Chihuahua Myths Series- #2 Chihuahuas Are Not Good With Children

The myth that I will bust this week is that Chihuahuas are not good with children.  That could not be further from the truth!  Chihuahuas are very loyal dogs, and they love their humans more than anything.  This includes the tiny human members of their families. I have seen Chihuahuas snuggle with newborn babies, tag along beside toddlers learning to walk and chill with teenagers and their friends.  Chihuahuas are very much family dogs, and they can bond with all members of the family.  In fact, I have known (actually, I raised) Chihuahua puppies that loved their children so much that they saved a newborn's life one time!

So, Chihuahuas definitely do not deserve the designation as "bad dogs to be around children", but they are labeled as such all the time.  Why is that?  As with most things having to do with Chihuahua temperament, the answer is in the socialization.  Chihuahua puppies must be socialized from birth.  That is just a simple fact of the breed, but sadly, not all who raise Chihuahuas understand the breed.  They don't socialize from birth, and they don't educate their puppies' owners about the importance of continuing that socialization after they go home.  As a result, there are far too many Chihuahuas in the world who have not been properly or completely socialized, and those Chihuahuas can have issues with people in general, but are more likely to have problems with children because children are unpredictable.

There is another issue associated with how Chihuahuas get along with children that many people consider taboo, but it is a very real issue.  That is, if you want a Chihuahua to be nice to children, you must also teach the children to be nice to the Chihuahua.  In most cases where children and well socialized Chihuahuas do not get along, the cause is that the children were not taught how to properly handle the Chihuahua as a puppy.  Children who pull on ears and tails, carry puppies around by their necks and engage in other similar actions are probably not going to be well liked by the family Chihuahua, or any family dog, for that matter.  Granted, there are those select few breeds that don't seem to mind that, but small breeds cannot tolerate such physical handling.

So, the answer to having a Chihuahua that bonds well with your children is first to ensure that your puppy comes from someone who understands the necessity of socializing from birth.  Then, you must continue the socialization process throughout your puppy's first year.  This includes gentle and supervised socialization with your children.  You must teach your children how to properly handle the puppy and monitor their interactions with the puppy to ensure that they practice what you taught them.  If your children and your puppy get off to a good start, you can be assured that your Chihuahua will bond with and protect your children just as he/she does for you and the other adults in your home.