Chihuahua Experience

catsareniice1

I am considering getting a Chihuahua. Can anyone here tell me their experiences with them? I hear they are yappy but a few of my friends said they are not. Also, are males friendlier or females?

aggiebug

I have met many nice chihuahuas and many very fearful, yappy and bitey ones too. Some of this is training and some is just their personality.

I recommend not focusing on the breed and rescuing a dog that seems to have the temperament you desire. There are many wonderful dogs in shelters and rescues looking for a home.

ShannersLA

I think that the breed & background of a dog can definitely play into their personality, but I also believe that their upbringing and training will really effect how they are. We have a small dog and she is wonderful. She is very affectionate and cuddly and not yippy. I think that since we were this way with her since we adopted her at 2 mos old, that counts.

j3ffsgirl

We have a Chihuahua mix, and that little bitch runs our house! Wouldn't have it any other way. We love our baby girl... She's got her daddy wrapped around her little paw! But, I agree with PP, you should really look into adopting from a shelter. So many dogs are put down because people are stuck looking for a particular breed.

JellyBean52513

I have had 3 Chihuahuas throughout my life. My first was a very aggressive, nippy male and it's entirely my fault he was that way because I was 15 years old when I brought him home without my parents' permission and didn't train him properly (they made me find him a new home after about 2 months because he kept biting my elderly, disabled grandma and messing with her oxygen machines tubing). My second Chi was a girl, and she is to this day the sweetest little lady in the entire world. Very loving, very sociable, very polite as far as dogs go. My newest Chi is my baby boy who is very playful, rambunctious, a little TOO playful as far as using his teeth goes but he is still teething so I believe he will grow out of that. 

In my experience, Chi's require a LOT of attention and focus as far as potty-training goes, because they're so small, they can get away with going to the bathroom in the house unnoticed. That training requires a lot of discipline. Also, my Chis are very affectionate and love to be held, snuggled, cuddled, etc. My little boy Chi will literally LEAP into your lap if you sit or kneel on the floor, and when I'm sitting in a chair or on the couch, he paws at me until I pick him up.

Chi's are very sharp, smart little dogs who are very loyal and affectionate as long as they're socialized from a young age (otherwise they can become aggressive because everyone else around them seems very big and threatening).