10/06/2023
Breed of the month - Chihuahua
The Chihuahua from Mexico is the world’s smallest and one of the most ancient dog breeds, but it’s unclear why they were bred. It’s pretty obvious they weren’t bred for hunting or herding like many other dog breeds, it’s possible they carried some religious meaning or were bred as watchdogs due to their watchful nature and inclination to alert to people entering their territory!
But although they are small in size, they are big in personality! This breed is fun loving and busy, but they love being close to their person. They’ll often follow you around the house, and adapt well to being carried about in tote bags (the classic “handbag dog”!) as you do errands.
I find Chihuahuas are often:
❤️ Affectionate with family
🐶 Loyal
🎾 Playful
👀 Watchful
🏃♀️ Energetic for their size
📢 Vocal!
🐕 Adaptable
🧠 Clever without requiring constant mental stimulation
✋Can be reserved with strangers
🤨 Can be snappy if they feel threatened (easy to do when they’re so little)
Being affectionate and attached to their favourite person, they can become demanding and develop separation anxiety if not taught healthy separation from a young age. They love their own voices, so if overindulged will use their voice to demand what they want. But they’re smart, fast learners and can compete in agility and obedience trials with enthusiasm!
Being so little, careful fencing is a must, they can squeeze through a very small gap and they are curious explorers. Also because they’re so small, they are fragile, so very special care must be taken if they’re in a house with young children. Young kids can easily damage their delicate bodies. They can get snappy with strangers and kids if they feel threatened, so socialise them well but also take care to ensure others treat them respectfully (especially children who may wish to pick them up and carry them around, which won’t go down well with every dog and can be harmful to delicate Chihuahuas).
It’s a great idea to clicker train them with young kids so they can build confidence around kids and learn that kids can be a little unpredictable, we cover this in my Virtual Training Schools if it’s something you need to work on!
Chihuahuas are good watchdogs and can be mistrustful of strangers, so socialise them early to ensure they know how to meet people in a friendly manner and don’t become too yappy. Their confidence is bigger than their size, and they often won’t back down from bigger dogs, so care also needs to be taken that they’re sociable with other dogs and therefore don’t start an altercation that they won’t come out well from! As they’re so little, sometimes people keep them out of the way of other dogs to their detriment, resulting in some mal-socialisation. So socialise early with dogs of all sizes, while taking care to make sure they aren’t injured by bigger dogs.
Though they’re considered lap dogs, they’re active and like to be kept occupied - they are sparky and lots of fun! They’re excellent companion dogs, love attention and are loyal to their owners.
Do you have a Chihuahua and if so, does this ring true? Please post a pic in the comments, I’d love to see your little one! ❤️
