Should we get a companion for our chihuahua?

My fiancee & I already own a girl chihuahua who is a year old. We’ve only had her 3 months and she is spayed. She is the baby of the family lol. But anyways, my friend recently had chihuahua puppies and we wanted to get her a companion, but all of the puppies are males!!! Should we or Shouldn’t we??? HELP

That is an excellent question. So many chihuahua owners have more than one chihuahua. The reason is that chihuahuas are fairly easy to take care of and they do like others of their own breed. In my opinion it’s actually better to get a male if you already have a female because females tend to butt heads more with each other. Females can get very territorial with each other.

The questions you have to ask yourself are:
(1) Can you afford to have another chihuahua? Think of this in terms of vet visits and medical emergencies. You’ll have to pay for neutering, shots, and a check up. Every year, you’ll have to pay for an extra vet visit, plus dental cleanings once every few years, and there will be unforeseen vet visits (ear infections, injuries, etc.) You have to ask yourself if you have enough money to cover those extra expenses. You’ll need money for other supplies, too. Even though chihuahuas eat very little, having another little mouth to feed will add extra. You’ll need more treats, more clothes, and an additional bed and carrier. If you pay for dogsitting or dogwalking services, they will charge extra for an additional dog.

(2) Time is a very important factor.
You’ll take them on walks at the same time and feed them at the same time, but it will take a little more time getting ready for the walk (rallying them and putting on the leashes). Feeding might be more involved, because sometimes one dog eats more than the other and you have to monitor them throughout the meal to make sure no one is stealing food from the other and no one is territorial over the other one. You have to devote time to housebreak another chihuahua, and I’m sure you know this is a time consuming task (although in my experience, having a chihuahua sometimes helps, since the first one can help teach the second one.)

(3) Finally, you have to consider what you’re going to do if you travel or go on vacation. Right now, it might be easy to ask a friend to take care of one chihuahua, but would you be able to find reliable care for two dogs while you’re away? If you tend to travel with your dogs, are you able to handle two carriers and two leashes comfortably? Keep in mind that if many airlines only allow 1 dog in one section of the plane, so you wouldn’t be able to take both on the plane with you unless you travel with a companion and that person would have to sit in a different section with the dog.

These are the most common issues that come up with owning multiple dogs. That said, there is much joy from having more than one dog, and the dogs do provide companionship for each other that we humans cannot provide for them. It’s fun to watch them play together and do “dog” things.

Please keep in mind, if you do want another chihuahua, you don’t have to pick one from your friend, you have to pick one that will fit in your home. You should take your time, get to know your dog’s personality before finding a packmate for her.

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2 Comments

September 30, 2008

Sandy :

Hi, I would not recommed getting another chi, maybe a cat…My mother-n-law has a long hair chi like mine. After they have been together for a while, my gizzy is so tired from her, she is so hiper… Gizzy is a laid back,and relaxed dog. I dont think I would want two, it’s a lot of work with one. And the vet bills, wow! I have a cat name Sox, that is 16yrs old, i just knew he would not like Gizzy around, but they are very close, and not chasing each other all over the house, like it would be with 2 dogs… That’s just my opinion…

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January 24, 2009

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