Dog lovers know that Chihuahuas tend to be a bit snappy. This is something that commonly follows small size dogs, as reputation.
Some dogs are naturally more friendly than others. The reason for this lies in many factors. Since dogs were bred for different tasks, they react differently toward people.
Some dogs may be shyer than others, while others may have more confidence than others.
All in all, every dog comes with specific treats that make their personalities unique. When it comes to small size dogs their unique trait is that they tend strongly to protect themselves.
They usually tend to bark heavily, avoid being carried, or they might simply decide to bite faster than other dogs would.
Dogs bite when they feel scared, when they are in pain, or when they are threatened in any way.
Humans defend with their hands, while dogs can only defend themselves with their mouths. This is why dogs bite.
So far, you probably know that some dogs might have a stronger bite than other dogs. Or that specific breeds bite differently.
For example, when threatened, Rottweilers will bite once, making it a short bite, as a warning.
On the other hand, breeds like German Shepherd or Caucasian Shepherd bite to completely eliminate their opponent.
Among these powerful and large size dogs where does, a small, Chihuahua stands in terms of biting?
Before we continue, did you know that there are seven Chihuahua types?
What Is The Average Bite Force Of A Chihuahua?
The force of a Pomeranian and Belgian Malinois bite won’t be the same. The main reason for this lies in the fact that a dog’s bite, no matter how strong it is, is always determined by the size of the body.
A big role in bite force, next to overall body size, plays the skull and the shape of its jaw.
It’s hard to exactly measure the exact bite force because every dog comes with different strengths and different levels of aggression.
Since a Chihuahua is a small size dog, it’s estimated that their bite force is between 150 – 180 PSI (pounds per square inch).
Are they among the strongest biters within the canine world? They are not, but their bites can still hurt.
If this small dog bites you can still expect this small size dog to puncture your skin and cause bleeding. However, Chihuahua’s bite won’t be so strong to tear flesh or cause major damage.
Is Chihuahua Bite Painful?
No matter how small a dog might be, and how ‘gentle’ his bite might be, any bite still hurts. Even when a bee hits you, its stingers still hurt.
This is what you can expect from Chihuahua’s bite. Any bite will be painful and cause some form of trauma. No bite is pleasant and will come with pain, stress, and some bleeding.
The best way to handle dog bites is to avoid them completely.
Of course, this is easier said than done. Unplanned things happen and dog bites happen even to the most experienced dog owners and dog lovers.
In the majority of cases, dog bites occur because people tend to make some sort of mistake.
For example, humans love and thrive on hugs, while hugging dog is never a good idea.
For dogs, human hugs are a form of oppression. Being handled like that motivates dogs to think that they should defend themselves. This is the moment when they will attack.
Also, several accidents happen when children don’t know how to interact with dogs in a safe manner.
Children should know how to behave around dogs, not to disturb them while eating, drinking, playing with their toys, or simply resting.
Children and dogs should never be without supervision, no matter how both parties are well-behaved. Dogs cannot speak human.
This is why they rely on body language. For them, body language is how they communicate and it’s their ultimate tool for communication.
This is where understanding a dog’s psychology steps in – by understanding if you are actually affecting the flow that you can have in interaction with dogs.
Thanks to the body language you can actually know if a dog is happy, sad, or aggressive.
For example, many would say that Chihuahuas are aggressive without knowing what lies behind that behavior.
As a general rule, Chihuahuas are loyal and affectionate dogs who love spending time with their humans. They aren’t aggressive dogs per se, but they can become aggressive if there is a reason for it.
This is something that may occur in any dog for any reason. Some of the most common reasons for aggressiveness in any dog, including Chihuahuas, are listed below.
1. Hormones
Dogs are sensitive beings. This is especially seen in females.
Females Chihuahuas can display something that is called ‘maternal aggression’ which happens in the first weeks after they give birth.
This is a period when a lot of hormones are running through bodies and they’re learning how to deal with them, how to care for the puppies, and overall just be in their current state.
This is a period when they need more safety, security, and peace. As expected, they will be more prone to defending their space and peace. This can result in occasionally aggressive behavior.
If you have a Chihuahua and she keeps on showing maternal aggression, do not try to scold it or correct it.
Just give her the space that she needs and talk to your veterinarian. This behavior should stop after some time, usually the first month.
If it continues happening, monitor her closely, and talk to your veterinarian.
2. Teething
Puppies are sensitive when it comes to teething. They will usually teethe in the first few weeks and up to four months of age.
Teeth growing is stressful and can cause pain and discomfort for your Chihuahua. As result, they will try to bite or chew to relieve their pain.
During this phase, it’s important to provide proper toys for your Chihuahua to chew on.
3. Pain
When in pain dogs tend to lash out. Dogs cannot speak human language and showing aggression when in pain is their way of communication.
This is something that is common for dogs of any size, breed, and temperament. Whenever you touch a spot that is in pain on the dog’s body, you will see his aggressive behavior.
Dogs, just like humans, don’t like being touched in places that are inflamed.
Feeling pain is never easy, and touching that area only puts extra stress on the dog.
If your Chihuahua looks disturbed or anyhow stressful, has changed eating patterns, and has become overall aggressive, you should contact your veterinarian.
4. Excessive Playful Behavior
Dogs love playing. Nothing excites them more than spending time with humans and playing.
During playtime, a bit more aggressive moments can occur, such as dogs nipping people.
This behavior is something that shouldn’t be encouraged. Nipping and biting aren’t ok, and boundaries of it should be communicated properly.
5. Fear
As mentioned earlier, dogs tend to be aggressive when they are scared. In fact, they tend to show their aggressive side when they are fearful.
Dogs are territorial creatures and they tend to protect their ground, as well as their owners, and Chihuahuas are no exception.
These small size dogs are territorial and highly protective of their family members.
If someone they don’t know enters their space and reached toward them, trying to pet them, they will usually lash out and show signs of aggressiveness.
In a way, this small dog is a fair guard dog, who will be fast to protect you. Inside your home, it’s important to keep your Chihuahua safe and provide a safe place whenever someone new enters your home.
What To Do If A Chihuahua Bites You?
If your Chihuahua bites you, you should react immediately. Make sure that you pull your hand away and say something like ‘No’, ‘Ouch’, or ‘No, that hurt!.’
Your Chihuahua needs to connect certain words with actions so that your dog knows that something wrong was done.
Incorporating these commands can be a great deal of your training of basic commands.
After you express your displeasure with biting, you should ignore your dog for the next few minutes – this action should discourage forceful biting and communicate to your dog that he did something wrong.
Be consistent with training. It will be challenging and time-consuming, but training is what makes a dog a well-behaved canine.
Do Chihuahuas Bite The Most?
It’s known that Chihuahuas bite more than some of the larger breeds, such as Pit Bulls.
They are also aggressive toward dogs that they have never seen before.
Did you know that Chihuahuas are the breed that will bite veterinarians the most?
It’s very hard to determine which dog breed bites the most, because their behavior may be affected by several various effects.
Getting this data doesn’t mean a lot, because it cannot be fair to say that German Shepherd bites the most if we don’t know the reasons behind their actions. However, it’s possible to know which breed can bring in the most damage by biting.
New study gave an insight on this saying that ”Pit bulls were responsible for the highest percentage of reported bites across all the studies (22.5%), followed by mixed breeds (21.2%), and German shepherds (17.8%).”
The reasons behind these actions lie in certain behaviors from the human side.
Research pointed out that the most common cause of dog biting is usually influenced by breed behavior and the behavior of the victim.
In practice, this means that certain behaviors such as teasing are the top reason for dog biting.
The second most common reason is interaction with children, with children not knowing how to interact with dogs, to be precise. This is why it’s so crucial for children to know how to behave around dogs.
Children must know:
- Not to handle dogs like they are being toys
- Not to pull dog’s tail, ears, or punch them into eyes
- Not to disturb a dog while he is eating, resting, sleeping, drinking, playing with toys, or just resting in his crate
Both children and adults can have sudden and fast moves toward dogs that can put them under a lot of stress.
When scared or put into a stressful situation, dogs tend to protect themselves, usually by biting. Nobody likes to be teased, and dogs aren’t afraid to show how unhappy it really makes them.
Can A Chihuahua Bite Off A Finger?
Some dog bites can be really harmful. They can be so powerful that biting off a piece of the body is easy. Others are more of a simple scratch.
How harmful can Chihuahua’s bite be? Can this small dog perform a serious physical injury? Can this tiny dog bite off a finger?
Unless, the finger is really tiny, and Chihuahua is really powerful chances for this are almost unexisting.
For a dog to be capable of biting off a human finger, the dog needs to have a jaw strength equal to 200 pounds of pressure per square inch.
Which Dog Has The Strongest Bite Force?
The most important thing to know about the dog’s bite is that all dogs have a decent bite force.
No matter how small a dog might be he will still be able to defend himself. However, some breeds have more powerful bit and can easily overshadow the others.
Did you know that crocodile has the strongest bite in the animal kingdom, with 3,700 pounds per square inch of bite force?
Now, imagine a dog having half of that powerful bite. The dog with the biggest bite force of amazing 552 pounds is Mastiff.
Don’t let their bite force fool you, because it doesn’t mean that dogs with the biggest bite force are more aggressive than other dogs.
Remember that Chihuahuas are most likely to bite their vets, and they are one of the tiniest dogs alive.
Here are the top five dogs with extremely powerful jaws:
- Mastiff – 552 Pounds
- Rottweiler – 328 Pounds
- American Bulldog – 305 Pounds
- German Shepherd – 238 Pounds
- Pitbull – 235 Pounds
Last, But Not Least… Do I Need An Antibiotic For A Dog Bite?
Even the most loyal dog can bite his owner. An intense playtime, a moment without focus… It all can lead to a dog biting you without planning it.
If a dog bites you and it’s a big wound you should head to the hospital immediately.
Only a doctor can tell you if you are going to need antibiotics or not.
If a dog bites you and a bite is minor one, you need to do the following:
- Wash the wound by using run warm tap water
- Wash the wound with water and mild soap
- Use a clean cloth to slow the bleeding
- If you have an over-the coutner antibiotic cream apply it
- Use sterile bandage to wrap the wound
- Keep the wound bandage on until you see the doctor
- Change the bandage a few times a day, unless advised otherwise by your doctor
- Monitor the wound carefully for any sign of infection
Your doctor will want to know more about the dog and how the bite happened. They will probably clean the wound first and apply antibiotic cream and prescribe suitable antibiotics if there is any concern.
