Chihuahua With Other Chihuahuas

Chihuahuas love other Chihuahuas. Whether they’re long haired or short haired, if that dog is a Chihuahua, your Chihuahua is likely to want to engage her in some good old wild Chihuahua play. Introducing two Chis to each other is therefore rarely a problem. The Chihuahuas will want to sniff each other to check each other out, and then typically one or the other Chi will dip into a play bow and the dogs will be off and running.

On occasion, however, Chihuahuas don’t get along at first sight. Signs that the meeting is going slightly amiss include rigidness in a dog’s body, standing on tip-toes (to look bigger), a stiffly wagging, raised tail, and of course, snarling, snapping, or lunging. Determining why a Chihuahua is aggressive toward another is more difficult. Here are some questions whose answers may provide a clue:

• Where are you making the introduction? If either Chi is on her home turf, she could be territorial. Try introducing the dogs in a neutral area, such as a park.
• Is one of the Chihuahua’s an intact male? Unneutered males show more aggression toward other males than a neutered male would with other neutered males. Intact males are also more likely to show inappropriate interest in females, to which the female will take exception almost every time.
• Are both Chis dominant, I-want-to-be-the-leader types? If neither Chi will accept a less-dominant role, it could be difficult for these two to play together.
• Are the Chihuahuas on leash? Many dogs that clash while on leash would meet and greet just fine if both were off leash. Consider introducing dogs in a fenced, neutral location without leashes.
• Does one of the dogs have something he’s guarding? Even a very submissive dog can become quite ugly if he’s got a favorite ball, toy, or chew in the area. Make sure there aren’t any of these special objects in the vicinity.
• Is the Chihuahua protecting you? If you are attached to your dog with a leash, this could very well be the case. Again, take leashes off in a neutral place and stand away from your dog.
• Is the other Chi just not getting it? Sometimes a dog just doesn’t understand how to play fair. This is the bully that keeps picking on another dog even after that dog has repeatedly told him to back off. The bullying dog should be removed from play and required to sit in time out until he’s settled down. If he continues to pick on the other dogs, remove your dog.

Chihuahuas, of course, can and do play well with other breeds. Fearful or timid dogs may not want to interact with any dogs that are very much larger than they are, so these Chis may be more comfortable associating with other friendly toy breeds. Bold Chihuahuas, on the other hand, may be ready to take on the world, whether this is a safe move for them or not.

When they are young, Chihuahuas from their litter mates learn how to play with other dogs. Once they are in your hands, puppies need to play with friendly, vaccinated older puppies and adult dogs. When your puppy has received her vaccination series, her socialization with dogs will continue in her puppy training class and with your continued introduction to friendly dogs.

If you have a situation in which a larger dog is involved in the play, before you allow your Chi to join in the fun, observe how the larger dog plays with the small dogs. Some large dogs are incredibly gentle and very aware of where their bodies start and stop and sense what would happen if they even nudge a little dog too hard. Most big dogs, however, simply don’t realize that they can’t use the same force on a little dog that they do playing with another big dog.

Some breeds and mixes of breeds have very high prey drives. Depending on the game they were bred to hunt and kill, a Chihuahua bouncing in an open area could be mistaken for prey. Dogs of any breed with a reputation for being cat killers should not be allowed with your Chihuahua—to avoid any fatal chances of mistaken identity.

Allowing your Chi to play with a dog that is substantially larger than she is involves a certain risk. Keep in mind, too, that even the gentlest of dogs could become angered at something your Chihuahua does. Chis aren’t perfect, and decide to make a correction. To another large dog, this controlled chomp would send the message without injury. To a Chihuahua, the correction could literally be fatal.

When deciding on which dogs you will allow your Chi to play with and which dogs you won’t it is always wisest to err on the conservative side. A large dog doesn’t have to have any bad intentions to seriously injure or frighten a Chihuahua.