Chihuahuas!

Michiyo-Fir

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#21
Popcorn handles aggression with aggression too. That's why I said the breed is a bit more confrontational than some. If a dog snarls at him or charges at him, he'll charge and snarl back or snap. So does the smooth Chi my other aunt has. She's scared of strangers so if strangers approach her really fast and she's scared, she doesn't try to hide or move away, she snarls and bares teeth. She's a rescue though so we don't know what happened to her before. We didn't get her until 5 years old.

If a dog snarls or charges at Nia, she'll run and scream while running away or she'll flip over to appease (if they're only growling or snarling not charging her).
 

Maxy24

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#22
No we don't know what he's mixed with, both parents look primarily Chi (assuming the mom's "boyfriend" was the actual dad), but Tucker definitely look like he has something else. My best guess is some Dachshund, maybe terrier, maybe spaniel (though can't see that in parents at all)...yeah we don't know.

In case you want to venture a guess...
Here are the parents











and pics of Tucker and his brother:
http://www.chazhound.com/forums/t136024/



He also does the same sort of thing with other animals. If he is annoying a cat and the cat swats and hurts him he goes at the cat more roughly. I remember we were in a pet store during an adoption event and a small dog in a puppy pen charged and barked at Tucker when he came near and Tucker leapt back then ran back at the fence (at which point I dragged him away). I don't know if he'd seriously do anything or if he's bluffing though. Yet then there have been times when dogs have snapped and lunged at him and he doesn't notice or he initiates play, so I don't know what's going on in that noggin.

It's hard to say if he's soft. He doesn't care about yelling, if you make a loud noise he'll take notice and stop what he's doing but it doesn't upset or punish him, just interrupts. But he also doesn't forget when you have upset him. My dad is by far the most likely to physically punish Tucker (hits him with his hat, shoves him away from things he isn't supposed to be doing) and Tucker has almost no relationship with him whatsoever. In the last month or so Tucker has become fearful of my uncle. Not the same as he is with strangers (no aggression) but he won't go near him. My uncle is the type who believes dogs learn through being hit, scruff shaked, etc. and I know Tucker has a bad jumping up problem on those he likes. I would bet you uncle punished him for it without even thinking about it because it's just what he does, and Tucker has lost all his trust in him. It's really strange, especially since uncle didn't mention he did anything (and I didn't ask, it'd offend him). There was also a period of a few weeks where my brother's girlfriend stopped paying much attention to Tucker for some reason (maybe found him obnoxious) and Tucker completely stopped associating with her for like a month. He wouldn't get excited when she came over, wouldn't come over to her if she called him to get petting. Nope, you ignored him, he's ignoring you.
 

JennSLK

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#26
Dont worry Dakotah, at the last dog show I met someone who told me how to train Solo in a special way since dogs can actually see into your brain and read your thoughts. She was dead serious, ask Hayley. You would have been proud of me, I kept a strait face. LOL
 

Dakotah

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#27
Dont worry Dakotah, at the last dog show I met someone who told me how to train Solo in a special way since dogs can actually see into your brain and read your thoughts. She was dead serious, ask Hayley. You would have been proud of me, I kept a strait face. LOL
I am proud of you, cause I would of laughed my butt off :lol-sign:
 

~Dixie's_Mom~

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#28
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.
This. XD Chloe's the same way.

But I'll say that Chloe doesn't have an aggressive bone in her body. She's never bitten anyone or fought with any dog. That said, she will snap at Violet if she hurts her while trying to play with her, but she doesn't carry through, or try to "attack" Violet at all, the way my Yorkies would. She just lets her know "OW!! QUIT IT!" And Violet's the only dog she ever "corrects" that way. Since she's her little sister and all. ;)
 

Dakotah

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#29
I keep going back and forth about these little dogs.
I love everything about them, but I am so scared of hurting them, as I am use to large dogs. I am a fast walker, I talk with my hands, and I love to hiking in the woods/trails/mountains.
Now, as long as they can handle the activity aspect of it, I am down for one.
But seriously who can resist that face and the long haired ones are to.die.for!
 

Michiyo-Fir

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#30
Are you looking for a breeder pup or rescue one? I know there are quire a few larger Chis (8-10 lbs) in rescues that may be a good fit if you're scared of hurting them.

I'm not sure if breeders have larger pups as much, I'm sure sure they do occasionally but most of the breeder pups I've met are between 3-6 lbs.

To be honest, they're not as fragile as they look and they have no problems with fast walkers or hiking. The only thing I can caution is be careful of bears and eagles that sometimes take small dogs. Actually at one of our dog parks, a small Chi was taken away by some kind of eagle type bird and it was in the newspaper...

Other than that I don't see any problems with the activities you want to do.
 

Dakotah

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#31
Are you looking for a breeder pup or rescue one? I know there are quire a few larger Chis (8-10 lbs) in rescues that may be a good fit if you're scared of hurting them.

I'm not sure if breeders have larger pups as much, I'm sure sure they do occasionally but most of the breeder pups I've met are between 3-6 lbs.

To be honest, they're not as fragile as they look and they have no problems with fast walkers or hiking. The only thing I can caution is be careful of bears and eagles that sometimes take small dogs. Actually at one of our dog parks, a small Chi was taken away by some kind of eagle type bird and it was in the newspaper...

Other than that I don't see any problems with the activities you want to do.
I will be caution of eagles/larger dogs/ other animals that would consider a Chi a "meal" but I am not to worried about it because I would NEVER EVER let a Chi (or any other breed) out of my sight. Its just easier that way.

I am definitely looking at a breeder pup. I want to be able to raise/socialize/train/etc the way I want to.
 

thehoundgirl

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#32
I am not really a chihuahua person to be honest, but my Aunt's two chi girls are the sweetest. The male she had was temperamental with men but loved women.

I have seen them as more as one person dogs, why they can love everyone they usually depend on the person who takes care of them. The temperamental chis I have met, well.. they were just that way.

They are picky who they want to like really but it over all depends on the individual dog. Some can love everyone, or just like their owner and that's it so you would have to be prepared for that.

They can be nice little dogs, it just depends on the dog. I have met more little temperamental chis than nice ones but have fet a few I like and my favorite ones are my aunts chihuahuas. She doesn't breed anymore, though and she treats them like dogs. It just peeves me who people don't treat them like dogs, then they become nasty if you don't hold them.

There were these two chis at the dog daycare I used to work at. Shy as all get out but if you held them and put them in your lap they just melted. I am not a big fan of the breed, but it depends on their temperament for me. I don't count all of them out even if I have met the nastiest little dogs that were chis.
 

milos_mommy

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#33
I love chis A LOT, but I'm not sure if they sound like a good match for you. I know quite a few who just don't *love* people. They take their sweet time to warm up to strangers, and aren't afraid to growl/snap if someone gets grabby or tries to push them into being friends too fast.

They're also probably far more energetic than most people think, but unless you're willing to carry one part of the way, they aren't the best hiking/rock climbing/swimming/etc companions.
 

Saeleofu

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#34
Only health thing I find is teeth.. tiny jaws. ugh.
Ugh. This pup I'm fostering now has ALL his baby teeth and ALL his adult teeth. It's nuts. He'll obviously need the baby teeth pulled at some point, we just didn't want to keep him under anesthesia any longer after his amputation. So that'll happen when he's neutered.
 

Dakotah

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#35
I love chis A LOT, but I'm not sure if they sound like a good match for you. I know quite a few who just don't *love* people. They take their sweet time to warm up to strangers, and aren't afraid to growl/snap if someone gets grabby or tries to push them into being friends too fast.

They're also probably far more energetic than most people think, but unless you're willing to carry one part of the way, they aren't the best hiking/rock climbing/swimming/etc companions.
I understand what you are saying.
I don't mind carrying a Chi, I really don't, but when I go hiking, I HIKE. I am a little worried that a Chi would get tired before I am half way even done.
When I go visit my dad, I go to a hiking trail that is really long, has mountain type rocks, steep hills, and through the whole thing is a long creek/stream/river type deal. The water is by no means fast, but it is deep (I went swimming in it).

Since I am living with my mom, I hike a lot through the woods, go out to horse farms and walk horse trails, go to the local park and walk trails there, etc etc.

I am strongly considered about their energy level and keeping up, I know they can keep up, but when I go, I don't stop and I would to have an animal that wants to go with me and swim, hike, etc for hours. Of course, no matter what kind of dog I get, I will have a first aid kit for him/her, water, treats, leads, harness/collar, etc etc.

I hope that all made sense, I am totally exhausted and waiting for my sinus medicine to kick in lol.
 

thehoundgirl

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#36
Well, they certainly aren't really an athletic breed but I am sure they can go hiking. Just don't carry the dog all the time, lol. Walk it on a leash, they aren't meant to be carried even if they are small. Make sure you teach it good leash manners, I cannot tell you how many chis and small dogs I have met at the shelter that do NOT know how to walk on a leash thanks to their owners packing them around all the time. :rolleyes:
 

Dakotah

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#37
Well, they certainly aren't really an athletic breed but I am sure they can go hiking. Just don't carry the dog all the time, lol. Walk it on a leash, they aren't meant to be carried even if they are small. Make sure you teach it good leash manners, I cannot tell you how many chis and small dogs I have met at the shelter that do NOT know how to walk on a leash thanks to their owners packing them around all the time. :rolleyes:
Leash training will definitely be enforced.
I don't mind a cuddly, "let me get in your lap puhleasseeeee" kind of dog, and if need be (on a long hike/etc) I will carry a Chi but not the rest of the way, I will rotate walking and carrying (especially a long hike/trail walk).
 

thehoundgirl

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#38
Well, yeah I was just saying because I have seen chis FLIP out if you even put a leash or try they would bite you so leash manners is really important. Is this really a breed you want as a hiking partner? If you are looking into the regular sized chis, it could definately keep up. Not one of the TINY ones so make sure you get one that can actually keep up with you and not too big so you can carry it if need be. :)
 

Dakotah

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#39
Well, yeah I was just saying because I have seen chis FLIP out if you even put a leash or try they would bite you so leash manners is really important. Is this really a breed you want as a hiking partner? If you are looking into the regular sized chis, it could definately keep up. Not one of the TINY ones so make sure you get one that can actually keep up with you and not too big so you can carry it if need be. :)
I definitely would get a normal size Chi, from a breeder, a d@mn good one at that.

Aside from chis, I have looked into Aussies. No matter what breed I THINK I want (lol) Aussies always come back to me. Having been raised with them and fostered them, I love everything about them.
But I guess I wanted a change from MY norm.
Like I said, I absolutely love everything about a Chi. I am sure there would not be any problem with me having a Chi as my hiking/camping/ go to buddy, if it came from a reputable breeder. I know those breeders are out there, but there are few and far between since all these BYB are all over them dang place.
 

Fran101

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#40
Here is a video of romeo that pretty much sums him up in a nutshell lol
Just a day in the life.. - YouTube

He is a happy cute little guy. with zero prey drive. He loves to play with his friend Charlie (big bichon), and does enjoy a nice long walk!

and he does run..



and play..


and bark..


it's just that he is just happy to be in a lap and snooze around all day

ROMEO IS INCREDIBLY SOCIAL with people. I dunno. Blame the breeding or living on a college campus but either way.. there isn't a shy bone in his body when it comes to ANYBODY



They are regular dogs. Just smaller. lol and funner to dress up!
 

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