Small Dog Owners, Any Advice? (No rude comments, please!)?

Question

I am adopting a Female Chihuahua In a few weeks, Locally. . (No, not because some Pop Diva's carry them in their purses, I have wanted one for years, but there is a time and place for everything. I now have stability)She will be between 8-10 weeks. I have always had large dogs (shepards, Hounds, etc.) So I am a bit lost on this! I have purchased a 24' top of the line crate, with a divider to adjust the crate size as she grows, Puppy training pads, bedding, and food. I feel I am still missing something! What size bowls did you use? should they be elevated? Did you buy toys? What kind? Grooming? House training advice? It has been so long since we've had a puppy in the house, and we've certainly never had one so small! Do any of you seasoned Chihauhua/small dog owners have any advice?

For those of you who answered nicely, thank you! I guess I am just a little nervous!

alos, sorry, I meant 24 inches in length for the crate! I have many wonderful answers! Thank you all for the great advice!

Answer 1

Congrats on your new baby. You are going to fall in love with the breed. For the bowls, I use small ones but not too light because they will turn them over. A good ceramic bowl is great. If you have Dollar Tree stores around, they have some really nice bowls for a dollar. Everything is a dollar. You can also get some cute baby blankets there, for a dollar. They are just the right size for a Chihuahua puppy. I do not elevate their bowls. They love little squeaky stuffed toys. Use a good quality puppy food, start with whatever the breeder is feeding. Food should be in front of the chihuahuas all the time. Chis are prone to low blood sugar. Buy some nutrical from the vet to have on hand in case of a low sugar attack. Nutrical is a high calorie, vitamin/mineral supplement that will help keep the chis sugar levels on an even keel.Learn to do the chihuahua shuffle, keep the feet low to the ground so that you do not step on the pup, and watch where you sit, make sure the puppy is not hiding under a blanket or pillow. Housetraining may be your biggest challenge. Some chis can be difficult. Just stick with the crate training, letting the pup out after eating, sleeping, playing hard. For puppy pads I use baby crib pads. Just throw them in the wash and use over and over. Good luck with your new baby.

Answer 2

First thing you need to do is throw out the puppy training pads! Teaching your puppy to use these pads is in fact telling them it is OK to pee in the house. You got the right idea with the crate that has dividers. This is the best training method there is for house breaking, however remember a 8-10 week old Chihuahua is not going to have a very large bladder. She will need to go out often. I have a 16 year old Chihuahua. Every time I took her outside I rang a bell that hung from the door knob. Now when she needs out, she rings it with her paw. If you take the time to learn how to trim her nails, and clean her ears and anal glands, you should never have any grooming expenses. I am a groomer and I am amazed at the people who bring Chihuahuas in and pay me 15. to do what they could do at home if they took the time to learn. Sounds like you have done your homework and are a very considerate person to wait until you were stable. Any "good" groomer would be happy to show you how to care for your pets grooming needs. If you can't find a good Groomer, come to Altus Ok and I'll teach you myself!!! Good luck with your new baby!

Answer 3

Buy it a small chew toy, one that can't be chewed through easily because even small dogs can chew toys apart.

When you get the puppy, you will want to take it to a pet store to get a collar for it, and one of those nylon type leashes should do.

The dog bowls don't have to be elevated, but a small one will do, probably for the life of your dog.

Did you get any treats for it, to use for training purposes? That might help.

If you're in a house that has a yard with a fenced in area, check it to make sure that there aren't any places where your puppy might get out.

A softer brush should do for your puppy, not one of those wire ones. Get a mild shampoo for your puppy.

I'm not sure if I read that correctly, but it looks you said 24 foot crate. If that's 24 feet in length, that's pretty big for a small dog. They like to feel secure so a smaller cage should do just fine, but with your dividers, perhaps it will be fine.

Aside from that, I can't think of anything else, but I hope that helps.

Answer 4

It's not so much differnt from a big dog really. We have 2 small dogs ( a chihauhua and a mini dobie) and 1 medium dog. You just take into consideration their size. Then adjust.

One thing is their toenails though. Most aren't active enough to keep their nails down. They are more protective also, they think they are a great dane, but no no no.

Answer 5

Hi rors, Once you get you pup home everything will come back to you.It's like riding a bike.Once you learn it you never forget it.On the bowl size,i would get a medium size metal bowl for water and a small size metal bowl for the feeding dish.If you want to elevated the bowl you can,but i never did and had no problems.Yes you want to buy some toys.Buy 1 for teething,get a ball for playing and a dog animal to sleep with your new pet.And anything else you see,if you think its okay for your pet.On grooming,you don't have to worry about that right now.On house training your pet.You need to take the little guy out every 2 hours and keep on this,so he will learn to go out when he needs to go potty.I don't no what you mean by seasoned chihauhua.Not unless you mean coming into season.A dog comes into heat every 6 months,thats 2 times a year.Have fun with your new pet and love him always.

Clowmy

Answer 6

The bowls don't need to be elevated. I bought my Chi some cool, hand painted bowls about 5 inches in diameter, and they only cost $4.99 apiece.
I bought toys intended for small puppies (minature bones, Kongs, etc). Nylabone has nylon bones that are small enough for little dogs. There are also small rawhide bones, little tennis balls, and all sorts of bitty dog toys.
Its a b#@$& and a half to housetrain small dogs. I've got mine paper trained, but she will go on the newspaper only if confined to a small space. If she has run of the house, she will go where she pleases. You might try crate training her. There are lots of good books on the subject. One of my coworkers has had Chihuahuas for years, and he's finally got them about 90% housetrained.
One thing that saved my sanity with my last small dog was an exercise pen (available at pet supply stores). It gave the dog some freedom to move around and explore and I could watch TV in peace, knowing she wasn't getting into trouble.
Hope this helps!

Answer 7

Ok, im sure everyone has covered this (not sure) but ill add it just incase! Ok, well yes they need toys. They need excercise but not too much, they get exhausted rather fast and you don't need to overdo it. They arent a good dog to take on a jog with you for example. Chihuahuas have alot of health problems that can occur but not just in them, in any small breed. They have short muzzles so they have issues breathing sometimes. My chihuahua snorts but its just when he gets excited. When they get older they can suffer from collapsed trachea. Ummm. Lets see here. Make sure you have people watch thier step because if someone steps wrong it could cause a serious injury in someone so little, chihuahuas tend to be quick on thier feet though and dodge feet pretty good but they have thier mishaps. They will stick close to you when company comes over and just follow you around usually. They find one person and claim them as his/hers. I think thats it. I FORGOT SOMETHING... also, if you are litter training your dog (which is common) then you need a confined area where they have a sleeping area, food and water, and a the litter box, for some reason they tend to go by thier food, but try that for a while and let me know how things go!!
kimberly

Answer 8

Yes, get toys, puppies love to play. You really dont need to Groom a chihuahua, just brush it. House training.... no answer. Bowls should be little, not a HUGE bowl. Make sure you don't let your pet jump down from big jumps, that can hurt their back. Little dogs have fragile backs. My dachsund has toys that are very small so they can pick up

Answer 9

I don't raise the bowls at my house. We have large dogs and extremely small ones. Large dogs bowls are raised. Little ones not so much. I would enroll in obedience school and expect a small dog to be a little more protective or nervous than a big dog. Sometimes they seem to be a little more "nippy" at people than big dogs. Be careful letting them around small children. And remember they are under foot more than a big dog. They walk under your feet more and expect more attention than a big dog. They want to be with you more than a big dog. It is a different world owning a little dog. Personalities are very different. They get an attitude about life that is different than a big dogs. I have found house breaking is more difficult also. be patient and ask your vet for advise.also

Answer 10

Chihuahua's are a very different breed of dog. I had one that loved to crawl up in a chair completely underneath a blanket and go to sleep. They love warm areas and they love to be warm.

He didn't eat very much but had to have the soft kind of dog food because his teeth grew more sensitive as he got older and eventually couldn't chew the regular stuff . He also refused to go outside in the winter. I had to get a sweater for him. Apparently they are a warm weather dog and don't like cold weather at all. It was out and right back in. Sometimes he would just go on the porch.

They used to be used for hunting. They would send them into a rabbit hole etc. and chase out the rabbit. My dog loved to play with my persian cat. They slept and ate together and it was really weird because they played together all the time. Usually dogs and cats don't like each other. Maybe it's because they were the same size?

And most importantly, you have to give them TONS of attention because they are very tempermental. If he crawled on my lap you had better pet him or he would start being obnoxious. He would bark, stare at you, bite you, lick you , scratch you, whatever until you petted him.

I couldn't keep him in a cage either because he barked all the time. He slept at the foot of my bed and would lick my feet and growl playfully in the morning and when he wanted out.

I used stainless steel bowls that were small and not elevated. I used to have the plastic ones but he was allergic to the plastic and the hair around his neck fell out and became irritated so the vet figured this out and told me to change the bowl.

They don't really chew on anything and every toy I bought him he never used. He actually got a little upset one time when I put a sqeaky toy in "his chair" with him. He barked and shoved it off the chair with his nose and then pee'd on it.They are kind of territorial.

I guess the only real needs of a Chihuahua is lots of attention, good food, and water.

What more can I say they are just plain weird.