Chihuahuas?

My ruby boy Charlie is 1 year and 7 months old now and he has turned into a cheeky but very polite and loving little dog! Since a puppy my boyfriend and I made sure he was familiar with my boyfriends house as we knew that eventually I would be moving out of my parents and moving us there Now I am in the process of gradually moving my things out. My boyfriend works long hours and I work a few hours a week while I build a business from home so after long discussions we've decided it will be a good idea to add a companion for Charlie. Charlie LOVES other dogs and thrives off their company but we are trying to decide on a breed.

We both feel another cavalier would be a safe and sensible choice but I can't help liking a chihuahua. I wondered if anyone can share any experiences of chihuahuas?

My parents have one of the best chihuahuas I have ever met. He is very small even at 5 years old (he weights 5.4 lbs) he is not a barker, is very friendly, and is not all all shy like every other chihuahuas I have ever met. Oliver does however sleep A LOT and completely refuses to walk in ANY hard surface (inside or out). Oliver does have the typical knee problems that pledge the breed also he is prone to breathing issues.

Oliver came from a litter of chihuahuas my in law bred. They had no breeding experience and only had this one litter. Their dogs have two different personalities neither like sweet Oliver. The dam is timid, hides when people come over, hates children and will bite you IF you come across her hiding spot. She bit me once because I was sitting on a sofa she was under hiding (my mother in law should have put her up before we arrived but....) The sire is terrible barker just yappy.

I know all of these things are just how the dogs were raised. Oliver is socialized a lot, my in laws dogs hardly leave the house.

Personally, especially after owning a cavalier I won't own a chihuahua. If someone forced me to get another dog but not a cavalier, I would aim for a Golden Retriever. It seems like their personalities are similar.

Unfortunately Chihuahuas are another breed that can get syringomyelia. As breeders become more aware of this and start scanning, the size of the problem is beginning to emerge, though nowhere near the numbers of affected Cavaliers. My sister has had the breed for a long time, and I got fed up with them snapping at my heels as I walked away from them! Her last one had severe epilepsy. Having said that, the long-haired chihuahuas are very pretty. If I was thinking of another breed, I would look for health first, make a shortlist of the healthiest and then choose from those the breed I liked best - but that's me reacting to dealing with two Cavaliers with CM/SM!

Kate, Oliver and Aled