I have long contemplated sharing my home with a chihuahua. It came after witnessing a chi seeing off a Great Dane at Discover Dogs! I admire their spirit and strength of character :)

I have 6 border collies and have never owned any other breed. I know collies inside out and back to front but chi's are another story. I have no idea about what to look for, what health checks to request, what is the usual price range etc etc.

I've now taken my contemplation to reading more about the breed. Tonight, I read that a chi shouldn't be homed with a larger breed. I find that odd and am not really sure why that would be the case. However, I would only offer a home if I thought the circumstances of my home was right.

So, I have 6 collies (2 rather old and dottery ones!), a 16 year old senile cat, I work from home, live in the middle of nowhere. I would not expect to train the chi any differently to my other dogs. I am absolutely not the type of owner who would carry something which had 4 capable legs around in a bag!

Does anyone have any advice...what should I be looking for...would my home life suit the breed? Any thoughts...good or bad would be welcomed :)

You will get different opinions from different breeders, depending on which breeds they keep as well as Chi's. 

Mine are brought up with a Border Collie and 2 Bearded Collies, and I allow Chi pups to scramble in the compost heap like any other dog I've owned.

However, they are born with open fontanel, and a blow to the head can be fatal.  Common sense tells you that you don't allow them to jump off the settee!  It's nothing to do with namby pambying them, you have to realise how much more fragile their bones are.

However, once they are older, and have gained confidence, and are sure footed, it's a different story.  I have my heart in my mouth when my stud boy does the wall of death round the living room, leaping from the back of one settee to another, but he has no qualms at all.

They are trainable.  While I don't expect the same intelligence as the pastoral breeds, when I call them in, they know I mean it!  They're not interested in retrieves, but you can get a good level of obedience if started young.  Recall is good.

I do agree with you about their spirit and strength of character.  They really have no idea that they are small.  I have a youngster that happily trots up to a very large Rottie at ringcraft, to greet him.  Oh, yes, and he's in love with a St Bernard bitch that he met there.  There is nothing worse than a Chi that gets all snappy, and yappy because it's frightened of larger breeds.

My stud boy, when he went for his booster jab, went up to a large Rottie in surgery - just to warn him off as I had a bitch in season at home!  He stood next to him (Rottie was lying down), and stood as tall as he could get, while scraping his back legs in a manly display!!  I have to laugh!

You couldn't get away with feeding once a day, they do need little and often.  I've never seen hypoglycemia, but understand that it can be a problem.  Although there aren't any compulsory health checks, I always think that eye, heart and patella history is a good idea.

I know Chi's who are very good at retrieving as long as you have the right size of retrieve item.

I have Pom's who are very similiar in attitude at times and did really well at obedience a number of years ago with a couple of them.

I suspect the reason many toy breed breeders won't home with other breeds is the chance of accidental injury by playing/running around with a larger dog, as they don't realise they are small.

I keep large and small together successfully but, the hypocrit I am, I usually say no to potential buyers in the same position !

I suspect it's because I dont expect anyone else to be as obsessed with the little ones safety as me.
As a multi dog owner you would be careful I'm sure and give the pup a great and fulfilled life....just got to convince a breeder of that fact.
Look out for the mega inflated price - Paris Hilton has a lot to answer for :-(
Good luck.

Mine live with a Great Dane but have to be supervised at all times!!

ours  play fetch all the time i have two that would be great in agility too!!!!!! 

Mine are also brought up with children and play like normal big sized dogs but do get carried from time to time too :)

They have super characters and are very loyal to there owners too 

Which coat type do you prefer as i find my smooths are very like terriers and can be stand offish i dont know why but the longs are more in your face and a little more relaxed but this is only my opinion about my lot!!

I've got roughly the same size differences as Collies and Chihuahuas; I've got Malinois and Papillons. They get on just fine, but I'd never leave them unattended together, ever. Nor can I walk them together unless the large dog/s is on the lead because they do tend to just run over the little ones (literally), and with the biggest weighing around 27 kg and the smallest less than 2, it's very dangerous. (The smallest Mali weighs around 20 kg, the biggest Papillon 4 kgs.) I never let the large ones mix with the little ones more than one at a time, because calm is what is needed. As soon as they are able to run around the little ones DO get trod on and knocked over and they absolutely hate it, and legs etc could easily get broken. Indoors, where only the Paps can run around (and boy do they run!! and climb like cats!) it works fine with ONE Mali and the paps. They adore each other.  Had to laugh a few months ago at training class. My smallest Papillon is very outgoing and fearless and loves everyone but she was growled at by a slightly bigger dog. She instantly ran to my big male Malinois and sat in between his front legs, like she was saying "Ha, I've got BIG friends!" LOL.

I have gsd and a chi x pom she weighs 7lbs he weighs 40kg ! I have no worries about the 2 of them BUT safety is paramount the are not left together unless supervised when I am out they are in different rooms in the house.

She is the first toy breed I have had and before her I wouldn't have considered them now I am a convert and am looking for my next one possibly a spitz klein and a another chi. So be careful they are addictive !
I guess rescue and some breeders are funny because you can never tell how people will really look after their dogs and we all have differing views

I have GSD and chihuahua, They get on so well, I dont have any problems with letting them play together, I always keep an eye on them though, not because of the chihuahua getting hurt but my GSD gets hurt! :-)
The chi fits in really well he walks the same amount as my GSD and they both get walked together. I do obedience with the little one, I started taking him to working trials with my GSD he was so keen to join in! he loves scent work and his favourite is doing a retrive with his little mini dumbell :-) he even attempts to do the long jump! He is also a PAT dog.
I really dont think I will be with out a chi now, It was alot of hard work to get him to be the dog he is today but its all worth it, I do think they can be hard work with such a stong character, but with the right owners they are just amazing!
I hope you find a great breeder so you can get your perfect little chihuahua :-)

> Which coat type do you prefer as i find my smooths are very like terriers and can be stand offish i dont know why but the longs are more in your face and a little more relaxed but this is only my opinion about my lot!!

Totally agree that the smooths and longs are very different in character.  The longs are not in the least reserved, and they can be better entertainment than TV as they can be proper clowns.  Very outgoing, as opposed to the aloof smooth.

LOL i love the word you used for the smooths Aloof totally the right word for them!!!!!!

We have different opinions in our house hubby is all for the smooths i am all for the longs but we both love chihuahuas full stop but the temperament difference is funny with them

I was hoping you would come along kiger to explain how it can work so well

> she was growled at by a slightly bigger dog. She instantly ran to my big male Malinois and sat in between his front legs, like she was saying "Ha, I've got BIG friends!" LOL.

Haha thats exactly what my chihuahua does with my GSD :-) he always runs to her for back up! lol

Oh thanks everyone for your wonderful advice :)

I am just not sure my home is right for a chi now :(

2 of my dogs are in outdoor runs leaving me with 4 dogs in the house and the cat! One of the dogs has to be in a room on his own as he has epilepsy. The cat has the kitchen as his domain when I am out (mainly because he uses a litter tray and the dogs like nothing better than a rootle in that pesky tray if I leave the house for a split second!). One dog has the office....she's a pesky nuisance to the older dogs so she's in a room to give the older ones peace and quiet! That leaves the hallway and lounge for the old dogs to potter about and lounge on the sofa. So, no rooms left for a chi! Unless......a chi would be safe with the 2 golden oldie collies who don't charge around whatsoever and are gentle as absolute lambs. But then....maybe the chi would pester the life out of them! lol

How would a chi cope with a crate? It's something I would use for a young collie anyway (seems forever ago since I had a puppy though!)....would a chi be content enough with short periods in a crate?

The dogs are extremely aware of my old cat and have never....touch wood....knocked him over (even when he ambles down the hallway during the mad period when I pull my wellies on and the dogs realise its walk-time lol)

Oh gosh....now I have so many doubts lol...I feel like a new dog owner all over again!

> How would a chi cope with a crate?

If they are in a crate alone, they won't cope so well.  I use a 4ft crate for 2 or 3 of the tinies together, but that's only at night for safety reasons.  They don't go in until I'm off up to bed myself.  I would expect a lone pup to be very unsettled.

So how would you cope with a single chi puppy? I mean, I put my collie pups in crates to keep them safe when I'm out....wouldn't that be recommended with chi pups?

Maybe I should stick with what I know lol!

My chi when she was a pup was crated at night and if everyone was out she settled right from the first day no barking or whining and goes to her crate willingly in fact  you often find her curled up asleep in it although now she is older it isn't shut.
(I guess you could get 2LOL)

> (I guess you could get 2LOL)

LOL!!!  :-)  :-)  :-)

My boy is fine in a crate, the door is always open on it. I often find him sleeping in there after a long walk, he knows thats where you go for peace and quite. He goes in the crate when I go out, at night he sleeps on one of the many beds around the house usually trys to sneak in ours when we are asleep! :-)