Dogs and Chins

[Chely101]

Hello, I couldn''t find a place to post this so i'll post it here!
I'm looking into getting a new pet. I have decided to get either a Chin or another dog. Right now I have a little shih tzu cross, so I would like to know if Chins and dogs get along. Will my dog stress the Chin out? Or does it depend on the Chin? Thank you, any other help, tips on picking what to get, or anything else would be appreciated!

 

[HaleyGoBoom]

Letting chinchillas and dogs run loose together isn't the best idea, I'm sure your dog is friendly and all, but its never worth the risk to either animals.

Now, if the dog doesn't loom around the cage or doesn't bark a lot, I'm sure he wont make the chinchilla stressed out.

And as far as choosing a new pet, chinchillas are wonderful, beautiful, entertaining bundles of joy so long as you care for them properly, and be sure to do your research before bringing the little one home :]

 

[starleomach]

my dog can be around the chinchillas if they are caged with no problems at all. But chinchillas are prey and dogs are predetors. Most little lap dogs were used as rodent dogs for years. instinct can and will take over. You can own both just keep them separate

 

[Chely101]

Thank you! =D I wouldn't let my dog around them when it was out, he likes to chase things! A couple times I let him see my gerbils when I had them out but it was a quick hello then good-bye! He's not really a yappy guy, just when someones at the door. Another question I have is, would one be annoying in my bedroom if I kept the cage there?

 

[Jenn]

I have a doberman who has smaller animals around him constantly and I know he wouldn't intentionally hurt any of them. He is big, though, and gets excited, and could definitely hurt a smaller animal, like a chin, accidently. My chin stays inside a pen so the two of them can be nose to nose if they want, but my chin will never be underfoot of my dog. My chin isn't bothered by my dog either. Sudden noises will scare my chin, but she is definitely not bothered by the presence of other animals. But like said before, it is not a good idea to let your chin interact with cats or dogs. Make sure you have done your research about chins before making your decision. They are wonderful companions, but have special needs. Good luck in your decision.

 

[Chely101]

I would not trust my dog without seeing how he slowly reacts to the Chin. Do they scratch atlot? Like gerbils?

 

[HaleyGoBoom]

I've put my chin's cage in my room, its the best room in the house for him and I'm a heavy sleeper so I'm not worried. They are active at night, and if there's a squeaky wheel in the mix I'd say you might get a little annoyed! ((I had that problem with my friends rats)) I'd say it really depends on how easily you sleep. You'll have to try it out.

 

[eroomlorac]

I would not trust my dog without seeing how he slowly reacts to the Chin. Do they scratch atlot? Like gerbils?

They don't really scratch a lot but they are quite "busy" in the night. My chinnies run on their wheel a lot at night. I also have a pug, a papillon and a border collie and I wouldn't trust any of them with the chinnies. The dogs don't bother the chinnies in their cage, but the dogs are a little too interested in the chinnies quick movements.

 

[Whimsy]

I am so glad to see this thread! We run a chinchilla rescue from our home and have a small herd ourselves. Because so many people own both dogs and chins, we make it a point to get the chins used to being around dogs and also train up our three canines to leave them alone. It works well for all of us. Actually, we have them all together for playtime every day in an enclosed room, with supervision of course. It's sweet. The dogs will nose the chins and sometimes the chins try to ride our dogs! We don't have any problems combining the two and we even include the cat! This way we don't have to worry when the inevitable escape happens. The dogs and the cat have already been trained to not bother with the chins. So, in answer to your question, it can be done.

 

[Megan]

I have three dogs (anywhere from 10lbs-65lbs). The dogs can go into the chinroom, and won't bother them other then trying to sniff the cages. HOWEVER, as soon as the chins come out of the cage--the two larger dogs' (50lbs and 65lbs) prey drive sink in. One is a retired racing greyhound, the other a terrier.

I think it depends both on the dog, and largely on the breed. Greyhounds for instance are trained to chase small furry things. While she doesn't bother the chinchillas ALL the time, I'd never trust her as you can see the flicker in her eye when that one does. Same thing with bunnies in the yard. May not chase them all, but when she sets her eyes on one she wants--she'll go for it.

The terrier has an even higher prey drive..but thats what they do, and were bred for.

I wouldn't let owning a dog stop you from getting a chinchilla. However, you just need to be responsible with it. Do not let them together unsupervised(even with the chin caged..granted you have a small dog, so I doubt it will be able to break into the cage--but it HAS happened in the past), do not let them play together, etc. You know your dog more then we do. If the dog is constantly bothering the chin, move the chin behind a closed door...thats where all mine are, so the dogs cannot get near them without one of us being around.

 

[Parkerspetchins]

Because so many people own both dogs and chins, we make it a point to get the chins used to being around dogs and also train up our three canines to leave them alone.

We don't have any problems combining the two and we even include the cat!

It doesn't help for you to make chins you are rehoming comfortable with dogs, the only thing you are accomplishing is that they are comfortable with your dogs and that your dogs are not going to hurt them, not their new owner's...

Cats are carriers of diseases that chinchillas can pick up so it is never a good idea for them to mix.

 

[Whimsy]

Thanks for the opinion Jean Marie. But the fact of life is, people own all kinds of animals. Diseased cats even. Our chins learn that dogs and cats CAN be trained to leave the critters alone. It works well in our home and the chins will thus not stress out and have a heart attack at the first "whoof" of a new dog. And by the way, our cat is "disease free" and utd on shots.
I personally am thankful for the training. We have had occasion for escapes where the dogs and cat did NOT attack and eat the chins.

 

[Parkerspetchins]

It's fabulous for you and your chins, my point is that you can't control what the dogs and cats do in a new home that you place the chin that you have "trained to be comfortable." We will have to agree to disagree :winkers:.

 

[Whimsy]

The original post was whether or not chins and dogs could get along. I offered some hopeful facts according to our home situation.
I think we're getting a little bit off track here with the extension of the current conversation.
*hugs*
If anyone would like information on dog/chin introductions, just give me a holler.

 

[Ash]

While I'll agree that chins and dogs can live harmoniously in the same house, you do have to watch them carefully, especially if your chin is out of the cage. When my dog was younger, she was great with the chins. Used to lay in the room when I had Hash out for playtime (this was when I only had one), and Hash would jump on her, nibble on her, etc. Now that Lady's getting older, however, she's gotten a bit snappier and doesn't like the chins jumping on her as much, so when the chins are out, she's not allowed in the play area.

You just have to know your dog. You can easily have both, just must keep an eye on everything.

 

[Chinmama]

My chins are housed in the living room, and are used to the dogs barking and running around their cages. For the most part, they all just ignore each other. I, however, would never willingly expose my chins to a situation where they were out free with the dogs. I am not prepared to lose either of my chins in that sort of manner.

 

[Sandi]

My old chin used to love rubbing noses with our pug, they did this every single morning when we all got up for the day and we were always present when they would be out together in the same room every once in a great while. My two new chins' cage is 2 feet above the floor and it has these guards on the base that extend out about 5 inches (used to be a bird cage). I thinks this helps because they don't appear too be fond of the pug. Every chin is different.

 

[DaphnesandFreddysmom]

we have all types of animals in our home. We have dogs, cats, chins, and hedgies. We do not allow our dogs or cats to have supervised or unsupervised playtime with the chins just because you never know if, or when, the dog or cat may decide to go after the chinchilla.

It may never happen but you never know I keep all playtime with the hedgies and chins seperate from my larger animals.

Ofcourse in the cage my chins and animals get along well. The dogs may sniff the occasional nose and our cat may stick their paw in occasionally but that's it. There's never been any problems so far. Just use your common sense and they will be fine.

 

[JennyBug]

We only have cats, no dogs, but our cats have really never bothered our chins. In fact, our girl cat and our first chinchilla LOVE one another: the will give eskimo kisses and our cat will VERY lightly tap her with her paw when she wants her attention. Our male cat pays absolutely no attention to them.

As far as letting them play outside of the cage, they NEVER get to, even with my husband and I supervising. We are just too new to chinchillas and can't be positive of how they would react to the cats or how the cats would react to them. I know there are lots of videos on youtube with chinchillas running around with dogs or cats, but remember - it would only take one playful jump by a dog or cat to kill your chin, even if they're just playing. To me, it's not worth the risk.

 

[Chely101]

Thank you very much everyone! I think we are going to go with a Chinchilla! I found two of them. Here are the links to see them: http://saskatoon.kijiji.ca/c-pets-other-pets-for-sale-Why-get-a-smelly-rabbit-when-you-can-have-a-chinchilla-W0QQAdIdZ110782365

http://saskatoon.kijiji.ca/c-ViewAdLargeImage?AdId=111725062&img=http%3A%2F%2Fimg1.classistatic.com%2Fcps%2Fl%2Fkj%2F09%2F3%2F6%2F789%2Fr5%2F356198l_18.jpeg

I like the second one better, but I'm emailing both back and forth to get as much info on each one as I can!