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Question for multiple chi owners

2K views 19 replies 16 participants last post by  Krista 
#1 ·
This is a question for those of you who have 2 or more chis.

Do your dogs spend much time playing with each other? When you play with them, is it always all of them together, or do you occasionally give each of them one-on-one playtime with you?

Do they generally share their toys, or do each of them have a toy that they claim as their own?

The reason I ask is, I'm considering adopting a second chihuahua. What other tips do you have?
 
#5 ·
MY girls love to play with eachother. I play with them both but Mango (I had her first) always tries to push Guava away or nips at her when she comes near me. Sometimes Guava is afraid to come to me because Mango will nip her but I've scolded Mango many times and she is starting to learn that Guava is my baby too.

I also spend one on one cuddling time with each of them. I think Mango gets jealous, Guava could care less, but Mango will sit there while I'm holding Guava and actually cry. I mean real tears. LOL. She's so funny.
 
#6 · (Edited)
Yes we give one on one cuddles and play.Yes the get jealous but we just ignore them and they get over it.We Love having more then one chi.And yes they play together.They love each other.They love to lick and clean each other it is so cute.
I just read Mchis post and thought of a few more things to add.We do have one lazy chis Boo But he will sometimes get up and play with our Rascal.Everybody loves to play with Radar. lol. Like Mchis says mine do have their fav playmate.Harry and Nomo play good together and Radar and Nomo like washing each other.Rascal likes to play With Freckles.Freckles will watch and if he thanks things are getting to rough he will break it up or if he wants to play with Radar and he is playing with someone else he will go and Break it up so he can play with Radar.
It depends on the dogs how things will go.
Mine do have their fav toys.Freckles has froggy Harry has his rope and snowman.And Nomo has his rattle and a few odd and in toys.My other three don't play with toys and these three know which toy is theirs and which ain't.When we bring a new toy into the house it is a little hard.Because Freckles and Harry both want it but most of the time Freckles will only play with it for a little while and then go back to his froggy he only wants one toy at a time.lol Harry wants all the romes and squeaky toys lol.But if you get on to him a couple times and give him one of HIS toys he will leave the other one alone.
 
#7 · (Edited)
All of my Chi's play together. Milo is the least likely to play (he's my lazy Chi) but the others at times do get him riled up & he joins in on occasion. They do have their favorite playmate though. Like Mari & Marley play constantly & Matilda & Maxie are most likely to play. Marley will play with everyone though...he's our busy body. LOL Come to think of it...Mari & Matilda I don't often see playing with one another. It's usually the boys with one of the girls. Matilda was our first & was great accepting all our boys (Marley she took on as her own at first & was very protective of him) - but with Mari...it took Matilda a while to adjust. I do half blame my hubby because he has always favored Matilda which makes it hard. Anyway, as long as you always treat pups equally and YOU are their pack leader there should never be a problem.

Just a warning though - if you do decide to get another introduce gradually & don't expect them to hit it off at first. Milo attacked Matilda constantly when we introduced them at first (even though he was the newbie) - I was ready to give him back to the breeder but agreed to give a couple weeks & in a few days they were best of friends. It can take a while for them to adjust but in time...they will! Just wanted to share a bit of that story so you don't have any surprises like I did. I was devistated when we brought Milo home....

None of my pups get jealous of one another if they're sitting with me & another come near - but to achieve that again YOU have to be the pack leader. I often have all my pups sitting in my lap & if anyone growls they get reprimanded & have to leave the "pile". ;) But we generally don't have an issue.

They each have their favorite toy but typically everyone wants the toy (or bone) someone is already playing with if you kwim. Just like children. LOL Matilda is also our bossy one when it come to toys or fetch. Not in a mean way...she just will take what she wants when she wants it. If I try to play fetch with someone other than her, no way. She beats them to the catch every time. So if I want to play with someone else...I have to crate her or hold her back.

Also, it is important for pack activity & attention - but it is also important they each get their own 1 on 1. I make sure to take time each day to pet & talk to each of them seperately w/o allowing others to come steal the attention. As easy as this sound - it can be quite difficult because you have those who beg for attention all the time (Marley & Matilda) - then you have those who never really "ask" for loves (like Milo). So I just have to keep an eye out & make sure Milo gets some loving too as well as the others.

I know many people say to treat your first "special"...give them treats first, pets first, etc. I find this a total NO NO! That only encourages your first to become alpha (which is YOUR job). Treating equally is the way to go to avoid any dominant behavoirs. Being bossy is one thing - being dominant is another.

Anyway, good luck with your decision!
 
#8 ·
My two do spend almost all of their time together, but I do take them on separate outings once and a while, especially with Venus since we had her first and I don't want her to feel replaced or left out. But Jack gets to go out with me too when Jer is home to spend time with Venus, since she's a daddy's girl anyway :roll:
They don't really have separate toys, but we do enforce sharing. When one has a toy and the other one just comes up and grabs it, we usually tell them to give it back. And they're both catching on. They know when I say share to just let the other one come by and they'll play together with it. They each have a couple toys that are theirs, and are kept up until the other one has alone time to make them feel better.
 
#9 ·
Tango and Jazz play together all the time, until Tango gets tired then he gets up on my lap or goes to his crate.....and Jazz knows when Tango's in his crate to leave him alone lol! They share all the toys, though Tango has a tendency to steal whatever Jazz is playing with. They each have their own chewies though...flossies and bully sticks etc. And they eat separately, because they both have a tendency to go back and forth between each others bowls. I feed each of them slightly different amounts so when they switch like that, I can't monitor their intake. Tango has one toy...well, it's actually just part of a toy...a little latex piece from a larger triangle and he detached that one piece from the rest. For some strange reason, he guards that piece with his life. He will NOT let Jazz have it, and gets really growly if she tries to take it from him. I decided to let him claim that as his own, but I only give it to him now when Jazz isn't around to bug him about it. I figure that's the one privilege he can have for being First Dog. :D

I play with both of them together, and also separately. I make sure there's a little bit of 1 on 1 time for each of them. And when I'm training, one is crated while I'm working with the other one, so that's a little more exclusive time for each of them. Tango sometimes will "guard" me....try and get between Jazz and me when Jazz wants to approach me. This is a HUGE no-no, and I've been very strict with him when he does this. It seldom happens anymore, but it's not trained completely out of him yet.

The biggest piece of advice I can give you is to not expect your second chi to be a carbon copy of your first. It's silly when I think of it now, but I remember when I first rescued Jazz, I couldn't get over how DIFFERENT she was to Tango. She's more outgoing, more energetic (and I thought Tango was way hyper when I rescued him lol) less focused/shorter attention span, harder to train, and wants more of my time. She's a different body type too...Tango has a very cobby body, whereas Jazz is longer and leaner, Jazz's ears are WAY bigger than Tango's, her tail's shorter, and her fur feels different, even though they're both SC's. She's just different, and that really took me by surprise at first. Things that worked with Tango (training mostly) don't work with Jazz.

I didn't realize it until I rescued Jazz, but Tango was VERY easy by comparison. Kind of like my kids. When my first was born, he was a very easy baby, an angel. But I had no comparison, so I figured that was normal. Then I had my second, and OH BOY!!!! WHAT a difference! I thought I had a devil-baby lol! No, I didn't, I had a normal baby, it's just that my first was exceptionally easy.

I also prefer having one chi of each sex. I like that difference too. Some folks prefer the same sex, because it makes purchasing easier if you want to dress your dogs, for example. You can mix and match everything and don't need different colors for the different sexes, the way I do with mine....Tango has everything blue, black or red, whereas Jazz's stuff is pretty much all pink and lavender lol!
 
#10 ·
I would have to say that my crew (I have 2 chi's and 1 Yorkie/maltese, and soon to be adding Chi number 3 lol) are always wanting to play with each other. They are hysterical lol
Willy my special needs chi boy (he is 3 legged) is usually right snack dab in the middle of it all, but the girls seem to know to take it easy with him lol I find the girls (chi and YM) play rougher to together. Not mean play just different then they play with Willy.
My playing with them usually turns into an "all play" lol The second I start tossing toys around with one they ALL come to play, though I toss more then one toy, I usually have at least 2, and again the girls usually race for one and let Willy get the second throw lol Poor boy lol which is not to say that he doesn't try sometimes to race them, but he's usually not as fast hehehehe But its def a fun time had by all. They all run around tails wagging, tongues hanging out huffing and puffing and after between the three of them drink the whole water dish dry! lol

As for toys, I have a basket of toys and they all share, chews and all lol They each seem to have a favorite toy that they like to play with, but none of them hoard that toy so the others can't play with it. They are a great bunch with sharing. They play toys together too, though again, its usually the girls who are doing that together lol Its so hysterical to watch Rosa and Luna play tug. It keeps my 2 year old daughter in stitches laughing with all the shaking of their heads to encourage the other to let go of the toy lol

They each get one on one time, though it varies day to day and they seem fine with that, and admittedly I suck Willy up more because he is my "special" boy lol I do spend a little more time with him then the others. If I am going to watch TV in my room its him I take with me most of the time lol not always though. When we watch TV in the livingroom, its an all pile on me deal and as long as they all have a spot touching me they are great lol

I would have to say also, in the beginning be prepared for them to be very different and be prepared for them to have some issues to work out. I found going from 1 to 2 was alot easier then going from 2 to 3. Though I am not sure if that was because my first 2 were pretty layed back dogs and my third, Luna, was a more dominent one. I had issues with her in the beginning and some aggression towards me and the other dogs , but usually only when it involved food or chewies. The issues were pretty easy and quick to resolve though for me and now they are all fine and no more food/chewy issues. Not NASTY like it had been anyway lol when one has a chewy they are chewing and another comes near there will be a sound that says back off lol But its nothing nasty, just a warning "go away" and it NEVER goes any further then that.
Luna is a trickster though I have noticed. If Willy has a chew and she wants it, she will go and get a toy and bring it up and as soon as Willy lets go of the chew to investigate the toy, Luna snatches it and runs LOL!
 
#11 ·
2 of my chi's play so much together that I get jealous and have to ask them to spend time with me ha ha ha. They all like their one-on-one time they don't get jealous much because they all get the exact amount of love and kisses. Sometimes if I pat one and the other wants to be patted they will bite my hand gently away from the other.
 
#12 ·
Mine will play together but it is mostly my younger LC plays with Yoshi whether he likes it or not. Sometimes Yoshi will play but he gets real rough and Chibi reconsiders, LOL! I play with both of them and sometimes one on one time as one is usually being lazy. Now Yoshi will get jealous some and come out from under the blanket to play to when I am playing with Chibi. They have plenty of toys and Yoshi like's the toys more than Chibi but they both play with them ;-)
 
#13 ·
My 3 play together all the time. They never show any jealousy coz that resulted in being turfed off my lap or out the room from day one.
Adam and Hannah play more outside together on walks whilst Hannah and Heidi play more indoors. Adam can be abit stand offish so doesnt play as much as the girls. Heidi loves to play hand wrestling with you and play fights like a big dog, poss coz Adam and Hannah were pups together so are abit more bonded.
The girls dont really have fav toys but woe betide anyone who touches 'sex bear' (Adam's post supper entertainment)!!!. TBH though I wouldnt touch sex bear with a biohazard suit and tongs!!!:D:D:D
Luckily I have a high tolerance for cuddles and kisses so nobody gets short changed, although Im sure they wish I would stop pestering them on occassion!LOL
Am currently waiting on a home check though for an adult dog, so that will be interesting if it happens!:coolwink:
 
#14 ·
All of my kids play together and share toys really well. They get individual time with me wether it be snuggling,playing or training. I have such a larger stash of toys they don't care who has what. My guys have their favorite toys which are just their's. The only time I have any problems with my pack is when I know one of my girls are coming into heat! Then it's just the girls playing together in one area and the boys in another. Otherwise they play and when they are tired it's like the domino effect one by one they pick a spot to sleep on and conk out! lol
 
#16 ·
My 2 do play together and chase each other around.
Sometimes Darla kinda bugs Daisy to play, and all Daisy wants is to sit on my lap. lol
I do play with Darla with her toys, she enjoys playing fetch.
Daisy was never used to toys at the breeders i dont think so she prefers to cuddle or chew a bully stick.
I make sure i give them one on one time answell as have them both on my lap for cuddles.
I am so pleased i got them both cause i feel it helped them settle and they are good company for each other too. x
 
#17 · (Edited)
Mine will NOT play together, it's been a battle since I got Misha. They fight all the time, Misha is constantly picking on Yoshi to the point where she just hides in her pillow all day. Yoshi will only come out to play now if Misha is in her crate because Misha will steal her toys, and then just mount Yoshi and try to stop her from playing. Misha is mean to her and I can't get her to stop, it's very frustrating, and I found it much more enjoyable to play with Yoshi before Misha. She used to be so playful and want to play all the time, now she just hides all day :( I love Misha, because I have her now, but it's been a battle since I got her, with training and with Yoshi and her. I feel bad because it seems like she brings no enjoyment, only trouble, and I feel terrible saying it, but I think it was a mistake getting a second :(

Obviously not everyone has troubles such as these when getting a second, just saying be prepared to live with the decision you make, good or bad.
 
#20 ·
No worries you haven't offended me ^_^ I'm hoping that Misha will calm down when she's a bit older, because she is still a puppy technically, and Yoshi is 4. Just when Misha was a bit younger, like back in September, they used to play a lot more, they would chase each other around a little at least. But then Misha has suddenly turned into a bully for several months, and she doesn't let Yoshi play. She just takes her toys, she blocks her from going up or down the stairs, just stands in her way, and she is constantly grabbing her around the neck with her arms. I can't get her to stop and I don't know why she's doing it O_O Yoshi is getting very upset and afraid of Misha I think. Yoshi is such a gentle and sensitive little thing, I really feel bad for her :( If Misha would play normally I think there wouldn't be a problem but right now she is just a bully. That on top of the training issues is just very frustrating. I'm not ready to give up on her yet though.
 
#19 ·
Do your dogs spend much time playing with each other? When you play with them, is it always all of them together, or do you occasionally give each of them one-on-one playtime with you?

Britney being nearly 9, she isn't as energetic as she once was. Once in a while she'll get a playful hair up her butt and Butter LOVES it because Butter IS still very energetic and loves to play with Britney.

Do they generally share their toys, or do each of them have a toy that they claim as their own?

They have a dozen toys, yet there are 2 that are the favorite. My mom bought them each this stuffed doggie; green for Butter, pink for Britney. they love to fight over the toys, but not in a violent way.

When we first got Butter, Britney was very motherly with her. I really can't describe how they are with one another...Britney has never hurt Butter, she actually walks over her. When Britney pushes Butter over the line, Butter lets her know and Britney will back off. On the other hand, they truly love each other. They keep one another clean and enjoy cuddling.
 
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