Chihuahua Puppy Care Guide

Chihuahua puppy health care
Video: how to potty train a chihuahua puppy - chihuahua house training tips - chihuahua puppies
Feeding your chihuahua puppy
Chihuahua training
Video: chihuahua over excited, attacks the owner hand :)
Chihuahua puppy behavior
Video: simple tips on how to train a chihuahua puppy
More chihuahua puppy care topics

Temperature control
Grooming your chihuahua

All about chihuahuas

Everything you need to know about Chihuahua puppy care, all in one place!

Although taking care of any puppy has some standard guidelines, raising a little chihuahua puppy is quite different from raising alarge breed pup like a Great Dane or even a Labrador Retriever.

Tiny breeds have very unique, individual needs and if you want your chihuahua puppy to be healthy, happy and safe in his new home, it`s important to know what these are.

Use these quick links to jump to the section or topic you`re interested in right now, or scroll through the page to find out everything you`ll need to know to keep your Chi happy and healthy.

Health Care
Diet
Training
Behavior
Other topics
About the breed

Chihuahua Puppy Health Care

As I mentioned earlier, tiny dog breeds have their own set of health concerns.

So, if you are planning on having (or already have) a chihuahua puppy in your home, you need to be aware of these so that you can take the very best care of him/her.

Some of these include a collapsed trachea, luxating patellas, hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), heart problems such as Pulmonic Stenosis, and hydrocephalus.

Many of the things you need to do to keep your puppy healthy are the same, whichever breed or size of pup you own.

My Puppy Health page has lots of info. to help you with this.

Of course, all breeds have their own set of congenital weaknesses, butthe chihuahua and other tiny breeds are also at greater risk ofaccidental injury that their larger `cousins`.

Constipation is something that small or tiny dogs seem to suffer from more than the larger ones.

My Constipated Puppy page can fill you in on what you need to know to prevent, or treat, this problem.

Animportant part of chihuahua puppy care is protecting your preciouspuppy from being sat on, stood on, dropped, tripped over, shut in adoor, or any one of a dozen other scenarios!

You may also be surprisedat how easy it is to `mislay or lose` a 1lb pup, and if that tiny babyhappens to get outside without you knowing about it, or slips throughthat tiny gap in your fence, a tragedy could quite easily unfold.

Forthese reasons, if you already have a medium or large breed pup or dog,or small children, a chihuahua may not be the best choice for you.

Video: How To Potty Train A Chihuahua Puppy - Chihuahua House Training Tips - Chihuahua Puppies

Manypeople think that a tiny dog is ideal for a young family, but that`sgenerally not true. Although your 3 year old (or 5/6/7 year old!) maytry very hard to be careful with the new puppy, an over-excited squeezecould really hurt his new pet.

Even worse, a startled or nervousreaction could make him drop the puppy, or the normal running/jumpingand rough-housing of kids at play could end in disaster.

If you have young children, check out my Best Dog Breeds for Children page for more tips and advice on finding the perfect puppy for your kid-oriented home.

The basic requirements for taking care of a puppy are pretty much the same, whether you`re the proud owner of a Great Dane or a Yorkshire Terrier.

I`d suggest taking a look at the following pages because they have all everything you need to know, then comeback here for some more chihuahua puppy care tips.

Click on any image to learn more...

Although small breed dogs tend to reach maturity faster than thelarge/giant breeds, tiny breed puppies can be slow to grow and developat first.

There`s no way to tell for sure exactly how big your puppy will grow up to be, but there ARE ways of estimating his adult weight. Check out my Puppy Weight Estimates page for more information.

For medium to large breed pups, it is generally best to wait until a puppy is at least 8 weeks old before letting him go to his new home, but with very small breeds, 10 or 12 weeks is recommended.

How about considering Chihuahua rescue? there are lots of Chihuahuas sitting in pounds and rescues all over the country, just waiting for their new forever families.

They`reusually there through no fault of their own, and desperately need asecond chance at love. For more information on chihuahua rescue, checkout these links ;

chihuahuarescue.com

chihuahua-Rescue.com

chihuahrescueusa.com

chihuahua-smalldogrescue.org

crar.org

andof course, there`s always the national organization, Petfinder.com. Youcan use the handy tool below to search listings of dogs and puppiesavailable for adoption in your area (and nationwide).

Feeding Your Chihuahua Puppy

Correct feeding is a very important aspect of chihuahua puppy care.

Tinychihuahua puppies have tiny little tummies - but a very fastmetabolism! This basically means that their little bodies `use up` theirfood very quickly.

To help make sure that their blood sugar levelsremain constant in spite of this, it`s important to make sure that yourpuppy eats `little and often`.

A chihuahua pup should be fed atleast 4 times a day, for the first 6 months or so. After that, 3 times aday should be okay until your puppy is mature (at around 1 year ofage), when you can go down to 2 feedings per day.

Although medium andlarge breed adults are usually perfectly happy with one meal a day,little dogs like chihuahuas will always need to be fed at least twicedaily.

Knowing which are the best puppy food choices,and choosing kibble which is specifically designed for small andtiny breed pups is also very important.

Tiny breed pups sometimes do better on canned puppy food, at least to start with, because it`s easier to chew.

As they grow, they may get better nutrition from dry kibble and so you can switch over, or at the least mix the two different types together.

Water should be freely available, but make sure the bowl istip-proof and not big/deep enough for your puppy to fall into!

Tinypuppies may try to climb into a bowl that seems too big, and it isperfectly possible for them to drown in this way.

It`s alsoimportant to be prepared for hypoglycemia, just to be on the safe side.

Before you bring your puppy home, familiarize yourself with the symptomsof low blood sugar (can include weakness, confusion, low bodytemperature, poor co-ordination, drowsiness or even loss ofconsciousness), so that you know when to take action.

Hypoglycemia canbe a very serious condition, so have a tube of Nutri Cal on hand before you bring your puppy home.

This is a vitamin and calorie rich paste, which is used as a dietarysupplement, or to give hunting/working dogs an extra `boost` of energy.If your chihuahua is having problems with his blood sugar, alittle of this paste could save his life.

Make sure you are aware of what foods are poisonous to dogs, as a minute amount of a toxic/dangerous food can cause serious problems in tiny puppies.

Chihuahua Training

There are two main` themes` when it comes to puppy training - housebreaking and obedience training... both are important if you`re taking proper care of your pup.

Potty training Chihuahuas (and many other small/toy breeds) can be a challenge, and I would strongly recommend that new puppy owners buy acrate and use it to housebreak their puppy.

You can find all the tipsand advice you need for this on my Crate Training page. It really is the simplest and quickest method.

Beprepared to be patient though!

Tiny pups have tiny bladders, whichmeans FREQUENT trips to eliminate, and the fact that these puppiesmature slowly at first doesn`t help matters.

But chihuahuas aresmart little dogs, and if you are consistent and patient in yourtraining, your puppy will eventually understand what you expect fromhim.

Although I always suggest that you potty train a puppy to dohis business outdoors, tiny breeds like the chihuahua can find itdifficult, and uncomfortable, to be outside in cold or wet weather.

Ifyou live in an apartment without a fenced yard, or in a high-risebuilding, it is also sometimes necessary to use an indoor dog potty suchas the Pup-Head Portable Dog Potty .

Puppy pee pads are can also be an option, although they`re best used for emergencies or over the short term only. Try OUT! Dog Training Pads with Moisture Lock for example.

Obedience training is a must for Chihuahua puppies and ALL other puppies for that matter!

Ensure that your chihuahua puppy care routine includes regular training in basic manners and acceptable puppy behavior, and although you should NEVER shout or smack your puppy, gentle and loving discipline is the key.

Socialization should be built into your Chihuahua`s daily routine. Socializing your puppy means helping him feel confident around different people and animals, and in a variety of situations and environments.

This page.. How To Socialize Your Puppy... has tons of tips and ideas to help you do this properly, and make sure that you both enjoy the process.

That cute little `baby` Chihuahua can very easily become a spoiled brat if left to his own devices.

Little Dogs: Training Your Pint-Sized Companion is the perfect book to give you a little bit of help with that training.

It has a wealth of information, tips and training techniques which have been specifically designed with your tiny,`pint-sized` pooch in mind.

Tinydogs can be wriggly, defiant andsometimes seem to have the attention span of a gnat!

They`re alsofragile, sensitive little creatures for whom the average trainingmethods (that fit medium to large breeds so well) can be difficult andineffective.

All the `small dog issues` are addressed with loveand ingenuity here, and you`ll find this book will help you understand,communicate with, care for, and train, your tiny puppy more easily andeffectively.

As your Chihuahua puppy is definitely of the`pint-sized` variety you don`t want to miss this one - I`d say it`s a must have!

Video: Chihuahua Over Excited, Attacks the Owner Hand :)

Chihuahua Puppy Behavior

Chihuahuas are little dogs, but they can be big on attitude!

Obviously, every pup has his/her own personality and you may have alaid-back little guy, or a super-charged little girl... or somethingin between.

However, don`t make the mistake of thinking that yourpuppys` size makes him helpless, defenseless or meek.

Chihuahuas have alot of the terrier nature, and can be stubborn, fiery and manipulative -yes, those tiny brains are pretty quick!

This is one toy breedthat can actually think and act like a guard dog! They can be protective and territorial, and often make enough noise to at least sound fierce.

Video: Simple Tips on How to Train a Chihuahua Puppy

The AKC standard describes the chihuahua temperament as `an attitude of self importance, confidence, self-reliance`,and that sums it up pretty nicely I think.

A well-bred chihuahua shouldexhibit an alert yet calm confidence, and he may take a little while to`warm up` to other dogs and people he isn`t familiar with.

More Adorable Chihuahua Photos!

BUT, a `Chi` should never be overly suspicious or `neurotic` in hisbehavior.

Excessive barking, nipping, growling or biting are definitelynot allowed, and you shouldn`t see this in a puppy at all.

Due to thepopularity of these little dogs, many people breed them irresponsiblyand end up with unstable, yappy, fearful or aggressive dogs.

This poorbreeding also results in a higher incidence of health problems, so bevery careful and do your research before buying your puppy.

All About Chihuahuas

The Chihuahua is a very old breed and, although the details of its`history are vague, it is known to have originated in Mexico, with someof the `chis` more ancient ancestors being thought to have existed alongsidethe Aztecs.

Some of the first dogs were seen in the USA in the mid 19thCentury, and the Chihuahua was recognized by the AKC in 1904.

Dueto this tiny breeds` huge popularity, there are many, many chihuahuasaround today, resulting in a huge variation in size, color, coat andtemperament.

Take a look at these adorable pictures of Chihuahua puppies to get an idea of what I mean....

However, in terms of the AKC breed standard, thereare only two classifications - long coated or short coated.

And despite the fact that you might see chihuahua puppies advertised in `Standard,Miniature, Teacup, Pocket-size` varieties, there are no individualclassifications for size.

The AKC standard reads simply `A well balanced little dog not to exceed 6 pounds`.

Ofcourse, many chihuahuas are larger, or smaller, than 6lbs, but beingespecially tiny (such as the puppies advertised as `teacup` pups) is notsomething rare or desirable, and shouldn`t be more expensive to buythan your `average` chihuahua.

In fact a mature dog that weighsless than 3lbs could be more at risk for health problems, and chihuahuapuppy care for the very tiniest specimens of this breed can be verytricky and requires a lot of patience and supervision.

The larger dogs(sometimes weighing up to 10lbs or even more), are not `inferior`, andmay even be healthier and more robust, which could well save you somemoney at the veterinarians` office!

Of course, please remember that this chihuahua information is mostly generalization, and every puppy/dog is an individual.

Buying from a reputable breeder will increase your chances of getting a happy, healthy pup, regardless of his size.

The well bred, and well taken care of, Chihuahua can be expected to live for 15 - 17 years or more (some chihuahuas have lived to be 20!), in fact this breed is known for its` longevity.