Chihuahua w/ a Golden Retriever?

[Hypancistrus]

My mother in law is planning a breeding of her blue and tan, two year old female chihuahua, Mouse. Mouse is not a show dog, but she has been vet checked and cleared for genetic disorders and general health, as has the male (owned by a person two counties over). Mouse is a small Chi and will probably only be able to carry two pups, maybe three. We are interested in taking one. I am concerned about bringing so small a dog into a house with a Golden Retriever though. From what we have seen of Riley at my in-laws house, he is very careful with the tiny dogs (they have three female chi's and a yorkie-poo) but I am worried he could hurt the puppy by trying to play with it. Does anyone here have a big dog and a tiny dog together? Does it work out?

 

[Archiesmom]

Interestingly enough, there have been a lot of studies that say that dogs rarely register size. This can be good and bad:
Good:
Chi's tend to be very dominant, assertive little dogs that have lots of spunk and LOTS of body language. They are very good at voicing what they want/don't want, I call it small dog syndrome. Dogs read body language, so if a Chi runs barking and growling towards your bigger dog, chances are they will most likely back off/submit unless they are initiating the confrontation, which leads me to the bad...

Bad: Sometimes the bigger dogs don't realize that a single paw swipe can cause serious damage to another dog. If they are dominant and a little bit headstrong to begin with, and another dog challenges them they might not step down so easily if they are used to being alpha dog.

So I guess its more up to you and knowing your bigger dogs personality. I personally keep a 6 pound pomeranian with a 110+ pound lab mix and they get along beautifully, the pomeranian is clearly in charge and bosses Major around on occasion. They also play, but its very gently and Fia will let Major know when he is getting too rough with her, and he is quick to back down. He is the worlds biggest baby, and she has some pretty aggressive body language when Miss Priss wants something.
I also used to foster a tiny blue and tan chihuahua for a while, and again Major had no problems with Toby whatsoever. Once the boundaries were established, Major and Toby actually were good buddies, chumming around together, cuddling on dog beds together...they were peas in a pod

One thing about the Blue and Tan chi's- Watch those recessive genetics. There is a lot of alopecia that has been linked to the dilute colors like that, and I believe they can be quite expensive to treat. Just a heads up

 

[jamie]

A friend of mine has two chihuahuas and a golden retriever (as well as a scottish terrier and a cairn terrier). They all get along fairly well ... but his dogs are well socialized and well trained. My chihuahuas do not like larger dogs at all. They get along well with other chihuahuas but they really dislike any dogs that are larger than they are.

Another thing to consider before they make the final decision about breeding her is whether or not her body is large enough for a natural birth- or if she will require a cesarian. Many chihuahuas are too small for natural births and must have a cesarian section.

 

[Hypancistrus]

Another thing to consider before they make the final decision about breeding her is whether or not her body is large enough for a natural birth- or if she will require a cesarian. Many chihuahuas are too small for natural births and must have a cesarian section.

That is certainly something to consider. She is not really tiny compared to some chi's I have seen though. I'd say she is about 6 pounds or so.

One thing about the Blue and Tan chi's- Watch those recessive genetics. There is a lot of alopecia that has been linked to the dilute colors like that, and I believe they can be quite expensive to treat. Just a heads up

The male is a parti-color I believe, but I will make sure to mention this. Mouse won't come into heat until mid-spring, so we have loads of time. I am reading a chihuahua book right now and learning loads.

Riley is really a big baby. He grew up with my mother's Scottish Terrier and was very good with him. He also is fine with our cats. They play together and if he gets too rough we say "Easy," and he backs off. Or the cats run away. We have also signed Riley up for non-food oriented obedience school (I tried school with food and it distracts him) and that will be completed long before the puppy arrives. He already does sit and stay most of the time, but I'd like him to be 100%, and we really need to work on heeling so we can take walks more often.

 

[LuvMyBirds]

My Chihuahua and German Shepherd are the best of friends. They will even play tug

 

[GG.]

how old is Riley? his personality and maturity level will also affect his behavior

we have an English Setter with our 3 dachshunds inside and they get along well, the smallest dachsie is 7 lbs and she rules the roost - Buddy backs down when Shadow says she has had enough of his nonsense

 

[BraveheartDogs]

My mother in law is planning a breeding of her blue and tan, two year old female chihuahua, Mouse. Mouse is not a show dog, but she has been vet checked and cleared for genetic disorders and general health, as has the male (owned by a person two counties over). Mouse is a small Chi and will probably only be able to carry two pups, maybe three. We are interested in taking one. I am concerned about bringing so small a dog into a house with a Golden Retriever though. From what we have seen of Riley at my in-laws house, he is very careful with the tiny dogs (they have three female chi's and a yorkie-poo) but I am worried he could hurt the puppy by trying to play with it. Does anyone here have a big dog and a tiny dog together? Does it work out?

If you do bring a toy in with a big dog you have to supervise all the time. A lot of big dogs don't mean to do damage but small dogs are very fragile and can easily get hurt. When I worked at the pet hospital we had a yorkie whose leg was broken playing with the family cat. Supervise, supervise, supervise.

I wanted to mention that your parents really need to think about this breeding before they do it. Tiny dogs have a much harder time whelping puppies, they frequently need csections and frankly, they don't always survive. They have to be sure that they could live with that if anything happened to her. I lost one of my girls, Pearlanne 7 days after having a litter of puppies. She was a champion and almost a dual champion, she was a wonderful girl, it was so awful that she died. Not to freak you out, it's just important that they know that breeding can be very heartbreaking and shouldn't be taken lightly.

 

[Greycloud]

Vicki makes a good point. Many a female dog has died during or after a c-section.
On the other matter, most adult dogs know when they are playing with a young puppy. They tend to be very careful. They must be discouraged from using their paws, as this can be dangerous. I have a shep/chow mix that plays beautifully with my sons minnie doxie pup and my daughters french bulldog pup, who is tiny. Raven my dog, uses no pressure when playing.

 

[BraveheartDogs]

Vicki makes a good point. Many a female dog has died during or after a c-section.
On the other matter, most adult dogs know when they are playing with a young puppy. They tend to be very careful. They must be discouraged from using their paws, as this can be dangerous. I have a shep/chow mix that plays beautifully with my sons minnie doxie pup and my daughters french bulldog pup, who is tiny. Raven my dog, uses no pressure when playing.

Actually, I would disagree that "most" adult dogs know, and say that "some" adult dogs know. I have seen many adult dogs play extremely roughly with puppies. It depends on the individual dog but not all adult dogs modify their play to small puppies in fact I really appreciate adult dogs that CAN do that. There is a lot that factors in, the age of the adult dog (is it an older adult or just barely out of adolesence), the breed of the adult dog (the breed can affect and partially determine the play style which determines how they will play with others), the play history of the adult in question (how many adult dogs have they and do they regularly play with, how many puppies did they play with as puppies, and who taught them to play).

 

[Hypancistrus]

Riley will be turning three at the end of March. We also have a 13 year old whippet who for the most part just sleeps on the bed for hours at a time. I will mention the concerns about size and c-sections for Mouse to my mother in law. I am certainly not a breeder by any means, but my mother in law used to be involved in showing (shelties for several years and then min pins, I believe) and has produced some litters in the past.

 

[Sharpie]

As for the original question- can they get along safely- it depends entirely on the puppy's behavior and health and your GR's behavior, attitude, training, and socialization. If the golden is used to being around small dogs and does well and has basic training, it will probably work out. If the GR is untrained, does not do well with or like small dogs or is aggressive towards small creatures, it may end poorly.

If your family understands that they could lose the mother and all possible pups and still have expensive vet bills to pay when all is said and done, I wish you all well. If your family is not ready and willing to risk the mother and prepared to go through with a c-section if needed, I would recommend against it. It sounds like your MIL is familiar with the risks and heartache from breeding in the past, which helps make a good decision easier to get to.

 

[Hypancistrus]

If your family understands that they could lose the mother and all possible pups and still have expensive vet bills to pay when all is said and done, I wish you all well. If your family is not ready and willing to risk the mother and prepared to go through with a c-section if needed, I would recommend against it. It sounds like your MIL is familiar with the risks and heartache from breeding in the past, which helps make a good decision easier to get to.

She has definitely considered all of this. Their vet is a really great guy, and he lives on the same lane that they do. He even does house calls at night if need be, so that shouldn't be a problem. I am definitely going to talk to her about the risks related to size. I was not aware of that, but I would guess that she is... like I said, she's had a few litters in the past. Thanks for all the info though!

 

[BraveheartDogs]

She has definitely considered all of this. Their vet is a really great guy, and he lives on the same lane that they do. He even does house calls at night if need be, so that shouldn't be a problem. I am definitely going to talk to her about the risks related to size. I was not aware of that, but I would guess that she is... like I said, she's had a few litters in the past. Thanks for all the info though!

My guess is that if she has bred Min Pins she knows the risks involved. The smaller the dam the greater the risk. Also, if Riley eases up when you say "easy" and can play with your cats then I'll bet he will be fine. I would still supervise, but I'll bet it will be ok you just have to be careful

 

[Kathy]

Our small dogs are scared of our pit and he aggravates them like crazy every time they go out near them.
We have 3 inside one about 17 lbs or so (mini pin and chihuahua mix) the others (chihuahuas) are about 5 lbs. When the 2 smaller ones were puppies the 17 lb one was a little too rough.. they are fine now. In my experience larger dogs do play kind of rough with puppies..they have to be watched.. I'm not sure how yours will do.

 

[Love My Zons]

I hope I don't offend anyone but how about NOT breeding two dogs and bringing more dogs into this world with shelters overflowing with unwanted and mistake breedings? A purpose breeding such as a chi and Golden the thought is WHY? would anyone cross these breeds?

Just a thought. A mutt is a mutt regardless of what the parents are.

 

[Hypancistrus]

I hope I don't offend anyone but how about NOT breeding two dogs and bringing more dogs into this world with shelters overflowing with unwanted and mistake breedings? A purpose breeding such as a chi and Golden the thought is WHY? would anyone cross these breeds?

Just a thought. A mutt is a mutt regardless of what the parents are.

No, I HAVE a 3 year old male (NEUTERED) golden retriever. My mother in law has a purebred female Chihuahua who is two. She will be bred to another pure bred chihuahua. The pups will be purebreds. I was simply wondering what everyone's experiences have been with having a larger dog and a smaller dog together in the same household.

 

[Love My Zons]

No, I HAVE a 3 year old male (NEUTERED) golden retriever. My mother in law has a purebred female Chihuahua who is two. She will be bred to another pure bred chihuahua. The pups will be purebreds. I was simply wondering what everyone's experiences have been with having a larger dog and a smaller dog together in the same household.

Aaah, how stupid I am to have read that wrong! Sorry, I read it as she wanted to breed the two.

Sorry, ducks out of this thread.

 

[bookworm]

it is always a bit nerve wrecking when big dogs play w/ little dogs. my bf and i recently brought his 70 pound pit bull to play w/ my sister's boston terriers and pekingneses (and the biggest dog she has was 8 pounds). i was a bit nervous since Gomi is just huge and he's never played w/ other smaller dogs (only other bully dogs and pups), but it was fine, but i think it was just the personalities as well. i know some little dogs have the little dog syndrome where they think they are big and tough. my sister is a vet tech and she forwarded some photos of a chihuahua that attacked two labs across the street and those labs really tore that little dog up (but he's alive and still has not learned his lesson from what she's told me). so sometimes it's not always the big dogs you have to watch out for.

 

[bookworm]

I hope I don't offend anyone but how about NOT breeding two dogs and bringing more dogs into this world with shelters overflowing with unwanted and mistake breedings? A purpose breeding such as a chi and Golden the thought is WHY? would anyone cross these breeds?

Just a thought. A mutt is a mutt regardless of what the parents are.

i don't think she's looking to breed these two breeds. she's just wondering what people's experiences are with a big dog and a little dog in the same household is all.

 

[bookworm]

Aaah, how stupid I am to have read that wrong! Sorry, I read it as she wanted to breed the two.

Sorry, ducks out of this thread.

hehe, it's ok. i dpnt always read everything either.