Which Breed And Where To Get It From - One Of Those Threads

[jacqui835]

Well today a family friend of a friend (who for simplicity I will call Sally for now) was on the verge of buying a chihuahua cross puppy from the pet shop. I do not know her that well, but according to my friend, she has entertained the idea of getting a puppy for a while, and has had a chihuahua several years ago and is keen for another. I managed to convince her that she would be better off going to a breeder for several reasons, she had no idea about puppy farms (and was very upset at the idea) and right at that moment the puppy happened to fall asleep in its own faeces - which I assured her was very unnatural. She at first said she was worried puppies from a breeder would be too expensive, but whilst I am not sure what the going rates for chihuahua puppies are, I was fairly confident it couldn't be more than the $1800 they were asking for the xbreed in the petshop so at this stage she has agreed to let me look into finding the right dog for her.

I have a few questions though because I have only ever had big dogs and I just don't know anything about the little guys. Before I go on though, I get the feeling that when I tell you more about what she's looking for in a dog, a lot of people are going to say that this woman shouldn't have one, and to be honest, I agree that she's far from an ideal owner. That said, she has her heart set on it and I think I'm better off trying to help her do a better job of it, rather than leaving her to just buy the next small dog she sees in a petshop :s

The lady in the petshop told us that toy breeds were easier to toilet train that larger dogs as they mature faster - is this true? Sally works full-time and this was a big selling point for her. I said I doubted it was the case, and that if that was a big concern, rescuing an older dog might be the solution. She was reluctant though and seems to want to believe the pet shop lady, so I said I would check with you guys. She said if she could rescue a puppy or younger dog, she would consider it. How common are toy breeds in shelters - and young ones in particular?

She claims her last chihuahua did not need to go for walks, she did take it for some, but that it didn't mind either way. Do they really not require daily exercise? She did also say though that she was trying to get fitter and went for a 4km walk at least a few times a week. She would want the dog to accompany her and her partner on this walk. (She's not very fit, it would not be a jog, just a walk.)

She loves chihuahuas but also loves a lot of other toy breeds. Pomeranians were one other breed she mentioned, I'm trying to remember the others but can't think of them right now. She owns a cat that she adores and wants one that will get along with him - are any toy breeds better in that regard?

This dog would not receive any formal training, so I'm thinking that perhaps a less intelligent breed might be a better idea since it would be less likely to get up to mischief? Not sure if I'm right about that though. Certainly a less dominant one, because she admitted that she would not feel comfortable disciplining the dog and she's not a pack leader type of person.

The woman is loaded, and the dog would be unlikely to want for anything (so long as it wasn't wanting to compete in obedience trials etc). She'd feed it the best, all vet bills covered etc. For the Cesar Millan viewers, she would be one of those owners who mainly gives affection affection affection which I know is never great, but are there any breeds that are less likely to react poorly to this?

I'm scared to post this thread because I worry it will upset some people, but in all my years of loving dogs, the toy sector has been terribly neglected and I would be very grateful for any advice or suggestions.

[Kavik]

From what I've heard and talking to some toy breed owners, they can be more difficult to toilet train.

[Dame Aussie]

Don't be scared lol!

You're doing the right thing by steering her away from a pet shop! To be honest she doesn't sound ideal, but how many pet owners are these days!?

Chihuahuas are definitely not the easiest dogs to own

We had two chi xs when I was younger, my Mum still has them, they are 14 now.

In my experience, both with my own dogs and friends, smaller dogs are harder to toilet train. I have no idea why but from what I've seen it seems to be the case. Obviously I'm happy to be proven wrong!

Whilst they won't need as much exercise as some other breeds they still need to be walked daily. Any dog needs different sights and smells to be stimulated, it's cruel to just keep a little dog enclosed in the same house/yard just because it is small.

I think you should tell her about all the issues that could come up, if she does no training and treats the dog like a baby I wouldn't be surprised if it turns into a wee terror, Chis may be small but boy can they be feisty!!

Good luck!

[skip]

I have just been looking about a little for another dog.

I looked at breeders on this site and was surprised at the very reasonable cost of some of the smaller dogs. Maybe not all show quality, some were pet homes only but well bred anyway. I am surprised people are silly enough to pay the price the pet shops are said to charge.

Then I looked at some posts in the rescue forum on this site. I couldn't help noticing a black and tan young long haired chi. Hard not to as while the other 4 small dogs in with him were standing, he was a good way up the fence. Standing in the fencing wire with his 2 front paws literally wrapped round the wire to stay there. Luckily for him, he has a note there that somebody has interest in him so he might have a home.

But there are plenty in rescue too and maybe your friend would like prefer that. She might even like a slightly older dog. Less hassle and some smaller dogs still look very puppy like.

Hope you can help her find a dog where both human and dog are content.

[noisymina]

I met a lady at the vets one day while I was there with my Dobe.

She was there picking up somethiong (I gather for a cat).

I noticed she seemed particularly worried about the presence of my dog. A lot of people are worried by Dobes, but she seemed unusaully frightened. So I kept the dog well away from her and we started chatting while waiting.

The lady was dog phobic because when she was younger she had been attacked and bitten many times by a Chi!

It caused her a great deal of damage and trauma.

Eventually she did face her fear and patted my dog. But I felt do sorry for her.

So it is a worry when you say this lady appears uninterested in training and disciplne.

[Frostypaws]

On the topic of small dogs and exercise - my parents own a lhasa apso x shi tzu who spends a good quarter of his day playing with toys and chasing balls. In the past we have tried to take him on walks but he gets pooped after a kilometer of brisk walking and we have to carry him the rest of the way! He's in the ideal weight range and healthy, but he seems to get all the exercise he needs chasing around after his toys in a game of fetch/tug of war. He has never had destructive tenancies either (he snoozes when my parents go out), and has always been a happy little man (if very territorial about his home!).

Well done for steering her away from pet stores. The ones that sell animals are generally a disgrace to animal welfare.

[moosepup]

Moose was somewhat difficulty to toilet train but I think this was mostly owner error and not doggy error! I've never toilet trained a large breed though so not sure. I will say it's 'easier' in the sense that the poops are lot smaller in case of accidents.

They definitely still need to be walked. I don't know if Moose could handle 4k's though, he's very fit but his legs are only small! He does love getting out and seeing the sights. If I don't get a chance to walk him though we do play a lot of toy games and he gets exercise this way. He's mad about toys.

I don't know about getting a long with cats but he doesn't try to eat my sisters parrot. Very curious about him though.

Chi's are very fiesty so I think training is a must (this is true for all dogs I'm sure). I didn't do formal training as such with Moose but he knows sit, drop, wait, shake etc and sits next to his bowl until he gets the 'go' signal. He knows that I'm the boss.

Also, if she wants a lap dog she might want to consider something else. Moose is pretty hyper and loves to play, he doesn't like to sit still for too long. I have known far more relaxed Chihuahuas though so maybe he's just special!

[Kissindra]

Moose was somewhat difficulty to toilet train but I think this was mostly owner error and not doggy error! I've never toilet trained a large breed though so not sure. I will say it's 'easier' in the sense that the poops are lot smaller in case of accidents.

They definitely still need to be walked. I don't know if Moose could handle 4k's though, he's very fit but his legs are only small! He does love getting out and seeing the sights. If I don't get a chance to walk him though we do play a lot of toy games and he gets exercise this way. He's mad about toys.

I don't know about getting a long with cats but he doesn't try to eat my sisters parrot. Very curious about him though.

Chi's are very fiesty so I think training is a must (this is true for all dogs I'm sure). I didn't do formal training as such with Moose but he knows sit, drop, wait, shake etc and sits next to his bowl until he gets the 'go' signal. He knows that I'm the boss.

Also, if she wants a lap dog she might want to consider something else. Moose is pretty hyper and loves to play, he doesn't like to sit still for too long. I have known far more relaxed Chihuahuas though so maybe he's just special!

there is a LOT less mess to clean up if a small dog poops or pees! You should see Dane puppy accidents thank goodness he's been so easy to toilet train, accidents only happened when I didn't realise someone had shut the door so he couldn't get out by himself!

[Debyork2]

I've had toy dogs for the best part of thirty years (I know, I'm ancient!) and I would say a definate yes to the fact that they can be more difficult to toilet train, I have a Yorkshire Terrier and a Chi, both quite elderly now and although I invested a lot of time & effort in toilet training them when young neither of them are trustworthy, if I go out I crate them. My Mum had a Great Dane that would rather have died than do something inside, mind you it is a lot less of an issue if a Chihuahua has an 'accident'! Toy breeds don't need the same level of exercise as a big dog-not to say that a walk isn't beneficial for them, when mine were younger they had a decent walk every day, now they just have a gentle evening stroll. The main issues, I have found, with toys (and my main experience is with Yorkies) is teeth-you really need to keep on top of keeping their teeth clean, some toys are very fond of the sound of their own voices (a nice way of saying yappy!) and this drives some people nuts, grooming can be an issue, I used to work at a grooming salon and the state of some of the little long haired dogs that came in had to be seen to be believed, matted, overgrown nails etc. etc. Some toys can become tyrants-mainly because they tend to get away with stuff that a big dog wouldn't. There are lots of good points about owning a toy, they are great company as they tend to be very people orientated & like to be with you all the time, they are very 'portable' and can go just about everywhere with you, they make great 'footwarmers' in bed, they don't cost a bomb to keep well fed and they usually have a long life span. Another thing with toys is that as an owner of a little dog you always have to be aware of potential dangers from big dogs-I have never let mine off lead in public areas, just too risky-and toys aren't terribly obedient and usually have an inflated idea of their size and capabilities! I think the lady in question would be fine with a toy dog, it's not the end of the world if she doesn't take it to obedience or go for long hikes-as long as she can live with the cons of a toy and is prepared to deal with the special needs of a little dog.

[mita]

On the topic of small dogs and exercise - my parents own a lhasa apso x shi tzu who spends a good quarter of his day playing with toys and chasing balls. In the past we have tried to take him on walks but he gets pooped after a kilometer of brisk walking and we have to carry him the rest of the way! He's in the ideal weight range and healthy, but he seems to get all the exercise he needs chasing around after his toys in a game of fetch/tug of war. He has never had destructive tenancies either (he snoozes when my parents go out), and has always been a happy little man (if very territorial about his home!).

Frosty, that sounds just like our tibetan spaniels....it must be the fact they're an eastern breed like the shih tzu & the lhasa. They like a short walk, but just like your parents' boy, their short snouts mean they can't get rid of the body heat from very long vigorous walking....so it's also short, sharp exercise & play for them, too. Followed by the Big Snooze!

If Sally were in Qld, there's a pretty tibetan spaniel girl, Emma, for adoption from Small Dogs Rescue (I don't know if they do interstate adoptions). This girl is happy being an only dog. Content to curl up inside & watch TV. But walk on the beach, too....& 'rides in the country' might mean she's happy & calm on a horse! (I keep hearing about pet tibbies that ride in front of their owners on a horse.)

http://www.petrescue.com.au/view/79485

Edited July 26, 2010 by mita