Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello-My daughter wants a chihuahua. I am not familiar with this breed. We have checked the local ads and there are several we are interested in. Are there specific things to look for that would indicate a healthy dog? Any and all suggestions and advice on this important decision would be appreciated.

Hello and welcome to Dog Hobbyist!

I'm going to apologise in advance, my post may get long and sound a bit like a lecture. That is not the intention, it's just I tend to write that way about this topic. So please, don't feel offended if I come off a bit rude or strong.

First, a puppy- especially a chihuahua- should never be bought from an ad in the newspaper. I suppose there are exceptions to this rule, but in general, great breeders already have homes picked out for the potential puppies long before a breedign ever takes place.

You want to check out this website:
http://www.barkbytes.com/rescue/chihua.htm

It has beed rescues, contact information for the National club, and a host of other information.

If your daughter is set on getting a puppy for Christmas, please explain to her why this time of year is horrible to get a puppy, especially a chihuahua that won't potty train well due to the cold weather. Instead, get in touch with a great breeder and get on a waiting list or get an adult rescue.

I personally took in an adult dog 2 years ago and have since decided I will never have another puppy again. The experience was wonderful and no potty training, no teething issues, and the dog knew some commands as well.

Finding a great breeder of dogs is not necessarily an easy task. Unfortunately, I don't know many chihuahua breeders and I do not know what area you are in, but that is where the National club can help you out. Breed rescue will also be able to tell you the reputations of various breeders in your area.

Go to www.akc.org and search the "events" section. In there it will show you where there are dog shows in your area. Attend a dog show with your daughter and watch the chihuahuas in the breed ring. If you are asking why go to a dog show when you don't want a show dog, the simple answer is- because breeders that care about the quality of the dogs they breed tend to compete at dogs shows to make sure they are breeding to the correct standard. It's even better if their dogs do performance events like obedience, agility or therapy work as well.

OK, I don't want to flood you with much more info for now. There's a wonderful book called "Your Purebred Puppy" that you can buy from www.dogwise.com and it will go into great detail about much of what I have discussed briefly in this post.

Again, sorry if I came off strong. I guess my belief is yo uare buying a dog that will be with you for 15 years, you want the best you can get. Trust me, even if the original price of the dog is a bit more expensive, you will save money over time.

PS- please don't go to a pet store to buy any dog, especially a chihuahua.
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Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles

www.chihuahua-rescue.com/

here's the site to a rescue some friends of mine have had luck with

don't go for a pup marked as "teacup",with this breed,thats a label lots of people like to throw around,and will lie/toy with genetics unprofessionally to get it,also,unusually small dogs are more open to some health problems

chis can be aloof or nervouse around strangers,as they tend to get very attatched to a few members of thier family(to the point of being aloof with others),however,excessive nervouseness or shaking from the parents is something that can be bred into the pups,chis can be very well adjusted pets,but random or not carefully monitoring breeding can lead to nervouse,yippy type chis that can fit the steriotypical nervouse,nippy pet,if you can get to see both parents,and they both have good builds/temperments,the chances are very likely thier pups will also

newspapers aren't always the best idea,as there are a lot of people who breed dogs and sell pups for profit,shelters are good,but if you go to a rescue,then a foster home can tell you every detail of a pups personality,many foster homes also often try to help adjust dogs to everyday life,a breeder can be your best bet towards getting a dog thats bred to be calmer and better adjusted,however,where a pup is raised can be just as much of an indication of thier behavior
saying that,my chis from a shelter,her playful nature attracted me,but I had to de-worm her and get her weight back up due to where she had lived at before,I love her to death,but a better start would've been easier on both of us,I've had her for 10 years,and she's always been suspicious of men and younger children,you wouldn't get wierd begginings from a good breeder,but your also less likely to have strange traits show up,now she's very obedient,but it was a long time before she could accept my younger cousins,and she wouldn't stay near them/tolerate them much before she was wormed

try this site

the above posters had great suggestions, this site will just add to that & fill in all the extras

its great that you are doing research, patience will pay off

don't be 'fooled' by reg papers & even Champion pedigree - these are not good indicators of quality & anyone can claim them.

its hard to resist that temptation to 'save' a petstore pup, but remember that its mom/dad are quite likely stuck in a small cage somewhere & only taken out to breed & given minimum vet care/food, etc. so many especially small breed rescues are full of these older dogs that are crippled/blind/ rotten teeth/never see the light of day or have been kept in outdoor pens & have never been cuddled, soft warm bed, played with toys - you do *NOT* want to support that in any way.

sorry to be so negative/too many do get taken advantage of & end up with seriously poor health/temperment, so

let us hear about your adventure to find that new family member

>>Hello-My daughter wants a chihuahua. I am not familiar with this breed. We have checked the local ads and there are several we are interested in. Are there specific things to look for that would indicate a healthy dog? Any and all suggestions and advice on this important decision would be appreciated.

Thank you, thank you, and thank you for coming to the board and asking assistance!!

I am not a breeder, nor will I breed. But I do have a strong opinion about it based on what I learned growing up - strays, dumped, animals and breedings without enough planning resulting in unhealthy pups. While I no longer have a Chi in my home they will always have a special place in my heart. They are unique little dogs with so much personality.

These little guys can have health defects and the best way to prevent them in the breed is to select a breeder who is following stellar breeding practices.

Research the breeder, think of it as finding out about a doctor for your daughter. Establish the list of questions to verify that it's the right breeder to get a puppy from. Doing this will allows you to get a healthy and well raised puppy that will give you the years of life that the dog and you deserve. It also gives you the reward of knowing that you are supporting someone who is breeding solely for the purpose of the dogs they love (not money or any other reason).

My suggestion is to find the people who know EVERYTHING about the breed and are driven by a true passion for preserving the breed. A great place to start is the Chihuahua Club of America -The Chihuahua Club of America. They recently did some renovation on the site, the Site Map still offers an easy way to gain a lot of information (Breed Information, Breed Standard, Code of Ethics, and Mission Statement to start). They can also help you find breeders in your area who are in good standing with the CCA (Chihuahua Club of America).

I hope this helps.

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tabitha
Kayo, Kahla, and Dante'

Just want to add my 2 cents. How old is your daughter? Chihuahua's can be very fragile. We have an 11 year old at home and she's very responsible so it wasn't a problem for us but babies or toddlers (even young children) can hurt a chi badly. Just as an example, our chi broke her leg running down the stairs. This is how fragile they can be. Something to keep in mind when looking into getting this breed. I would never trade mine in but in hindsight, had I known how fragile they are I'm not sure I would have gotten one so small.

>> Chihuahua's can be very fragile.

It's great to get different peoples perspective and experience! I appreciate these boards for helping like this.

My experience with these little guys is that they are tough little cookies.

Canadiandawn - I'm sorry about your little one going through that. LaVie was also 4.5lbs and I can imagine how hard it is to see one so small get hurt.

We've never had any issues like this with the Chi's in my family. We've had some Chis that were quite small and some that were larger, but all have been quite healthy and sound. They've ranged in size from my little LaVie, nick named Flea because she was so small, to buff Carmalita Rosarita (Rosey), nick named Arnie because she was so muscular and, well, beefy.

(Wow! I just named and counted all the Chi's that I have known from my immediate family... 12! I hadn't thought about it before, a bit of an eye opener.)

Also, A good point about the age of your daughter. My grandmother gave me LaVie when I was in Jr High School, she was my 2nd dog and my sole responsibility. But we have had a couple of ours scared by small children who wanted to play with them but didn't understand that running up to them wasn't okay, or trying to pick them up improperly. Chis are so small that children often think they are toys.

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tabitha
Kayo, Kahla, and Dante'