MidnightBlue Chihuahua's of Walkerton,Indiana

What To Do First?

When you get home with your puppy, you will want to make sure that your puppy goes potty before going into your house!  This will make bringing your new puppy into your home, not be so stressful for all involved and your puppy will get to check out his new outdoor surroundings as well!

You should have already decided where you are going to keep your puppy safe while they are getting use to their new surroundings of the inside of your house.  You don't want to overwhelm your puppy by giving them the run of your house or have them find something you have missed and they get hurt.  The best thing to do, is to put your puppy in an x-pen or gated room.  X-pens can be purchased at PetSmart and Petco.  Starting them off on a small area of your home,  is the best thing to do because they aren't completely potty trained and you will want them to get use to this area first!  This area will have their crate, bedding, pee pad, toys, food , and water.

Gabriella

Feeding

Your puppy's has been eating Eagle Pack Puppy Food, both dry and can food.  We have been feeding our puppies can food twice a day ~ once in the morning and once in the evening.  We leave the puppy dry food down 24/7.  We recommend that you continue feeding your puppy for a couple of weeks or so but I would have the dry food out all the time because Chihuahuas are nibblers and they have very small tummies.  It isn't good to keep a puppy on can food for a long period of time because they can have diarrhea or loose stools from it.  http://eaglepack.com/  link to this dog food.

Goliath

Potty Training

Your puppy has started to learn to go potty here.  They are use to going potty on pee pads inside my house and they are taken outside to go potty too!  You can purchase the pee pads at Wal-mart or any pet store.  We use the mattress pads that you can purchase at  Wal-mart for $7.44.  You can wash these mattress pads over and over.  I suggest this to be used because this is what your puppy is use to and it is cheaper in the long run.  You can purchase wee wee pads but they are made of paper and plastic material and your puppy may like to tear it apart.  Whatever you decide to use, you will want to place  this pad where you have your puppy, so they can continue with their potty training.

The key is PATIENCE  and being consistent in potty training .  Never rub their nose in the spot they had the accident at, spank them ,or scream and yell at them, because most of the time, you have found their mess and not catching them in the act of doing their business where they weren't suppose to!  They will not have a clue why you are so angry with them?  Accidents Happen, So What!  They will learn eventullay to go potty where they are suppose to.  Yelling and screaming at your puppy could cause your puppy to think that going to potty is wrong and this could cause your puppy to become sneaky and hide that they went potty some where else. (This could lead to poop eating)  So just calmly pick up your puppy and take them to their potty area and clean up their mess.

When your puppy goes where they are suppose to go, you will need to praise them and possibly offer them a treat for doing what they were trained to do!  I have a really good friend, that always tells her dogs, "let's go get your potty treat" and she is just as excited as they are when they go potty outside or on their pee pad!  So preventing accidents and praising your puppy when they go to potty in the right area, will set your puppy up for success in potty training.

Don't get to hard on your puppy until they are about 12 weeks old.  After that, you need to enforce your rules with potty training and get onto them more.  Be Patient and Consistent!

REMEMBER they have to go potty after they get up from sleeping, after they eat, and after playing.  Taking your Chihuahua out after these important times, will save you from cleaning up the mess, and your Chihuahua will be so excited to please you!

Hallie

Grooming

Chihuahuas don't need to be groomed too much!  You only want to bath your Chihuahua when it is only necessary to do so!  Short hair or long hair Chihuahuas can be bathed but you can make them smell better by just using a baby wipe or dog wipe.  The only grooming that you will need to do on the long hair Chihuahuas, is to trim around their behinds and down their back legs.  This grooming is only to keep this area clean!

You can bath your Chihuahua in your kitchen sink.  It is easier on your back!  You will need to hold on to your Chihuahua at all times.  Make sure you use a rubber sink mat to give some traction for your Chihuahua's feet.  This will make your Chihuahua feel more secure.

You can put some cotton balls in your Chihuahua's ears, but do it carefully.  This will prevent water from getting into your Chihuahua's ears.  Remember not to place the cotton balls too deeply in their ears and remember to take the cotton balls out of their ears when their bath is done.

Use a spray nozzle to wet and rise your puppy.  Make sure that the water isn't too hot or too cold, by testing the temperature on your forearm.  Lower the water pressure if your Chihuahua becomes nervous because it may scare your puppy.

If you use flea shampoo, read the directions to see how old your puppy has to be before you use the flea shampoo. (Most likely it is over 12 weeks old)  You will want to the flea shampoo around your puppy's neck and work into lather.  The fleas will make their way to the puppy's face, mostly around their eyes and nose.  So if you put the flea shampoo around their neck, this will create a barrier , so that the fleas will die when they are trying to get to your puppy's face.

Chihuahuas chill easily, so give them a bath quickly but do a thorough job!  Rinse until the water runs clear and then rinse again.  Any shampoo left in the coat, can irritate your Chihuahua's skin.  For long coat Chihuahuas, they will benefit from a conditioner.  This will help with tangles and it will wash out any remaining shampoo.

Dry your Chihuahua thoroughly.  Don't let your Chihuahua go outside until they are completely dry.  If you use a blow dryer, use the low or cool setting on the dryer.  Your dog's skin is sensitive and if the setting is put on high on your blow dryer, it is usually too hot!

Giving your puppy a treat after their bath is always appreciated!

Don't forget to wash your dog's beddin on the same day you give your Chihuahua a bath.  It is no use to have a fresh and clean smelling puppy, if they are only going to go back to sleep on their smelly bedding!

Safe and Small Toys For Chihuahua's

You want to make sure that the toy isn't too small or too big for your Chihuahua.  Most stuff animals for dogs, are made for dogs weighing over 10 pounds.  PetSmart and Petco have small toys that you can buy that are for small dogs.  I have even found small toys at Wal-mart for dogs.  You can also check out the toy aisle for kids, to see if they have any small toys that you can give to your Chihuahua.  However, make sure that the toy has securely sewn seams, sewn on eyes, or anything that your puppy can chew off and get caught in their throat and choke on it. Never buy any toy that has beanie like pellets inside the toy.  They can become very dangerous if your Chihuahua manages to chew open a hole.  I like sticking to toys made for dogs the best!  Chihuahuas do like bigger toys any way and love to cuddle with them too!

Keep out plenty of toys that are made from rubber, vinyl and soft fabric balls.  Dogs enjoy a Kong toy because the Kong has a hollow center, where you can put their treats or peanut butter in.

Hiding toys for dogs will entertain them for hours and it also will help them develop your dog's intelligence.

Hannah Belle

Rawhide Toys and Sticks

They are dehydrated skin of a cow and they taste like beef and dogs love them!  However, they can splinter into smaller pieces and can scratch a dog's throat or puncture their intestines.  Rawhide chew toys provides your puppy with some benefits from chewing on them ~ like ~ they are great stress relievers, scrapes away tartar, and calculus from your puppy's teeth and gums.  However, harmful bacteria can form on these toys.

You will need to make sure that the chew toy is big enough so that your Chihuahua can't put it in their mouth.  Only give your puppy a rawhide when you can be around to watch them with it!

Keep a couple of rawhides on hand because then you can trade the rawhides back and forth when it becomes really soft.  The rawhide will harden back up when it is dry.

Always replace your puppy's chew toy when they become too small!  This will prevent your Chihuahua from trying to eat and swallow the rawhide.

Compressed rawhides made from layers of beef hide and it's formed under extreme pressure to create a very dense bone and it can last 3 to 5 times longer than the regular rawhide chews.  You can buy these at pet stores, super stores and on the Internet.

Rawhide chews are better for your Chihuahua than your Chihuahua chewing on your furniture or on your shoes but in the end, it is up to you if you will allow your dog to have these rawhide chews or not!

Beds, Bedding, Pillows

Your Chihuahua puppy has been use to sleeping in a big goat feeder ~ kinda like a big cat litter box, since they were born.  They have also slept on pillows on the floor.  They usually all sleep together on top of each other, like a pyramid.

You can check out the cat aisle an see if there might be a bed small enough for your Chihuahua.  I have bought a cat bed before that looks like a igloo and my Chihuahuas loved it because it is dark inside and they can hide in their blankets that I put inside of it.

Be creative and get your Chihuahua puppy a nice bed that they will sleep in.  Of coarse there is always your bed they can sleep in, but be careful, they could have an accident in your bed, so make sure that you take your puppy potty before they go to bed with you and during the night, and safter they wake up in the morning.

Since your Chihuahua puppy is small, you might want to get a basket that is not too big but just big enough to have your puppy sleep in bed with you.  Some people are afraid of sleeping with a Chihuahua because of the fear of laying on them during the night.  This may prevent this from happening.  However, the best place for your Chihuahua is in their own bed!

Your Chihuahua's bedding could be anything from baby blankets, your own blankets, sheets ~ flannel or Jersey, or anything that is soft and they can cuddle up in it.

Most Chihuahuas love to sleep on pillows.  No matter the size, shape, or color.  you can look for a camping pillow which is smaller than your standard pillow size.  Any kind of pill will work, your Chihuahua isn't picky!  Just be careful of braids, fridge, or anything that your Chihuahua may find interesting to chew on.  Be careful of loosely woven fabric because your Chihuahua's toenails can get caught in it.