Whats so great about chihuahuas?
Owning a chihuahua is not like owning any other type of dog. If any of us had to
live in the same type world as the chihuahua , I would have to wonder if we
would do as well. So much of what makes them a dog has been bred out of a
chihuahua so he could not possible survive in the wild world his ancestors live
in. He has been bred to be our companion and in so doing he has lost most of
what he needs to survive without our help. He is subjected to live in a world of
giant humans where he must learn to avoid feet sometimes bigger then he is.
What is an easy chair to us is a big comfortable playhouse to a chihuahua . It can
be a place to hide a favorite toy, play tag with another canine friend, or just take
a long nap. Of course the naps can be interrupted if one of the giants decide to
not look before sitting down. He looks to us for all he needs to survive. But
somehow this little dog has managed to keep his independence. Although
similar in nature, I have to say there are no 2 chihuahuas that are exactly alike.
Their personality can be molded much like you can do with a human child. A
chihuahua who is left only in the house and not taken around other people will
become afraid of people and will sometimes actually become nervous and act a
bit insane when people are around other then their owner(s). But if you take a
chihuahua out into the world and let other people see him and pet him his world
is a bigger place and he becomes a much more friendly dog. Chihuahuas have a
great capacity to learn that I have not seen in any other breed I have worked
with. It seem this is due in part to their memory being longer then in other
breeds. It seems many breeds show amazing abilities for what they have been
bred to do. But the chihuahua has been bred to be a friend to their humans and
not really meant to serve us for any other purpose. Yet they can still take on
some of the jobs of their bigger cousins. Chihuahuas learn quickly what is
expected of them and seem to take pride in pleasing their owners. They seem
to have a little built in radar to know exactly where we are in the home and what
mood we are in. If there is an argument going on in the house between the
humans he loves, you will find the chihuahua sitting quietly in a safe place, ears
laid back, watching and waiting for the outcome. But if a stranger would come
in the house and dare to threaten his beloved master, the chihuahua will
become as ferocious as he can possible be. He will give all the strength in his
tiny body to protect the ones he loves no matter how futile the attempt may
seem. I believe this brave quality of the chihuahua has endeared him to a lot of
men who said they would never have a chihuahua.
And yet a lot of the aggression towards other animals seems to be gone from
the chihuahua. Unlike the terrier breeds who will attack and kill most things
smaller then itself (Indeed this is what they were bred to do) a chihuahua will
only sniff it in curiosity and may even bark at it ,but the need to finish it off
seems to have been bred out of them. I have seen chihuahuas and kittens
getting along fine in my home but never would I leave a kitten alone with my
dachshunds or my Yorkie. So even though a chihuahuas bark can be irritating to
those of us who do not understand, I know according to how a chihuahua sees it,
there is a good reason for every bark . Also if an attack is necessary, according
to a chihuahua, it is only for a good cause.
I already made mention of their radar ability. It is amazing to me how a
chihuahua will seem to know who needs them the most in their house. They
have been known to become very attached to the person who is ill in a home.
They seem to never leave the persons side. I have seen this happen in my own
home and also heard of reports of this from other people who own chihuahuas
or chihuahua mixes. The one I am thinking of now is a man who has a long term
illness. He did outlive his little chihuahua poodle mix. But with tears in his eyes
he will tell you how this little dog loved him and seem to worry about him
through all his hospital stays. His wife told me how the dog would mope around
the house until the man came home. One time she took the dog to the hospital
when she went to pick up her husband. The dog made an amazing leap from the
car right into the mans lap as he sat in his wheelchair.
All dogs love their owners. This is why we love our dogs in return. Its so easy to
love what loves us first. A chihuahua seems to need a human giant to be his
friend. This is what makes his life complete and well balanced. He was bred to
be a companion and I don't see any other dog being as good a companion as a
chihuahua. Their small size is only a disguise. There is a big heart and amazing
brain in there. When my grandparents called all the furr critters "poor dumb
animals" I know they never knew a chihuahua. So many instincts are gone from
many of our breeds. But the chihuahua seems to have decided to adapt to their
world of humans by becoming almost human themselves.
Whatever the reason for this, I am happy to have them in my life. They continue
to amaze me with their intelligence and bravery. In a world where we have been
let down by so many humans the chihuahua has always been a constant
reminder that there is good in this world. They never let us down.
live in the same type world as the chihuahua , I would have to wonder if we
would do as well. So much of what makes them a dog has been bred out of a
chihuahua so he could not possible survive in the wild world his ancestors live
in. He has been bred to be our companion and in so doing he has lost most of
what he needs to survive without our help. He is subjected to live in a world of
giant humans where he must learn to avoid feet sometimes bigger then he is.
What is an easy chair to us is a big comfortable playhouse to a chihuahua . It can
be a place to hide a favorite toy, play tag with another canine friend, or just take
a long nap. Of course the naps can be interrupted if one of the giants decide to
not look before sitting down. He looks to us for all he needs to survive. But
somehow this little dog has managed to keep his independence. Although
similar in nature, I have to say there are no 2 chihuahuas that are exactly alike.
Their personality can be molded much like you can do with a human child. A
chihuahua who is left only in the house and not taken around other people will
become afraid of people and will sometimes actually become nervous and act a
bit insane when people are around other then their owner(s). But if you take a
chihuahua out into the world and let other people see him and pet him his world
is a bigger place and he becomes a much more friendly dog. Chihuahuas have a
great capacity to learn that I have not seen in any other breed I have worked
with. It seem this is due in part to their memory being longer then in other
breeds. It seems many breeds show amazing abilities for what they have been
bred to do. But the chihuahua has been bred to be a friend to their humans and
not really meant to serve us for any other purpose. Yet they can still take on
some of the jobs of their bigger cousins. Chihuahuas learn quickly what is
expected of them and seem to take pride in pleasing their owners. They seem
to have a little built in radar to know exactly where we are in the home and what
mood we are in. If there is an argument going on in the house between the
humans he loves, you will find the chihuahua sitting quietly in a safe place, ears
laid back, watching and waiting for the outcome. But if a stranger would come
in the house and dare to threaten his beloved master, the chihuahua will
become as ferocious as he can possible be. He will give all the strength in his
tiny body to protect the ones he loves no matter how futile the attempt may
seem. I believe this brave quality of the chihuahua has endeared him to a lot of
men who said they would never have a chihuahua.
And yet a lot of the aggression towards other animals seems to be gone from
the chihuahua. Unlike the terrier breeds who will attack and kill most things
smaller then itself (Indeed this is what they were bred to do) a chihuahua will
only sniff it in curiosity and may even bark at it ,but the need to finish it off
seems to have been bred out of them. I have seen chihuahuas and kittens
getting along fine in my home but never would I leave a kitten alone with my
dachshunds or my Yorkie. So even though a chihuahuas bark can be irritating to
those of us who do not understand, I know according to how a chihuahua sees it,
there is a good reason for every bark . Also if an attack is necessary, according
to a chihuahua, it is only for a good cause.
I already made mention of their radar ability. It is amazing to me how a
chihuahua will seem to know who needs them the most in their house. They
have been known to become very attached to the person who is ill in a home.
They seem to never leave the persons side. I have seen this happen in my own
home and also heard of reports of this from other people who own chihuahuas
or chihuahua mixes. The one I am thinking of now is a man who has a long term
illness. He did outlive his little chihuahua poodle mix. But with tears in his eyes
he will tell you how this little dog loved him and seem to worry about him
through all his hospital stays. His wife told me how the dog would mope around
the house until the man came home. One time she took the dog to the hospital
when she went to pick up her husband. The dog made an amazing leap from the
car right into the mans lap as he sat in his wheelchair.
All dogs love their owners. This is why we love our dogs in return. Its so easy to
love what loves us first. A chihuahua seems to need a human giant to be his
friend. This is what makes his life complete and well balanced. He was bred to
be a companion and I don't see any other dog being as good a companion as a
chihuahua. Their small size is only a disguise. There is a big heart and amazing
brain in there. When my grandparents called all the furr critters "poor dumb
animals" I know they never knew a chihuahua. So many instincts are gone from
many of our breeds. But the chihuahua seems to have decided to adapt to their
world of humans by becoming almost human themselves.
Whatever the reason for this, I am happy to have them in my life. They continue
to amaze me with their intelligence and bravery. In a world where we have been
let down by so many humans the chihuahua has always been a constant
reminder that there is good in this world. They never let us down.