CONS:
1. Chihuahuas are suspicious of strangers, even your friends and family. So you can tell them how great your dog is, but when they come over, all they might see is a yapping, clingy dog who wants nothing to do with them and they will not understand what you see in your dog. This is the stereotype of Chihuahuas, which is true where strangers are concerned if you keep your pup at home all the time. You can try to avoid this by having the puppy spend a ton of time with friends and family once you have had it a week or so and it is generally used to its new home. But if they do anything negative to your puppy during this time, it will never be forgiven. One of my husband�s friends held our Molly when she was little. When he went to put her down, he dropped her (because she felt him putting her down and jumped unexpectedly). She hates him to this day, and will not stop barking and/or growling the entire time he is in our house. She generally gets upset the first 5 minutes someone else is present, then gets over it.
2. Chihuahuas are fragile. You have to get used to having such a small dog underfoot. Even I have stepped on their toes literally from time to time. The vast majority of the time, it isn�t something to worry about, but if you aren�t used to little dogs, it is a big adjustment. They get pretty good at getting out of the way, but it takes them time to learn. You can�t play too rough with them. You can�t trust small children not to hurt them unintentionally. Unlike some Chihuahua breeders, we will sell to homes with small children, with the understanding that you will closely supervise all interactions between the two to avoid your child hurting your puppy. You have to train your chi not to jump from high places. As mentioned in the watchdog point, they don�t realize that their bodies have limitations. They don�t know what is good for them, and could jump from a bed or couch and break a leg.
3. Chihuahuas are extremely sensitive. You can�t EVER hit your Chihuahua. You can�t yell at your Chihuahua. If you do, it will pout with you for hours, and if you do so often, more than once a day, it will never bond to you. That bond is what drives all the positive behavior in Chihuahuas, so you don�t want a dog who has no bonds to humans. All discipline must be done by rewarding good behavior, not by punishing bad (at least not beyond a stern but gentle �no� with redirection.)
4. Chihuahuas are hard to potty-train. Because of their small size, they have to go very frequently. It is difficult to provide the constant supervision to catch them in the act. The good news is that it isn�t much mess to clean up. We find that paper training first, while they are tiny, works best, and then eventually you can get to just outside business and remove the paper, by the time they are a year old. If you don�t provide paper, expect accidents from time to time. While the puppies may play with the paper just as soon as use it, we still highly recommend paper. They will outgrow the playing part. They sell mats to secure the pads if they truly won�t stop messing with them. Because we start them early, our puppies seem to be easier to train than the typical Chihuahua. Both puppies in our first litter only had one accident per week in their new homes. But potty training success is most dependent on how much effort you put into it. They must go out often, and you must learn their cues that they have to go. Don�t leave them alone and expect them to get it right.
5. Chihuahuas aren�t �sport� dogs. If you want a dog to hunt with, to play Frisbee with at the park, or run marathons by your side, the Chihuahua isn�t your choice. Ours do so love a game of fetch or tug of war, though. They are still dogs and they can still play, just on a smaller scale.
6. Chihuahuas hate being cold. You must keep your chi very warm. Their heritage from Mexico is obvious in this regard. Molly is mostly black. She can lie in the sun and get hot to the touch, but yet she stays there and does so without panting. She enjoys it. They get cold very easily in the winter. You can�t keep your house less than 70 degrees without providing your chi some source of backup heat.
7. Chihuahuas must defend themselves. Due to their small size, it is in the Chihuahua�s nature to defend itself, rather than just provide warnings. Chihuahuas, especially old ones, can get snappy if you pester them. Don�t let children bother your dog while it is eating, sleeping, or playing with a chew toy. It would not be unheard of for a Chihuahua to growl in these situations, and if growling doesn�t work, they might snap. If you work with your dog from the time you first get it, taking away food, bothering it while sleeping, and such you will teach it that you are in charge and allowed to do these things. But even then, it is possible. Our dogs are all still young and not at all like that, but we feel we must mention it, even if it never comes up. If you can�t handle the possibility of being snapped at, a Chihuahua (or other small dog) is not for you. They will NOT do it without reason, and you will be warned probably several times before the snap comes, but if you feel that you are the owner and you should be able to do whatever you want and the dog should just obey, that attitude will NOT work with a Chihuahua. The dog has a right to peaceful moments without you bossing it around. The Chihuahua/human bond is closer to one of equal appreciation, not master and slave.
8. Chihuahuas are NOT outdoor dogs! We can�t stress this one enough. Even if you have a fenced in yard, we do not recommend you leave your Chihuahua outside unsupervised. They can fit through the tiniest places you wouldn�t imagine to escape or get stuck. They are ideal targets for foxes, coyotes, hawks, and owls. Because of their courageous attitudes, they tend to annoy bigger dogs and are often attacked. Because they are so cute, they are also a common pet thief target. You can�t chain a Chihuahua, either. Their necks are too fragile. They just want to be with you, so they will bark their fool heads off to come in if you try to leave them outside for more than a few minutes, and annoy the heck out of your neighbors. If we find out you have any intention of keeping your Chihuahua outside alone on a regular basis, we will not sell to you. Chihuahuas belong in the house, as a full fledged member of the family.
Note that almost all of the pros and cons listed above apply to MOST tiny breeds. Yorkshire terriers are very similar in all respects, except they require professional grooming on a regular basis and they have more of the terrier mentality. Yorkies can be just as hard to potty train, just as fragile, just as nippy, just as sensitive, and just as suspicious of strangers. Bichons, poodles, and Malteses are also very similar. So if you want a little dog, you should choose one based on the appearance, grooming requirements, and the individual dog�s personality, rather than breed descriptions as they are all quite similar, being dogs bred for companionship, all with common ancestors. It isn�t like every Chihuahua or every poodle or every Yorkie is exactly the same. There are variations in every breed.
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