large soft spot and their legs, knees and hips are easily broken or disjointed. Even a careful 9 year old will not be able to handle them with the care needed. Could you think about a more robust breed?

I think what people are saying is that if you’re trying to get “a” puppy - of any breed - to coincide with an upcoming birthday - of any age child - you might want to rethink and start from first principles, which means not being wedded to a timescale and really researching the heck out of breeders etc.

Any puppy you can “buy now” in time for a birthday (unless it’s more than 4-5 months away) is probably not well researched or from a breeder you should be using.

It’s a minefield! If you want a good pup for the family but particularly to instil responsibility in your DC, you need to be 100% certain you’re acting responsibly yourself in the buying.

I wouldn’t choose a chihuahua for a first family dog if I were you, OP.

I have to add that it won’t actually build responsibility for your 9 year old, it will absolutely all be down to you! They are a bit of a difficult breed, have you had dogs before? A puppy is like having another child for at least 6-9 months. Toilet training alone is a full time job! Is someone home in the day? You will have to take the puppy out to the garden every 30 minutes and also constantly watch it for signs of needing the loo so will someone be home for that? I have 3 dogs and even I am surprised each time how exhausting a puppy is! I have 4 children too and each time it was pretty much down to me alone to do the puppy stage!
I don’t want to be negative, I’m just trying to be realistic for you.

I have two. One is fantastic with kids, loves everyone and would happily sit for hours on a kids lap having fuss.

The other is a one person only dog and grumbles at people who try to touch her when she doesn’t want it.

You can’t guarantee which type of dog you will get.

The little white one is the friendly one.

My SIL has one, would not recommend.

Hers is ludicrously small, smaller than a 'proper' chihuahua, one of these silly, probably puppy farmed, 'teacup' things bought for an obscene amount of money and grotesquely obese which makes it appear sturdier than it actually is.

Infact, one of SILs friends was round recently while we were there with her 'teacup' chihuahua only hers is a healthy weight and the fragility is just unreal.

The friends chihuahua was even more nervous, it shook nearly the whole time, running around hiding from everyone and everything.

SILs resource guards, its barky and nervous and it goes for my DH regularly.

I would say to its credit it's always been nice with my children but it's just so stupidly small.
I would be terrified of accidently stepping/sitting on it and killing it or one of the kids dropping it or something.

Gosh no I wouldn't, especially if dd has friends round etc. It's not an ideal dog for a young child at all. Sounds like you've made up your mind though....

I have 3.. two of which absolutely adore my 9month old and 3yo dn, the other is fortunately just indifferent but stays out of the way of kids (doesn’t like them but equally wouldn’t hurt them).

There’s no way I’d recommend them to a 9year old, they’re extremely fragile (broken tail from falling off a sofa, £300 bill because he ate a cold cocktail sausage.. normal dogs would be fine kind of incidents) collapsing tracheas from being to rough on a lead and a smaller tolerance to anything they shouldn’t eat. Also they’re master escape artists, if I can fit the front of my size 5 in that gap they can get through it, so any open gate or door could be a bolt into freedom.. which with kids an open gates more likely than adults (not saying it’d be dd but her friends etc excited and running around). I’m also convinced they’re harder to toilet train than a large breed, sneaky poos on your favourite thing can really spoil the fun of a new puppy for a kid.

And that’s not going into the snarling protective little demons they can be... my boy doesn’t like strange men in jeans they’re obviously evil who would want to be uncomfortable all day.

Chihuahuas are easily damaged and research has shown that they are more likely than other breeds to display human directed aggression

All my children had their own dogs growing up. We were a very doggy household. We still have one left, she's 14 and doing very well.

I wouldn't get a chihuahua though. A whippet is a good first dog for a family.

I have a chi x JRT and wouldn't recommend either breed for a child.

The thing about puppies is that they're cute but you don't know their personality yet and if you'e not an expert any mistakes tot make in rearing and training them are amplified and can be very hard/impossible to correct.

A rescue who is a bit older would be able to be matched with your needs much more effectively. Dogs trust etc are all better support should you have any problems, than a breeder, too.

I wouldn't make the dog a present for the child. I might make the child responsible for feeding breakfast and Saturday walkies, but you're going to be the responsible human in the dog's life including picking up when your daughter drops stuff.

My grandfather always had chihuahuas - usually 8 at a time, some were ok with us as children but others he would keep away from us as he didn’t trust them with young children. I wouldn’t do it, and especially not as a birthday present

Do a lot more research and get the right dog for your family at the right time. Maybe get the collar/lead/bowl for her birthday and do the research with her so she understands the process and how to find the right dog from the beginning

I doubt she’ll stay interested through the biting, nipping, jumping up, completely bonkers stage, so be prepared to put in the grunt work of toilet/lead/recall training yourself. It’s bloody hard work for 12-18 months

You should only buy a puppy if you want one, not as a gift for a child, esp 9. It is not a suitable breed for a child

My son is a dog walker/ sitter. We have one in our house five days a week as he doesn't like being left on his own for long periods. He is so lovely. X