Chihuahua
Learn about the temperament and personality of the Chihuahua. Discover what he's like to live with, his traits and characteristics and how he generally behaves. And look at lots of Chihuahua photos.
Chihuahua short coated variety:
Chihuahua long coated variety:
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Chihuahua Temperament
The Chihuahua has a terrier-like personality which means he's cocky, confident, feisty, quick-to-bark, relentless, and rash. He's the smallest of all dog breeds. He eats very little and takes up very little space. He's craves your affection and close physical contact (pats, rubs and scratches). He loves to cuddle and snuggle up to you on the couch. He'll sit on your lap or by your side for hours while you read or watch TV. He burrows under blankets and pillows to sleep, so be careful where you sit! He tends to bond more closely with one person: his main caretaker. He's alert and investigates all goings on. He's cautious and wary with strangers and can take a long time to warm up to them (he'll get to know them on his own terms!). He'll bark up a storm when a stranger enters his home. He doesn't get along very well with dogs he doesn't know, he can be aggressive with them. He isn't intimidated by other dogs in the least! He'll happily (and unwisely) take on a dog twenty times his size, so you need to watch him. He may nip at a child who is teasing him, but he's good with children who are gentle and respectful of him. He will get all the exercise he needs by walking and running around inside, which makes him an excellent apartment dog. He's very alert and will sound the alarm if a stranger approaches or enters your home. He shivers when he's excited, frightened, or cold. He's one of the top 20 most popular dog breeds in the United States.
Chihuahua Training
The Chihuahua is harder to train than most other dog breeds. He learns new commands more slowly than the majority of other breeds. You will need to be extra patient when Training him.
Chihuahua Shedding
The Chihuahua sheds a fair amount of hair. You'll find hair stuck to your couch, carpets, clothes and everything else in your home.
Chihuahua Grooming
The short coat of the Chihuahua only requires an occasional brushing. But because he sheds you may find yourself brushing him once or twice a week to remove loose hair. (What you get out with a brush doesn't fall out in your home!)
Adopt a Chihuahua
Chihuahua Photos
Rating: Ease of training
Tells you how easy or difficult a breed is to train.
A higher rating means the breed is easier to train, a lower rating means the breed is harder to train.
An easy to train breed require less time and patience to train.
Rating: Intelligence
Tells you how intelligent a breed is in terms of how quickly it can learn commands from humans. A higher rating means the breed will learn your commands faster (and is therefore generally considered to be more intelligent), while a lower rating means the breed will learn your commands more slowly (and is therefore generally considered to be less intelligent).
Keep in mind that this is only one way to measure a dog's intelligence and a low rating might still mean the breed is highly intelligent in other ways.
Rating: Shedding
Tells you how much hair the breed sheds. The higher the rating the more hair the breed sheds.
Rating: Watchdog
Tells you how good the breed is at being a watchdog and raising the alarm when a stranger approaches. A higher rating means the breed will bark vigorously to warn you of a stranger's presence on your property. A low rating means the breed probably won't bark much if a stranger enters your property.
Rating: Guard dog
Tells you how good the breed is at being a guard dog due to the appearance, size, and strength of the breed. A breed with a high guard dog rating will make an intruder think twice before stepping foot on your property.
Rating: Popularity
Tells you how popular the breed is in terms of ownership. A higher rating means that more people own the breed. The more popular a breed is the easier it is to find and purchase one because there are more breeders breeding it.
Rating: Size
Tells you how large or small the breed is. A lower rating means the breed is smaller and a higher rating means the breed is larger. It gives you a quick idea of how physically large or small the breed is compared with all the other breeds.
Rating: Agility
Tells you how agile the breed is. A higher rating means the breed is fast and nimble on its feet while a lower rating means the breed is heavier and slower on its feet.
Rating: Good with kids
Tells you how good the breed is with children. A higher rating means the breed is good with children. Note: all breeds are generally good with kids when they're raised with them.
