# What to expect from my chihuahua puppy



## Catkramer (Feb 13, 2009)

We brought home our Chihuahua puppy yesterday. We got her from a family whose dogs got together. She is not papered, but honestly, I wasn't looking at a papered dog. I just wanted a smaller lap dog that likes to go in the car and doesn't shed. We have an indoor Lab/retriever mix and a long haired cat, and my Dyson vacuum is definitely worth the money. 

I come from a family of small dog owners. They are all cute, wear sweaters and go to Petsmart on the weekends. However, when we adopted our Lab, Buddy, I experienced true dog devotion. I am NOT a big dog person, but he has my heart. He came crate trained, and can sit, lay down, shake, and even when not on a leash, will not leave the yard. He is a true blessing. But again, 65 pounds is not a lap dog. He isn't allowed on the furniture or our bed. He has a large bed that I will carry from room to room with me so he has a place to lay. 

Coming to this new puppy, can chihuahuas be trained like a lab? I am willing to do the work if it will have the pay offs. I don't want her to be yappy and territorial. I just want her to be loving and sweet. I met a lady with a chihuahua that she took EVERY WHERE with her (she even would sneak him into the movies with her) and he didn't shake, bark, etc. and loved every one. She said the secret is socializing them. 

Any suggestions would be appreciated. I want to make sure my puppy is going to mesh into our house and prove my husband wrong, this will be a good dog, too.


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## pamperedpups (Dec 7, 2006)

Check out this site, and read the Training Texbook: http://www.dogstardaily.com

then watch:

http://www.youtube.com/user/kikopup

I also recommend you visit http://www.clickertraining.com

There is no reason your pup cannot grow up to be a good dog. She'll be whatever you make of her.


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## Catkramer (Feb 13, 2009)

Awesome! Thank you for the links, I will certainly do that. I know that Chihuahuas have a certain reputation and I am hoping that she doesn't follow that. If I didn't think that training would have some influence, I wouldn't have considered this breed. But she has been laying her on my chest for the last hour and I can certainly say I have fell in love. 

I will check these out, thanks!

Helen


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## Entwine (Jan 14, 2009)

Well, I currently have a five month-old Chihuahua who RARELY barks--never at people or dogs, only shadows, hahah. She sits for her food, does not go after other people's food--you can eat on the couch with her sitting beside you and she does not beg. She sits and waits at doors, goes to her crate on command, and does all manner of obedience tricks and party tricks. So, from my ongoing experience, I'd say Chihuahuas can be just as well trained as any other breed of dog. 

I was determined not to have a yappy, territorial dog either.  Oh, and she also has a near perfected recall and will obey commands when walking outside even with maximum distraction. So, if this doesn't prove what can be done, I don't know what does! Good luck with your new baby!


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## Catkramer (Feb 13, 2009)

Well, I am already having some speed bumps along the way. She came paper trained and so far she hasn't pooed on her paper ONCE. and she just went for the 4th time in 24 hours. Luckily, it isn't much to clean up, but I just can't have pee and poo in my carpets. Half of my upstairs (main floor in our split level) is carpeted and the other half is hard wood. I have other animals so I don't need a chain reaction going on. I would put up baby gates, but my lab tries to jump them and ends up breaking them and could hurt himself. 

Looking out right now, we have about 8 inches of snow on the ground, and you have to go out onto a wooden deck and then down stairs to get to the ground. I don't think she is big enough to do this on her own. I can't decide if I really want to continue with this paper training as I have never papered trained before and we have a large fenced in yard with other dogs. No other dog in the house is paper trained. If this was summer, this wouldn't be a problem. But during the winter and her being so small, it is an issue. I have only potty trained one dog in the past and I remember him being pretty easy. And every dog we have had that we adopted has been extremely good about going outside. My lab even goes to the back door and whines so he can go out side to vomit. So I have this fear that this potty training on this puppy will turn into a night mare. I just got done potty training an autistic son, and if he knows not to pee on my carpets, you would think it would be easy to train a puppy. You would think.......

Thank for you the information! 

Cat


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## rosemaryninja (Sep 28, 2007)

A puppy can only hold its bladder for as many hours as there are months in its age. This is especially true for smaller dogs who have really tiny bladders. Bear that in consideration.


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## Dogstar (May 11, 2007)

Here's a chihuahua who is working on her UD http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZl7AureXyY - they are absolutely trainable! 

That said, they DO need consistancy, and just like big dogs- it takes training to make them into really good companions. I will tell you one of the BIGGEST things that is important with little guys is to NOT CARRY THEM AROUND. While it's fine to carry them when it involves their safety (in a crowd, around dogs that you don't think are safe, etc), resist the urge to never let their feet touch the ground. Not only do they need to learn to walk on a leash, they need to learn to cope with a world that's a lot bigger than they are and isn't ever going to get any smaller. As much stuff as you can do to build LEGITIMATE confidence (not Napoleon complexes!), do it! Puppy kindergarten is essential, and if you've got a good instructor locally, a pre-agility class or two would also be good.


(More from Ruthann Macauley, who owns Delia above - http://www.youtube.com/user/rallyjudge)


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## txcollies (Oct 23, 2007)

It's Delia! My Miss D!! LOL She's the only Chihuahua I even bother to like. haha


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## Catkramer (Feb 13, 2009)

Haha! Thank you for the replies. And OMGosh, yes, we are having a hard time not picking her up. I think there are bets in the house on who is going to step on her first. She is pretty small. My 9 year old is pretty bad about carrying her around alot, but I am guilty of just letting her sleep on my chest. In fact, right now, she is sleeping in a little bed up on my computer desk because I have been working. 

I have the chance to meet with a private trainer who is the office manager at my vet. She actually makes house calls and she has come to see us about our lab when we first got him. I didn't know if that would be better than going to Petsmart or some place like that. I understand that it the real person who is being trained is myself. And then I pass that on to the dog. 

I appreciate all of the suggestions and feedback I have received so far. I certainly want to do what is best for her and I would rather do it right from the start. 

Cat


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## Dogstar (May 11, 2007)

Picking up is fine! Carrying is the problem.  I would suggest that you work initially witht he private trainer but make SURE you get your pup out into a class well before the socialization window closes at 16 weeks. Socialization is SUCH an overlooked thing for most little guys.  

Cait



Catkramer said:


> Haha! Thank you for the replies. And OMGosh, yes, we are having a hard time not picking her up. I think there are bets in the house on who is going to step on her first. She is pretty small. My 9 year old is pretty bad about carrying her around alot, but I am guilty of just letting her sleep on my chest. In fact, right now, she is sleeping in a little bed up on my computer desk because I have been working.
> 
> I have the chance to meet with a private trainer who is the office manager at my vet. She actually makes house calls and she has come to see us about our lab when we first got him. I didn't know if that would be better than going to Petsmart or some place like that. I understand that it the real person who is being trained is myself. And then I pass that on to the dog.
> 
> ...


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## Catkramer (Feb 13, 2009)

My moms chihuahua/yorkie was an adoption from Petsmart. I don't know who had him before, but if I could only meet them in a dark alley...... 

That poor dog. He was afraid of EVERYTHING when we first got him. My mom took out a fly swatter to kill a fly and the dog hid behind a speaker for 30 minutes and wouldn't come out. It is pathetic what people do to terrorize animals, much less one that weighs 6 pounds. 

So I think it is vital that we take her in the car, and take her to the school and take her to Lowes. She doesn't need to guard anything. Just be friendly and relax.  So I will definitely speak with the office manager about training on Monday morning when we are there. 

Cat


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## DogsforMe (Mar 11, 2007)

Socialisation is the key to any puppy training. Take her everywhere, meet as many ppl as you can, babies, kids, teens, men with hats, ppl with walking sticks. Then there's the household things. The vaccuum, washing machine, stereo, ppl arguing etc. And of course other dogs & animals. All b4 she's 16 weeks old. Have you looked at dogstardaily.com yet. You can download for free the book 'Before You Get Your Puppy' with exerts from 'After y g y p'. Then there's training videos, just type in the search engine.


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## Dogstar (May 11, 2007)

The thing is, this actually isn't always from terrorizing puppies. I've seen it in a number of puppies who come from perfectly nice homes that just didn't socialize them. They never MISTREATED the dog- they just didn't treat them like a dog. Anything the dog displayed even a little anxiety about, ti was all "oh, poor baby" kisses and cuddles. Most toy dogs find attention and petting very reinforcing, so very quickly you have a dog that learns that fearful behavior RESULTS in affection. 

One of the interesting things about dogs is that body language can really seem to key into emotional states. If you can reinforce body language that says 'calm' or 'relaxed', you can get a dog who when cued to do that body language, will relax in the face of stressors. (Karen Overall's Relaxation Protocol basically teaches this skill.) You can inadvertantly teach a dog to be fearful (This works on people, too- smile and crinkle up the corners of your eyes- give it a minute and see if it changes your mood at all- if you do it repeatedly, you can teach a dog who was a little uncertain about something to actually be fearful about it. 


Cait


Catkramer said:


> My moms chihuahua/yorkie was an adoption from Petsmart. I don't know who had him before, but if I could only meet them in a dark alley......
> 
> That poor dog. He was afraid of EVERYTHING when we first got him. My mom took out a fly swatter to kill a fly and the dog hid behind a speaker for 30 minutes and wouldn't come out. It is pathetic what people do to terrorize animals, much less one that weighs 6 pounds.
> 
> ...


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## Catkramer (Feb 13, 2009)

Back to my mom's dog, when we adopted him they said he was abused. He came from a house of wife and husband and apparently he didn't like the dog too much. When we got him, he weighed 5 pounds. Now he is up to 10 pounds. My poor husband has been bitten a few times before Tutter finally bonded with him. Once he bonds with you, he is a friend for life. He has never tried to bite any one else, but he will bite if he doesn't know you and you just reach down to pet him while he is in his own house. He does have the little dog syndrome and is VERY "protective" of his space. Yard people, handy man, even friends who come into the back yard, he will just bark and bark. Usually he wants to stand BEHIND you and bark and his whole body comes off the ground. My mom is single, lives in our mother in laws apartment in our basement, and most of the time it doesn't bother us. He will calm down after a few minutes. But if I could just teach our puppy that she doesn't own anything, just be calm and welcoming, it would be better for us. He is a very sweet dog, but even after 5 years, Tutter still has his moments where you can see he isn't comfortable with stuff. I brought down some baby tennis balls that I got for my puppy and was trying to get him to play with them and when I would roll it, bounce it or even hold it up to show him, he would run under my moms chair and hide. My mom mentioned that maybe he was in a house were people threw things at him because she doesn't throw toys around down there. So I told her when I got the puppy, I would bring her down with the balls and see if we couldn't "teach" Tutter that it is ok to play with balls. 

He is a completely different dog now since she has adopted him, but man, it has been a long process to get him to relax more. And he could still make some progress. But he is really the sweetest thing ever.

I think today we will be taking our puppy to Lowes just so she can have an outting. And I guess I will have to try and make this a carrying zone in the house. Oooo, that will be hard. She is so small and we love to hold her, but I realize after thinking about it, that we have carrying her around a lot. 

I have really enjoyed this board so far. Thank you everyone for making me feel welcome! 

Cat


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## Dogstar (May 11, 2007)

Call first and check- a lot of Lowes no longer allow pets because of some irresponsible people.  


Cait

og, when we adopted him they said he was abused. He came from a house of wife and husband and apparently he didn't like the dog too much. When we got him, he weighed 5 pounds. Now he is up to 10 pounds. My poor husband has been bitten a few times before Tutter finally bonded with him. Once he bonds with you, he is a friend for life. He has never tried to bite any one else, but he will bite if he doesn't know you and you just reach down to pet him while he is in his own house. He does have the little dog syndrome and is VERY "protective" of his space. Yard people, handy man, even friends who come into the back yard, he will just bark and bark. Usually he wants to stand BEHIND you and bark and his whole body comes off the ground. My mom is single, lives in our mother in laws apartment in our basement, and most of the time it doesn't bother us. He will calm down after a few minutes. But if I could just teach our puppy that she doesn't own anything, just be calm and welcoming, it would be better for us. He is a very sweet dog, but even after 5 years, Tutter still has his moments where you can see he isn't comfortable with stuff. I brought down some baby tennis balls that I got for my puppy and was trying to get him to play with them and when I would roll it, bounce it or even hold it up to show him, he would run under my moms chair and hide. My mom mentioned that maybe he was in a house were people threw things at him because she doesn't throw toys around down there. So I told her when I got the puppy, I would bring her down with the balls and see if we couldn't "teach" Tutter that it is ok to play with balls. 

He is a completely different dog now since she has adopted him, but man, it has been a long process to get him to relax more. And he could still make some progress. But he is really the sweetest thing ever.

I think today we will be taking our puppy to Lowes just so she can have an outting. And I guess I will have to try and make this a carrying zone in the house. Oooo, that will be hard. She is so small and we love to hold her, but I realize after thinking about it, that we have carrying her around a lot. 

I have really enjoyed this board so far. Thank you everyone for making me feel welcome! 

Cat[/QUOTE]


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