Chihuahua’s..?!

[OrchidFlakes]

My son is desperate for a chihuahua and whilst we as a family are open to the ‘having a dog’ conversation a chihuahua wasn’t quite what I had in mind!

I’m beginning research as it’ll be approximately 18 months before we’re ready to welcome a dog. Does anyone have experience of chihuahuas as family pets (kids will be 4.5 and 7 by then)?

We have a cat but she’ll be 11-12 by then too. Live in the country, 2 x daily walks not a problem but I don’t want to be walking hours and hours each time but want to offer longer walks as a family at the weekend.

Any chihuahua experts out there?!

Its an interesting choice for a little boy, any reason he wants this breed?

They are generally a healthy breed and can be very long lived (17+ years). But they are not known for their patience with small children and may well be snappy if handled roughly or even if they feel they may be handled roughly. They are delicate as puppies and shouldn't be separated from their mother till they are about 12 weeks. They will not want or need hours of walks and if its raining, windy, a bit dull outside they are well known for refusing to leave the house. They can be stubborn with house training. Oh and lastly they are not above yapping, at just about everything and everyone.

I don't actually have a chihuahua but a close relative does.

Dog rescues are full of chihuahuas, which suggests that a lot of owners are disappointed or have problems in them.
Surely they are too small and delicate to be safe with young children? It’s up to you to choose a suitable dog, not your child’s choice.

"Yappy (and sometimes snappy) little things" is always the first thing I think of when I think of chihuahuas - perhaps unfair in some cases, but I don't think they're suited to the inevitable rough and tumble that comes with a young family as they're small and a bit delicate.

Why does your son want a chihuahua specifically? At age 5/6 I doubt it's a well researched decision based on what would be right for the family and dog - much as you wouldn't let a young child choose which home to buy or whether or not you have another child, I wouldn't let them choose a dog breed (beyond a closed choice between two suitable breeds you'd be happy with)

This is a useful starting point www.thekennelclub.org.uk/services/public/findabreed/Default.aspx

We certainly won’t be letting him choose the breed at all, I’m interested in hearing opinions and experiences with them as everything is read so far said yappy! (Although I may be part chihuahua, refusing to go out in the rain, not liking more than 30 minutes exercise and dislike being manhandled by small children )

He loves the way they look, he’s a very delicate and tender child and I think they appeal. From what I’ve read so far a chihuahua wouldn’t be compatible with our family set up or wants in a dog.

Interestingly though the KC dog finder did bring it up!

Not a pure breed chi here but a chi jack Russel cross. Absolutely adores small people and will actively seek them out. He is hard work and has to be kept on top of or he will do as he pleases (think most dogs are like this to an extent).
But he is brilliant fun, is an absolute wuss about bad weather, is possibly the most loving dog I've ever known. In the summer he loves long walks and exploring(think he's a mountain goat) and in winter he would rather be snuggled up warm Thank you very much

Probably not entirely accurate but describes pretty much every one I've ever met... plus they are terribly fragile and have a LOT of issues relating to their pinched yet bulbous heads, protruding eyes, crowded teeth and general health.

If he would like a dinky little dog, I would recommend rather a Pom, Papillon, toy or miniature poodle, Italian greyhound, whippet... or a cat. And not not not a min pin (80% hate )

We have a chi. He is fantastic with the kids, they know not to be rough with him and respect his space. He is very friendly with everyone we meet but will bark at other dogs, a lot! He is fine once he’s had a sniff but can be pretty vocal. Ours is quite large for a chi which is great for us as he’s not as fragile as lots of others we have met. He’s as happy to go on long walks as he is snuggled on the sofa, loves going in the car for the school run and is just perfect for us. He’s never chewed up the house, is happy to be left alone and is super loving with all of us and everyone that comes to our house. Toilet training was a little trickier but I think we have finally cracked it(he’s 1.5yrs).
Getting him was the best thing we ever did for our family, he is such a funny little character and he brings a lot to family life. People often ask if he’s snappy because he’s a chi and I can honestly say that he’s never done anything at all to make me worry. We are strict with what he can and can’t do though and don’t give him a chance to rule the roost as I think he would take advantage of that very quickly! We got ours from a fantastic breeder who has children and made sure he was very well socialised before coming to us(we didn’t get him until he was a bit older). Good luck with whatever breed you decide to go for.

Not a chihuahua owner here but there are a lot of them round here - my dog (medium size) is terrified of them as the vast majority launch into frenzied barking as soon as they see him. If he sees a chihuahua coming towards him he’ll immediately drop his toy (he likes carrying things around) and make sure he’s got a human in between him and the very scary dog ... (he is particularly wussy but his is not an uncommon reaction)

We have a chihuahua who turns 2 today!
We love him and our kids adore him (9,7 and 3.5 months). He is soooo good with kids, he happily sits down and get stroked by strangers. He is very territorial and was extremely protective over me while I was pregnant, especially around bigger dogs. He now doesn't care who comes near me but is very vigilant around his little sister!
Toilet training can be an issue as over loving children so I suggest crate training. He has his space and knows that he can go there and won't be disturbed.
He has never bitten any of the kids, though is always closely supervised with the baby and the older kids know how to treat him properly.
We love him dearly. He goes to work with my partner 3 times a week and owns the office.
We do have a problem with him humping soft toys even though he's castrated, but I think we're getting over it.
There are many in shelters for various reasons, there are so popular puppies that it's left them open to puppy mills and people buy them without doing the proper research and don't have the will to train them which gives them a bad reputation. Is heartbreaking!

My friend has a chihuahua and he is brilliant, very quiet, doesn’t bark when in the house although he does sometimes bark at the neighbours dog. He has a great temperament and is loved by everyone. He is quite greedy in my house but doesn’t eat much at home but for some reason he has got a bit plump lately.