i would really love to buy a honey coloured chiauhah dog, but my husband says he will never let me own one as they are nasty nipping little yappers of a dog... my cousin owns one and she is the most quiet docile chiahuah you would ever see.... i want to know are chiauhah's really as bad as my husband says, or is it just a breed stereotype???

they are yippy,yappy,snappy and mean. my uncle had one when I was a kid.

It ALL depends. I have owned 3 chihuahuas now, one I owned for 12 years (he recently passed). The first one I had was very yappy, but only around strangers. Very nervous around non-family, and very aggressive. But he was my favorite dog ever. Chihuahuas usually end up preferring one, maybe two people in a family. They're very loyal.On the other hand, I've had a new chihuahua pup (he's 8 mos now) since January and he is the complete opposite. So sweet and social. Everytime we go to the vet they always love him and say how sweet he is. I really think it all depends on their upbringing and how social they are when they're little puppies. He is very playful and hyper, but not yappy.We just got a new puppy 3 days ago, and he's also such a sweetie. I think he's about 10 weeks old. Very social with everyone, not very yappy. But of course, we haven't had him long.Chihuahuas can be very shy around strangers, but I think that if you show them alot of love in the beginning and throughout their lives, and bring different people and dogs around, they'll be more social.I honestly think they are one of the best breeds out there, and I probably will never own a different breed of dog. I'm hooked!

It's all in what you let them get away with. There are really sweet pit-bulls, and very mean ones...there are annoying yippy chihuahua s, and really sweet calm ones. Your dog is like your kid, they will act in accordance with what they think is appropriate, so it's up to you as a "mom" to teach them what is appropriate. I will admit there seems to be a large percentage of these little guys that are yappy little dogs...my vet friends and I refer to them as "land-sharks!" I also have to admit that I have 2 clients with these guys that are the sweetest dogs ever.

You're husband is wrong, these are the best dogs in the world. They are, however, very territorial and tend to develop incredibly strong bonds with their owners, which is where the incessant barking and ferocious attitude comes in. The trick is to socialize them at an early age, so that they understand that strangers aren't a threat to their territory and, more importantly, you. They are very smart and affectionate and make great apartment dogs. If you decide to get a chi puppy, just take it around people as much as possible while it's young and it will be very well behaved.

yappy-yessnappy-probably

I have one! and she is great. she is a little princess and she knows it. My mother has one too and i grew up with her. she is a good No GREAT dog, she loves everyone. My pup doesnt like many people but she loves me and my husband and our other dog, our german pointer, they are not mean nasty dogs!

I have a 6 month old Chihuahua male. He is the most loving and cuddly dog i have ever had. He is also very protective. I live in an apartment with neighbors above that make a lot of noise. Sometimes he yaps at them because he thinks someone is coming into the apartment but hes just trying to protect my wife and I. He yaps at new people but once he gets to know them he is very friendly. Generally he is not vocal at all. The only time he gets snappy is when he is tired. But even then it is only when he is agitated when hes asleep or trying to sleep. The stereotype of a chihuahua is yappy and snappy but, like any dog, its all in how it is raised.

[sandyh]

Originally Posted by sxc angel

i would really love to buy a honey coloured chiauhah dog, but my husband says he will never let me own one as they are nasty nipping little yappers of a dog... my cousin owns one and she is the most quiet docile chiahuah you would ever see.... i want to know are chiauhah's really as bad as my husband says, or is it just a breed stereotype???

Has your husband never seen your cousins dog ?

[Lara's mom]

I've never had this particular breed but, I'm a strong believer in nurture vs. nature. Most of what makes a dog the canine citizen that he or she is has to do with the way in which they are raised.

[Lunareclipse]

I had a chihuahua named Boomer. He died several years ago. He did not bark and he didn't snap either. He loved everybody. But I also took him everywhere I went too. So he was very well socialized. he always got excited when I had someone over to visit. I think you just have to socialize your chihuahua and teach him manners like you would every other dog. Boomer even retrieved small items for me. The reason they tend to be a nervous breed is because people are soooooo big and they are sooooo small. Can you imagine a hand bigger than your head coming right towards your face? Socialize your chi, and make sure that anyone that comes near him has a treat for him so he won't be so scared and snap.

[DoggieVogue]

Socialization is everything. Not just for chihuahuas, either. It goes for every breed.

[natalie265]

chihuahuas tend to be alert, protective, courageous and extremely loyal. Mine barks when strangers approach the house, but is not "yappy" at all.

[Lunareclipse]

Originally Posted by xtopdawg386x

my grand parents have and had many of these dogs cant tell you how many times they have bit me and brothers and strangers very yappy dogs almost enough you want to pin them up behind the barn so you cant hear them ! if this breed of dog was a large or medium size breed like american pit bull terriers bull mastiffs German Shepperd ect. there no doubt in my mine the media would be all over them for being a killer breed and i would bet my life you would never hear about a pit bull attack if the chihuahua was a large or medium breed in the media do to the fact the aggressiveness of this breed they would have far more deaths and far more bites .But since there not large or medium breeds this breed gets cute names like ankle biters i dont suggest owning this breed around small kids to an adult or teenager the breed fine since at these age you should have enough since not put your face around the dogs and cant really pin you down and bite you best if there only 1 -2 people in the house hold since they dont bond well with many people

That's because since they are small people feel they don't have to teach them manners like big dogs need. People tend to let their small dogs push them around because they think small dogs aren't going to hurt too much. I used to have a chihuahua and I can tell you that most of what you said about chihuahuas is wrong. There is no bad dog. Just bad owners. I do agree about not having them around small children because they can get hurt easily. But people tend to treat chis more like cats due to their size and then they end up with a spazzed out chi that thinks they own the place. And this post is over a year old. Check the date before replying.

[Yogi]

Originally Posted by xtopdawg386x

I just want to no how most of what i have said is wrong when you just stated that people don't train this breed and allow them to run the house hold ? 71.1 % is what these breeds scores on the (ATTS ) any thing below 80 % is a bad score meaning the breed's under show more aggression . listed on the page is what the breeds face to come up with this number . So with out trying to be rude ma'm but from personal experience and facts that i have looked up the breed show more aggression then lets say the american pit bull terrier which scores 86% all facts are from 2010 . J have had many of these little dogs bite me owned by my grandparents and other friends mostly chicks that never mistreated them or any thing they still bit me and other of course they were not deadly bites or serious bites how ever they were still bite and bites or bites no matter how bad .Im sorry to say ma'm but ever one of them dogs i have ever meet or been around were nothing but yappy ankle biters that thought they were 5 ft tall and 200 pounds . so at no time did i put any miss information on this post nor did i just post opinion nor have i singled out banning these breed .With any breed the owners need to train the animals how ever like you said they dont which usually leads to these small breeds biting people and getting away with it do to the fact they dont do large amounts of damage .As far as this post being a year old or what ever well its still here so i can post to it ! so i ask you to reply to me if you choose but have facts to back up what you have to say since you seem to care about this breed and when i reply back i will find more facts .

Before you perceive in quoting ATTS scores as fact first note that this is only an average based on tests of a few dogs in each breed. The reality is that you have had the personal misfortune having dealt with ones that you saw as yappy and biters. My 50 plus years with raising, rescuing and breeding denotes that much of the hype about the Chi is just like that of the APBT, blown out of proportion. I have been around 100's of Chi's over the years including those owned by several of my AKC breeder friends. The dogs are loving and playful. The reality is there is in fact much truth to the premise that much of a dogs attitude with regards to this nature is a direct result of the owner. The assumption that it is not is naive at best. Environment plays heavily in the attitude and mental stability of dogs. How they are raised and nurtured is key with regards to their overall attitude toward people in general. This is typical in all breeds thus the the need for socializing. No breed is exempt from this facet of training and failing leaves room for doubt as to the actions the dog may take in the future with regards to people and situations. I have been bitten nearly a 1000 times in my life and have owned more dogs than anyone here will probably own in a lifetime. I have seen no breed so far exempt from attitude issues including the "Pit Bull" when not properly socialized in a proper environment. I have supported APBT owners for years and will continue to do so but don't be mistaken, no breed is perfect but to suggest one is based on your time with one breed and assuming you have had misfortune with another does not mean others have seen just the opposite. The ATTS like most tests are only averages and should be taken as such. There is no holy bible out there that is a true indicator of anything since there is simply dumb dogs and smart dogs. It is not as breed related as they want gullible people to believe. So long as those who review these understand that in no way is it actual but only a suggestive conclusion based on tests of a few in each breed, then people have enough sense to understand that in fact there is always room for error. All of these tests such as ATTS and the general intelligence tests to determine the smartest breeds simply are flawed as they do not test ALL the dogs but only a handful. To take this as fact would in itself be flawed. It is only a suggestive conclusion for those interested in the breeds to consider when choosing. It is in no way telling anyone that this is exactly what you are going to get. On this forum we spend less time quoting sources found on the web and more time based on our actual experiences. In the end, there is no excuse for experience.