Chihuahuas don’t always have the best public image. Although their tiny faces can make almost anyone’s heart melt, they are often so poorly trained that non-Chihuahua owners don’t want to go near them.
Luckily, we’re going to be discussing the positive attributes of Chihuahuas today! In this article, we’ll give you the 17 ways you can tell if a Chihuahua likes you! How do chihuahuas show affection is another important question we’ll answer. Read on to find out more!
1. Your Chihuahua Greets You When You Get Home
When you get home, does your Chihuahua sprint up to the door? Do they let out little whimpers you can hear even before you open the door? If that’s the case, your Chihuahua is extremely excited to see you!
One of the most common ways a dog shows affection is by giving you attention when you’ve been away for a while. Whether that’s on vacation or just a day at work, if you have an affectionate dog, they’ll show their excitement when they see you.
You can tell your Chihuahua likes you because they’ll greet you at the door every time you arrive home, even if you were just gone for five minutes.
2. Your Chihuahua Wags its Tail or Shakes its Bum to Greet You
Another sign you may notice when you arrive home from work is a visibly excited Chihuahua. Excited Chihuahuas often wag their tail. Sometimes the force of this wag makes their tiny bums shake wildly. How cute!
But wagging their tail also helps distinguish between a happy and unhappy dog. According to the American Kennel Club, dogs wag their tails for multiple reasons, some positive, some negative. But in general, if your dog is wagging their tail quickly, you’ve got a happy dog on your hands!
3. Your Chihuahua Seems Relaxed
Chihuahuas aren’t known as the most relaxed dog, but they will relax when they feel content. A relaxed Chihuahua has no tense muscles, which they often have around their necks and legs. A relaxed Chihuahua also tends to be lying down with their heads resting on the ground.
Chihuahuas tend to be more of a hyperactive dog breed, so when they relax, it’s because they feel entirely comfortable in your presence. Chihuahuas are only ever comfortable with people they show affection towards.
4. Your Chihuahua Doesn’t Destroy Your Property
It’s common knowledge that Chihuahuas have a mean streak in them. Since their little bodies can’t do much, they often take their aggression out on the furniture. That means scratch and bite marks and the legs of your table or chairs. But don’t worry, this only happens when Chihuahuas feel ignored or unappreciated.
If you show the proper affection to your Chihuahua, they’ll show it right back. One of the ways they do this is by respecting the items in your house. If you show your Chihuahua the attention they deserve, they’ll be too focused on getting pets or lounging around to get into trouble.
5. Your Chihuahua Rarely Leaves Your Side
When you’re at home, do you notice your Chihuahua hardly leaves your side? Or maybe they follow you into the different rooms of your home while doing your household tasks? These are both signs your Chihuahua’s obsessed with you!
Having a Chihuahua that follows you around is a sign that they love you. They don’t want to be apart from you, so they stick by your side, following you around your house. Seeing if they follow you around your home is an awesome Chihuahua sign of affection. I mean, if they can’t leave you alone, they must love you a ton!
6. Your Chihuahua Hangs Out With Their Tongue Out
Before we get into this one, we should clarify a few things. There’s a disability that affects many dogs called hanging tongue syndrome. Hanging tongue syndrome can occur due to injury, dental issues, or neurological damage. Hanging tongue syndrome causes the dog’s tongue to stick outside of its mouth all day.
When we say a Chihuahua is happy because it has its tongue out, we aren’t referring to hanging tongue syndrome. Rather, a dog that has a small part of its tongue sticking out is often in a perfectly relaxed state.
Chihuahuas often stick their tongues out while they’re asleep. A tiny tongue sticking out while asleep is a sign of pure relaxation and happiness. These are both good indications about how Chihuahuas show affection.
7. Your Chihuahua Eats a Healthy Amount
Having a healthy appetite is a prerequisite for being affectionate. That means if your Chihuahua hasn’t been eating properly or doesn’t seem to like their food anymore, it may be time to switch their food. Their food may be affecting how they feel, which affects how they act towards you.
By changing their food to one more suitable for them, you can help them get back to their normal, affectionate selves. Who wouldn’t want that for their lovable pooch?
8. Your Chihuahua Has Healthy Fur
Healthy fur is another sign that you’re caring for your Chihuahua in a responsible way. To achieve a healthy coat, you need to feed the dog the right diet, brush them regularly, and allow them to feel content in their own space.
If your Chihuahua’s stressed out all the time, their coast will lose its sheen. Same thing with a poor diet. In extreme cases, your Chihuahua’s fur may fall out if it’s under extreme stress. That’s why a Chihuahua with a healthy coat is a good sign you have a happy, affectionate dog on your hands.
9. Your Chihuahua Gives You Little Kisses
What could be a clearer Chihuahua sign of affection than all those little kisses they love to give? Chihuahuas often show affection by invading their owner’s personal space. Don’t worry though, if you haven’t started loving their constant attention, you will soon!
If you lift your Chihuahua towards your face, they will get really close and give you many little sniffs. If they feel up to it, they may even give you a big lick. It’s one of the cutest things you’ll ever experience.
As a word of warning, these little kisses may be cute, but you don’t want them anywhere near your mouth. You may have heard that a dog’s mouth is cleaner than a human’s, but let’s just say that’s not true at all.
10. Your Chihuahua Shares Their Toys With You
Another of the Chihuahua’s signs of affection is their ability to share. If your dog brings you their favorite toy and drops it in front of you, it means they trust you. Often, it’s also an invitation to start playing with them because they’re in the mood for fun or affection.
When they bring you their favorite toys, it’s not just a sign they have the energy to play or want affection, though. By bringing you their toy, your Chihuahua is showing you that you’re the leader of their pack.
They give their toys to the leader because they know you’ll be responsible for the toys. When they share their toy with you, it means they want you to have as much fun with it as they do!
11. Your Chihuahua Jumps on Your Legs
If you’re wondering how to tell if your Chihuahua likes you, jumping on your legs is a solid indication of that. Whether they jump on your legs when you arrive home from work or when you come out of the washroom, your Chihuahua is telling you they miss you.
Although this is one of the obvious Chihuahua signs of affection, you may not experience it. Most people train their dogs not to jump on people. If you’ve done that, you won’t be able to see this sign of affection from your Chihuahua.
12. Your Chihuahua Rolls Over and Shows its Belly
When a dog rolls over and shows you their belly, it’s a sign of submission to you as their pack leader. The same thing goes for Chihuahuas. As dogs continued to change after diverging from wolves thousands of years ago, so did the general reason for rolling over.
Instead of just showing submission, a Chihuahua who shows their belly is also inviting you to show them affection. They want belly rubs, and they want it now! After looking into their cute little eyes, you won’t be able to refuse.
13. Your Chihuahua Stares into Your Eyes
If you look into your Chihuahua’s eyes, you’ll notice that they are extremely expressive for how small they are. When they use those puppy eyes to stare at you, it’s because they want some attention from their best friend.
According to scientific studies, dogs look at you this way for a major reason. They turn on the cute factor because it makes them look younger and less capable. These two qualities lead to humans giving more food to dogs during domestication.
Nowadays, a Chihuahua will give you those puppy-dog eyes because they want your attention more than anything else. Why not show them your affection by giving them a few pets on the head!
14. Your Chihuahua Mimics Your Yawns
You’ve probably noticed that when a person yawns, those who saw the yawn tend to feel the need to yawn as well. Although this isn’t a well-documented phenomenon, we seem to find contagious yawning in dogs, too.
In dogs, we usually deem this behavior a function of their empathy. A dog mimics us because they want us to know they care for us. That means when your Chihuahua mimics your yawns, they’re really saying they love you!
15. Your Chihuahua Plays Happily
If you get home from work and your pooch doesn’t greet you at the door with a toy to play with, they may not be the most affectionate dogs. Luckily, Chihuahuas are amongst the most playful dogs out there, both by themselves and with people.
Chihuahuas are able to entertain themselves for hours. Whether that’s playing with their toys or exploring their home, Chihuahuas are always able to find something to do. Chihuahuas often want to play with their owner more than anything.
If your Chihuahua invites you to play with them, it’s a solid sign of affection. They want to share some of their happiest moments with you. So next time your Chihuahua runs up to you with a ball, give it a toss to show them you love them too!
16. The Eyebrow Raise
Chihuahuas have some of the most expressive faces among any dog. An expressive face helps us understand how to tell if a Chihuahua likes you. That’s because Chihuahuas will indicate the mood they’re in on their faces.
Now, Chihuahuas have tiny faces, so it can be easy to miss some of the subtle clues that they give you about their emotional stance. That’s why one of the best ways to judge the emotions of a Chihuahua is to watch their eyebrows (or the place where their eyebrows would be).
Chihuahuas will raise their eyebrows or make a generally happy expression when their owner or other friendly people walk into the room. It’s just another way that Chihuahuas show you that they like you and want your affection.
17. Your Chihuahua Sighs and Makes Happy Noises
Small sighs are one way your Chihuahua tells you they want affection. Chihuahuas make these little sounds to try to get your attention so that you can show them affection.
Other sounds that may indicate your Chihuahua wants your affection are small yips. If your Chihuahua is tapping their feet in anticipation, it’s another indicator that your Chihuahua wants you to come and give them attention.
Wrapping Up
Chihuahuas are some of the warmest, sweetest dogs you’ll come across. Their excitable nature allows their owners to see how Chihuahuas show affection up close and personal.
There are plenty of ways to know how to tell if a Chihuahua likes you. You can judge from their facial or body language, or you can gauge their reaction when you return home from a long day out and about.
Whether you recently got your first Chihuahua or you’ve had these wonderful creatures for years, you can always learn something new about how Chihuahuas show affection. So get out there and play with your pooch; you never know what you may learn!