Chihuahuas!

Dakotah

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#1
So in chat, I talked a little to Fran about Romeo.
And though I don't care to much for toy breeds, I've always had a soft spot for Chis, I've met a few and I've liked/enjoyed all of them except one who was not socialized right and the owner treated the Chi like a material thing, instead of a dog.

But I would like to learn more about them, (I am going a little dog fever crazy lately lol).
So Chi owners, please chime in :) :popcorn:
 

Saeleofu

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#2
I've got a three-legged one you can have ;)

I'm not a big fan of chis - or at least I wasn't. I fostered one two years ago and he was an awesome little dog. He was super tough in a tiny little body. He'd body slam Gavroche (Gavroche may have been letting him do it, but still lol). He was in no way a fragile, brakable little think like I always thought chis were. I really wish sometimes that I would have kept him. The one I have now I'm just getting to know, but so far he's a very, very easy puppy and such a cuddler.

Both dogs were standoffish with strangers, but I also got them both at around 6 months old and neither of them had much, if any, socialization before that. As long as they're raised properly, I don't think that would really be an issue.

My biggest peeve is when people get small dogs and do nothing with them. Just because they're little doesn't mean they should be alowed to get away with everything and never learn to walk on a leash. One of my favorite small dogs is a little pom that is AMAZING. He gets high-90s scores in obedience and rally all the time, usually gets first or second place (usually first), and he's just a really cool little dog. I get to see him every week in my rally class :D He's SO enthusiastic about everything, and that was true for the chis I've had too.

I can't really tell you much more about them. I had the first foster for I think 2 months, and the current one I've only had for a few days. But I like chis more than I ever imagined I could after fostering them.
 

~Dixie's_Mom~

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#3
Well, Chloe is not all Chihuahua. So I can't be sure which of her traits come from which breed. But I will tell you what Chloe is like.

She is perfect. ;) Lol! But I'll give you a pro/con list.

Pros:

She's very obedient, and very aware of you and your feelings/moods/expressions. She knows what you're asking her to do, even if it's not something you've taught her. Like "get out" or "move". I've never worked on anything like that with her, but if I point out of the kitchen and say "get out" she'll go. Or if I'm walking through the room with something heavy and I say "move" she just...will.

She's always with me. She's not always right on top of me (if I ask her to, she's more than happy to be) but she's always in the same room as me and/or my sister.

She's great with other animals. She loves other dogs, is fine with cats as long as they're not outright mean to her, and is fine with smaller animals as long as I tell her to leave them alone.

She loveloveloves people. Amazing with kids, including babies and toddlers, loves people big and small, man or woman. I'd say she leans toward liking kids and women better, but I wouldn't say she's fearful of men at all. She just doesn't get as excited about men.

Her size is perfect for traveling. She's gone on trips with us and is a great travel companion. She fits in wherever we go and makes herself at home.

Oh, and she's adorable. ;)

Cons:

She's very soft. I don't see this as a con exactly, but I know it can be for some people. She easily gets her feelings hurt, and can get depressed if harshly scolded.

When we first got her she would "pee submissively" if you bent over to pick her up or pet her. But that's nearly gone now, and she only does it every once in a while if you pick her up really quickly.

She does shed, but they're tiny little hairs that you hardly notice, and the shedding is not bad.

She likes to chase small animals if they're outside/unknown to her and I think if she was offleash somewhere and saw a squirrel, bird, cat, etc, she'd take off. She's usually very good about staying with us, and we don't worry about her when the front door is open, because if she steps outside, she'll come right back in with us, but I do worry that if she ever saw something, she'd take off. But because of her size anyway, I don't think letting her offleash anywhere that's unfenced would be a smart idea anyway, because big dogs or another type of predator could take off with her really quickly. Which leads me to my next con.

Because she's so small, I worry about her a lot. She's already been attacked by dogs, and nearly died. I'm scared to have her around bigger dogs that I don't know, and really, anything that could happen to a bigger dog and not have a huge affect on them necessarily could instantly kill a smaller dog. So that's something to think about.

Overall I love Chihuahuas, nearly all the ones I've met have been fantastic.
 

Dakotah

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#4
I've got a three-legged one you can have ;)

I'm not a big fan of chis - or at least I wasn't. I fostered one two years ago and he was an awesome little dog. He was super tough in a tiny little body. He'd body slam Gavroche (Gavroche may have been letting him do it, but still lol). He was in no way a fragile, brakable little think like I always thought chis were. I really wish sometimes that I would have kept him. The one I have now I'm just getting to know, but so far he's a very, very easy puppy and such a cuddler.

Both dogs were standoffish with strangers, but I also got them both at around 6 months old and neither of them had much, if any, socialization before that. As long as they're raised properly, I don't think that would really be an issue.

My biggest peeve is when people get small dogs and do nothing with them. Just because they're little doesn't mean they should be alowed to get away with everything and never learn to walk on a leash. One of my favorite small dogs is a little pom that is AMAZING. He gets high-90s scores in obedience and rally all the time, usually gets first or second place (usually first), and he's just a really cool little dog. I get to see him every week in my rally class :D He's SO enthusiastic about everything, and that was true for the chis I've had too.

I can't really tell you much more about them. I had the first foster for I think 2 months, and the current one I've only had for a few days. But I like chis more than I ever imagined I could after fostering them.
I understand and agree with your peeve about owners with this breed. I know Chis are super tiny (especially compared to dog's I have had: Aussies, Labs, etc. The smallest dog I've ever had was my Scottish Terrier named Bear and he wasn't that small, one his 1st birthday (3 days before he died) he was right at 20-21 lbs, I think).
But as far as them being tiny, it does bother me, but I know of people who have chis and take them swimming, little hikes, put them in back pack type things and go rock climbing/biking with them. To me, Chis are just big working dogs trapped in a little bity body lol. But I think you can do a lot with them as you could say, a Lab (probably not the BEST way to compare this but I just woke up and couldn't think of anything else lol).

Well, Chloe is not all Chihuahua. So I can't be sure which of her traits come from which breed. But I will tell you what Chloe is like.

She is perfect. ;) Lol! But I'll give you a pro/con list.

Pros:

She's very obedient, and very aware of you and your feelings/moods/expressions. She knows what you're asking her to do, even if it's not something you've taught her. Like "get out" or "move". I've never worked on anything like that with her, but if I point out of the kitchen and say "get out" she'll go. Or if I'm walking through the room with something heavy and I say "move" she just...will.

She's always with me. She's not always right on top of me (if I ask her to, she's more than happy to be) but she's always in the same room as me and/or my sister.

She's great with other animals. She loves other dogs, is fine with cats as long as they're not outright mean to her, and is fine with smaller animals as long as I tell her to leave them alone.

She loveloveloves people. Amazing with kids, including babies and toddlers, loves people big and small, man or woman. I'd say she leans toward liking kids and women better, but I wouldn't say she's fearful of men at all. She just doesn't get as excited about men.

Her size is perfect for traveling. She's gone on trips with us and is a great travel companion. She fits in wherever we go and makes herself at home.

Oh, and she's adorable. ;)

Cons:

She's very soft. I don't see this as a con exactly, but I know it can be for some people. She easily gets her feelings hurt, and can get depressed if harshly scolded.

When we first got her she would "pee submissively" if you bent over to pick her up or pet her. But that's nearly gone now, and she only does it every once in a while if you pick her up really quickly.

She does shed, but they're tiny little hairs that you hardly notice, and the shedding is not bad.

She likes to chase small animals if they're outside/unknown to her and I think if she was offleash somewhere and saw a squirrel, bird, cat, etc, she'd take off. She's usually very good about staying with us, and we don't worry about her when the front door is open, because if she steps outside, she'll come right back in with us, but I do worry that if she ever saw something, she'd take off. But because of her size anyway, I don't think letting her offleash anywhere that's unfenced would be a smart idea anyway, because big dogs or another type of predator could take off with her really quickly. Which leads me to my next con.

Because she's so small, I worry about her a lot. She's already been attacked by dogs, and nearly died. I'm scared to have her around bigger dogs that I don't know, and really, anything that could happen to a bigger dog and not have a huge affect on them necessarily could instantly kill a smaller dog. So that's something to think about.

Overall I love Chihuahuas, nearly all the ones I've met have been fantastic.
I would worry about her to, just because she is so small, and like I said I'm use to big dogs.
I LOOOOOOVE that they are like perfect travel size and that they cutest travel things come in Chi size lol (I am a BIG accessory person lol, but don't confuse that with me going out and buying purses to put a Chi in or anything like that.)
The soft hair, is a plus for me. I loved my Scottie but his hair was kind of course sometimes and it drove me crazy.
I am not worry about chasing small animals, my cat Peanut is a pretty big cat, and I'd be more worried about him chasing her lol but seriously, I probably wouldn't have a Chi and Peanut around each other because Peanut would go "OH MY GOOOOOODNESS! A NEW TOY! YAYAYAYAY!"


A couple of additional questions (If anyone reads all of this post lol):

1)I heard that they are very hard to train, most house training, how true is this? (Regardless, I'd train a Chi the way it needed to be and with them being so tiny, I wouldn't really train one like a Dobe, Boxer, Aussie, etc. for example, train them for a long period of time or something like that)

2) I know they love people, but how are they about choosing one person to be theirs?
To be honest, I love dogs that kind of choose one person to be theirs, I don't know why but I do lol. Bear was like that and an Aussie my dad and I fostered was like with me, as well. It was cute lol
 

~Dixie's_Mom~

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#5
A couple of additional questions (If anyone reads all of this post lol):

1)I heard that they are very hard to train, most house training, how true is this? (Regardless, I'd train a Chi the way it needed to be and with them being so tiny, I wouldn't really train one like a Dobe, Boxer, Aussie, etc. for example, train them for a long period of time or something like that)

2) I know they love people, but how are they about choosing one person to be theirs?
To be honest, I love dogs that kind of choose one person to be theirs, I don't know why but I do lol. Bear was like that and an Aussie my dad and I fostered was like with me, as well. It was cute lol
1) Like I mentioned, Chloe may not be the "norm" for a Chihuahua, since she is a mixed breed, but she was not hard to housebreak at all. That said, she was an adult when we acquired her. Which may or may not have made a difference one way or the other. We were sure to take her out every 2 hours or so to be sure she didn't have any accidents, and once she got the idea that OUTSIDE was the place to go, she's had VERY few accidents and when she has had them I just snap my fingers and softly but firmly say "Hey!" (if I catch her in the act) and since like I mentioned, she's a pretty soft dog, she got the idea really quickly. We backtracked a tiny bit when we moved, but she hasn't had an accident in months and months.

2) She loves everyone, but she does have a definite preference. She prefers my sister and I, but loves my other family members very much too. Just in a different way. She loves guests, but she knows who her "mamas" are and has an obvious preference to us. She also recognizes people and dogs very well, and shows preference to people and dogs she knows to strangers.
 

Dakotah

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#6
1) Like I mentioned, Chloe may not be the "norm" for a Chihuahua, since she is a mixed breed, but she was not hard to housebreak at all. That said, she was an adult when we acquired her. Which may or may not have made a difference one way or the other. We were sure to take her out every 2 hours or so to be sure she didn't have any accidents, and once she got the idea that OUTSIDE was the place to go, she's had VERY few accidents and when she has had them I just snap my fingers and softly but firmly say "Hey!" (if I catch her in the act) and since like I mentioned, she's a pretty soft dog, she got the idea really quickly. We backtracked a tiny bit when we moved, but she hasn't had an accident in months and months.

2) She loves everyone, but she does have a definite preference. She prefers my sister and I, but loves my other family members very much too. Just in a different way. She loves guests, but she knows who her "mamas" are and has an obvious preference to us. She also recognizes people and dogs very well, and shows preference to people and dogs she knows to strangers.
Oh that's wonderful.
I know with Chis being so tiny, they can potty is smaller areas larger dogs couldn't get to.
With Bear, since he was Terrier, I heard horror stories about how stubborn they were and how hard it'd be to train them. Bear was one of the easiest dogs I've ever had to train, whether it was house breaking or general commands. I never taught him to walk off leash, its almost like he taught himself and he was a very velcro-y type of dog. I honestly don't remember a time where he was more than 5-6 ft away from me, and that was to do his business and he'd come running straight back to me.

I don't mind a dog being difficult to house break or train, I think with a planted routine and some patience, any dog can be trained. No matter big or small.
Patience patience patience is a key word I had to learn with training dogs lol
 

JessLough

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#7
As far as being stand-offish with strangers, and it being a socialization thing... it really isn't, IME. Jessie's were all socialized when young, and when I first showed up, they were, except for Chloe, all stand-offish. Especially Emma, but she is also the tiniest so I can imagine how huge I must have looked to her. After about an hour, Tucker and Rylie were fine with me -- Emma took that first night.

Only real experience I have with chi's was that week with Jessie's crew; my aunt used to have a chi but I was too young to remember much. Also a chihuahua named Hercules that strutted around the neighbourhood when I was younger xD

As far as being fragile... I was so worried about breaking one of her dogs, but they are hardy little guys. Emma's favourite playmate is Rory, she really gets going with him!
 

Dakotah

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#8
I plan on taking and socializing a Chi wherever I go and whenever I can.
To me, it doesn't matter what breed, Socialization is KEY.

I would my Chi to be outgoing and willing to meet new people.

I know Chis are alert, and some tend to give a "warning" bark when the door bell it rung or if something feels off, but I don't think they are to threatening to a 200+ lb man with a gun lol
But silliness aside, Chis sound like a great little bundle of awesomeness, and whenever I get to the point of a small breed, this will be the dog I look into.
Fran already gave me the website of Romeo's breeder and I plan on getting in touch with her sometime soon and at least discussing her dogs, breeding program, etc, even though it'll probably be a couple years before I get any dog, but I figure I'd get started early researching and looking at said breeder.
 
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#9
Heyyyyy,
Well before i tell you what I think,Coco is only half chi(the other half is JRT)she is also 6months,so I have'nt had her for long and she is a pup but anyway :)

"She's very obedient, and very aware of you and your feelings/moods/expressions. She knows what you're asking her to do, even if it's not something you've taught her. Like "get out" or "move". I've never worked on anything like that with her, but if I point out of the kitchen and say "get out" she'll go. Or if I'm walking through the room with something heavy and I say "move" she just...will.

She's always with me. She's not always right on top of me (if I ask her to, she's more than happy to be) but she's always in the same room as me and/or my sister. "


Coco has those traits too,in the past two/three weeks she suddenly is understanding me ALOT more,I can ask her certain things and she just know's what I mean!?

I'm not sure if she is a one person dog,me and my boyf are very much her people,however she LOVE's my family,my friends...hell if you sit next to me on the bus and pet her she will sit in your lap.
One of the best thing for me with Coco was that her size allows me to take her alot of place's!This was important for socializing and also she is a GREAT traveler,I pull out a blanket and say "bed" and that's her home.
One thing I would say is I'm not sure I would have SUCH a small dog in the future....I didn't expect her to be this tiny...saing that I've met Chi's SMALLER then her(and full grown)her size does make it her hard for her to meet other dog's and I am always thinking about her safety.
I can trust her off lead,she has great recall BUT I always have to be worried about another dog coming over...or her her going over to other dog's.She really REALLY need's another small dog she can buddy up with.
 
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#10
Heyyyyy,
Well before i tell you what I think,Coco is only half chi(the other half is JRT)she is also 6months,so I have'nt had her for long and she is a pup but anyway :)

"She's very obedient, and very aware of you and your feelings/moods/expressions. She knows what you're asking her to do, even if it's not something you've taught her. Like "get out" or "move". I've never worked on anything like that with her, but if I point out of the kitchen and say "get out" she'll go. Or if I'm walking through the room with something heavy and I say "move" she just...will.

She's always with me. She's not always right on top of me (if I ask her to, she's more than happy to be) but she's always in the same room as me and/or my sister. "


Coco has those traits too,in the past two/three weeks she suddenly is understanding me ALOT more,I can ask her certain things and she just know's what I mean!?

I'm not sure if she is a one person dog,me and my boyf are very much her people,however she LOVE's my family,my friends...hell if you sit next to me on the bus and pet her she will sit in your lap.

One of the best thing for me with Coco was that her size allows me to take her alot of place's!This was important for socializing and also she is a GREAT traveler,I pull out a blanket and say "bed" and that's her home.

One thing I would say is I'm not sure I would have SUCH a small dog in the future....I didn't expect her to be this tiny...saying that I've met Chi's SMALLER then her(and full grown)her size does make it her hard for her to meet other dog's and I am always thinking about her safety.
I can trust her off lead,she has great recall BUT I always have to be worried about another dog coming over...or her her going over to other dog's.She really REALLY need's another small dog she can buddy up with.
 

Dakotah

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#11
One of the best thing for me with Coco was that her size allows me to take her alot of place's!This was important for socializing and also she is a GREAT traveler,I pull out a blanket and say "bed" and that's her home.

One thing I would say is I'm not sure I would have SUCH a small dog in the future....I didn't expect her to be this tiny...saying that I've met Chi's SMALLER then her(and full grown)her size does make it her hard for her to meet other dog's and I am always thinking about her safety.
I can trust her off lead,she has great recall BUT I always have to be worried about another dog coming over...or her her going over to other dog's.She really REALLY need's another small dog she can buddy up with.
In red, this is HUGE plus for me, as I think I mentioned before. They are small enough to take on a plane, small enough to take up barely any room in a car, small enough to just pack up and go on a road trip, but also they are versatile enough to take walking, cycling, hiking, swimming, etc.
I want a small dog I can take anywhere and do anything with.
I know they are looked at as "Paris Hilton accessory dogs" but I think of them as large dogs in little bodies that can do about anything as a Lab (as said before).
I LOVE the long haired ones, that'd be the only kind I would get.

The more and more I hear and read about Chis, the more I want one. My boyfriend is by far not a small dog person, and I never thought I was either, until I got more into Chis. Other than Chis, I would probably never own a dog smaller than 40-50 lbs full grown. That is a BIG difference in weight but come on, Chis are freakin adorable.
 

Michiyo-Fir

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#12
We have one that's my aunt's dog, he's a LH Chi.

In terms of temperament, he's definitely not as biddable as my Pap but he's very smart. He can figure out a lot of things or ways to get food in cupboards, in tables, etc. He's very sneaky as well. He doesn't pay attention well while learning tricks haha so he's harder to teach in general.

He doesn't bark too too much, probably a 4/10.

He's pretty energetic in bursts but he doesn't have as much endurance and stamina as Nia even though we've been trying to build it up since he was a pup. He gets really tired after a 1-2 hour walk/run.

He's very food motivated but doesn't have much toy drive and actually most of the Chihuahuas I've met don't have too great of a toy drive.

Chis are very very snuggly and cuddly and love to be held or crawl into people's laps. Our Popcorn is so snuggly that he's practically a parasite growing on my aunt's body. He tries to get on her lap when she's on the toilet! O_O Very clingy dogs.

Other than that, some don't like big dogs very much and they are prone to wariness of dogs and strangers so lots of socialization when they're young! Lots and lots! I find the ones I've met to be more confrontational than Papillons or Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. If agitated or scared they're more prone to biting I feel like. Most Papillons I know try their absolute hardest to avoid conflict and hide instead of snapping.

That's about all I can think of right now, if you have any specific questions feel free to ask!
 
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#13
Defintly here ya on the big dog in a little body.I have yet to meet a proper dog "chihuahua" unfortuantly in my area they seem to be pampered and not to be walked(seriously)
Not sure if this is a "chi" trait but Coco is 100% dog,I'm guessing it could be the JRT part that brings her fiestyness but she is defintly a proper little dog,she's up for any challenge and loves walking etc.Swimming.not so much(but she jas only done that in tge freezing english sea!)
If your looking for a travell companion then you should defintly consider a chi,from what me and Coco have done so far it's been great!Having a dog that takes up minimul space is perfect.
Having said all that she is my little baby at heart...she snuggles up to me all evening on tbe sofa,when she's tired of walking she jumps up to.my knees and I scoop her up!
She does somehow take up a rather substansial space in bed somehow!!!!O...and we have not squashed her yet!
 

Dakotah

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#14
We have one that's my aunt's dog, he's a LH Chi.

In terms of temperament, he's definitely not as biddable as my Pap but he's very smart. He can figure out a lot of things or ways to get food in cupboards, in tables, etc. He's very sneaky as well. He doesn't pay attention well while learning tricks haha so he's harder to teach in general.

He doesn't bark too too much, probably a 4/10.

He's pretty energetic in bursts but he doesn't have as much endurance and stamina as Nia even though we've been trying to build it up since he was a pup. He gets really tired after a 1-2 hour walk/run.

He's very food motivated but doesn't have much toy drive and actually most of the Chihuahuas I've met don't have too great of a toy drive.

Chis are very very snuggly and cuddly and love to be held or crawl into people's laps. Our Popcorn is so snuggly that he's practically a parasite growing on my aunt's body. He tries to get on her lap when she's on the toilet! O_O Very clingy dogs.

Other than that, some don't like big dogs very much and they are prone to wariness of dogs and strangers so lots of socialization when they're young! Lots and lots! I find the ones I've met to be more confrontational than Papillons or Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. If agitated or scared they're more prone to biting I feel like. Most Papillons I know try their absolute hardest to avoid conflict and hide instead of snapping.

That's about all I can think of right now, if you have any specific questions feel free to ask!
Ok I know this is going to be an insanely DUMB question, but what is the difference in a Pap and Chi? Other than physical appearances. I actually heard someone over talking at a petsmart a few years ago and I quote "Paps and Chis are one in the same, Paps just have big ears" And I thought to myself, granted I don't know jack sh!t about either breed but I do NOT think for one second they are "one in the same".

Defintly here ya on the big dog in a little body.I have yet to meet a proper dog "chihuahua" unfortuantly in my area they seem to be pampered and not to be walked(seriously)
Not sure if this is a "chi" trait but Coco is 100% dog,I'm guessing it could be the JRT part that brings her fiestyness but she is defintly a proper little dog,she's up for any challenge and loves walking etc.Swimming.not so much(but she jas only done that in tge freezing english sea!)
If your looking for a travell companion then you should defintly consider a chi,from what me and Coco have done so far it's been great!Having a dog that takes up minimul space is perfect.
Having said all that she is my little baby at heart...she snuggles up to me all evening on tbe sofa,when she's tired of walking she jumps up to.my knees and I scoop her up!
She does somehow take up a rather substansial space in bed somehow!!!!O...and we have not squashed her yet!
Aw that's so adorable!
I still love the traveling aspect of them.
 

Fran101

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#15
Chi's are..awesome.

Romeo is cuddly as all hell. He needs to be in a lap or snuggled or he isn't happy lol
He is very flexible energy level wise (more-so than paps/most toy breeds I believe) Wanna go run run run run at the park and train all day? Sure. Wanna sit around and watch grey's anatomy for 12 hours? that's cool too lol

Very portable. I travel with him all the time. Perfect on planes and in cars.

He is a healthy, sturdy little guy, even at 5 pounds. I play ROUGH with him and he doesn't mind lol FIND THE RIGHT BREEDER.

He is very social with ALL people.. socialization is key I think when it comes to that. HE LOVES me but he is happy to be cuddled and adored by anybody

Only health thing I find is teeth.. tiny jaws. ugh.

He is very smart and learns well but he isn't one of those dogs with a DRIVE to do anything. He is happy to learn some cute tricks or play some fetch but ehh, it's not all that interesting to him lol
 

Dakotah

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#16
Chi's are..awesome.

Romeo is cuddly as all hell. He needs to be in a lap or snuggled or he isn't happy lol
He is very flexible energy level wise (more-so than paps/most toy breeds I believe) Wanna go run run run run at the park and train all day? Sure. Wanna sit around and watch grey's anatomy for 12 hours? that's cool too lol

Very portable. I travel with him all the time. Perfect on planes and in cars.

He is a healthy, sturdy little guy, even at 5 pounds. I play ROUGH with him and he doesn't mind lol FIND THE RIGHT BREEDER.

He is very social with ALL people.. socialization is key I think when it comes to that. HE LOVES me but he is happy to be cuddled and adored by anybody

Only health thing I find is teeth.. tiny jaws. ugh.

He is very smart and learns well but he isn't one of those dogs with a DRIVE to do anything. He is happy to learn some cute tricks or play some fetch but ehh, it's not all that interesting to him lol
I still remember when you introduced Romeo to Chaz, <3
Like I said, I'm going to look into Romeo's breeder. With Chis being so over populated and downsized even more than they need to be, this is not a breed I'd go lightly into picking a breeder.

Grey's Anatomy is ok, but I'd prefer a dog to endure Criminal Minds lol :p

The only down fall I can see about this breed is their teeth issues (which if taken care of, I wouldn't think it'd be to big of a deal), and their potty training issues (but I think that is just hearsay on the web).
 

Michiyo-Fir

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#17
Ok I know this is going to be an insanely DUMB question, but what is the difference in a Pap and Chi? Other than physical appearances. I actually heard someone over talking at a petsmart a few years ago and I quote "Paps and Chis are one in the same, Paps just have big ears" And I thought to myself, granted I don't know jack sh!t about either breed but I do NOT think for one second they are "one in the same".
To me, Paps and Chis are very very different dogs. I wouldn't say they are the same. Actually to me, a Maltese is more similar to a Chi than a Pap.

1. Biddability. Paps are a lot more biddable and more willing to please if you ask me. They're happy to learn something for some praise and the handler acting all happy. Our Chi doesn't care much about what I want, he cares about what's in it for him like food. Also Chis tend to lose their focus a bit faster than a Pap.

2. Sensitivity. Paps I find are softer dogs than Chis. They are so incredibly sensitive and a shout or even a mean look can make some of them shut down (like mine). When they think they're not doing something right in trick training, they can shut down or get really frustrated. Chis don't seem to be as sensitive and at least the 2 in our family don't mind being yelled at as much as the Paps.

3. Energy. Depending on the dog but I find most Papillons more energetic than Chihuahuas. Some of them need exercise and it's not negotiable! Nia needs at least an hour of flat out running preferably every day but at least once every other day or she becomes pretty destructive and annoying. Can't settle, paces, continuously drops tennis balls in front of me. Also Paps have amazing endurance. Nia went hiking for 5 hours over highly rocky terrain (she had to jump from rock to rock) and she was still going strong and showing no signs of wanting to stop. Although I'm sure she was pretty tired, she refuses to stop. Ever. Same with tennis balls, I have to watch how long she plays because in the heat, once she played so long that she was on the brink of suffering from heat stroke. She laid in the shake and was panting soooo much and wouldn't even get up when I called her. But if I threw the ball again, she'd still chase it. After that I've become very very careful in high heat. Whereas although Chis are energetic but they don't seem to absolutely need it. To them it seems like it's more important to just be with their person (ppl) and as long as they're with their person, they can still cuddle. Sometimes he's had weeks with a 30 min walk a day and he's fine. Nia would've been chewing through the walls by then.

4. Cuddliness. Chihuahuas live to cuddle and snuggle! Papillons will only do it when they're tired but not all day. Nia will rarely let you hold her for more than a few minutes unless it's the end of the day and she's really tired. She's not the cuddliest dog. If you're paying attention to her, her first response is to jump off, go look for the nearest toy and ask you to play play play.

5. Chihuahuas tend to be more wary than Papillons to new people and dogs I find unless they are socialized a LOT. I think this is one of the reasons why a lot of people see aggressive or snappy Chihuahuas. Their owners didn't know well enough to socialize them as much as they should've Papillons seem to be more prone to being pretty friendly with people (the girls can be DR to strange dogs) but they seem to be more prone to being friendly. Chihuahuas are confrontational, will bite when provoked but Papillons will only bite as a last resort while trying to hide or appease first. It also depends on the dog but as a whole, this is a trait I notice.

Edit: Now that you mentioned teeth. It's a HUGE PITA!! For both breeds!! Ugh! Nia gets brushed every single day, bully sticks 2 times a week, other chews all over the house and it's still hard to keep her teeth clean! Same with Chis. Their super tight lips and tiny mouth but huge teeth make all the disgusting stuff stick! I highly recommend brushing a lot. It's very easy for both breeds to have terrible teeth and need dentals/teeth pulled out.

I haven't had any problems potty training. Nia was pretty much potty trained by 7 months and I didn't get her until about 5.5 or 6 months old. I think her breeder probably did a really good job because she was practically potty trained when she came to me. She had no problems holding through the night at all.
 

Maxy24

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#19
Another mutt here, but both his parents had Chi in them so I can describe Tucker for you. You'll have to look for the common thread between all of these dogs lol.


Tucker is fear aggressive towards strangers, not due to lack of socialization, he came to us this way at 10 weeks old (well not the aggression but the fear), therefore I believe it is genetic. I don't consider this a Chi thing, just a poor breeding thing.


He is great with dogs his size, LOVES to play and if he sees a dog on a walk he wants to go say hi. However he is not obsessive and if the other dog is disinterested he will stop attempting to play and will go back to whatever else he was doing. If the dog returns his invite to play then it's on! He reads dog body language very well and knows when a dog has had enough and won't push, though he seems unphased by being snapped or lunged at.
He gets nervous around playful large dogs (unless he already knows them). He doesn't become all out scared of them, he just jumps back if they move suddenly, but he goes right back to trying to sniff or socialize with them if they stop coming for him. This is a socialization problem I believe as the only dogs he really met as a pup were on leash, he never really learned to be chased or played with freely. Add the intimidating size of large dogs to the mix and it explained his weariness.


He has a high prey drive (ants, flies, mice, squirrel, bird, rabbit), though is able to live with our cats (though he does chase them and try to use them as toys). He is SUPER playful, likes roughhousing, fetch, tug, chase, whatever. He is also really fast, nearly every time I go to the park and he plays with someone's dog I get comments about his speed. He is a VERY fun dog. If he wasn't scared of strangers he'd probably make a good sport dog.

He is very cuddly, follows his person from room to room, likes to get full body massages, HATES being alone. He has no problem having paws, mouth, ears, etc. handled. He does have some guarding tendencies, not of his own food/toys/treats but of stolen things and the couch (not you sitting on it, but you trying to move him off of it or get him to move over). I don't know if I'd call him a one person dog, he certainly makes it clear who his favorite is (because hat's who he follows from room to room) but he greets everyone at the door enthusiastically and is happy to get cuddles and pets from whoever invites him to. But when they're done he'll go back to his favorite.


He is moderate energy. Sometimes I think of it as high, but he doesn't have great endurance, he couldn't handle a super long walk or anything, but he isn't still very often. He doesn't just lie down and chill out, he has to be busy. Luckily as he's aged he's learned to self occupy, but it was rough there for a while.


Training wise...he's not the brightest but I am used to a very smart, very focused dog (Phoebe is one of the smartest dogs I've ever met...which is odd because she's a Shih Tzu). He has good focus though and is food and toy motivated. It just takes him a while to catch on to patterns. He does listen well though, once he fully understands the command, he's very good in that respect. Housebreaking took a long time for us, but it was likely human error. He was pee housebroken in what I consider a normal amount of time, but pooping took a long time, in fact I don't know if he's really fully housebroken. He stress poops, so for the longest time he'd poop as soon as someone left the house for work, and we didn't like the idea of crating him for 7 hours only two hours after he'd woken from 8 hours of crate bed time. But that's stopped, now you'll occasionally get a poop if for some reason he doesn't go during his normal time in the morning and then he gets left for the day while people work, he just can't hold it that long.


Tucker responds to aggression with aggression, if something charges at him he'll jump away but when it turns around he's charging right back (unfortunately for him this includes the approach of friendly strangers). He is not one to back down.


He spooky barks which I think is tied into his fear of strangers because the only thing he barks at are noises that sound like the door being knocked on, I think he thinks people are coming. He'll run to the door and then run in circles around the house barking after he hears the knocking noise, takes him a while to calm down. He also redirects onto the cats in this situation which is one of the things that leads me to believe it is fear based. If he wasn't scared of strangers I'm not sure that he'd do it.


Sorry for the novel lol.
 

Dakotah

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#20
Lol its okay.

Do you know what else he is mixed with?

I don't like the, he handles aggression with aggression thing, that makes me uneasy, that's why I was asking what else he is mixed with.
 

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