Boy or Girl: Which is a better chihuahua pet?
My family is in the process of adopting a chihuahua and we can’t agree on a boy or a girl. Are there any big differences? Do you prefer one or the other?
There is a lot of debate on this topic and many people definitely prefer one over the other. I have one boy and two girls, and I have fostered many chihuahuas of both sexes. I have noticed certain trends, but I wouldn’t say that one is better than the other. More important is to evaluate the individual chihuahua on its own personality.
Males:
- Most lift their leg to pee, this could be a problem if you are trying to housebreak your dog to go indoors or you don’t want them to pee on anything but the ground.
- Prone to humping other dogs and people, although this is more of a problem in unneutered males.
- Tend to mark objects to claim ownership, they might do this to things in your house, especially any new objects lying on or dangling near the ground, like a pair of shoes, a suitcase, a TV stand, bedskirts, etc. Again, more of a problem in unneutered males.
- Generally more submissive, especially if you have another female chihuahua in the household.
- Some people find that protruding genitals get in the way of petting their chihuahua’s tummies (I think this is silly).
- When males get excited (both neutered and unneutered), their little “lipstick” may come out which can be pretty embarrassing, but also very funny, depending on your sense of humor.
- Unneutered males have a high risk of developing testicular and prostate cancer.
Females:
- Tend to be more bossy and independent, easily assumes alpha role, especially over other males. Two females might get “catty”.
- Squats to pee, this could make indoor potty training easier.
- Not immune to marking! I have a female who lifts her leg outside to mark trees and fire hydrants, and I have seen other females do the same thing. Luckily, mine does not do that in the house because she thinks everything is hers anyway, no need to mark.
- Less prone to humping. Females do hump occasionally to assert dominance over another dog. Unneutered females also hump when they are in heat.
- Unneutered females have periods every five to seven months that can last 3 weeks. They have swollen genitals that they lick, and they bleed (you’ll notice small dots in their bedding or your clothing.)
- Unneutered females have a high risk of developing uterine and breast cancer.
Tags: Boy chihuahua, Chihuahua Puppy, Girl chihuahua, Just for Fun
July 5, 2008
Janice Flynn :
Hello. Please send photos of the breast cancer to me. I have a one year old female chihuahua and I she is not fixed.
She has a scab on one of her tits, is the cancer??
Please respond , I just love her so much.
Thanks so much,
Janice Flynn
July 7, 2008
Cindy :
Breast cancer is a hard lump under the skin. When they first appear, they feel like hard peas under the skin and are difficult to move around under the skin. About 50% of breast tumors are benign in dogs, so not all are cancerous. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, the most common signs of cancer in small animals include abnormal swellings that persist or continue to grow, sores that do not heal, weight loss, loss of appetite and bleeding or discharge from any body opening. If your dog is showing any of these symptoms, then you should take your dog to the vet and get a biopsy done, that’s the only way to tell for sure. Scabby thing around the nipple does not sound to me particularly like breast cancer. Also, breast cancer in dogs usually occur at around 10 years of age in dogs that have not been spayed.
You should DEFINITELY get your dog spayed as soon as possible. There is a direct correlation between spaying and the prevention of breast cancer. Breast cancer is extremely rare in dogs that were spayed before their first heat. Spaying after the first heat but before 2.5 years of age increases the risk, but is still much more protective than not spaying at all. Please spay your dog asap.
July 10, 2008
martha :
i am getting a chihuahua and i’m having the hardest time deciding whether to get a male or female. i’ve done some research and still cant decide the pros and cons of each one. do you have a particular sex you prefer??? and if so why??
thanks so much.
July 10, 2008
Cindy :
Hi Martha, honestly I don’t prefer either sex. I have 3 chis of my own, 2 girls and 1 boy. I’ve also fostered numerous chihuahuas of both sexes, and it really comes down to the individual dog. When I love a dog, I find it’s because of their personality and even though stereotypes exist for both genders, they are just that: stereotypes. I’ve met chihuahuas of either gender that are sweet, lovable, dominant, aggressive, you name it.
I think more importantly, you should decide on the personality traits that you want: whether you want a calmer or more rambunctious dog, an alpha leader or a submissive follower, a sweetie pie or a mischief maker. If you’re talking to a breeder, or if you’re adopting a dog, you should tell them your list of wants and see if they have a dog that fits the description, whether boy or girl. The best way to decide which dog you want is to actually meet the dogs. When you connect to one, you’ll know.
When we got our dog Dash from a breeder 10 years ago, we thought we wanted a girl. Then we met Dash and we just knew he was our dog. The great thing about dogs is that gender lines completely blur. Whatever you were going to do with your girl dog, you can do with your boy dog, and vice versa. Chihuahuas of both genders wear clothes and jewelry, get carried around in bags, go on long walks and hikes. Both love to snuggle, sunbathe and burrow under covers. It really doesn’t matter which one you choose.
Pick the dog for the dog, and not the gender.
January 24, 2009
Cindy :
I agree with Nikki, in some cases, aggressiveness can definitely be traced to the owner or breeder. However, in some other cases, it’s just in the genes. Fear and aggression is a genetic trait that can be bred if not done carefully. So, you can be the most loving and gentle owner, but if it’s in the genes, then you can only work to minimize it but not eliminate it altogether.
January 24, 2009
Nikki :
I have a 6 month old blue, cream, and tan (rare I know!) chi named Blu, LOL and he is the sweetest chi ever! I know everyone thinks they are snippy, b!tchy, spoiled little buggers. But like Cindy said it varies from each dog; personally I think it can trace back to the owner or breeder, but that’s just my unprofessional opinion 😉 I’m trying to find out more information about submissive males. I think he’s almost over submissive if that’s even possible! It’s not so much submissive urination, but moreso he rolls over onto his back and his “lipstick” comes almost alllllll the way off when myself or my girlfriend tell him “no.” We don’t shout or yell, it’s calm but firm so I’m not sure what this is all about…anyone else dealing with this?
August 26, 2013
Ana :
I prefer male dogs and always will. My little fella, a 3.6lb chihuahua named Bebe Jacques is just the light of my life. He has squats to pee on his wee-wee pads and only one time lifted his leg. A friend and i were having a terrible fight and he walked over to her after barking his head off at her to stop being mean to HIS mama for 2 or 3 minutes and then lifted his leg & pee-peed right on her shoe. We thought it was so funny we stopped fighting. He loves his Mama!!!
My husband prefers females so will be getting a female for him to love and spoil. Both males and females are wonderful. Females,if not fixed do get periods and will require a “diaper” during that time or until being fixed.
Please fix your pets. There are so many chihuahua’s out there now that get tossed away for not being the perfect size, color etc. Poor babies
As far as the little lipstick, they can;t help it. That is just apart of nature, so laugh and make no big deal of the lipstick.
September 2, 2013
peter neill :
I have an eight year older boxer awonderfull animal she had puppys twice very mellow now last year I replaced my daughters chiwauwa with another one also a wonderfull dog for two females they play and live together beautifully the only thing that’s alittle strange is thechihuawa is continually humping the boxer while licking the fir shes a licker she licks us two constantly but what she is doing with the boxer seems like its going past the dominance theory I don’t know mayby its nothing at all what do u think
June 19, 2016
Cassie Conder :
I recently purchased a brother and sister set of Chihuahuas. I had them fixed at five months old, however the mail is still urinating all over the house and humping the female which is causing aggression on her part. The marking goes so far that he marks Her!!!
We are gone several hours a day, however, I stayed home with them the first 2 weeks to see that a routine was established. At my wits end!
The other problem is that he can’t be separated from her without continued barking and completely freaking out! I welcome any feedback out there… Thanks