Selection guide - Check potential breeders carefully

Check potential breeders carefully and ask whether they are members of breed, specialty or obedience clubs. Affiliation with a club means you can check references and make sure the breeder is not running a puppy mill - a place where puppies are constantly bred for financial gain without consideration of the integrity of the breed.

Chihuahua - Dog Lover

Selection guide - Reconsider Chihuahua if you have children or other pets

Reconsider this breed if you have children or other pets; most Chihuahuas won't get along well with kids or animals.

Chihuahua - Dog Lover

Owner guide - Chihuahua may not be good with children

This breed can be stubborn, jealous and aggressive, and may not be good with children and other animals.

Chihuahua - Dog Lover

Owner guide - Pet your Chihuahua often

Pet your Chihuahua often. This breed requires a lot of human attention and love.

Chihuahua - Dog Lover

Owner guide - Exercise your Chihuahua daily if possible

Exercise your Chihuahua daily if possible. However, this breed tends to have quick bursts of energy and may not need to go on extensive walks. An apartment to romp around in is usually enough exercise for a Chihuahua.

Chihuahua - Dog Lover

DOG FAQ - How many puppies on average does a Chihuahua dog have?

Chihuahua typically have 2-3 puppies, they frequently require c-sections due to their size. It is dangerous for that breed.

Chihuahua - Dog Lover

DOG FAQ - Aren't Chihuahuas kind of dim?

It is understandable how this breed has developed this reputation. In public, some bark at the slightest provocation, and will not stop sometimes even when the "threat" is gone.

Chihuahuas are actually a very intelligent and alert breed.

Chihuahua - Dog Lover

DOG FAQ - I'm allergic to dogs, but I heard Chihuahuas won't bother me; is that true?

Opinion seems to vary on this point. Some say it's an old-wives' tale, while others swear that, although they're allergic to dogs, Chihuahuas did not bother them.

The best way for someone who has allergies to find out if they can own a Chihuahua is for them to simply spend some time around one. Some people are allergic to dog hair, while others are allergic to saliva. Since Chihuahua's are known to lick the face of their master alot, you'd best be sure you're not allergic to the latter before investing in this breed.

Chihuahua - Dog Lover

DOG FAQ - I've heard they're nervous, high-strung dogs. Is that true?

Yes, Chihuahua is high-strung dogs. I define "high-strung" as follows: barks easily, does not adapt easily to change in environment, is suspicious of strangers and will growl at them, and flips in circles and jumps around when excited (like when you come home after a five-minute absence, for instance).

However, with the person that they have bonded with (i.e., their master[s]), they do not display most of these characteristics; infact, they display radically different personalities. Chihuahuas are truly the "Jekyll-and-Hyde" of dog breeds: your friends will see the worst side of them and never believe you when you tell them that your Chihuahua is really a gentle, sweet-natured dog.

There is good news, though. If you socialize your Chihuahua at an early age, they will be less stressed when new environments and people are introduced to them in adulthood. Proper socialization is critical, then, and at the earliest age possible.

Chihuahua - Dog Lover

DOG FAQ - What is their life-span?

Toy breeds live the longest of any size dog. Expect a life-span of Chihuahua is around11-18 years, although the latter is rare.

Chihuahua - Dog Lover

GROOMING

Grooming a pet Chihuahua is fairly straight forward. The breed comes in two varieties; Smooth Coat and Long Coat. The smooth coated variety is a breeze to bathe and dry, and even though the long coat carries more hair, it is still fairly easy to maintain as long as you take care to comb through the fringes and the skirt at the rear. You can bathe as often as once a week if you wish.

Toe nails and ears do need to be checked more regularly on this breed. Because they do not spend the amount of time running around as other breeds, they don't have the opportunity to wear their nails down, so keep them clipped. Ears should be cleaned out twice a month with a cotton swab dipped in a little alcohol.

Chihuahua - Dog Lover