I am getting a chihuahua... boy or girl? Please read inside...?

Question

I have a male labrador retriever, and he is really gentle and he loves cats and other dogs. He is almost 6 years old. He accepted my kitten fast! About the chihuahua... boy or girl? I went to a pet store and met the boy ones (they seemed fighsty) , and my neighbor across the street has a girl chihuahua(she seemed really calm and sweet). She let me play with the puppy for an hour or so at my house. My dog really loved her and my cat just got kinda freaked out... but he'll be fine. My male dog is fierce over his terratory though (with males)... I am leaning more towards the girl side! They seem sweeter than the boys and calmer. I asked my friends and family what they thought, but most said girls... because you can dress them up cute. That is not the reason why I want a girl though. I think a girl may be better for my dog. Please tell me what you think... don't just throw in some stupid answers, please! Thank you and I am looking forward to see what everyone thinks...

Answer 1

if you get a boy dog your lab may feel threatened , not by the size ! but just by the fact that it is another male invading his territory. getting a female should eliminate that problem. you wont have to worry about the male trying to mate because they seem instinctually to know that size does matter and he wont even try it. i have a male neopolitain mastiff (age 3)and a female chihuahua myself and have had no problems other then the chi trying to get the mastiff to play and getting literally steamrolled in the process. - my girls dress up the chi in doll clothes all the time and try to get the mastiff to let them put their dresses on him. which is hysterical. get a girl.

Answer 2

I have two concerns here One that you might buy one from a pet store that is a number one NO NO. When you buy from a pet store you are contributing to puppy mills. The other concern is your lab. Labs are wonderful dogs they are a puppy in a grown up body. The lab will never hurt the little Chihuahua, but he can break a leg just by playing with him. He can hurt the puppy with out meaning too. It would just take one pounce or one swat and it will be all over with. A little Chihuahua is not match for a lab that is playful. Getting a dog too to dress up is not a good way of thinking either. Not all dogs love to be dressed up. They already have clothes. Just a few things to think about. Look at your big lab playing then look at this little Chihuahua I think you would know what I mean.

Answer 3

Just because your Labrador has accepted a cat into his household, it doesn't mean he will accept another dog into his territory. NEVER buy from a pet store - ever. They were feisty and fierce because they come from puppy mills (see http://www.prisonersofgreed.org and http://www.nopuppymills.com for information on puppy mills) and have not been socialized or handled properly. Unless your neighbour has purchased their Chihuahua from a reputable breeder (see http://www.chihuahuaclubofamerica.com/ for good breeders in the US), don't buy her. Chihuahua's are prone to a lot of health problems and need to be purchased from a reputable breeder who screens their dogs of hereditary (genetic) diseases. Because you can dress them up? That has to be the worst excuse ever. Tell your family and friends that dogs have fur coats and don't need to be dressed up in "cute" (AKA degrading and humiliating) clothes. If your Labrador is very territorial, no dog would suit your Lab best. I personally don't think that you know enough about Chihuahua's or how to look for a good dog breeder so I wouldn't even recommend you getting a dog right now until you research the breed and until you are willing to find the right breeder (even if the breeder is in another state or hasn't got the colour/sex you want). You should know that most (all) good breeders will have waiting lists for their puppies so be prepared to wait a few months on a waiting list. For some reason or another, when you look for a pup, you usually can't find a good one!

Answer 4

Mixed sex pairs are usually easiest, so my first thought would be to get a female.

HOWEVER, do NOT get your puppy from a pet store! They get their puppies from puppy mills and bad breeders - no good breeder would ever sell their puppies through a pet store, and there are NO exceptions to that rule.

Visit the Chihuahua Club of American website here: chihuahua club of america to learn more about the breed and to start your search for a good breeder. Great breeders often charge even less than the pet stores, and they health test their animals so your odds of getting a healthy pet are greatly increased. They also care about who gets their puppies, and they will help you through problems that might come up as the puppy grows.

Or consider a rescue Chi instead - rescues are just as wonderful, and make awesome pets.

Answer 5

i think that you should go with the female chihuahua because females are generally more gentle, females also are a bit easier to train. If you want a puppy to keep your Labrador retriever company i would shoot more for the male chihuahua the male chihuahua usually has more energy, so if you want your dog to be a little more athletic get the male.

Answer 6

I've always heard its best to have a mixed-sex pair. There always seems to be more competition for status within the pack between dogs of the same sex. Females will fight to be the alpha female, and males will fight to be the alpha male.

If you aren't leaning towards a male for whatever reason, I'd definitely go for a female. That way you are *trying* (no guarantees) to eliminate possible tension between the two dogs. You want to try to make it as smooth as possible for your lab, since there will probably be some jealousy at first.

I have a female boxer, and my next dog will definitely be male.

Answer 7

If you get a Chihuahua, then get a calm and gentle male. If you put a male and female together they will hurt each other. Or get pregnant if you don't fix them. I may be wrong, but definately get 2 calm ones together and you will be OK.

Another thing is one of my mom's students had one calm one and one hyper one and the hyper one ripped the others leg open. I am not sure if a Chihuahua could do that, but stay on the safe side. Calm and calm males together.

Answer 8

u know i have a girl and a boy chihuahua and 3 baby girl chihuhua and if i had my pick i would say a boy there more playful and girls are very mean at times..they pick one person to procect the girls do.. boys like to play more with children and other dogs and cats .. i also have 3 cats and the girl doesnt like them the sleep with the boy chihuhua .

Answer 9

If you really are keen on getting another dog, get a female dog. Male and female dogs get along better than male with males and females with females ( female dogs tend to get nasty towards each other and males fight over territory). I have to agree with your friends who say female dogs are more calmer and more sweeter, my Maltese girl was like that, she behaved like a princess, and looked gorgeous in pink lol!!!! Female dogs can lay on your lap forever, male dogs usualy come and go.

Here is a fantastic site for doggie clothing, for Chihuahuas, Maltese’s and some other small dog breeds!
http://www.mushucanineboutique.com/Collars%20and%20Leashes.htm

Answer 10

I think you should rethink getting another animal at all. The idea of getting a dog so you can "dress them up cute" is really sad to me. It sounds like you're going to treat an animal as a toy. Why not focus on the animals you have already?