Whats so great about chihuahuas?
If I wanted the most beautiful dog I ever saw I would have chosen an Irish Setter.
If I wanted a dog who would be able to protect me I would have chosen a pit bull
or a Filla. If I had cattle needing herding I would have chosen a collie type dog.
Animals that need protected would require German Shepard. But I didnt need
any of these things in my life at this time. I needed a friend. This is where a
chihuahua shines. He was bred to be our companion and he takes this job very
seriously.
If any of us had to live in the same type of world as the chihuahua , I would have
to wonder if we would do as well. He is subjected to live in a world of giant
humans where he must learn to avoid feet sometimes bigger then he is. He is
bound by his breeding to love these giants and is dependant on them for his
living. He must learn to obey their commands even if it goes against his inborn
instincts. He must do this even though he only partially understand the
language. 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. 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.
Chihuahuas seem to have radar ability. It is amazing to me how a chihuahua will
seem to know who needs them the most in the 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 the nurse wheeled him out to the car 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 chihuahuas need to have a giant human as his friend
is more intense. Without this human interaction, a chihuahua often becomes
insane and will show it by his actions to strangers. The humans are what makes
his life complete and well balanced. Without human interaction, he becomes
withdrawn and frightened. This is what has given a chihuahua its bad wrap and
made him one of the most misunderstood breeds Ive ever seen. He was bred
to be a companion and a companion is what he NEEDS to be. Not to just one
human but to many humans. He will chose one human as a favorite, its true. But
he really needs interaction with many humans to be a truly happy little dog.
Their small size is only a disguise. There is a big heart and amazing brain in that
cute little furry package. So many instincts are gone from many of our breeds.
So the chihuahua seems to have decided to adapt to their world of giants with
bravery, intelligence and love for their humans.
Whatever the reason for this, I am happy to have them in my life. They continue
to amaze me. 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.
If I wanted a dog who would be able to protect me I would have chosen a pit bull
or a Filla. If I had cattle needing herding I would have chosen a collie type dog.
Animals that need protected would require German Shepard. But I didnt need
any of these things in my life at this time. I needed a friend. This is where a
chihuahua shines. He was bred to be our companion and he takes this job very
seriously.
If any of us had to live in the same type of world as the chihuahua , I would have
to wonder if we would do as well. He is subjected to live in a world of giant
humans where he must learn to avoid feet sometimes bigger then he is. He is
bound by his breeding to love these giants and is dependant on them for his
living. He must learn to obey their commands even if it goes against his inborn
instincts. He must do this even though he only partially understand the
language. 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. 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.
Chihuahuas seem to have radar ability. It is amazing to me how a chihuahua will
seem to know who needs them the most in the 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 the nurse wheeled him out to the car 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 chihuahuas need to have a giant human as his friend
is more intense. Without this human interaction, a chihuahua often becomes
insane and will show it by his actions to strangers. The humans are what makes
his life complete and well balanced. Without human interaction, he becomes
withdrawn and frightened. This is what has given a chihuahua its bad wrap and
made him one of the most misunderstood breeds Ive ever seen. He was bred
to be a companion and a companion is what he NEEDS to be. Not to just one
human but to many humans. He will chose one human as a favorite, its true. But
he really needs interaction with many humans to be a truly happy little dog.
Their small size is only a disguise. There is a big heart and amazing brain in that
cute little furry package. So many instincts are gone from many of our breeds.
So the chihuahua seems to have decided to adapt to their world of giants with
bravery, intelligence and love for their humans.
Whatever the reason for this, I am happy to have them in my life. They continue
to amaze me. 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.