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What exactly was a chihuahua bred to do anyway?
My buddy has a rat terrier that thinks it's just a little doberman on amphetamines. All she needs is a target. Friendly little beast though. Just a bit bouncy The little ones are supposed to be that way.
If the taco bell dog was bred to chase and kill little critters, let it do so and get some of the trembling rage energy worked out.
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There are rumors (never found any reason to believe they are true) that they were bred from small native dogs to put inside bags of gold being transported by the Spaniards. Their job was to bite any hands that went into those bags except that of their owners. Sort of a primitive security system for the treasure.
I will say this much. They are territorial and fiercely protective. In fact, they are one of the more difficult temperaments to work with as far as training goes. Stubborn, independent, and generally only obedient to one or two people.
It doesn't help that the majority of people that get them treat them like babies or fashion accessories. They do nothing to actually train the dog, other than reinforce bad behaviors.
Also, the majority of them come from terrible breeders. No thought to temperament, only money. Sometimes they'll consider size in their breeding program, but only insomuch as smaller = more money. The sudden, extreme popularity stemming from the Taco Bell dog in the 90s, followed successively by several movie appearances and Paris Hilton's show was a serious blow to the breed. Any sudden popularity like that leads to an influx of people looking to get rich quick off the loins of their dogs. The breed, always popular with puppy mills due to it's small size, has suffered tremendously as a result of this new popularity.
Sad, really, because a well bred and well trained chihuahua is a wonderful companion.