Penny the Passive Pooch: Addressing Chihuahua Stereotypes

Hi, I’m Savanna! Read my introduction to learn more about me and my spunky Chihuahua mix, Penny.

I’m just going to be honest: I never imagined owning a Chihuahua. You hear all these dog stereotypes such as Chihuahuas being aggressive, having “small dog syndrome”, etc., and I thought that would be way too much for me to deal with. I’d also never had a small dog as a pet. My family always had larger dogs when I was growing up.

But you all know the story if you’ve been following along with me all this time. I saw Penny and I knew I couldn’t say no to her. After having her for almost 4 years, I have to say that I don’t know what all the stereotypes about Chihuahuas are about, and I think many people are too quick to write them off due to bad behaviors and aggression.

No, Penny’s not a full-blooded Chihuahua, but she’s over two-thirds Chihuahua, and I personally just don’t get the stereotypes. I will give in to the “small dog syndrome”, because Penny definitely acts that way. But when it comes to aggression, she actually chooses a passive route most of the time. In fact, I haven’t really experienced aggression from any Chihuahua I’ve ever been around. Of course, every dog has their own individual personality, and I can’t speak for all Chihuahua owners, and I’m certainly not a dog behavior expert, but this is just my personal experience.

Does Penny Have Small Dog Syndrome? Yes

In case you aren’t familiar with the term, “small dog syndrome” (SDS) is a term used to describe behaviors that small dogs often exhibit as a way to compensate for their smaller size. It’s also known as a Napoleon complex, and small dogs are more prone to the behavior.

Yes, I will admit that Penny shows some of these signs. But she got the good end of the bargain when it comes to SDS. She’s not aggressive, she’s not disobedient, and she’s not nervous. The things we deal with most are attention seeking behaviors (but what dog doesn’t do this?), and a lot of barking. I’m talking about barking any time she hears a noise or notices something that wasn’t there before. She does act a little fearful around bigger dogs, but she’s fine around dogs her size.

I realize this is an actual thing that happens with many Chihuahuas. But bigger dogs can have the same behaviors. Plus, even if a dog does show more of the undesirable behaviors, many of these behaviors can be remedied with proper socialization and training. So, just because Chihuahuas act this way sometimes, it doesn’t mean they are bad dogs.

Is Penny Aggressive? Absolutely Not

The only “aggression” she ever shows is play aggression, growling and such when you try to take her toy away from her during a game of fetch. In fact, I think I may have seen Penny act aggressive towards another dog once in 4 years. In her defense, she didn’t like the way the other dog was approaching her and getting in her space. But I’ve never seen her act inherently aggressive toward another person.

She will defend herself if necessary, but she much prefers to take a more passive approach. She either loves you from the get-go, or she totally ignores you if you don’t pass the vibe check. Penny would much rather you pet her belly and let her lick you than show any aggression to you whatsoever. Of course, we always supervise her interactions with other people just to be on the safe side.

Even with her barking, she never barks at anything in an aggressive way, even if it’s worth baking at. It’s always more of a “sound the alarm, there’s something new here” bark.

Again, she’s not a full-blooded Chihuahua, so that may account for some of her passiveness. And I can’t speak for all Chihuahuas, but in addition to my own, I have met several through family and friends over the years and have never encountered one that is aggressive.

The Reality of Chihuahuas

Thanks to dog stereotypes, a lot of dogs get a bad reputation even if they don’t truly deserve it. But Chihuahuas are actually still pretty popular dogs despite their often “aggressive” reputation. These dogs are commonly seen in pop culture; we all love Bruiser in Legally Blonde and Gidget, the mascot for Taco Bell in the late 90s. Due to their size, they are also easy to keep in smaller living spaces due to meeting weight requirements or take on the go with you. So many people seem to still want one despite the often negative stereotypes they carry with them.

Unfortunately, their popularity has led to Chihuahuas being one of the most common dog breeds to be found in animal shelters due mostly to accidental breeding or overbreeding, but also because some people don’t know how to deal with their big personality once they bring them home.

Not only that, but the sad truth is that Chihuahuas are the second most euthanized breed. This is mostly due to the large number of Chihuahuas in animal shelters. They aren’t necessarily euthanized as a direct result of their behavior. But it also makes me wonder why people aren’t adopting them from shelters more if they are so popular and so commonly found.

Is it because of their negative reputation that causes people to choose a breed such as a Labrador that is also commonly found in shelters and has a reputation for better behavior? (This is nothing against Labradors; we had one for years and she was the most amazing dog.) Are Chihuahuas being euthanized more often as an indirect result of their reputation that leads to them not being as desirable?

I don’t know the truth of the matter, but what I can say is that every dog has their own personality and doesn’t necessarily follow breed stereotypes. Chihuahuas are more intelligent than they appear and can be easily trained to exhibit more desirable behaviors if behavior is a problem.

Final Thoughts

Now that I have a Chihuahua, I don’t know if I could ever see myself owning any other breed. Especially knowing what I know about their history in shelters. I will advocate for Chihuahuas always, thanks to my sweet Penny. There is way more to these dogs than the stereotypes and reputation that precedes them.