toy poodles and chihuahuas

I'd like to hear about long-haired chihuahuas and toy poodles. Can anyone who has one of these breeds tell me about their dog - activity level, hyper-ness and the ability to calm down, ease of training, intelligence, potty training issues, cuddliness, general attitude, yappiness, etc.

Thanks in advance!

 

I havent had either as my own pets so I dont know if this counts, I did have a short haired chi/fox terrier mix that had the typical 'overbred' chi temprement but she came from an abusive home....once Id worked with her (due to the abuse it was pretty much an ongoing thing) but in general she could be a bit yappy but not for nothing, she would be the first to start yapping if someone came to the door and the last to stop.
Probably more useful info on Poodles (in German they are called "Pudels"...pronounced as PUDDLES ) I have had a lot that Ive trained, they can be yappy and they can be a little demanding for attention but I have found they are one of the most intelligent as far as reading your body language, they are very quick learners and are as focused as a well bred GSD if not more (they take their training very seriously), pretty high energy level which makes them easier to train, its like as long as they are doing something they are happy. They can be a little on the shy side with strangers but with training and desensitization included it will bring their confidence up as far as thats concerned....the house training goes along with the rest of the training, usually pretty fast, same as calming them down. When they dont have any kind of training they seem to get bored easily and all kinds of problems can come up, sometimes it will turn to snappiness, a lot of barking....and you often get the 'one person dog' issue....obviously there are exceptions to the rule but in general this is what Ive found, Just my opinion based on the Pudels Ive worked with....

Are you thinking of getting one? I tried to talk hubby into having one (a standard) but has his heart set on a Ridgeback...I told him he can train if he gets one....not that I dont like them but Ive found they are probably one of the most stubborn breeds Ive ever worked with....Im over 40...I want an easier life these days That said...Im working on him to adopt Krissie.

 

I am exploring different breed options.

I would like a small dog, but not for another few years at least. I have always wanted a Pomeranian. But then I discovered Papillons. So I started looking into all sorts of breeds - yorkie, chihuahua, toy fox terrier, etc. I like to buy the breed specialty magazines they sell at PetsMart and read all about the breed and what their owners say about them - especially the BAD points about particular breeds so you know what you're getting into!

So far, to my surprise, the chihuahua issue has described the dog that I want! The long-haired ones also have the look that I want, and I want a very small dog which also fits. I have not bought a poodle issue yet, though.

But then one of the chi owners here said they are extremely hard to housebreak and yappy. I know about some of the other "traditional" chi temperament issues, but I think getting one from a good breeder who breeds for temperament and proper training and socialization on my part would counteract much of that.

What I want is preferably a long-haired dog, very small. A sweet, cuddly lap dog devoted to me, but not snarky to everyone else. Playful but not hyper. Easy to train - meaning it likes to please people and is intelligent. Hopefully not overly stubborn. Not yappy, or able to be trained to be not yappy. Gets along with other animals. I don't care about grooming issues or shedding or any of that - I can adapt.

I have been told by the person who runs the kennel where I board my dogs that what I want is a Japanese Chin (which she breeds, LOL). It's a possibility, but they have those squashy little noses. I prefer the little pointy fox noses and they also come with less physical problems from what I have read.

I have always got my dogs from a shelter and it may end up that I go that way again despite all this research. But it might be fun to do it a different way. Of course, I will probably get a shelter dog about a year or so after I get whichever little dog I decide on.

 

My Aunt had a Chi that she couldn't get potty trained at all. She was a shelter dog and I guess that is one of the reasons she ended up in the shelter to start with. My Aunt then gave her to her daughter-in-law who had all the time of the day at home with her and said she potty trained in just a couple of weeks. Guess Shiloh chose her home and liked it so she decided to potty train then. (Silly dog!) She is quite the yapper, but she has never tried to bite anyone. Even the little ones in the home.

My Great Uncle has a toy Poodle and he is the smartest thing around. He was potty trained VERY early on. He doesn't bark much unless he is left somewhere and wants to go to. He is very spoiled rotten. Very loving dog but he wants to play all the time. My daughters get tired out before he does. He is even more active then my Pomeranians. But my Poms are alont more noisy then he is. If they want to play, they bark, someone comes to the house, they bark, they want anything, they bark!! I have yet to get them to be quiet. One of my Poms was very easy to train (except to be quiet). My other one though is the pits. He refuses to do anything I want him to do. He is very stubborn!!!

Good luck in your search. If I was to get another dog sometime down the line, I would look into getting a toy poodle. If they were anything like my Uncles, I would be very happy.

 

when I was a kid, we raised toy poodles and chis (and shih tzus) we started off with the long hair chi's (2 of them as puppies Tooter and Spud, they were opposites, but best friends, Tooter (female) was defnitely more dominant than him, she had a great personality, she would bark if someone came to the door but would greet them with a smile, whereas Spud was deathly afraid of men, fear biter always trying to hide from strangers, but around the family he was great dog) then we got a short hair chi (i think she came from a bad home, bc she was 7 pregnant, with dead babies which caused a bunch more problems, she was really weird very quiet, but not necessarily shy, she sort of stayed by herself, that was Buffy) then my grandmother gave us her toy poodle, rudy. My gm loved her dogs i am sure, but she comes from a different time, where it was ok to smack the dogs nose when it was bad and smear its nose in its poo, but most of the time it had to sit on a pillow which sat on a cookie sheet (in case of any accidents) and it would get in a bag to go for walks, so when Rudy came to us she was about 1.5 years, she would be extremely well behaved, if we told her what to do, but if we didn't she would go nuts! she could not handle being left alone without saying stay, she would be so hyper, until you'd say stay then she wouldn't move until you said she could. Then shihtzus sort of blend together, we had 3 and they were all really well behaved (we got all of them at about 1.5 years) But through the years we had many puppies from each type, and each puppy we would keep for a while usually until about 1.5 years or so, and each one had its own personality some were more quiet than others and some we couldn't shut up, some hated peeing and pooping inside, some were vice versa, But each puppy was awesome and I loved them all, i think if you just check out the litters you will be able to decide and get a feel for each puppies personality, check out lots of breeds! have fun, you still don't know what you want yet, you have years to decide!

 

Oooo, shih tzus! It's another breed high on my list.

I am thinking of fostering for a local rescue group that specializes in purebred small breed dogs. But I am scared because the last time I tried to foster, I couldn't let her (Bonnie) go! Also, dogs from bad situations aren't the best dogs to learn about a breed from, I would think.