Is The Chihuahua For You Page

Is The Chihuahua For You?

Is the Chihuahua for you?
It's easy to imagine yourself with a loving companion, warming your lap and shadowing your steps, providing love on lonely days and security on lonely nights. And these scenes are very much part of living with a Chihuahua. Don't get a Chihuahua if you don't want a constant addition to your lap.

The Chihuahua's small size is generally an asset as small dogs are easier to feed, groom, transport, require less exercise and clean up after however, small dogs are susceptible to injury from accidents that large dogs might not even notice. Their size makes them vulnerable to injuries from other dogs, careless adults, and rough children. Chihuahuas are already pushing the envelope as far as size and health are concerned. Choosing the tiniest of an already tiny breed tends to magnify the chance and severity of any possible health problems. A tiny Chihuahua is not a good choice for an inexperienced dog owner. It is suggested that a dog weighing about 1.8 kg is ideal - small enough to be very cute yet large enough to be fairly sturdy. "Teacup" Chihuahuas are simply very small Chihuahuas. A rule of thumb is that adult Chihuahuas will weigh roughly twice as much as they do when they are twelve weeks old.

Your selection of a puppy can be determined by your needs, a show potential or a good pet. While you may purchase a puppy in the hope of having a successful career in the show ring, it is impossible to tell, at eight to ten weeks whether your dog will be a contender. Some promising pups end up with minor to serious faults which would prevent them from taking home a Best of Breed award, but this certainly does not mean that they can't be the best companions for you and your family.

In order to assess the puppy's personality it would be a good idea to interact with his parents as the puppy inherits not only his appearance but also his personality from his parents. If the parents are fearful or overly aggressive, these same characteristics may likely show up in your puppy. A puppy that freezes in place or always heads home when carried a short distance away from its litter mates may not have the self-confidence typical of the Chihuahua.

The teeth should be straight and meet up evenly, with the top incisors just overlapping the lower incisors. Crooked teeth and undershot bites will only get worse with age. The gums should be pink; pale gums may indicate anaemia.

It's human nature to go for the extremes in temperament, but for most family companions you're better off choosing the puppy that is neither the boldest nor the shyest in the litter. Should you be choosing a Chihuahua as a pet dog and not a show dog you should select a puppy that is friendly and attractive.

The gender of your puppy is a matter of personal taste and again the coat length bearing in mind that a long-coat will require a little more grooming than a smooth coat but neither is very time consuming. Long-coat Chihuahuas require less brushing than other long-coated breeds and they can be maintained easily. Chihuahuas are available in a multitude of lovely colours.

It is important that you obtain from your breeder the puppy's pedigree and registration certificate registered with a recognised kennel club should you plan on showing or breeding in the future. It records your puppy's ancestry and other important data, such as the pup's date of birth, its sex, its sire and dam, its breeder's name and address and so on. If your dog has pure bred champions in his background, then the pedigree papers are valuable as evidence of the good breeding behind your dog. At the time of acquiring your puppy you may have considered him to be a pet only, but with time you may want to have him shown or perhaps even breed and therefore it is important that the breeder registers your puppy through a recognised kennel club.