new puppy. help??

Question

ive had a dog for about 2 and 3/4 years and i just got a new puppy yesterday [my bday was yesterday]. she is a chocolate brown 2lb long haired chihuahua named mocha and shes about 10 weeks old. she can be a bit on the hyper side but she can also be really calm. last night she woke me up at around 5am and it took me about an hour to get her back to sleep. i have known her since she was about 3 days old [my friend breeds chihuahuas] and they had 12 dogs with them with all the puppies from this litter and the last so is it a bit natural for her to be hyper from being around all those dogs?

my other dog is a 20lb dog. 20lbs and 2lbs is a bit of an odd mix i think. shadow is well trained and he knows not to get very hyper and take mochas toys and things like that. but mocha on the other hand runs all around the house like a maniac. shes also very skiddish and acts like shes in trouble whenever someone goes to pick her up

me and my mom are going to go to petsmart to get her a cage and toys and food bowls and things like that. any suggestions on what brands, sizes, or toys? i know the brand of food [iams] were getting her. also, is it bad for a puppy to eat adult dog food? she eat iams puppy food but shadow eat iam adult dog food. is it not healthy for her or is it okayy? i dont LET her eat his food but she does it anyway.

any suggestions to make her sleep all through the night?

i do spoil my pets. is that bad? i let her on my bed during the day to take naps, i let her play with her toys on my bed, i let her sleep on my lap while im on my computer, i let her sleep in a very comfy blue chair in my room, and i play with her whenever she whines. but she WILL sleep in the cage untill shes potty-trained and can sleep all through the night. is there anything here that i shouldnt do?

Answer 1

i have a chihuahua too, and the hyper thing is just her being a dog. she's a puppy, they're kinda like babies, sleep weird hours, decide when they want to play, and have bursts of energy followed by nap time. as for taking the other dogs toys, chihuahuas like to be dominant my chihuahua is the boss of our 70 lb. lab, he allows her to do pretty much anything she wants and is thrilled when she pays him attention, but it is always on her terms, so don't be surprised if your chihuahua turns out to be the bossy one. but keep and eye on the interactions, because she is small and can easily get hurt, even if it is unintentional.

Answer 2

A smaller a dog is, usually the more hyper it is. Not the case with EVERY dog, but, it seems to be the norm. One thing that happens with smaller dogs also, is that the owner tends to carry them around. When you do this, the dog sees itself as "alpha dog". That is another reason that a lot of small dogs will growl and snap at the children in the house. People often think it's cute when the dog "protects" one of the owners in the household. Actually, the dog associates that person with the dog being the alpha, so if the person is paying attention to someone else, the "alpha factor" is in jeopardy.
Make sure that mocha knows her place in the household. One way to do that is to only allow her up on YOUR terms, when she's invited. NEVER reward bad behavior. Don't worry about hurting your dog's feelings. That's what the mother dog does. The mother dog teaches her pups to behave by nipping at them, snarling, and in general being alpha dog over them.
Most of all, GOOD LUCK!

Answer 3

You have a puppy what you need to do is give the dog alot of exercise. If you just keep the dog inside it won't use its energy. If you already give it exercise it needs more. Walk the dog alot and if you have a tread mill put it on the treadmill at a slow pace. Believe me this works. You have to wear the dog out in the day and it will sleep at night i promise. And don't treat the dog like a person either its a dog.

Answer 4

I would say you're off to a great start - it's important to crate train your puppy right from the start. Be sure to let your dogs play - don't worry about your other dog taking the puppy's toys. Interrupting them when they are trying to interact will also interrupt their socialization.
Letting your pup hang out with you all the time and then putting her in her crate is going to be hard on her. She will need to know that good things always happen in her crate - she should be fed in there, and she should only get her chewy treats in there.
This will also solve the problem of the dogs eating each other's food. I hope you're not free-feeding.
Here's an article to help you introduce your puppy to her crate (hint: do not pick her up and lock her in there to see how she likes it.....)
http://dogs.about.com/cs/basictraining/p/crate_training.htm

and

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/spt/

is a moderated group especially for new puppy owners. It is all-positive and there are a lot of great trainers on that list who will help you.
Have fun!

Answer 5

I just got a new puppy so i know a little. Caring for a new puppy can be menacing especially when they keep you up at night, but plenty of daytime activity and frequent potty breaks can quickly get your puppy sleeping in his/her kennel for many hours. Puppies are quick learners and they learn much of what they know in their adult lifes from what you teach them in the first few months of their lifetimes. Generally dogs seem to sleep for the most part of the day, so in that case play or excercise before bedtime or convienent times will have your puppy sleeping all the rest. Puppy food is recommend because it is smaller and easier to chew. It also has a specific amount of vitamins and chemical compounds that help your puppy's brain development, skin, hair, you know. Food is food, but id rather eat something heathlier than ramen noodles. it would keep you alive but you wouldnt want to eat it and you would probably die from salt poisoning after about a month. youd be prone to sickness.

Answer 6

I have 2 dogs one i have had for over a year and one i just got a few months ago. I forgot how hyper puppies could b. My older dog (half boxer) is calm submissive and does not destroy things (but she use to) I bring the new puppy in and it starts all over again. She needs time to adjust. I thought i would never crate train the pup she sounded like she was dieing and im sure my neighbors were ready to kill me. Just hang in there.

Answer 7

Happy Birthday!

Most chihuahuas (thanks I never knew how to spell that) are hyper. I used to have a half breed long hair and she was the best. You just have to play with them and wear them out. Mine was also a very protective dog and her didn't like my new wife at all. I should have listened to that dog. The wife is now an ex wife.

You're going to have a great time with your dog. Get toys and wear her little butt out, they love it. Mine loved to fetch rubber mice when I threw them.

Answer 8

Chihuahua's have boundless energy with or with other pups around. She's going to give you many years of love and laughter good luck to you.

Answer 9

i also had a lil doggy and i suggests that it is natural for a dog to be hyper. you cant tell i have worse experience than you, my dog slippery is very hyper he becames wild whenever he sees me. i suggests support where your dog is happy

Answer 10

PUPPYS HAVE ALOT OF ENERGY AND THAT IS VERY NORMAL FOR THEM TO BE HYPER. THAT HYPERNESS WILL CALM AS THE PUPPY GETS USED TO ITS SURROUNDINGS AND GETS OLER. I HOPE YOUR IN FOR THE LONG HAUL AND PLEASE DONT GIVE UP, LIKE SO MANY OTHERS DO. THAT PUPPY WILL GIVE TO YOU BACK SOO MUCH IN RETURN FOR YOUR PATIENCE.