Chihuahua - All The Things Youv'e Probably Not Been Told About!
74A Brief History of the Chihuahua
The Chihuahua breed has a long and distinguished history as a dog. The breed originally came from the ancient Techichi breed of dog that belong to the Toltec Civilization near Mexico City. This ancient breed of dog was larger than today’s modern breed and was also mute. The breed became a sacred icon of the upper class members of society and as a religious symbol when they were used in ceremonies to help guide dead spirits after the Aztec empire conquered the Toltecs.
By the time the Chihuahua breed was discovered in the United States in the 1850s it had been crossed with a hairless breed from the Orient, which led to the modern breed we see today. The Chihuahua was discovered in the Chihuahua state of Mexico, which is located near Texas and New Mexico, this is also where the name for the breed comes from. The breed was then added to the American Kennel Club in 1904.Graceful, alert and agile with a compact and terrier like quality is the official description of the Chihuahua breed given by the American Kennel Club. Generally the Chihuahua is a very graceful, energetic and swift dog, but each Chihuahua has it's own unique personality and some can be very grumpy, haughty or even nasty when provoke if they have an extreme terrier like quality to them. This terrier like quality doesn’t make the Chihuahua a good breed for large households or those with small or noisy children because of their clannish tendencies and suspiciousness of other people. But the curiosity, intelligence and extreme loyalty of the breed make them an excellent pet for the elderly, individuals and disabled people. The Chihuahua will often become attached to just one or two individuals and want to be pampered. The Chihuahua is also idea for those living in apartments or on a limited income. You should always observe the temperament of your Chihuahua before determining if it is the right breed for you.Often Chihuahuas aren’t aware of their small stature and you can typically see them acting much bolder than other dogs that are three times their size or more. The breed will often become extremely loyal to just one or two individuals, which causes them to become highly protective. This results in the Chihuahua becoming wary of any news guests introduced to their personal domain and can cause a rather violent reaction. Although not a very good guard dog, this trait makes the Chihuahua an excellent option for a watchdog.For Chihuahuas human contact is a must, as they will need a lot of general attention, touching and petting. Without enough attention the breed will resort to various attention getting tricks, such as being mischievous. While some find this makes their dog a bit too needy, you will gain a lot of loyalty from your Chihuahua in exchange for love, affection and care. The Chihuahua is a diverse breed suitable for certain types of households. As a bold breed, the Chihuahua is highly protective and loyal of their owners. Knowing Chihuahua information can help you determine if it is a breed right for you.PrintShare it! — Rate it: up down flag this hub
Comments
I love Clole on berley hill billys. She is cute!!!!!! I love the Chihuahua Puppies on the link I LOVE CHIHUAHUA PUPPIES AND REGALR PUPPIES
THNX REALLY HELPFUL...I LOVE CHIHUAHUAS!!!THEY ROK...1 prob. i dont have 1!!WAH WAH WAH!!WANT CHIHUAHUAS!!
Not sure if most people know this but pups usually don't have control of their bladders until around 6 mo old, which is why the tinkle at the drop of a hat. Crate training is a must! I have a 10 mo old chi and he is COMPLETELY house trained as a result of crate training! He now comes to get me when he has to go outside!! You have to be consistant, consistant, consistant but it pays off!
Chi's Rock - they are THE sweetest dogs!
Latest Chihuahua Information
- Chihuahua Training
What are the biggest problems you face when trying to train your chihuahua? - 2 weeks ago
- poopin in the room help
My dog wolf is house trained nearly a year but recently he has decided he will pee outside and come back in the house and poo upstairs in the bedroom i dont know why he gets in trouble and put out when he does it and he knows he did wrong because he runs off and hides and does his sorry face we moved house about 6 weeks ago could this be connected? but there was no other dog here before us and dont they usually pee to mark there territory its causing trouble between me and my partner because he wants wolf left downstairs but i dont as im home alone a lot and like his company... any suggestions why hes doing this or how i can stop this??????? - 5 weeks ago
- Being A Responsible Owner
I think when you own an animal of any kind the first step in having a well rounded pet is the responsibility of the owner. I’ve heard for years that children and Chihuahuas aren’t a good combination. Granted I’ve only been raising and breeding chis for three years but I have to disagree on some level with that. I have Chihuahuas ranging from 2 pounds to 20 pounds; I also have six grand children ranging from 2yrs to 15 yrs. All of our Chihuahuas are raised in the house with us as family pets. We breed pet quality dogs only, for one reason, not everyone wants a show dog, there are enough of those kinds of breeders out there already, I do it for the love of the breed. I agree that the very small Chihuahua is more aggressive and a little more territorial and really isn’t a good pet for a family with small children, but a family with small children aren’t good for the Chihuahua either. If you have a 2 to 5 pounds Chihuahua and a toddler picks it up and squeezes it to tight the little dog will want to defend himself so when he does the only thing he knows to do (bites) the toddler will throw or drop the dog which could hurt or even kill the dog. But when you have a Chihuahua that is 12 to 15 pounds it’s no different then having a Bichon Frise that gets to be 7 to 12 pounds and recommended for families with small children or a miniature Schnauzer that gets to be 10-15 pounds also recommended for families with small children. I know the AKC says the perfect Chihuahua is between 2 and 6 pounds but the perfect Chihuahua isn’t for everyone. This is why I breed pet quality dogs only, people of all ages want to own a Chihuahua, old, young, married, single, and families. A responsible breeder will not sell a small Chihuahua to a family with small children, and a responsible well educated owner would know that they would be creating a situation with a bad ending. - 2 months ago
- Hello from Sophie and her mama (Greta in SC) - we would appreciate some assistance :-0
I have just taken over a little rescue, Sophie, who is appr. 3 years old. She is a sweetie, and is very quiet and not at all yappy. She gets on famously with my Bouvier rescue Albert who lost his bouv buddy of 13 years to cancer. so Albert has been very lonely, and he loves to play with Sophie - they are a hoot to watch.... I am bouvier rescue person for The Upstate of SC and Albert is my third bouv. My daughter has a Chi, and both Albert and I fell in love with the breed when we visited her sometime last year, and then Sophie came along..... Sophie has a problem: she is not house clean, and although i have a "little green machine" we need to tackle this problem. I have a lot of experience with general dog training, but never had Chi before. My feeling is that I ought to start in a puppy class with her, since she is the one that takes the lead when I take her outside on a flexi, and she is really not mindful of me at all. She leads and I follow when we are hoping for a pee in our yard. I try to change that picture by gently nudging her to follow me, but I guess three years of "getting her way" can be hard to break. I can get lucky in the mornings when i take her out of her crate where she snuggles happily with her blankie..... AND SHE NEVER SOILS HER CRATE - she can keep it up the whole night! so I know she is capable!!! ;-) I take her outside very often - appr. every three hours on the flexi - and sometimes we are not lucky... no pee... and if I then let her back to the house and give her free run, I will inevitably find pee on the carpet in far corners of far rooms. I have tried to place puppy pads, but they are of no interest, even when I have put some of her own pee on it - she is not interested. She will then also do her other business in odd corners unless I have had the luck to get both businesses out of her by the first morning attempt. Are there any book "out there" that can help me conquer this unfortunate habit of hers. Her last famiy, who loved her to pieces could not cope with it, too busy and too big a house for her to run around in.... they gave up, and I am determined to succeed with her - BUT HOW????? All suggestions and advice and help are MOST welcome! I have to crack this "Nut".......oh, I also tried diapers, but they tend to slide off her too easily.... ;-) Thank you for taking the trouble to suggest help for Sophie's problem....... Greta in Greenville, SC - 2 months ago
- Too loyal to one owner
I work from home, my wife is at the office most of the day. Our chihuahua has developed a loyalty to me. At night when my wife his home, she wants to cuddle with the little guy, but he will growl at her or he will squirm until she has to let him go and then he runs over to me. He will cuddle with her if I leave the room or am not at the apt, but when we are both in the room he has an obvious bias. Anybody else face this problem? Any ideas how to cause the little guy to be comfortable chilling with his other owner when all three of us are in the room? We have tried some techniques. I sternly scold him and give him a point when he growls at her. This works for a short time, but then the squirming starts. My wife will bribe him with little bits of treats when he is on her lap. This has shown signs of working, but he will often start squirming once the treats are gone. Our dog is only 7 months old, and this has only been occurring for the past 4-6 weeks. Hoping there is still time to correct this behavior at a young age. Thanks for the help. Apologies if this topic is already discussed in another thread, I am new to the board. - 2 months ago
- Anal Fishy odor
MY chihuahua has a fishy odor comming from her bum bum. What is it from or what could be causing it. - 2 months ago
- Little nervous biter...
I have 2 chihuahuas - a boy and a girl from the same litter. My girl dog, Xena, is an angel. She is confident and happy -she'll bark at a stranger until they get close enough and then she wants to make friends. My boy dog, Chewie, is not an angel. Since the day I got them from a good breeder - lots of human/dog/cat interaction, handling and affection - Chewie has ben a little bit of a nervous dog. He is reluctant to come when called - he sidles around the edges of furniture or hides under chairs if you approach him. He is Extremely warry of other dogs. When he was a puppy, he would try to hide when other dogs in the neighborhood would try to greet him. It has been a little bit frustrating from the beining but we found ways to adapt to his skittishness and it all went fine for the first 2 years. But lately, he has begun aggressing toward the things that used to just make him hide behind my legs. He attacks the vacuum and the lawnmower - anything with a motor sound except the can opener - and he has recently started taking little nips at friends and neighbors if they approach to quickly or stand up quickly from a chair. He actually broke skin on my neighbor Tom who has been their friend since they came to live with us. Any ideas what I can do to help him with his fear? - 3 months ago
- poodles
I love chiuahuahs but i love poodles too is it wrong to use a poodle picture on chiuahuah lovers? please respond ASAP - 3 months ago
The Chihuahua And Their Owners
Due to their loyalty and need to be close to their owners the Chihuahua makes an excellent companion and their compact size also makes them convenient for many owners. Chihuahuas have been known to ride inside the pocket of a coat, in purses or a tote bag and also simply just carried around in the arms of the owner. They are easy to travel with and enjoy outdoor activities in favorable weather.
However, the Chihuahua can also be curious and mischievous at times. If they are left along for a long period of time at home they will often find something to get into and leave you with a mess. Often the Chihuahua won't get along with other breeds but they will do fine with another of their own breed. Therefore, you should either stick with just Chihuahua or you should choose carefully before you add a second breed to your household.
The movies and advertisements by companies such as Taco Bell made the Chihuahua dog very popular. As a result it is now easy to find poorly bred Chihuahuas if you do not carefully select the breed to fit in with your household. Many families think the breed is perfect because of their self-confidence and easy trainability. However, buying simply from pet stores, newspapers or on the internet can lead to getting a dog that was bred without a concern for their health or temperament and you will have no way of knowing whether or not it will work with your household. Often times a good breeder won't place a dog in a home with a child under the age of twelve. However, because of their small litter size the number of puppies available from good breeders is often limited. Therefore, you should carefully consider the breed before determining if they are right for you and your household.
You need to focus on feeding requirements, exercise needs and grooming when it comes to caring for your Chihuahua. Only give your Chihuahua dog a small amount of food at each meal. All that most dogs require is about two or three ounces of high quality dog food and a few puppy biscuits. Instead of one large daily feeding it is better to have two or three small meals a day. A few of the larger dogs of the breed can eat up to a half can of dog food. While the Chihuahua won't object to being carried around they are actually capable of walking long distances. However, most of the dogs exercise will come from simple playing around the house, which makes them an excellent pet for the elderly. You should use a soft brush for grooming and rub them down with a wet towel or glove in order to make their coat shine. Keep their nails trimmed regularly and their ears clean.
Not all households will do well with a Chihuahua. To determine if the breed is right for your household you should carefully consider Chihuahua information.
Personality Traits Of A Chihuahua
Due to limited living spaces many individuals choose to adopt Chihuahua dogs and make them their pet. These animals are the smallest breed of dog in the world, and many individuals assume they don't need much space to live. This is not true though, and this emphasizes why it is so important for individuals to gather lots of Chihuahua information and learn what to expect before bring a Chihuahua home.
Although Chihuahuas are very small they actually need quite a bit of space when they want to run and play. In fact many experts recommend that you provide your Chihuahua with a fenced-in backyard that allows them to run around freely. If you live in an apartment or condo where this isn't possible, you can still provide your Chihuahua with room to run around by taking them outside on an extended leash. This allows them to run around fairly unrestrained while you still maintain control of them.Individuals who want a very personal dog that is highly interactive with them should consider a Chihuahua. This particular breed of dog likes being around people and hates when they are left alone. This is why many owners of Chihuahua dogs utilize the services of a daycare center for dogs when they are at work during the day.For individuals that want a Chihuahua but can't afford to put them in doggy daycare, they may want to get two Chihuahua dogs. Just as Chihuahuas enjoy being around people, they also enjoy being around other Chihuahuas. It is best to get both Chihuahuas when they are little so that they learn to get along. In addition, it is recommended that you get your Chihuahuas fixed when they are very young as this eliminates the danger they face from other dogs. Due to the fact they are small dogs, they don't have the ability to defend themselves against other dogs especially when they are in heat.One thing that many individuals and families don't expect with Chihuahua dogs is their possessive nature. Chihuahuas have the ability to develop a special bond with people they are frequently around such as their owners or caregivers. They often bark, growl, snip at, bite or attack individuals that appear to be invading their space and their bond. This is why Chihuahuas will even attack fellow family members that live in the same house. Before you purchase or adopt a Chihuahua it is important you are fully knowledgeable and aware of their possessive behavior since it is one of the main reasons individuals get rid of them after only having them for a few months.Even though they may be possessive, Chihuahuas can make great pets for individuals and families. They have a lot of desirable qualities and are quite intelligent. However, you should become fully knowledgeable about Chihuahuas and know what to expect before you bring one home.In order to ensure a Chihuahua is right for your home, you should know what to expect before you purchase or adopt them. This article can provide you Chihuahua information about the behaviors and traits of this breed so you know what to expect when they become your pet.
tiffany says:
11 months ago
THE ARE CUTE