I may be getting free chihuahua..

A friend of a friend is looking to give away her chihuahua because she just had a baby and doesn't feel that she can give the dog enough attention. I'm giving serious consideration to accepting the little dog into my home, but I have some concerns. I've never owned a dog, or really a pet of any kind besides fish. It's already been spayed, has all its shots, and is housebroken.

1) I'm willing to work to maintain a healthy environment for the dog, but does anyone have any advice on making it feel comfortable in my home when it first arrives? I've heard that chihuahuas are rather high strung, and I want to put as little stress on it as possible.

2) I'm also a poor judge of portions, and tend to overfeed even myself. Is there a way to appopriately portion meals for a year and a half old dog such as this?

3) I've heard that chihuahuas are prone to getting colds. When it's cold outside, should I take it for a walk? If so, would I need to put a sweater on it? I live in Northern Virginia, so there WILL BE snow.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Hello Gravity, and welcome to the board....

I do not have much info on the chihuahua specifically, but I know others on this board to have Chi's so I am sure someone will post soon.

My advice is to truely way out all the pro's and con's about pet ownership.
Your freedom will be less, and that little Chi will rely solely on you for food, companionship, warmth, everyting!

If you do decide to keep the little guy, here are a few of my suggestions;
If the pup is currently crated, you need to bring teh crate, toys, food, dishes, etc home with the pup. He must know that these comfort items are still with him... If he is not crated, it might be a good idea to purchase one, and have all his toys, bedding etc in it, so that he knows this is HIS spot.
As far as feeding goes, I believe all dog foods have suggested servings sizes per the weight and age of your dog, on the package. I would use these as a guideline, and also part of bonding with your new pup, will be rewarding him with food (treats) try to get him something healthy, for this. You need to have him know that you are his food chain. This I think, will help with forming a bond, and making him feelmore conformtabke durig the move.
I am not sure about the cold issue, you can check out this site for more info on the breed.

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/chihuahua.htm


Good Luck, and please let us know what you decide!

 

As tiny as they are, I'm sure they could catch a chill pretty quick so a properly fitted sweater might not be a bad idea. Just ask your sister about his current feeding habits, what he eats, etc....she should be able to tell you what she's been doing with him

 

A chihuahua needs a coat for outdoors. they chill very easy. They shouldnt stay out in cold weather . My little guy is so tiny at 8 weeks i had to buy him a ferret coat.lol. He looked so cute in it tonight.

 

I would also suggest having your friend give you an old shirt or something of hers you can put with him. So he wont feel completly lost in a new home. Yes he will need a sweater. I have poms and they have to wear shirts we live in Central Va. Just be patient as the dog you bring home might not be the same well behaved sweetheart you know. It may take time for him to adjust and dont give up on him if things dont go perfectly. Dogs are creatures of habbit and will need to establish a new routine in a new house. WE have adopted 3 dogs as adults and the transition was hard but after some TLC they adapted great and are loving productive members of society LOL.

Forgot to add, if you have trouble finding clothes that fit, try teddy bear sweaters you find at craft store. They are alot smaller and great for teeny dogs!

 

Awesome advice, thanks a bunch. I'm hopefully picking up the dog today. The current owners have said that the dog plays with their 18 month old child without so much as a bark or growl, so apparently I'm getting a very social dog. They're going to give me everything they had with it, including the crate and toys. That should help as far as adapting the dog to my place. I just found out this morning that they actually adopted the dog from someone else, so this poor dog has already gone through the transition once before.

Also, I never even thought about teddy bear sweaters. I went to Petsmart to look at some sweaters, and they only had 1 that *might* be small enough to fit it. I just assumed I was stuck with that unless I got one specially made.

 

www.chiwawagaga.com is a great site for really small dogs. their smallest size fit my chi when he was hardly 2 lbs, even though when i looked at it i was sure it would be too big. they have some really cute things and now as i prepare myself for a new addition (he's getting a little girl friend, but not a girlfriend, because he's neutered! :wink