I have been offered a chihuahua....

In My Humble Opinion
1

A friend of mine’s chihuahua had puppies in November ( the parents are brother and sister and live at her house. The father is now fixed.) They are both really good dogs. ( there is a 3rd, unrelated chihuahua at their house that is the personification of Evil Chihuahua in its posessiveness and Napolean Complex.But we are not discussing Uno.)

It was an accidental mating between the two. (Cue banjo music) The parents are everything you’d want in a little dog: well behaved, not yappy, good with kids, emotionally co-dependant.

I have 10 years experience with a wonderful lab and know all about dog training and socializing. (I’m not sure how different the training would be for a little dog like this and I know 2k walks in good weather are probably out.) If I did get this dog I would work with it to become an exemplerary canine citizen.
Last night, I inquired if the puppies ( 2) were gone and my friend said that the second one was still with her because her husband did not like the look of the people who had come to pick him up. He gave them back their deposit and sent them on their way. (they use to breed beagles for hunters and have experience with humans like this.)

So now, she & her husband just want this one to go to a good house and for the rest of the night I was teased about " Your gettin’ a chihuahua !" and " If you get a strike, you get a puppy!) and I got a strike, naturally.

My problem is two fold:

I’ve never really been around the smallest dogs like this, so any advice would be wonderful. Can little dogs like this be litterbox trained? (She currently uses bluepads from the hospital and that is rather vile, IMHO.)

My husband. After 12 years of lobbying for one ( not wholeheartedly until the last couple of years) we got one for free, fully vetted & everything from a FOAF. It’s worked out wonderfully and we are now under the cats paw when he feels like seeing us. A little dog like this might completely emasculate him.

Thirdly: Names. I like human names for dogs, but all suggestions are welcome.
Suggestions and comments are very welcome.

2

I like the name Bailey and Diego.
Personally, I am not a fan of cutesy names. As a guy, I would find it demeaning to call my dog Fluffy or Snowball.

3

Chihuahuas have a tendency to bond to one person (occasionally a family / handful of familiar people) and to be aggressive, defensive, and territorial towards other people, unless you socialize them extensively and early. Introduce them to dozens of new people every week, encourage other folks to pick them up and hold them, etc.

Not following you here. I’ll assume you didn’t obtain a free and fully vetted husband from a friend of a friend who was passing the fellow down, but just what is it you obtained after 12 years of lobbying? And what does this mystery organism have to do with your husband’s possession or non of male characteristics and/or the acquisition of a chihuahua?

4

Diego is too cutesy. I’d go for Spike or Butch.

5

My parents use the pads for their very small poodle. It’s actually not that bad and I’ve never noticed any type of smell. They absorb liquid pretty well and are very easy to bundle into the trash when other sorts of deposits are made. Also, because the dog is small you can put them in out of the way places.

6

How about “Taco Bell”?

7

I’d name it Bob. But that’s just me.

8

Oh, I think you should get it! It’s a long ways down the road, but I think our next dog will be a chihuahua. My aunt and uncle and my uncle’s dad have chihuahuas, and my husband is crazy about them.
I do have reservations about tiny dogs. You don’t want to step on them, obviously, and there is the potty issue. My dog is smallish, but big enough for me to put on a leash and take outside, or for a long walk. When my miniature rat terrier was old, she went blind and I had to carry her in and out to the bathroom. I hated that. Plus, one time I fell while carrying her, landed on my wedding ring, tore holes in the knees of my favorite black pants, and scraped my knees and hands really good. The dog, of course, was fine.
So am I right that the pup is a girl? My aunt and uncle named their chihuahua Brigitte Bardot. It fits her perfectly.
Let us know what you decide!

9

Very similar, unless you tend to be physical with your big dogs; obviously that’s right out with a tiny dog. I second the call for massive socialization. And, y’know, it’s NOT CUTE just because it’s a little dog misbehaving. (I know you won’t do this, but it just makes me want to bitch-slap some people.)

Absolutely. One of the Chihuahuas we had when I was a kid litter-trained herself by watching the cats. I’d put the bluepads in the litterbox on top of the litter, and slowly make them smaller every few days until they vanished.

My all-time favorite name for a tiny teacup Chihuahua was Abbreviation. The name fit so well, and yet was longer than the dog!

10

Cujo :wink:
Cerebrus

11

Sure you can litter-box train him. If he’s using the pads, he’s half way there. Start by putting the pads in a low box (like a box lid), then gradually increase the height until it’s your normal litter-box.

A friend of mine uses shredded newspaper in her dog’s litter box, but you could use normal litter, or wood chips. Start by putting a sprinkle of it on top of the hospital pad, and slowly start burying the pad in the litter. Finally, eliminate the pad all together and just use litter.

My husband was also a little hesitant about having a small dog, and then a friend gave us a Jack Russel Terrier. My husband was immediately charmed by the bravery and toughness of the little fella-- he’s a bull mastiff in a tiny body. We once caught the JRT drinking out of a glass of whiskey-- that did it! My husband thinks he’s awesome.

Little dogs are also easier to take care of, I think. Whereas my other two girls have to be put into the bathtub to be bathed, involving masses of towels and huge puddles of water on the floor, the little dog fits neatly into the kitchen sink, and only uses one large bath towel for drying.

They get cold more easily, though. I put a sweater on Sirius after I bathe him because he shivers so much, and he has a little coat for going outside on cold days. My husband mocks it, but they really can get chilled easily.

Long walks aren’t usually a problem. Again, they’re a normal dog in a small body-- and if they get tired, you can pick them up!

I named my JRT “Sirius” after the Dog Star. (Since I already had a Polaris, it seemed to make sense.) I wish I had named him Titus, though, for his bravery and spirit. (And Titus Pullo!)

12

I have two small Chihuahuas and I couldn’t imagine owning any other type of dog. There are some things that you need to keep in mind as they are not like their bigger counterparts.

You cannot let them outside in inclement weather for more than a couple minutes at a time. Freezing conditions and snow can cause frostbite in less than 5 minutes on them and they could lose a limb or digits.

Our two are “paper-trained”, we use pee-pee pads and they are fine. You just pick them up and throw them out every day. Our house doesn’t smell at all, in fact the kitty litter stinks more than the dogs on occaision. Our older one will go outside, the younger one will not. Plus, you have to take them outside about once every 1 to 3 hours. They have small bladders and poop a lot. Until you figure out their schedule, I would suggest taking them out every 20-30 minutes, plus the puppies go a lot more anyways. They do have litter boxes for dogs and I know some people who have trained their dogs to use them fine. Our dogs are afraid of the litter, so it didn’t work.

Also, no ham or turkey, both can be deadly. So can onions. No chocolate of course.

Our two chis have very different personalities. Our older one knows everyone’s names and has learned a couple tricks. He’s very well behaved but has developed a very yippy bark since the second one came along.

The younger one has been passed around a lot. It’s kind of a chicken and egg syndrome, we’re not sure if it’s her personality that caused all the moving or all the moving that caused her to be so skiddish. It’s taken her over 2 years to feel comfortable around us, and she is a wonderful dog. She is very protective of us though and has started “ankle-biting” when there’s too much commotion in the house.

They both love to play with one another and are very sweet. We have them spoiled and they sleep in bed with us. Our biggest question we get is “how do you not step/sit/lay on them?”. You learn each others’ habits and body language. It takes an adjustment period and for a while you’ll need to watch where you walk and sit. They love to burrow under blankets and pillows, so watch those as well!

One last thing, they have a permanent soft spot on their heads. Do NOT let kids touch the top of their head. Period.

They are the best dogs I’ve ever had. They require different attention than bigger dogs, but they have some pluses to them: smaller dog = smaller messes. They eat less, they stink less, they are “lap dogs”. They tend to get attached to whoever they see a lot. They both love me and my DH equally, and Chico knows our family and friends by name and is friendly to everyone he meets. It all depends on how early and how much you expose them to different people. And, yes, let people hold them - WITH CARE! It will make them better chis. Bad-behaved chis are the result of the owners, not the dogs.

I do something every now and then that helps me remind myself of why they are the way they are. I will lay on my stomach on the floor next to them and get my eye level on the same as theirs. I try to see the world through their eyes, mainly their small size. Everything is huge and a monster to them until they get used to it. It helps put things in perspective for me.

:smiley:

Here are the two munchkins together. The younger one, Bella, is the red head (5lbs.); and the older one, Chico, is the tri-color (3.5 lbs.).

Good luck and let us know what happens.

13

Man, the best thing about little dogs is you have a permenant seratonin ooh-look-at-the-cute-puppy high. They never grow out of that adorable stage, :wink:

14

Well, the sad thing is, when we got Chico we wished he would stay a puppy forever. He sorta did. He didn’t even break the 3 lb. mark until this past year. He was under a pound when we brought him home. We’d put him in the grass outside and it would be taller than him. Even when I take him to PetsMart, people still ask me how old my “puppy” is. When I tell them he’s four years old, they freeze.
:smiley:

15

[QUOTE=PinkMarabouWe’d put him in the grass outside and it would be taller than him. :D[/QUOTE]

I had to stamp down the snow last winter so my puppy, Polaris, could walk. She was only a pound or so when I got her (less than five weeks old, by the vet’s estimation).

Sirius is about ten pounds now, and about seven inches high. He doesn’t seem to mind high grass or snow. He uses it to play Lions of the Sarenghetti-- sneaking up behind Polaris, and then tearing out at full-spead for a lunge/tackle. He also loves piles of leaves, and will joyfully plunge into them until all you can see is a moving pile. This, he also uses for ambush.

Do chihuahuas hunt? Sirius must be part cat. I went out to bring him back inside the other day, and found him sitting there in his best “innocent puppy” demeanor, with a twitching mouse leg hanging out of his mouth. Yes, he ate it.

Small dogs seem to be ulta-intelligent manipulators. Sirius knows that coy, sweet puppy snuggles get him cuddles and treats. If he’s been bad, he immediately falls into that mode. He shyly ducks his head and (I swear) widens his eyes to a look of adorable-puppy and then nuzzles into me with a little whimper.

Little bastard knows I can’t resist it.

16

I like the name Bandit.

17

Bandit? In this case, wouldn’t “Bandido” be more appropriate?

18

I went to see my mom off today on her trip to Florida ( AKA Old People Mecca) and mentioned the Free Chihuahua.

Boy, did she get excited. Someone to tell her troubles too that won’t snap an optic nerve rolling its eyes.

It was a bit of a rushed time for such a commited decision, but I mentioned that dog-sharing might be in order. (That way I can oversee the training and behavior and that way when she dies she’s been planning her death for 20 years. It’s more like a hobby for her. I will get a dog that is well adjusted more or less. ( and fat like a honeybaked ham, I"m sure.)

[hijack]

She’s dog sat for us a few times and our lab is as co-dependant as they come, but in a laid back Spiccoli kinda way. Labs are just awesome dogs…except the farkin’ hair. The first thing Murphy did after we left the house to go on our vacation, was jump up on my mother’s good couch.

You folks with Parents Who Are Inhibited By Old People will know what I am talking about. The living room is essentially a museum of goodfurniture meaning it matches and is stain free. and we were never allowed to sit on it.

And the dog, who doesn’t go on our couch at home ( bed only) just makes herself at home on it. And it was ok with my mom for the time we were gone.

However, we have never sat on that couch. Ever. [/hijack]
And if anything can manipulate my mother it is a 5# dog.

I think I’ll call my friend to get particulars and then call my mom on the road.
I like fun old man names like Sherman or Virgil. ( If I ever got a bulldog she would be named Agatha.) Being that I’m $2000 shy of their price tag, that is not happening.
Hunter the missing factor of why we got a cat was the little piece of my husband became the King of our german-american club and I, by default , the queen. What this means is all the clubs social events we have to attend and do set ups or planning its really one of the bizarrest traditions I’ve ever seen besides when you are King you buy all your friends beer & drinks…not the other way around. and…worst of all…wearing fat containment devices so we (I) look good in our ball gown… Basically, it was a quid pro quo: I’m spose to play nicey-nicey …well…what are you going to do for me? Guilt. It’s whats for dinner. If I do this right, I could get alot of mileage out of it for years. If I were evil.

19

My old neighbors had two chihuahuas and a mastiff. The chihuahuas were okay dog. The female hated me. When she was spayed the vet missed a couple stitches when they removed them. I was asked by the neighbors to remove them, since I have removed stitches on my dogs. I got the stitches out, but the dog hated me ever after.

BTW, Shirley, the husband is a big burly trucker, but he loved his chihuahuas.

StG

20

Name suggestions:

Virginia
Myra
Ruth
Mabel
Inez
Gertrude
Naomi
Kate
Dixie
Lucy