ALL ABOUT CHIHUAHUAS
PROS:
1. Chihuahuas are exceptionally affectionate to their family. They love to give kisses, to cuddle, to sleep with you, to be near you. They bond very tightly to their family. Mine will follow me around the house, wherever I go. They will do anything to hear that you are pleased with them. They don�t need treats as rewards once they have bonded. Your praises go miles and miles with them. They are loyal to the death. They were bred to be companions, not hunters or herders, and it is obvious from their behavior. It takes time to develop this bond, but generally by the time the pup is a year old, you will see the bonded behavior.
2. They are very easy to manage, being so small. They don�t eat much, don�t poop much, don�t shed much (but they are NOT a non-shedding dog) don�t take up much space, so they cost less than the average dog to keep. (Vet bills remain the same though.)
3. They are generally a hardy breed, living an average of 14 years.
4. They are very expressive. You always know exactly how your chi feels. For example, our little Mijo generally sleeps in the bed between us. The second he starts to get squished, he growls a very specific growl that says, �hey, stop squishing me�. They put their ears back when they are worried or frightened or apologizing. Ours even seem to smile.
5. They often think they are watchdogs and that they can protect you from anything. This can get them into trouble, though. As we like to put it, they often �write checks their bodies can�t cash.� A Chihuahua might not scare off a burglar, but you will definitely know the minute they step foot onto your property. I have read that chis are snobs where it comes to other dogs, but we have not personally found that to be the case. Chis will love everyone in the family, including cats and other breeds of dogs, but will be suspicious of every living thing not in the family, including other dogs.
6. This may be a good point or bad point, depending on how you look at it, but Chihuahuas will nearly always choose one favorite person. While they will love everyone in the family, there will be one person who they idolize. This will be the person who is most kind to them, who spends the most time with them, the person who is not rough with discipline. If you are buying this puppy for a specific person in the family, be sure to have that person provide all those things for the puppy to be sure the puppy chooses the intended favorite. We do not recommend that a child be that person, as a child who is old enough to be responsible for care will most often go off to college or rent an apartment about half-way through the Chihuahua�s life, leaving the dog at home with the parents, neither of whom the dog is bonded as tightly to, resulting in a depressed pooch. If you wish to avoid a single attachment, make sure you rotate who feeds and walks your puppy.
7. Chihuahuas are not terriers. Many small dogs have what is called �the terrier mentality�. While I find Jack Russell Terriers very cute, I would never own one because of the terrier mentality. Terriers are very high energy, playful, hyper dogs that have a tendency to be hard to control as well as to run away. They are much more independent and less likely to show the �bonding� behavior. While chis are playful, their deep bond to you keeps them in line. As long as they have that bond, their desire to please you will prevent all unwanted terrier-like behavior. They don�t like to have you out of their sight, so they generally don�t run away, either (being spooked or left alone could cause a �runner� though.)
8. Chihuahuas don�t need much space/time to exercise. Chis don�t need a big fenced yard, they don�t need to take long walks. Chis get plenty of exercise playing around the house, especially if you have another dog as a playmate. They are even good apartment pets, provided your landlord allows them.
9. Chihuahuas can�t do much damage. Even if your puppy goes through a destructive phase, chewing on everything, because of their size and strength as a puppy, they generally can�t do a whole lot of damage. You should still take precautions and put things out of reach that you don�t want chewed, but if you should forget, it isn�t nearly as bad as forgetting with a pit-bull puppy.
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