Reptile & Amphibian Forums

For the longest my husband has wanted a EB and we finally decided on getting him one for his B-day coming up. We've done the research and know the pros and cons, we plan on buying from a breeder as we do with all our animals.

I'm stuck on two last candidates and wanted some advise from those who know more about the breed first hand. Which of these two do you feel will be a nicer looking adult? Both are males, both 8wks old, we have no intention of breeding dogs and will have our dog fixed asap.

#1)

#2) The smaller one on the left.

Also, we currently have a 2yr old male Chihuahua. He is super calm, super sweet, not your average chihuahua at all. Gets along well with people, kids, he is a chicken when it comes to other dogs and prefers to hide Vs stand his ground. Should we be worried about bringing home a 8wk old EB, will they both adapt to each other as the pup ages?

If you get another male dog, your Chihuahua will very likely take to urine-marking in the house. The two males might fight at some point, too. And with the size difference, oh my.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47

Thanks for the reply, after talking it over and sleeping on it again, we've decided it's best that we not get another dog. We have zero complaints with the one with have, he was super easy to train, never took to destroying anything, there was never any question that I'm the dominant figure in the pack and with his size being only six pounds full grown, it's like not even having a dog in the house at all. A Bulldog, or any 2nd dog for that matter would be a huge change at best. My husbands loves EB's and we're animal lovers, but we've decided against taking in another dog at this time.

Thanks for your help.

A Bulldog has a lot of medical expenses, too. Those are great-looking pups. But I think you're making an excellent decision.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47

We ended up going to the breeders home yesterday evening and took our Chihuahua along, just to see how he would react. As I expected, he was scared early on, he is not one of these mean chihuahuas, he is more of the coward type. He took to hiding and avoiding, as the EB puppy came out and around him. After a few minutes, he sniffed the puppy out a bit and was relaxing a bit more, the puppy was playful and relaxed the whole time, our Chihuahua simply seemed tolerant of him at the end of the 10-15min. Not sure if that was a good first meeting or what?

I was impressed greatly with the adult EB's, this visit was the first time I had interacted with full grown EB's and while not a huge or tall dog, they are a full/stocky/muscular dog at 55lbs, but all the while were very friendly, open, gentle, playful, even with strangers as we were. The adult EB's were very careful even around our chihuahua, after the puppy session the adult male came in the room as we wanted to see how our dog would react with a full grown EB. The male EB was very inquisitive, but gentle, he did not run or pounce, he came in and slowly approached our dog, of course our chihuahua who weighs about 6lbs was terrified, but the EB was super relaxed and gentle, I was amazed!

Either way, we're still leaning 90% toward not getting a 2nd dog. We loved the EB's and are positive they are an amazing breed, but the question remains "Do we want a 2nd dog?"...and so far the answer remains a no. My husband loved them, but even he questioned the fact that "should we get a 2nd dog?"...

As for the medical expenses for the EB, fortunately that's not an issue for us. We have a great vet just 5min from our home that we have known for years, he treats all our pets when needed. Aside from the net, I spoke with our vet about EB's when I was seriously considering an EB. He mentioned the usual, that they are prone to this and that, and this and that, and then more of this and that. He also mentioned that starting out with a good caring breeder, a healthy bloodline, healthy pup, provide a good quality food (we use Wellness for our Chihuahua), some short walks when it's cool outside, daily maintanance of the skin/face/wrinkles/tail area, and lots of love and proper enviorment, that owners can avoid many of these health concerns.

He mentioned that he sees a few EB's in the area and couple of the cases he sees where the EB's are in the vet a lot, are caused by owner neglect, poor food, or just genetic problems such a hip issues, breathing problems, etc. Also, owners trying to breed their EB's and that also has it's risks. He said he has other examples that simply walk in for their yearly exams and are receive a perfect bill of health every year, but the owner plays a huge role. It's usually the difference between some owner neglecting, or just wanting to breed their dogs Vs the owner who sees their dog as a family member and child.

I'm not one of these people that just sees the cost of the animal itself, but I also consider the needs and care of the animal for the life of the animal. I don't think any dog breed is without it's health problems, such as some humans develop this and that with age. Sure quality of life plays a role, but genetics is a part of it as well.

It's not a question of whether we want, will love, or can care or afford the EB and it's needs, it simply comes down to the question "Do we really want a 2nd dog?"...