Advice please , chihuahua pups

[Blueskytoday]

We are considering getting a chihuahua pup,
Have never had this breed before, has anyone any experience of them.
We already have a cavalier, who is very high energy outdoors and an older Lhasa apso.
I've been to see some chihuahua pups and need some advice.
The pups themselves looked well looked after, everything was very clean, the pups seemed good size, healthy.
The pups were only 4 weeks so still sleeping a lot.
What I'm not sure about were the parents of the pups, the female especially.
Both the dogs barked when I came to door , which is fair enough.
The owners said , they are protective of the pups.
The male dog is stunning to look at, quite stocky, gorgeous markings , he didn't come to me at all, just looked at me quite suspiciously.
The female looked miserable, tail down the whole time I was there, she came to me and I held my hand for her to sniff.
Neither of the parents seemed bouncy, happy , waggy tailed dogs.
Is this usual for chihuahuas , or are they just not a good temperament?
Thanks for your thought

Don't get one of those pups. Definitely not right.

I know nothing about chihuahuas, but regardless of breed I wouldn't buy a pup with such parents, simply because you could end up with a dog who is genetically disposed to being unfriendly and suspicious.

I grew up with Chihuahuas, my mum still has one today. These ones defo don't sound right. Chihuahuas are happy, bright, bouncy little dogs, IME.
I would be looking at a more reputable breeder.

As previous posters have said, that doesn't sound good at all and I'd be walking away.

Where did you find this breeder? Chihuahuas are very popular with BYBs and puppy farmers so you need to be extremely careful when finding breeders. I would highly recommend going through the breed club to find decent breeders who are planning litters.

A major thing to bear in mind with chihuahuas is that they should not be going to their new homes before twelve weeks old. Eight weeks is the norm for most breeds but due to their extreme size chihuahuas actually develop slower than other breeds and simply aren't ready to leave their mum and littermates at only eight weeks old. Unfortunately plenty of people breed them and let them go too early either because they're trying to maximise profits and most buyers don't know better or because they just don't have a clue themselves.

The breed club has a strict code of ethics it requires members to abide by and this includes not letting puppies go before twelve weeks of age.

Thanks for your thoughts everyone, it just didn't sit right with me.
No, I won't be getting one of the litter .

I think it's a bit unfair to judge the temperament of a bitch when she has such a young litter in the nest, to be honest - particularly with toy breeds, who stay with their pups longer - one of the many reasons why it's better to find a breeder who ticks all your boxes, meet their dogs before there are any pups around, and then wait for as long as it takes for a pup to come available.

As ever, I agree with Cornflake - toy pups should not be leaving until at least 12 weeks, so why not talk to the breeder a bit more, find out whether they seem reputable*, and then if all else really seemed fine visit again in a couple of weeks and see how that goes?

*What does reputable mean, I hear you ask ... can they demonstrate long experience with Chi's? Are their dogs good examples, normally proved by showing them? If you Google their phone numbers, do you find lots of adverts, possibly for several different breeds? Do they say the pups will be ready to leave at 8 weeks? ... just a few things to start ...

How did she behave around the pups? Was she clearly feeding them? Advertised online? Mobile number only or different breeds advertised?
If you want this breed is there a club or society that could recommend a breeder?

Thanks for all your advice,
We've decided to stick with a cavalier pup as that's what we know fits in well with our family.
We've seen a gorgeous pup, complete opposite to the chi breeder, lady who is very knowledgeable, licensed breeder,
She has 3 female cavaliers, all in her kitchen, all the bitches were extremely friendly,, looked very happy, .
The two pups were really friendly, happy , playful .
We are bringing a tri colour bitch home today .

I think it's a bit unfair to judge the temperament of a bitch when she has such a young litter in the nest

I disagree and it's used as a warning sign for puppy farm and/or bred without thought to temperament. Lots of the information online says not to buy a pup if the bitch isn't happy and relaxed with you and that having pups should not mean the bitch is on edge, worried or shy.

I think your instinct was right. When I looked at my puppy on each occasion the bitch was calm and relaxed and wanted a fuss of me and was happy to let me pick the puppy up.

lady who is very knowledgeable, licensed breeder

I realise you've already decided to get one of these puppies but be very, very wary if by licensed you mean she has a license from her local council. The vast majority of councils only require a license once someone is breeding more than five litters a year which is far more than any remotely decent breeder would ever breed. I would check your local council's rules and also find out how many litters a year this person is producing. If you found them through an advert online google search the phone number.

Also be sure you see all the relevant official paperwork regarding health tests. Sadly the CKCS as a breed is absolutely riddled with health problems, some of them very serious indeed.

Both parents should have had MRIs to check for Chiari-like Malformation/Syringomyelia. They should both have current BVA eye tests, these are repeated annually so one should have been done some time within the last year. Ideally the litter themselves should have been screen for eye problems by a BVA specialist as well.

They should have been DNA tested for (with at least one parent testing clear of) Dry Eye Curly Coat Syndrome, Episodic Falling, Macrothrombocytopenia, Muscular Dystrophy, Degenerative Myelopathy and Phosphofructokinase Deficiency.

The breeder should also be following the MVD breeding protocol (this is quite possibly the most important given the prevalence of Mitral Valve Disease within the breed. Both parents should have been at least 2.5 years old and have no sign of murmurs having been checked by a veterinary cardiologist, all four grandparents should also be completely clear of murmurs at 5 years old. The checks for murmurs should have been carried out by a veterinary cardiologist, not a GP vet.

I'd highly recommend having a read through the information on this site and also this one.

Incorrect beyond belief. Many breeds like chihuahuas are very shy and nervous. People who have said they should be happy and bouncy, clearly don't know the breed. They are highly strung and very cautious of new people. Mum will not have liked strangers being around her pups.

Zombie thread - it's nearly 9 years old.