i fucking love chihuahuas, man. i think there are a few factors involved, but i think the problem first and foremost is how chihuahuas are treated by humans.
chihuahuas are rarely allowed to be real dogs. they are treated like decorations and accessories and stuffed animals and cute little novelties
so not only are they rarely trained or thoughtfully socialized and taught to be comfortable with different things, but their autonomy and sense of personal safety is very often disregarded or intentionally threatened by the people around them
people pick them up with little consideration for the dog’s feelings, manhandle them at will and physically force them to comply with human desires. sometimes people intentionally antagonize them because they think it’s funny – for a while there was a very popular Tik Tok by some twenty-somethings dedicated to harassing and frightening an elderly, disabled chihuahua because he made funny noises when he was upset and uncomfortable.
it only stopped because the dog died.
the people responsible claimed to “love” the dog.
chihuahuas’ attempts to communicate discomfort are almost always ignored. dogs usually start out with relatively subtle body language that most people don’t ever learn to read. they might have the whites of their eyes showing, or yawn and lick their lips, or look away, or pin their ears down, or get tense. and when chihuahuas do this, it is almost always disregarded.
so they learn that polite and subtle communication of their discomfort gets ignored, and they start to escalate in an effort to be understood. they might start to growl or snap or bite. they might learn that the best defense is a good offense, that people who approach them are rude and frightening and the only way to get them to back off is to try and be intimidating.
and a lot of the time even that doesn’t work. because hey, look, the chihuahua is growling. isn’t that funny and cute and nonthreatening
there’s more involved but fundamentally at the end of the day, the issue is that chihuahuas are often profoundly mistreated for their entire little lives, psychologically and physically, with no way to communicate or be understood or have their boundaries and needs respected.
and as much as people have made ~aggressive chihuahuas~ into a funney meme, i think that’s fucking tragic.
i’d want to bite people too.
This is spot on. If you learn that the only way you’re going to get any bodily autonomy is to use your teeth, you’re going to be very willing to bite. If you’re never listened to when you say “no” to something without growling and snapping, that’s going to be your go-to.
Because little dogs can’t do the same level of physical harm as bigger dogs, people tend to laugh off their very genuine distress and anger. It’s absolutely not okay, and it’s way too popular on social media.
My rule of thumb is always that if you wouldn’t do something with a 75lb dog, you shouldn’t do it with a 5lb one. And it’s never too late to start! Even littles that you’ve had forever can benefit from being allowed more voluntary engagement in their world, more choices to consent to things, and more freedom to say no.