I recently bought a 9 week old female Chi Puppy. I have some questions because I do not have experience with Chi's:

1.My vet warned us that Chi's tend to be very aggressive with strangers and that they rule the houses they live in, is that true, Chi owners? I would not want that because this dog is supposed to become a companion dog for my daughter, I already have my male GSD for watchdog (appropiate sized for the job).
2.Should I socialize this dog as much as possible after having received all the puppy shots by letting the dog go from hand to hand?
3.Could you reccomend some games that Chi's like? I already have the dvd BDFG with Bernard Flinks but I doubt I could use that kind of training for my daughters Chi


P.S. I thought a had a preference for big, working dogs..but the little thing is stealing thing is stealing my heart

While I do not have experience as a Chi owner, I do have small dog experience and I have seen a fair number of Chis where I used to work.

I think the biggest mistake people probably make with small dogs is they tend to treat them like cute little stuffed animals and not like the dogs they are. They don't lay a proper foundation, and do the proper goundwork, and you often get holy little spoiled terrors as a result. If a dog, big or small, "rules" the house it's only because the owner has let them get away with it.

Ed has often said that training is not breed specific so all the good information here on this site will work for your new pup. Boy, could my family have used it years ago with our small dog :wink:

Congrats on your new girl...Chi babies are too cute

Dear Maria: I have never owned a Chi but did have a toy poodle. The mistake I made with him was that he was so little I tended to carry him so he wouldn't get stepped on (his leg got broken by one of my other dogs). I now understand that that was a huge error. Because I carried him so much, and he was so far above everyone else his dominant personality surged and he became a real handful. He was darling, beautiful actually for a toy poodle and everyone would stop and comment on him, but I could never trust him with anyone, he would try and assert his dominance by snapping at people. If I had it to do all over again, I would not carry a small dog and consider the sizes of my other dogs who may, not meaning to step on it and hurt it. At that time I didn't understand much about pack structure, all the other dogs I had were wonderful together and with people and other pets, he wasn't. We kept him until he died at 17 but sometimes it was a long 17years. Now I would treat him like any other dog and obedience train and reinforce pack structure with a small dog. They are so very cute and I can see why this one won your heart. I hope you will be able to find all you need for helping this little one. And you know I have the building drive and focus too and I have found i can use it in training concentration in small dogs as well as large. It has helped me with my two, I have two medium sized mixed terriors who need to develop their concentration level, they have plenty of energy and drive but can be like wild men if not directed.
May God bless you

i ended up with a chi. I swore i would NEVER own a chi, i hated them wth a passion.
But someone was going to take him to the pound because they couldn't house train him, and they just had a baby.
So i basically said, hey, i'll house train him, then you take him back. Well, now he is mine......

back to chi aggression....

The first day, he bit the snot out of me, any time i went near him. So i put on gloves, and handled him anyway. He bit away, and stopped when he realized it didn't phase me.
He was aggressive to anyone who came to my house, and to other dogs.
He really did think he was in charge, or at least, i was alpha, and he was beta, and though he listened to me, he ruled everyone else. Basically, with time and a lot of work, he has come around. People have actually commented how much better he is.

He still growls at strangers, and new dogs who are off leash. We can now walk past fenced dogs with little problems, just little under the breath gruffs.

i too made some mistakes, i didn't carry him around, but i let him sleep in my bed because i didn't have a crate for him for a while, and when i did, i'll admit, i couldn't stand the whining.
Puppies, dogs, i am ok with the noise. But this guy's crying was on a whole nother level.
But after a while, he got used to being here, and he'll sleep silently in his crate, though i still occassionally let him sleep with me, i do like bed warmers.....

 Quote: Maria van den Ham

I recently bought a 9 week old female Chi Puppy. I have some questions because I do not have experience with Chi's:

1.My vet warned us that Chi's tend to be very aggressive with strangers and that they rule the houses they live in, is that true, Chi owners? I would not want that because this dog is supposed to become a companion dog for my daughter, I already have my male GSD for watchdog (appropiate sized for the job).
2.Should I socialize this dog as much as possible after having received all the puppy shots by letting the dog go from hand to hand?
3.Could you reccomend some games that Chi's like? I already have the dvd BDFG with Bernard Flinks but I doubt I could use that kind of training for my daughters Chi


P.S. I thought a had a preference for big, working dogs..but the little thing is stealing thing is stealing my heart

1. Mine bark when someone comes, then they settle down. If they are not pestered they will warm up to strangers, some of my dogs do this faster than others, it just depends on the individual.

2. Socialising is always good, but it is no guarantee that this dog will love every stranger she sees when she becomes an adult.

3. My favorite game is watching the pack racing and barking back and forth through the house. Sometimes my young daughter and one or two dogs make up the pack. Of coarse this game is best played with a pack of Chi's and some spectators. The other game is to bring out the freeze dried liver treats and watch them fall all over each other and get goofy to get them (everyone has to wait until I say their names to get a turn for their treat). It's not really a game but it is very entertaining for everyone participating. This is great motivation for them to learn tricks.
Your Chi would probably enjoy chasing feathers on a line (cat toy), or playing fetch with a small toy with rattles in it.

My daughter loves to get one of the Chi's, carry her around, wrap her up in blankets, and have little chit-chats with her.

I am hopelessly addicted to my Chi's.

Chihuahua's are dogs. Most of them become aggressive and "uncontrolable" because people treat them like human children. GSD/Chi .. different breed.. same species. What you wouldn't allow your GSD to do, don't allow your Chi to do. Chis need to be trained and handled like any other dog, the problems come when people don't train or discipline small dogs and they rule the roost.

I've known some very nice Chis. They might not automatically love everybody in general, but I've met some very happy go lucky Chis all they want is to be loved.

Both my daughter's now have Chi dogs. No idea where I went wrong in their upbringing . Their's do mind well (they better) but.....well....they're nothing more then bass plugs with feet!

 Quote: jennifer marshal

Chihuahua's are dogs. Most of them become aggressive and "uncontrolable" because people treat them like human children. GSD/Chi .. different breed.. same species. What you wouldn't allow your GSD to do, don't allow your Chi to do. Chis need to be trained and handled like any other dog, the problems come when people don't train or discipline small dogs and they rule the roost.

I've known some very nice Chis. They might not automatically love everybody in general, but I've met some very happy go lucky Chis all they want is to be loved.

Good post! My mom has a Chihuahuha that showed up on her door step 4yrs ago. I am really the only one who treats her dog like a regular dog and she does great when around me. Otherwise she is a real bitch! Dog aggressive, bullies the crap out of my brothers English Bully and is totally an alpha dog. On average, I don't like the little dogs, and I know it's all the people's fault.

Hi Rosalinda, Congratulations on your little Chihauhua! I love my little one dearly. Previous posts gave you some good advice. Let them be dogs and socialize the heck out of them. As a puppy make sure she only has positive experiences with people and other dogs. My little one is OK as long as they leave her alone. I wish I had socilized her more when she was a puppy. She is totally a pet as opposed to my other two working dogs.

They like to eat and weight can become a issue. Also small dogs tend to have tooth decay so I would get her use to brushing teeth early and often. If you let her sleep in bed with you or allow them on the furniture, you may want to buy a few footstools to help them up and down (easier on their joints).

Have fun and let us know the name!

Sandy

I have two chihuahuas - the "regular" ones, not teacup. My two were raised just like I raise my GSDs. They were socialized, taken out and about, walked on leash (not carried) and fed big-dog kibble in big-dog bowls - they don't wear clothing and they don't learn cutsie tricks. I do let them sleep in bed with me after all - what are chihuahuas good for if it isn't being a lapdog . Both of mine are super with strangers - they are the first ones to bark when someone comes into the driveway - but their greetings are excited, friendly and happy. One is sweet, soft and submissive - the other more dominant, cocky and sure of himself - both are great with strangers, other dogs and perfectly acceptable in temperament as the dogs they are. I do believe it is all in how you raise them. I will say they do get nasty teeth, they need chewies daily (or teeth brushing, which I don't do) to keep them clean - and they can be very difficult to housebreak 100%.

molly