Chihuahua

My sister had a chihuahua which spent most of its time on her lap. The problem was that it became territorial and would snap at anyone who came near her. She would laugh and it got away with it - if it had been a larger dog it certainly wouldn’t have been tolerated. I would classify myself as a dog lover but I’m afraid my experience with ‘Maggie May’ has tainted my opinion of tiny dogs.

DD has a Chihuahua and as she lives next door we see a lot of it. She's a very affectionate little dog who loves to be around people so maybe the chi you have staying with you at the moment has not fully settled after leaving the rescue centre. Four months is not that long although by now they should be encouraging him to use his own bed.

Have they tried a crate? Meena, DD's chi loves hers.

Yes I agree with Merlotgran he has to adjust to his new home and family. Having said that it is probably time to encourage him to his own bed/place. Our dogs have their own space other than their bed and its their 'place' where they go for peace for themselves and for us. The lap sitting is probably as much for the owner as the dog but needs discouraging.

My sister has a Chihuahua (3 years old) she has had her from being a puppy. She is a lovely little thing, very placid and friendly. She hardly ever barks but is very demanding of your attention at all times. She has to be either sitting on your lap or on my sisters shoulder like a parrot (she jumps on the back of my sisters sofa and climbs onto her shoulder). She loves walking and has never been carried around like some Chi's you see. She is brilliant off the lead and comes back no problem.

On the negative side she WILL not sleep in her own bed at night. She likes her bed in the day time for a nap, but virtually tells my sister "its bed time" and she gets in beside her. I would hate it but my sister doesn't mind.

They are trying to discourage the 'lap sitting' he knows he is not to do it if they are eating

Two things at work here. Firstly he is a rescue dog with all that entails - insecurity, fear of abandonment, and other issues we can only guess at. With time, patience and good experiences he will become less clingy.

Secondly this breed is very much a companion dog, and his natural instinct will be to cosy up to his humans. The humans need to let him know when he can and when he can’t come up for a cuddle.

When they are eating is a definite No No, but if they invite him up for a cuddle then that’s different. I suspect Christinefrancd has hit the nail on the head and they encourage him up in their own home, and why not?

Re the cat. He (she?) is wise to hide, chihuahuas don’t tolerate other dogs or cats that well.

As I understand it, chihuahuas were kept specifically as lapdogs. Bred for people with plenty of leisure time, small enough to sit on a lap or be carried around. He's being true to his breed. I had a toy poodle who wouldn't sleep in a dog bed, preferring to sit on my lap, and nestle near my feet in bed!

Sorry I have to reiterate, dogs should know their own place. I would find it annoying if my dogs were constantly climbing on me. If this is what some owners want then that is their choice but they are doing it for themselves not the dog.

Our neighbour's have four chihuahuas. If they are on their feet they are yapping. She mostly carries one or two. Her ' babies' go out in a special pushchair --- need I say more?

My sisters is nothing like that BBbevan you hardly hear a peep out of her and she walks for miles . They do enjoy company though and my sister was advised to get her a playmate, which she would but couldn’t afford double the pet insurance .

DD's chihuahua spends all day running round the garden with our JRs during the summer so definitely not a lapdog. She was even happy sharing a kennel with them over Christmas because they were fully booked and it was the only way DD could get her in. The only pampering she gets is a warm coat in the winter.

The downside is they can be tricky to housetrain and once a spot is marked they'll do it again and again.

Why buy a little lap-dog then demand that it stay on the floor? It takes about a year for rescue dogs to settle into a new home and this one is asking for kindness and reassurance.