Adult Chis and Children
Breed rescues are very hesitant to adopt out an adult Chi to a family with children. The younger the children, the greater the hesitation. From the rescue's viewpoint, Chis and young children are an accident waiting to happen. From experience, they know that it is extremely difficult for even the most vigilant parent to keep both child and Chi from getting hurt.
Risks to Children and Dogs
Babies are at greatest risk of predatory behavior from dogs. Their distinctive cries and the presence of milk or food on their clothing have combined to cause good dogs to do bad things — even as far as to jump into the baby's crib to hurt them. On the floor, a baby is within reach of even the smallest dog. In a swing, the combination of movement, food smells, and baby sounds can trigger a nasty situation.
Toddlers toddle — and fall often, sometimes on the dog whose natural response to pain is to bite. A Chihuahua could also easily be crushed. Children this age investigate their world by tasting and touching, often in the form of biting, poking, prodding, and pinching. If a dog takes a toy away from the toddler, the toddler instinctively grabs it back, possibly provoking an argument over the toy.
Certain aspects of the Chihuahua's anatomy can make this breed particularly susceptible to injuries from well-meaning children. The molera, a hole in some Chihuahuas' skulls, and a Chi's large, protruding eyes can both be critically injured with very little effort.
Young children like to run, scream, and play. A Chihuahua could easily become frightened by these children or decide to give chase. Young children, such as toddlers, can't resist picking up and holding little puppies or small dogs. Holding a squirming Chihuahua is difficult for anyone. Dropping the Chihuahua — even from a distance as short as from a child's arms to the floor — could result in broken bones for the Chi.
Know the Rules
If you have children — or have grandchildren, nieces, or nephews who visit often — you'll need to set the rules down immediately with them if you are to have any hopes of raising children alongside Chihuahuas safely — for all concerned. Here are a few basic pointers:
The dog's crate is hers and should never be entered.
Holding the dog is only allowed when sitting on the floor and with an adult helping.
Never poke, prod, hit, or tease the dog.
Never try to take a toy or food away from the dog even if it's yours; always get an adult to help.
Do not scream or run in the house.
Do not stick your face in the dog's face or try to kiss her.
Do not wake a sleeping Chi by rubbing or pushing her; call her name to wake her.
As a parent, grandparent, aunt, or uncle your responsibility is to supervise all interactions between the child and the dog. This doesn't mean to watch the kids and the dog in the backyard from the kitchen window. It means being within arms' reach of both children and dog. Even then, things can happen so rapidly that it might be virtually impossible to prevent an accident from happening, but hopefully you can lessen the effects.
If you cannot supervise, then you absolutely must separate child and dog. More things happen when a parent or supervising adult isn't watching than at any other time. And, if you don't see what happened, you might never know the full story. Usually, it's human nature to blame the dog for everything when in fact there's almost always a reason (albeit maybe not a good one) for a dog to snap. Put up a barrier to keep the dog in a room, or allow her to retire safely to her crate.
