In order to properly care for Chihuahuas, make sure you’re providing your little guy with the right food. There are two types. Chihuahua dry food, and wet food. Dry food is the most cost effective and the easiest to handle. Wet food is generally the more tasty but more expensive. Your dog will be perfectly good on dry dog food provided that he/she is brought up on it. If you start to give them wet food though, it will be a difficult switch if you do decide to go back. Chihuahuas are picky eaters and once they find something they like, they may decide to stop eating if they are given a food they are not used to anymore. This is why if you do decide to go back, start off by mixing the food 80%wet/20%dry. After a few days, try 70%wet/30% dry. Continue on this trend until you’re only giving dry food. This will help them transition properly.

Shelter is another key when trying to care for Chihuahuas. Chihuahuas don’t have as thick of coats as say a husky or a german shepherd. That being said, they may not fend as well outside. These little dogs are made for the indoors. Sure they may be fine outside, but be careful. Chihuahuas get cold easily so if you do decide to keep them outdoors, make sure they have an ability to get warm. Maybe have Chihuahua dog beds since these keep them off the cold ground. Also include some warm blankets or towels. Providing the proper care for Chihuahuas goes hand in hand with proper shelter.

Lastly, ensure you are watching for your Chihuahua’s health in the proper care of chihuahuas. Hydrocephaulus in Chihuahuas is a known medical problem some Chihuahuas develop. Ask your vet for more information. Also, the Chihuahua molera is another concern for young puppies especially. This is the soft spot on the top of their head, unique to other breeds. Basically, if they receive trauma to this region of their head, they may die. Other than that, just keep your dog in good health by providing a periodical care for Chihuahuas home health checkup. This will ensure they remain healthy.

With the right love and responsibility, you’re bound to be a great Chihuahua owner as long as you remember that, care for Chihuahuas is important.

How and When to Train Your Chihuahua

It is best to train your Chihuahua while still a puppy. It is also easiest to train your male Chihuahua if he has been neutered since they tend to be extremely territorial un-neutered. Chihuahua trainability improves when you enroll your Chihuahua in an obedience school. This is especially helpful at a young age. You may find that house training your Chihuahua is a bit more challenging then with other dog breeds because of the size of their tiny bladders, but they can defiantly eventually become fully house trained with your patience.

Chihuahua Trainability And Children

If you have children, involving them in the training is also important since it gives the children the understanding of what to expect from their dog. Children assume that dogs just know how to do things. By including them in the training, they get a new sense of respect for the dog when the Chihuahua learns a new trick. Chihuahuas and children make a great team!

Chihuahuas can be trained as long as their is care and patience during the training process.  Though it may seem like a long and time consuming process, chihuahua trainability is very possible.

Chihuahua Sociability and Other Dogs

Chihuahuas tend to do well with other Chihuahuas, but it is still important to use extreme caution especially at first. Even though they tend to get along pretty well with other Chihuahuas, the breed does not normally tolerate other breeds as well no matter how big or small. A Chihuahua will try and start mayhem with even a mastiff. This is a real danger for your Chihuahua since the other dog may become irritated and hurt him.

Tips on Improving Chihuahua Sociability

Chihuahua sociability is dependent on how you allow them to interact with other dogs. With that being said, here are some suggestions that may be helpful when introducing your Chihuahua to other pets:

-The first is that your Chihuahua may get along best with other Chihuahuas and toy dogs.

-Second, always use a leash and a chihuahua collar at first when introducing your chihuahua to other dogs until you get to know how the pets respond to each other!

-Third, begin socializing your dog with other animals while it is still a puppy.

If you do those three simple things, you’ll drastically improve your chihuahua sociability.

What is a Puppy Mill

It is tempting to walk by a pet store and not stop in to look. They are filled with all kinds of adorable puppies. Yes the puppies are cute and you want to take each one of them home with you. If you have been considering buying a Chihuahua, then I am sure you have been looking at pet stores and looking online for your perfect Chihuahua.

The first thing you should know about a pet store is that many pet stores buy their puppies from puppy mills. In case you have never heard of a puppy mill or know very little of them, they are basically puppy farms. They are puppy farms where the owner’s main concern is gaining profit from the puppies they breed and has very little regard for the animal’s well being or health. A puppy mill houses up to hundreds of different dog breeds which live out their entire lives confined to cages, in many cases chicken cages. Chihuahuas at puppy mills are used as breeding machines. They are normally kept outside in tiny cages, no matter how big the dog is. The dogs are forgotten about in extreme cold or extreme heat or rain and many dogs even die. Some puppy mills cram as many dogs as they can into one cage, so that they can make room for more dogs to breed. These dogs are never given a toy, a treat, a blanket, a loving touch or even taken for a walk. Some of these dogs don’t even know how to walk since they never had a need for it living in a tiny cage. Also, once a dog is no longer able to reproduce, it will just be shot or drowned…whichever the owner will find the least expensive and convenient.

Adopt a Shelter Dog!

Think twice about purchasing your Chihuahua at a pet store or even online. Normally these dogs are purchased from a puppy mill, although there are some pet stores that only purchase their puppies from responsible breeders. If you do purchase a Chihuahua from a pet store, ask for documentation to ensure you are not purchasing Chihuahuas from puppy mills. Don’t help support these horrible places that abuse and torture innocent animals all for profit. Instead, consider adopting from your local shelter or rescue group. Shelters are full of all kinds of Chihuahuas both purebred and mixes who all need a loving home. So think twice about where you get your next puppy and adopt a chihuahua. Don’t choose to buy Chihuahuas at puppy mills.

You may not believe it but Chihuahua aggression is a social problem that can be solved early in your dog’s life. Chihuahuas are the smallest dog breed in the world, but the Chihuahua is completely oblivious to that fact. In their little hearts and minds, they are as big and tough as a wolf. Many Chihuahua owners find the feisty little attitude that their Chihuahua possesses as funny, cute, and harmless. It may look to be funny and cute, considering how small the dog is, but it is far from funny and cute the day your Chihuahua turns its Chihuahua aggression on a child or another small animal or dog.

It is important to make your Chihuahua aware of unacceptable aggressive behavior. Chihuahuas are wired to serve as a watchdog regardless of their small size. Their nature is to protect their owners or the people they love. You may find that your Chihuahua barks and growls at the sound of the doorbell or a stranger walking by. Your Chihuahua may even bark and growl at visitors in which he or she finds unfamiliar.

There are a few steps that you can take to control Chihuahua aggression. When you have a visitor or someone at your door who your Chihuahua finds unfamiliar, pet your Chihuahua gently and say things such as “it’s okay”. Your gentleness and calmness around that person will show the Chihuahua that the person is not a threat to you. Have the person at the door or in your home give your Chihuahua a treat as well as any person who comes to your home that is welcome. Your Chihuahua will associate these visitors with treats and eventually become excited to see them at your home.

It is very important to not let children play with Chihuahuas, or any pet for that matter, unsupervised. Many children tend to play with Chihuahuas too aggressively making your Chihuahua feel threatened. Don’t ever allow a child to push, tease, or kick your Chihuahua even if it seems harmless to you. Your Chihuahua will find this as a threat and will bite to defend himself. Instead, teach your children to play with your Chihuahua by playing games such as fetch with your dog’s favorite toy or to just pet or scratch the Chihuahua gently. Remember, Chihuahua aggression doesn’t have to be a problem.

Are you looking for  free Chihuahuas but have realized that they sell for well over $600 at your local pet store?

If you are looking for free Chihuahuas or at least a reasonable price, you may try looking online on websites such as craigslist, in local newspaper ads and in the Pennysaver. There are many dog owners who already have a Chihuahua but are unable to keep them and are willing to give them up for free to a good home. Also, many Chihuahua owners have litters of puppies by the Chihuahua in which they own and are willing to give away or sell for a low price, especially if they are not purebred. Other times, there are genuine purebred breeders that accidentally allow their dog to breed with a non-purebread. Since this can lead to a blemish on their spotless record, they will part with these puppies for almost nothing. This can be another way to get yourself a free Chihuahua.

Another consideration is to adopt free Chihuahuas from your local animal shelter or pound. Why not save a Chihuahua’s life? Typically at a shelter or pound, you only pay for the cost of neutering or spaying the dog as well as any vaccinations that where necessary and you would have had to pay for anyway. The shelter requires for animals that are not yet neutered or spayed to be neutered and spayed before adoption in order to help control irresponsible breeding and prevent more dogs from ending up at a shelter. The shelter does not profit when you adopt an animal. Shelters and pounds have all kinds of dog breeds including Chihuahua mixes and pure bread Chihuahuas who need a loving home and may even be euthanized if they are not adopted soon enough.

Keep your eyes open because free Chihuahuas are definitely around!

Chihuahua obesity is a very common problem amongst the chihuahua dog breed. Chihuahuas are the smallest breed of dogs that exist; therefore they need the smallest amount of food of any other dog breed. Most owners find their tiny little Chihuahuas so irresistible that they tend to squeeze in one too many treats for their little pal. Although your dog will enjoy all the treats he or she can get and will continue to beg for more with that cute little face, it is important that you put a limit to treats and feeding.  Maintaining a healthy weight is essential when providing good care for  chihuahuas.

Risks Associated with Chihuahua Obesity

Chihuahua obesity is a very dangerous health problem and guarantees a much shorter and unhealthy life. Some pet owners even find for a chubby dog to be cute, but it is far from cute when you consider all of the health risks your dog will become much more susceptible to when he or she is overweight.

Chihuahua obesity puts chihuahua lives at risk by an increased chance of developing diabetes, heart disease or respiratory problems. Chihuahua obesity also tends to cause problems with the joints of their little legs which are only meant to typically carry 4-8 pounds of body weight.

An obese Chihuahua has a much lesser quality of life. While most healthy Chihuahuas want to run and play, an overweight Chihuahua will find it difficult to walk short distances, experience shortness of breath and even be lazier then the average healthy Chihuahua simply because it has no energy.

Chihuahua Obesity Prevention

There are a few ways to prevent your Chihuahua from becoming obese or to bring your obese Chihuahua down to a healthier weight. You can start by taking your Chihuahua on a 10-30 minute walk each day. Not only is a walk good for your dog, it is also good for you. The next thing you can do is to not over feed your Chihuahua. Your Chihuahua only needs about 1/2 cup of dry dog food each day. You can feed ¼ cup in the morning and another ¼ cup in the evening. Only leave out the food for 15-20 minutes during each feeding and do not feed again until the next feeding time. Also, keep treats to a minimum. If you are using treats to train your Chihuahua, cut the treats in half or in quarters so that one treat will seem like much more.  Chihuahua obesity will never be a problem if you can follow these simple tips. 

Many chihuahua owners have faced issues with chihuahua chewing at some point.  Have you ever come home to find that your dog has chewed off the corner of a piece of furniture, chewed a hole on your couch or even ruined a pair of your favorite shoes? If so, you are not alone! One of the biggest problems that a Chihuahua owner, or any dog owner, faces is that their Chihuahua is chewing and destroying their furniture. This may be very frustrating, but it is important to understand what causes chihuahua chewing in order to prevent it and make it stop.

Causes of Chihuahua Chewing

Chihuahuas chew on things because they are bored. Imagine being a dog left home alone for hours with nothing to do. Notice the destruction normally happens when you’re away, right? The other reason a Chihuahua may chew on furniture is out of excitement or anxiety. Chihuahua puppies will naturally want to chew on things just as babies do when they are teething.

How to Stop Chihuahua Chewing

The first thing that you need to do in order to stop your Chihuahua’s destructive behavior towards your furniture is to make your dog aware of what is not okay for it to chew on. You will need to scold your dog when you see him chewing on something bad. You can do this by saying “NO!” angrily and put him in a crate for 20 minutes. Every time you catch your dog chewing on furniture, you do the same thing and your dog will get to know that this behavior is not allowed.

The next thing to do is to provide your dog plenty of chew toys that are okay for him to chew on. Most dogs like toys that make some type of sound such as a squeak. Dog bones are also excellent for them to chew on. Put the chew toys around your dog and encourage him to play with them. Every time you see your Chihuahua chewing on the toy, reward him by giving him a treat. Keep repeating this until you find that your dog no longer needs to chew on furniture.

Always remember, if you are away during the day, it may be best to keep your Chihuahua in a crate or confined to a certain space or room such as the kitchen for example. Keep plenty of chew toys with your Chihuahua in that space for when he gets bored. Also, remember a dog is an animal and does not understand what is valuable to you. If there is something you do not want your dog to get a hold of and destroy, just keep it out of your Chihuahua’s reach.  Chihuahua chewing can become of thing of the past for your chihuahua.

• First of all, id tags. These are little tags that are attached to the Chihuahua’s collar. They are easy to read for anyone that finds your Chihuahua and usually have a phone number on them to allow the person that finds the Chihuahua to contact the owner. The only thing you need to be mindful of is that you have a small dog so you get a small id tag. Larger tags can get snagged on something and cause injury to your small canine companion. Like everything else, ensuring the proper size will have a direct correlation to the overall safety of your Chihuahua.
• Tattoos of your social security number, phone number or other means of contact are another option but I’d strongly advise against them. There are pain free methods of identifying your dog and you should try to make those work rather than do something that permanently affects your Chihuahua’s appearance.
• Microchips: One of the best methods of identifying your dog. Microchips are placed under the skin just above the shoulder of your dog. They are injected very precisely and with such ease that they will be a very minor affect on your dog’s comfort. They are only the size of about a half grain of rice and can be tracked by any vet using a special reader. These are better than tags because they can’t be removed accidentally where as a collar can be pulled off or lost.

I would actually recommend using both the tag and microchip. This helps by allowing regular people to identify your dog as well as having the ability for a vet to track them in case the collar is lost. Remember, if you move or change your phone number to always update your dog’s tag or chip.

Firstly you should choose a dry food that has a specific meat list in the title as the first ingredient, such as, chicken, beef, lamb or such. Choosing foods that just say “meat” or “poultry” should be avoided since they usually use these terms loosely.

Tips on Feeding your Chihuahua Dry Food

Also, try and ensure you keep the dry food fresh at all times. It’s often easy to get in the habit of when you’re dog finishes eating you remove the food and give it back to them later or you just let it sit out until its gone. Although the food seems fine, molds and bacteria can attach themselves to this food when it’s left out and thus become ingested which is not good for your dog’s health. A good rule of thumb is to leave the food out for about 30 minutes and then discard it.

Keeping your food fresh can also be done by ensuring the bag is tightly sealed or tranferring the food into a tight container away from air. You don’t like stale food. Neither does your Chihuahua.

If you want to add a little treat to your chihuahua dry food, try mixing it with some vegetables so your dog can get the healthy benefits of different parts of the food pyramid.