Male or female?



We receive so many requests for females because it is believed that females are better pets, that we wanted to take the time to clear up some myths and partial truths about our lovable males. In addition to the info provided in the following paragraphs, take a look at the new comparison chart at the bottom of the page for a point by point comparison of males and females. Always remember that while this information is common for Chihuahuas as a breed, not every single characteristic will be found in every Chihuahua. In addition, these are common characteristics of adult Chihuahuas. Puppies should not be expected to exhibit them until they are older.


First, many people believe that males are difficult to house train. This is partly because they are concerned about a behavior called "marking" where the male urinates on everything he comes across, including household furniture, appliances and clothing. This is not an uncommon behavior IN UNALTERED MALES. To alter a male means to have him neutered. Vets agree that it is best to neuter a male who is not intended for breeding. What we know about Chihuahuas is that if you neuter your male before he begins to lift his leg, the chances that he ever will lift his leg, or mark his territory, are very low. Often times, neutering your male will help to tame his personality a bit, if he does happen to be a bit more active than you would have liked. But what we know about male Chihuahuas is that most of them are less temperamental, more easy going, calmer and more eager to please than the females.


Females tend to have more temperamental personalities than the males. They may be moodier and generally not as laid back as the males. Also, females tend to be more active...in other words, hyper...than males.It is agreed upon by most Chihuahua professionals that males, especially altered males, make much better family pets than females. Males are highly loyal and protective and they form bonds with their people just as strongly, if not more so than females.


Another strong point for the males is that they respond very well to commands given, and they usually learn very quickly. Females are smart, and they learn the commands, but are more likely to ignore them, in our experience. Males are so quick to learn that one of our New Owners actually trained her little guy to walk on a treadmill for exercise...before the age of 4 months!!! (See picture posted below.)


Don't get me wrong. We love our girls. But for pets, our boys are by far easier pets to have. We've had more females with house training issues than males. We've also noticed with our own dogs that females tend to be more "barky" than males. Our males are, for the most part, quiet and content to be where ever they are, especially if they are in our laps!


Female Chihuahuas are beautiful animals and we love them dearly, but we put up with a lot more from them than we do from our males. It has been demonstrated to us time and time again that males, especially those who were neutered at an early age, make the ideal family pet.



Tweek (we called him Andy) walking on the treadmill at less than 4 months old. How's that for a smart boy?!



Below is a comparison of males versus females on a variety of frequently asked questions. Please note that these are not steadfast rules that apply to every dog. These are just some of the tendencies I have noted over the years with my dogs.


Not ALL Chihuahuas will exhibit all of these behaviors. Both the good and bad behaviors are extreme cases and most Chihuahuas fall somewhere in between the two extremes! All Chihuahuas are wonderful pets. Most of the time, whether you want a male or female depends on one or two characteristics that you consider to be the most important!



house training





Males may range from very easy to moderate in terms of difficulty of house training. Most males house train relatively easily, especially when training to puppy pads first.


If left unaltered (not neutered) males will likely begin the "marking" behavior by one year of age, but are VERY UNLIKELY to "mark" if neutered before the behavior begins, which can be as early as six months of age.





Females may range from very easy to moderate in terms of difficulty of house training. Most females house train relatively easily, especially when training to puppy pads first.


Some females will "mark" territory just like a male will. The differences is, spaying does not always prevent this behavior



Temperament





Most males are very loving and adaptable little dogs. They tend to be less temperamental and more easy going than females.


Some males may develop dominant tendencies in households where no clear pack leader is present, but are less likely to do so than females. Males will usually respond very well to a strong pack leader.


Males are very unlikely to become aggressive, especially if socialization is continued and they are neutered.





Most females are very loving and adaptable little dogs. They do tend to be a bit more temperamental than males, but they are still loads of fun.


Some females may develop dominant tendencies in households where no clear pack leader is present, and may be more likely than males to attempt to take a pack leader position in the household, even over a human.


Females are unlikely to become aggressive, especially if socialization is continued after they go into their homes. However, if aggression does develop as a result of poor socialization, it may be more difficult to correct in females than in males.



Personality





Males are extremely loyal, willing to please, loving and comical. They are generally very happy-go-lucky little ones, and they are lots of fun. We rarely see "hyper" males, or the other extreme, where they are very inactive. Males tend to be pretty middle of the road.





Females are fun and comical, and most are very loving, though we have seen some females that don't seem to bond as strongly to their owners as the males do. We rarely see extremely inactive females, but have seen a few that we would consider to extra high energy.



Ease of obedience training





Most males are very smart and take to obedience training easily with consistency on the part of their trainers.


Males, on average, are eager learners and willing to please, so they usually obey commands that they understand well.





Most females are very smart and take to obedience training easily with consistency on the part of their trainers.


Females may be a bit more stubborn and less willing to obey commands, even when they previously understood them very well.



need for attention





ALL Chihuahuas need attention and cannot be ignored, but the type of attention they want AND need does seem to differ by gender.


Males tend to want more active attention, petting, stroking, brushing, play and one on one interaction.


Males may be more likely to need a job to do, so they may be more interested in dog puzzle toys, fetch, obedience training and other "problems" to solve than females.





As with males, females need attention and cannot be ignored. However, their needs may be a bit different.


Some females are very happy with passive attention, just sitting in their owners laps or being near them. Not all of them require active attention like many males do. Some females may be less likely to even want to be lap dogs.


Some females may also be less interested in interactive activities and play. Many of them don't seem to have that need to be solving a problem, so you will likely never teach these types of females to play fetch, and they may be a bit harder to obedience train.



Nuisance Issues





Because males do tend to be more people oriented, they may have a bit more separation anxiety, especially when they first go into their homes. There are many resources available to help deal with this. Contact Shayna for more information.


Most males do not tend to be overly "barky", but some can be.


Marking is the behavior that most people worry about the most with males, and if they are not neutered, they will eventually mark. BUT, if you neuter them early, that will almost never start to make.





Females tend to be a bit more independent, so they may not experience as much separation anxiety.


Females do tend to be more "barky" than males, but usually respond to behavior modification techniques pretty well.


Estrus fluids (blood) during her heat cycles can be problematic, but can be avoided by spaying her at or near 6 months of age.



ChiChiBabies Chihuahuas



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