Chihuahua Temperament and Personality

You’ve found a breeder you think you like. Now what? One of the best predictors of a Chihuahua’s temperament and personality is the temperament and personality of the Chihuahua’s parents. Temperament is roughly 60 percent inherited, which means pups are born with a predisposition to be easygoing, nervous, timid, or aggressive. The other 40 percent is attributed to environment. In other words, how close a puppy comes to fulfilling it’s genetic potential hinges on how the puppy is raised by you.

Nature and Nurture

If a Chihuahua puppy that is predisposed to be very shy is raised with an experienced owner who works on the pup’s socialization skills is dedicated to building the dog’s self-confidence, and in general, is experienced in bringing shy dogs out of their shells, that puppy may develop into a fairly friendly dog. On the other hand, if raised in the wrong hands, a pup that is born predisposed to be outgoing and gregarious could become intensely fearful or swing the other way and become irritable and snippy.

What You Want to See

Without a doubt, it is best to start off with the best genetics can offer. As noted, the best way to do this is to examine the breeder’s adult Chis. Keep in mind that Chihuahuas as a breed are not exceptionally outgoing. This is not a breed that warms up the moment a stranger walks in the door. The Chihuahua, however, is not to retreat to another room with her tail tucked between her legs, nor is she to come flying for your jugular with teeth bared.

What you are looking for is a well-balanced Chihuahua. If the dog stays with her owner but doesn’t appear fearful, nervous, or aggressive, she is likely to be of even temperament. If she warms up quickly to you and seeks affection, you have an added bonus of congeniality.

Do not be alarmed if only the female dog is on the breeder’s premises. This is not to be considered suspicious or a red flag of any sort. Quality breeders often seek stud dogs from other lines to improve upon their own breeding. Artificial insemination is also becoming much more common, meaning that the stud dog may actually be thousands of miles away.

The Rest of the Gang

Now you’ll want to see the rest of the litter. With Chihuahuas, this may be as few as two puppies or as many as five. Even though many of these pups may already be spoken for, it is still important to see how the puppies interact with each other. Much can be gleaned about the pups’ true temperaments by observing them during playtime.

Keep in mind that how a puppy plays on any given day at any given time can differ, which is why it is really optimal if you can see the litter two or three times before selecting a puppy. One day a puppy may appear sluggish and dull because she just ate and is ready for a nap. The next time you see the litter, this same pup could be ricocheting off the walls, tackling her littermates and being mouthy. She just woke up.

When watching the puppies play, you will generally observe one that is bossier than the rest. This puppy is okay; you’d rather have a bold Chihuahua than a shrinking violet. What you don’t want, however, is the puppy that is acting like a bully. This is the one that is constantly hassling the other puppies and just doesn’t seem to figure out when enough is enough. Be forewarned that she is likely to have this attitude with you, too.

Though it is human nature to want to hold and nurture the very timid puppy, this is not a good idea. As noted previously, those pups predisposed to be timid can be some of the most difficult and complex puppies to raise into calm, less anxious adult dogs. It can be done, but it requires dedication and some experience.

The best puppies are those that seem to have gotten the idea that it’s fun to play with other puppies. These puppies understand when enough is enough; however, they’re always up for playing. Fortunately, this kind of puppy usually makes up the majority of the litter—or should. If you see a litter and they are all terribly shy, avoid them all. This is another sign of poor breeding and/or poor breeding practices (such as a breeder who has not spent any time socializing the pups with humans).