Chihuahuas Have Lots to Say
Chis are highly intelligent and inquisitive. And we like lots of attention and know how to get it.
If they’re clever like me, they create a website and write informative and fun blog posts.
It’s true I get some help from my daddy. I have difficulty typing because I don’t have thumbs. Computer keyboards are not Chihuahua friendly.
So I dictate my thoughts in my native language and my daddy translates and types. I have complete editorial control and final say so of the way my website looks. Unless, of course, you don’t like it, then I blame my daddy.
Understanding How a Chihuahua Communicates
- Bark. It’s our main way of talking. Barking is a complex language. There are no “Bark to English” translation books. There are no known written examples of Bark (except for a musical). It just is.
- Whine. Not as loud as barking but just as annoying if done properly. I should teach a course on this. It’s a very effective way to get results.
- Scratching. I like to scratch my daddies’ leg to get attention. This usually works fine for getting my ball or stuffed rodent tossed. It sometimes works for getting an extra treat. I may be small but I like to be seen and noticed.
- Tail Wagging. This instrument has many meanings. It could show happiness (fast), sadness (droopy) and fear (between my legs). A book should be written on this alone.
- Ears. Very expressive, my ears can be up and perky (happy or inquisitive), floppy (relaxed), or down (scared).
- Body. The way I carry my body can show different moods and feelings. I can be erect and confident, crouching and ready to pounce, or crawling and ready to hide.
Be sure to check out these other articles for a more thorough understanding of this incredibly important topic:
Attention Seeking Behavior By Dr. Nicholas Dodman
Understanding and Communicating with Man’s Best Friend By Dog Whisperer Paul Owens
Understanding Dog Body Language and Verbal Clues
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The holidays are a busy time for most people. There’s gifts to be bought, parties to go to or give, decorating to be done.
The list seems endless. My daddies and I are very busy, between work and a new “temporary” foster brother for me to get to know.
A Chihuahua’s work is never done. I wanted to take a few moments to give you some easy gift ideas for your little Chi or for those who love Chihuahuas.
1. Chihuahua-opoly. If you love Monopoly, you’ll love this Chihuahua version. Your Chi might not understand the rules, but if you give the game to a Chihuahua lover they will greatly appreciate it.
2.Chuck-It. This is my most favorite toy. I have five of them all over the house and absolutely love it. I toss it to my daddies and they toss it across the room. Fetch is fun. You should really try it. Sometimes I just don’t want to give up on the game and fall asleep with the ball in my mouth.
3. Kong. Every night I get a treat in my Kong toy. The object is to not only give your dog a treat, but to encourage them to think as well. Figuring out how to get the treat out of the Kong is part of the fun. Sometimes I cheat and bring the Kong to my daddy. I nudge him until he finally takes the treat out and gives it to me. I know that’s cheating but oh well. I’m just a little girl.
4. Stuffed Hedgehog. You can’t go wrong with a Stuffed Hedgehog. It’s easy to grab, easy to toss and easy to make squeak. I love it and play with it daily. I have three of them in various stages of wear. My Hedgehogs are part of my daily fetch routine. I go from Chuck-it ball to Hedgehog. It’s the perfect size for your Chihuahua.
5. Bully Chew Sticks. When I’m tired of playing with my daddies I like to relax and chew on my Bully Chew Sticks. I have several hidden around the house. Sometimes I find them under the furniture. I don’t know how they get there. It takes a daddy to retrieve them but then that’s what daddies are for.
I received the following email from Ana:
“I have a beautiful chihuahua Minnie a girl who is 5 months old she’s great affectionate playful always give you lots of kisses when you get home. There is one thing about her that no one likes. She growls at you at me my husband and the kid. What can I do for that to stop? or is this part of her personality?
Please advise, very concerned.”
Thanks
Ana
Dear Ana,
Thanks for bringing up this important question.
I am a relatively friendly Chihuahua. I love meeting people. But some things do make me growl. Such as when my daddy puts on my harness to go for a walk. I just don’t want to be disturbed. Or when I see a cat or squirrel.
It is in the nature of some dogs to growl.
It’s our way of showing disapproval for whatever it is you’re doing to annoy us. We haven’t learned how to roll our eyes as yet.
It’s possible your Chihuahua might have decided that he or she is the pack leader and should be obeyed. This is probably not a good thing and should be dealt with a little patient re-training in between treats.
Sometimes the growling is an end in itself. But in some dogs it could be followed by biting. All forms of aggression should be promptly dealt with, gently yet firmly and not with aggression. My daddy does not hit nor should anyone hit their dogs, especially a little Chihuahua.
But a firm “NO” should make the Chi know they’ve done something wrong. Then ignore them for a while. If you give too much attention to negative behavior you are actually rewarding the dog. We all love attention, no matter we have to do to get it.
If you’re having a problem with your dog’s aggressive behavior, you may consider seeing an animal behaviorist. It might be worth the expense.
For more information:
What to Do If Your Dog Growls or Snaps
We chase because we can.
And it’s fun. We love to play and chasing is a form of play. Also we like to prey on things that move. It’s our instinct.
I especially like to chase big trucks. FedEx, UPS and garbage trucks are my favorites.
I also love to chase squirrels, cats, birds and other dogs.
But what really gets me going are skateboards and scooters. The sound of the little wheels on the pavement is just too hard to resist. I need to catch that person. I need to win.
In reality, I don’t actually chase these fun things. I’m tethered to my daddy and he won’t let me go. He can be a real drag. He would probably chase them too if he weren’t quite so old.
The dangers of chasing
This could be problematic. Especially if I escape from my daddy, because I probably will run after the skateboarder. Cars also share the street with skateboards. And a squished Chihuahua is not a happy sight.
Please share your happy chasing stories here.
Other related articles:
Dogs Chasing Bicycles, Skateboards and Other Moving Things
The Emotional Center of Gravity: Why Dogs Chase Moving Objects
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Is Your Chihuahua Halloween Ready?
As a proud Chihuahua I do not like getting dressed up for Halloween. Unless I’m wearing my pink parka to keep me warm, I prefer to run around naked. Except, of course, for my built in fur coat. I never take it off because that would hurt.
Still, some Chihuahuas may enjoy wearing something special for Halloween.
Here’s my advice on surviving Halloween:
- If your Chi is fighting you on wearing a costume, don’t force them. (They’re probably embarrassed).
- Taking your Chi trick-or-treating is probably not a good idea. Most of us Chis hate crowds and strangers. We’re very cute and everyone wants to touch us. Scary.
- Avoid gaggles of children. Chihuahuas are small and break easily. Imagine a herd of kids screeching at you and waving wands and bags of candy. Yikes.
- Never feed your Chihuahua candy. It’s not good for them and can be toxic, especially chocolate. Half eaten candy on the sidewalk is seen as a treat for you Chi. The trick for you would be taking your Chi to the emergency pet clinic for a stomach pumping. Ugh.
- When at home, provide a nice, quite spot for your Chihuahua to hide in. It can be quite annoying when the doorbell rings or people knock constantly.
- When giving out candy to trick-or-treaters, make sure you don’t drop any. We Chihuahuas are quick on picking up dropped treasures. Once it hits the floor, it’s ours.
- Keep Halloween decorations away from your Chihuahua. We may enjoy eating them as much as candy.
- Make sure you don’t let your Chi escape into the night. Some of us might be scared and confused by all the ruckus.
- Don’t forget to give us a healthy dog treat when the Halloween ordeal is all over.
Check out these other interesting dog friendly Halloween articles:
How to Safely Prepare Your Chihuahua for Halloween
If your Chihuahua does enjoy dressing up for Halloween and being the center of attention, check out these specials from PetSmart:
Save up to 75% on all Halloween costumes, Toys & Treats at the PetSmart Halloween Sale!
Save 20% On All Dog Halloween Costumes at PetSmart!
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Make Walking a Daily Routine
My daddy takes me on 5 walks daily. Ugh. The first morning walk is very short, just outside until I pee.
At around 11:30 I take the longest walk. It is about 1.5 miles, maybe up to 2 miles. We go all around the neighborhood, following a fairly regular path.
Between 3 and 3:30 comes the second longest walk, about 1 to 1.5 miles. We hit basically the same blocks, but not going as far away from home.
At 6:30 ish I take a walk around the block. It’s a sort of meet, greet and pee. Then at 9 ish I take a simple pee walk.
I’m exhausted. I hate walking and I make sure my daddy knows it.
In fairness, when I put the brakes on my daddy will pick me up and carry me for a while. We call that “air-walking”. Once I recognize we’re halfway, I’m eager to walk because I know I’m going home.
Why Walk Your Chihuahua
You’ve got a perfectly good backyard. Why bother taking your little Chi on a walk. There are fleas, other dogs, hot sun, cold winds, wet sidewalks, garbage trucks, oogies to eat. Yuck.
In spite of my feelings on the matter, there are apparently several good reasons for walking your lazy little Chi.
- Good exercise. This will keep your Chi lean and healthy. Especially if you tend to overfeed the little guy.
- Creates interest, keeps your dog’s brain active as they sniff the neighborhood.
- Helps prevent Alzheimer’s disease in dogs (they get it too). This is because new sights and sounds, people and smells, all serve to keep your Chi’s brain active and alert.
- Can be fun. See what’s going on in your neighborhood. Watch houses being remodeled or torn down. Peek inside your neighbor’s open garages and make snap judgments in your head. Oops, I don’t think most Chihuahuas do that.
- Breath in fresh air and clear your head. This may help the human more than the Chi.
This routine works well for my daddy because he works at home doing some kind of graphic design. I don’t understand it, but he sits in front of a machine all day tapping a keyboard.
Some people have to work outside their home. If that is you, you may not have the freedom to walk your Chihuahua so much. Because you left your Chi alone all day you may want to take an extra long walk in the evening, weather permitting. An early morning walk and lunch walk (if possible) would also be welcome.
For more information check out these links:
Basic Obedience Training for your Chihuahua Puppy
How to Teach a Chihuahua to Walk on a Leash
Share your stories on walking your Chihuahua. Anyone else have a Chihuahua street anchor?
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Chihuahuas Love Parties
We Chihuahuas enjoy a party as much as the next dog. Well, maybe some more than others. As long as there is food and treats.
There are three main Chihuahua personality types:
The social butterfly. This is me. I love people. I will run to almost anyone and greet them, after a moment of preliminary sniffing. It’s my ‘getting to know you’ period.
The barky bitey type. This was my daddy’s previous Chihuahua, Tasha. She hated most people and would just as soon bite them than allow them to touch her or her daddy. A party would not be a good idea for this type of personality.
The nervous and shy type. Some Chihuahuas are afraid of almost everything. A quiet treat at home may be a better idea than tormenting your Chi on their birthday with a roomful of people and dogs.
Should your guest list include other dogs?
Make sure your Chihuahua likes other dogs before inviting them. If they only like a few, just invite those chosen ones. Never invite dogs your Chihuahua doesn’t know or like. Why ruin the party with unwanted guests.
Encourage your guests to bring lots of presents.
We Chis like treats, stuffed animals, chewy toys, squeaky toys, pull toys, crunchy toys, balls of various sorts and sizes. Also bones, biscuits, jerky, cookies and did I mention treats?
Avoid clothes, collars, tags and other boring stuff. You wouldn’t give that to a child, would you?
What to serve at your Chi’s party.
Food. Find your local dog bakery and splurge on a dog friendly cake or other party-like treats. Meat snacks also go well. Forget the sugary snacks. They’re not good for anyone. If you must feed humans too, then a cake is okay. But not chocolate. Drop a piece of chocolate cake on the floor and it will be covered by the nearest Chihuahua in an instant. And remember, chocolate is toxic to dogs of all kinds.
How to dress your Chihuahua for their party.
Most dogs prefer being naked. Let’s face it, dogs hate wearing clothes unless it’s very cold. I especially detest hats, collars, boots, shoes of any kind, anything on my head including bows and ribbons. All these items are for chewing, not wearing. I come with a pre-built-in fur coat. It’s one of a kind and fits great.
Human types should wear comfortable clothes that resist dog hair. Avoid colors that are too dark or light. Never wear a fur coat of any kind, unless it’s fake.
Eating Out with your Chi
If throwing a party for your Chihuahua is too stressful or expensive, why not take your little companion out to dinner to celebrate. We will totally enjoy your company and of course good food. I love eating out with my daddies and have done so quite frequently.
There are many restaurants that have outdoor dining and welcome dogs. Find one that’s not too noisy or distracting, but has pleasant surroundings, interesting sights and shade or heat, where appropriate.
Bring your Chi’s favorite blankie for your lap or else a comfortable carrier so they will feel at home. Don’t forget a water dish and treats. Be careful about sharing your own meal with your Chihuahua. Rich foods can cause stomach problems as well as obesity. Besides, just being with you is all your little Chi needs. That and lots of love.
Dog Friendly Restaurants Near Redondo Beach, CA
Other Stuff to Read:
One Life to Live ends forever on January 20th, 2012
You may wonder what a Chihuahua has to do with TV soap operas. I blame my daddy. He named my website All My Chihuahuas instead of The World of Lucy or some such thing.
My daddy is a soap opera junkie and has been since he was a kid. Trained by his mother, who passed on long before I was born, daddy grew up watching As The World Turns, Guiding Light and Search for Tomorrow. One Life to Live and The Young and the Restless was added to the mix when daddy was still in high school, before the era of VCRs (he’s very old).
That’s a lot of TV watching.
If you ask me, daddy watches too much TV. That’s time that could be spent either playing with me or feeding me. He should be grateful for the extra time being added to his life. After all, he only has one life to live and it should be spent devoted to his Chihuahua.
Options to Save the Soaps
Because my daddy still loves his daytime “stories” I’ve come up with a few ideas on how to either save One Life to Live and All My Children or at least keep the stories going.
- Internet Only. Find a way to keep the show going online. Probably not a practical idea since the cost of producing a soap is estimated at $50 million a year.
- Netflix to the rescue. Netflix is currently looking to add more streaming content, perhaps even becoming network-like. They’ve just added films from Miramax and one new series. Why not add a few soap operas which already have an audience of almost 2 million daily viewers or more, depending on how you count. Adding up to 2 million or more monthly subscribers would equal a lot of money. Just saying.
- Radio Soaps. Let’s go back to the beginning, before TV. Soaps began on the radio, why not bring them back. Money would be saved by eliminating the cost of sets, cameras, makeup, costumes, etc. Actors would have less work to do, meaning less pay. But at least the story would go on.
- Soap Grafix. If it’s true that people no longer want to watch soaps on TV, then how about a series of graphic, illustrated stories. They could be printed or created as an app for the iPhone, iPad or online.
- Novels and/or Serialized eBooks. The stories could still go on, if only in the reader’s head. The main cost would be for the writer(s) and perhaps the rights to the characters and story history.
These are just some ideas to help my daddy and others who will certainly miss their “stories”. Have you got others?
Leave a commentI’m not proud of it, but I do find flies fascinating. I love to chase them if they happen to get in my house.
I don’t feel that they are welcome and it is my job to get rid of them. Nobody else seems to care.
Fly Adventure
So the other day I chased a fly all around the office where my daddy works. I believe the fly was on getting old because he wasn’t flying very high.
I persevered and eventually won. I caught that fly in my mouth. In hindsight I should have spit him out but no. Being a creature of instincts I ate the fly and it tasted funny.
Freakout
The experience sort of freaked me out. So I ran under my daddy’s bed and hid there for a few hours. Then I ran under the blankets of my own bed and hid there for a while.
Finally daddy came to take me for a walk and I snapped out of it.
If another fly comes into my house I’m afraid I will try to get him too. What can I say. Flies belong outside.
Is swallowing a fly safe for your dog?
Your dog is probably okay. Daddy researched this interesting topic online and found some people say nothing will happen. Others say they could get a disease or tapeworms. And still others say you get tapeworms from eating fleas, not flies.
Do you know the answer? Let us know.
1 CommentChihuahuas like to be warm and cozy.
Chihuahuas do not have a lot of body fat (hopefully) and very little hair, unless they’re long-hair Chis. Nonetheless, we like to be warm and it’s very cozy under a blanket or two.
Completely Hidden
It should be perfectly safe for your Chihuahua to sleep under a blanket. It’s what we prefer, especially in Winter. As long as we have a way out, we won’t smother. Believe me, we want to be warm, not suffocated.
So many beds, so little time to nap
I love to sleep under my blankies. I have several. I also have several beds. My main, nighttime bed is next to my daddies’ big bed. It has high sides and three blankies, so it’s like a tent. I can run in whenever I want to escape and can easily get out.
I also have a bed in my daddy’s home office. When I’m not on his lap or in my night bed, I’m often next to him in my office bed. He covers me with my blankie where I can burrow inside. If it’s too warm I can escape and sleep on top of the blankie.
There’s a pillow I adopted on the sofa. It’s fluffy and comfy. My daddies calls it my “tuffet”. I don’t get it. But I often lay there. Although there’s another blankie for me next to the pillow, I have to wait to be covered or do without. This is a lighter blankie. Sometimes when I’m covered up and run off, the blankie goes with me like a cape. There probably will be a picture of that here, someday.
Chihuahuas do not like to be disturbed while sleeping
I understand my daddy’s previous Chihuahua slept in bed with him and was often completely under the covers. Like me, she got a bit grumpy when you disturbed her while she was sleeping. That’s probably why I have to sleep in my own bed next to the big bed. Also it’s too high for me to get into and out of. Oh well, I have more freedom this way. Although I do understand they make stairs for Chihuahuas…
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