I just got a new chiuahua, how do i take care of it?

Question

well i just got a new 7 month old girl chiuahua and i dont know where to start??? I need to see what kinkd of food to buy her and stuff etc. or anything else you would know!! Please help!!

Answer 1

There is alot of great steps to follow and tips and many more at www.eHow.com here it is:
1. Have your Chihuahua vaccinated, and follow with yearly booster vaccinations to maintain the dog's immunity to disease. Consult your veterinarian about flea control products and worming your dog.

2. Feed your Chihuahua dog food in which the first ingredient is meat. Crude protein should be no less than 30 percent, and crude fat no less than 20 percent. Fiber content should be 4 percent or less.

3. Feed your Chihuahua three small meals a day. They prefer this to one large meal.

4. Brush a short-coated Chihuahua occasionally with a soft-bristle brush, or wipe her down with a soft cloth. Brush long-coated dogs daily.

5. Bathe your Chihuahua monthly, being careful not to get water in her ears, as this leads to infections. Longhaired Chihuahuas will need more bathing than shorthaired dogs.

6. Exercise your Chihuahua daily if possible. However, this breed tends to have quick bursts of energy and may not need to go on extensive walks. An apartment to romp around in is usually enough exercise for a Chihuahua.

7. Consider buying a body harness instead of a collar to protect your dog's neck on walks. This will also help prevent collapsed trachea and soft palate.

8. Train your Chihuahua with a gentle hand, and socialize her at an early age with children and other dogs.

9. Pet your Chihuahua often. This breed requires a lot of human attention and love.

10. Dress your Chihuahua in a sweater if walking her in temperatures below 40 degrees F. Chihuahuas are very sensitive to cold temperatures and probably shouldn't be walked if it's below 35 degrees F, or if there's a wind chill factor.

11. Note that Chihuahuas can suffer from weak knees, colds, corneal dryness and secondary glaucoma. Talk to the breeder to find out what type of screening has been done for these health problems.

12. Be prepared to enjoy a full 11 to 18 years with your Chihuahua, as this is the breed's average life expectancy.


Tips:
Chihuahuas often shiver - not just when cold, but also when excited.

Chihuahuas often like to snuggle under pillows and blankets.

A number of Chihuahua owners find that their dogs are gagging or coughing. This often turns out to be "reverse sneezing," a phenomenon related to problems with the soft palate or a collapsed trachea. Take your Chihuahua to a vet right away if these symptoms develop.


Warnings:
Some Chihuahuas are extremely excitable and many bark a lot, though some bark very little. Proper training can reduce excitability.

Chihuahuas tend to wheeze and snore.

This breed can be stubborn, jealous and aggressive, and may not be good with children and other animals.

Tips from eHow Users:
Healthy Chihuahua Puppies by Libby T.
As soon as your Chihuahua puppies are ready to start eating food, start them on a natural puppy diet. I have found that all dogs love Innova brand dog food. The new EVO, that Innova distributes, contains no grain. Grain is very hard on a puppies system and causes many allergies. My Chihuahua puppies started eating Innova dry mixed with the wet Innova puppy food. They are healthy, their coats are shiny, they have no runny stools, and no vomiting. I feed them 4-5 times a day - very small meals, to keep their blood sugar levels normal. Fresh water and lots of love and play time have made these precious puppies very adoptable!

Family fights by eHow Friend
I have a little Chihuahua family; the mother, the father, a brother from the first litter and the sister from the second litter. Just like human families, they get into fights, especially the males. The quickest way to break this up is to keep a spray bottle full of plain water handy. One or two quick squirts and the fight is over. This also works to discourage indoor accidents, chewing, etc.

. Scooting problems Susan L.
Have your chihuahua's anal glands expressed every 4 months at least or blockage and possible death can occur. You will notice them scooting on their bottoms "alot" when they are full. It's cute but dangerous!

Reverse sneeze eHow Friend
We take a plastic eye dropper, fill it with water and administer to the Chihuahua's mouth. This usually makes him swallow and is enough to end the reverse sneeze. [Editor's note: Also see http://vetinfo.com/drevsnz.html]

Vaccine scarring brook G.
Be careful with your Chihuahua puppy when it is vaccination time. You might ask the vet to inject in the muscle rather than under the skin. This will reduce the chance of your Chihuahua developing hair loss and scarring, which my Chihuahua is a victim of.

Baby your Chihuahua Denise
My mom's chihuahua is an adult dog. We feed her dry dog food that we purchase from the veterinarian. We include a teaspoon of baby food with her evening meal. She loves it, and always licks her dish clean. She was overweight and has lost 2 pounds since being on baby food.

Anal Glands Elizabeth W.
It is important to express the anal glands in your Chihuahua often. A kindergarten class I brought my puppy to taugt every bath is proper. It is rather simple, any vereranarian can teach you. At the 10 and 2 o'clock positions (if you are looking at the anus), gently raise the tail and squeeze inward and upward (using a tissue or cotton. The anal secretion is usually foul smelling, so do it during the bath. This should not be painful if done properly (if you have an older dog and have not done this regularly, it can require veterinary attention. I have a friend whose 10 year old had to have surgical incisions performed under general anesthesia to express the glands)


Chihuahua sweater DONNA M.
I had a difficult time finding a small sweater for my Chihuahua for the winter time. I came up with a temporary and permanent solution as follows: I temporarily found an old sock and cut out a section for the head and her legs to go through. It was a perfect fit! For a permanent sweater, I went to a craft store and purchased a $3 sweater. It was pretty and pink! It is usually used to dress up teddy bears so they come in all sizes!

Hypoglycemia angelica H.
Watch your new puppy closely as they are prone to low blood sugar. Symptoms include shivering, listlessness or a depressed-like state. Chihuahua puppies are susceptible until about a year old. This condition can result in a coma or death if not treated immediately. My puppy is 9 1/2 weeks old and is currently in the pet hospital for seizures related to hypoglycemia. He is going to be okay though because we got him to the vet on time.

About to go pee
With Chihuahuas, as a breeder I've noticed that they sniff around a lot when they need to go pee, not at any other time. So if you are trying to housebreak them, watch for that.

Vaccination Esther N.
I had one of my Chihuahuas vaccinated recently and after about an hour, her head swelled up terribly and she had to have an urgent anti-histamine injection. Now when vaccination time comes around, she has an anti-histamine injection first. The vet told me that her allergy could have killed her. So please keep a close eye after their injections in case this happens.
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Good Luck.

Answer 2

Go to Petsmart.com and take their Nutriton Guide test at the bottom. It will ask the puppy's weight, age, activity level......and select several different nutritional options. Nutro Natural Choice and Science Diet are the two best brands. Dont feed her too much soft food. You can feed her a spoonful once or twice a week, but at her young age, her stomach cant handle too much and it will cause diarreha. Get her a food and water bowl, a crate if she isnt house-trained because you'll need to crate train her. She'll need some toys, and at Petsmart they have a variety of small-dog toys and bones to choose from. Get her some training treats (they'll say Training treats/bits on the package) to reward her with during training. Also, a petite sized collar, leash, and ID tag. Tearless Puppy Shampoo is the best shampoo to buy to bathe her in.

Answer 3

Chihuahua owner as well. Keep the food small as they have problems breaking up larger pieces. Make sure to get him/her used to many different people. Chihuahua's are especially territorial and don't welcome different people as they get older. They are prone to "coughing" fits which may sound distressing at the time but is really nothing. Some have disc problems later in life that can be fixed with surgery...but it's relatively rare. They are a great pet and need only a small about of exercise which they usually get scampering around the house. Good choice!

Answer 4

any kind of small bit size food will be fine, try puppy chow.. thats great for small pets. Also a small dog bed you can buy them anywhere, Small soft animals to play with. They are much like tiny babies. Chiuahua's are very protecting pets they usually take to one owner. So she will grow to be close to you. U picked a very nice pet.

Answer 5

These dogs take lots of care. At 7 weeks they are fragile and can break bones easily, especially because they can be stepped on or sat on more easily than others. I would recomend getting puppy training pads for urine and begin training imidiately, if not, like in my case, it would pee different places and we didnt realize it because the amount is so small. It then starts to smell . Also, if your not planning on breeding her, fix her early, it is easier for her, and will cost more later. Health problems and cancer can be more prone to happen later in life if left unspayed. She will chew, you cant stop it, get her some chew toys. As she gets older, she will try to kill everyone that she doesnt know, the barking will be yippy, and anoying, thats just part of it. Have fun!

Answer 6

Why would you buy a dog if you didn't know how to take care of it? You need to be prepared to own a dog. Buy a carrier That it can sleep in, one that's pretty big And dog pillow to put inside. ask your local petshop for advice on food. any small chew toys will do. Dogs love dried pig ears, they're at almost any pet store. Also, you need to pottytrain it. Scold it (not to harsh) if you catch it going inside, and reward it with praise like "good dog, potty outside!" and a small treat if it goes outside. make sure to buy small dog treats to. you need do these praising/scolding things immediately after the dog goes.

Hope I could help!

Answer 7

I have a chihuahua/terrior mix. Chihuahua's tend to be nervous and excitable dogs. They need lots of TLC. They also need alot of love and attention. Sometimes they tend to be i owner dogs. That is they will claim one person and ignore others. They like to "talk" alot and sometimes think they are bigger than they really are.

I love my dog and he has been a very good friend to me for so long. I think that you will have a great companion and friend from your dog.
They do need a lot of attention so just pour your love out on him/her.

Answer 8

i bought my mom one you have to treat it like a baby and not let it be around any body they are very protective when my moms got older it didnt like my son but now that it has been around him he has gotten use to him and is very protective. You dont want one that goes to any body just family. Food has to be soft and you have to hand feed it fo ra lil while.

Answer 9

go to petsmart or petco...they will know the right food, toys, etc.