Question:One of my friends has one and says it is the meanest dog. Are all miniature chihuahuas like that or does it depend on the parents? How can you be sure you get a good chihuahua? Thanks
Answers:
Chihuahuas are wonderful dogs for adults, but not for children. People with young children or any children under 13+ should not have them.
Depends how the owner treats the puppy/dog.
She mostly likely hasn't done any training and is letting her get away with things! The breed is not naturally mean...It all depends on the owner and what they do. Your friend needs to put her foot down and teach the dog aggression will not be tolerated..
Sometimes those tiny dogs are bred for size and not for sweet, happy temperment.
So, yes, parents/breeding have a lot to do with it. When you consider a breeder, ask for references. Call these folks and see what they think of the dog. Ask specific questions about the dog's temperment.
In the 5 years I spent working in a vet hospital, I met 3 nice chihuahuas. 3 out of hundreds of dogs!
Training and socialization also play a big role. People think little dogs don't need training, but they do. Obedience training is key to good dogs.
Personally I think any dog makes a great pet but the nature of the dog depends on how much time is spent with it and how u train it and also how many people it around but yes dogs are great
I have a miniture chihuahua and they are great dogs! they are loyal, loving, cute and playfull. He always wants attention, and they are quite funny. But i know very well they do have stubborn bone in there body. But that it greatly out numbered by all the possitive things they have to offer. And they can live UP TO 17 YEARS!!
I have 2 long coat Chihuahua's and 2 short coat Chihuahua's. Mine have excellent manners and are very well behave. How they behave depends on how well you train them. I have put a lot of time and effort into making my dogs the best they can be.
You stand a better chance of getting a well bred Chihuahua if you go to a good breeder rather than a pet store or a back yard breeder. Unltimatly though it's the training that goes a very long way as to how they behave.
If they are called miniature from the breeder, this is a backyard or puppy mill breeder. They are adding terms to the name of the breed to make it seem rare or special. There is no such breed as a miniature chihuahua. It is just a chihuahua. Some breeds like dachshund, poodle, and a few others are actually called miniature in the breed standard.
If it is a backyard breeder, they have low quality stock. Most of the time these people really know very little about the dogs they are breeding except how to get them to have puppies. Or they are from a puppy mill and the puppies are not socailized, nor have the parents been socailized.
Much of it comes down to training though. Many people say of their little dogs that they "don't know they are little." Actually the little guys are just scared. They know exactly how little they are. The world is huge. They need to be trained for their sake and for ours.
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