[honeybear]

Hey everyone!
I am so glad I found this forum. I have just adopted my first chihuahua on saturday and have so many quesitons. I have owned dogs before, and am currently living with my mum and dad who has a westie (bear and the westie (Jack) are already great mates which im stoked about!) but I have never had small dogs.
Well, I am already in love of course.
My little chi man is 9 weeks old, and his name is Bear. He is the most outgoing little character, full of beans and very happy...until I have to leave him alone, then the whimpering and howling starts...so this leads to my first question...

How do i prevent separation anxiety?? Last night he was going crazy, and I went in to try and calm him down and he had pooped EVERYWHERE. It was slightly runny too, and he had walked all through it. Had to bath him and he was cold so ended up sleeping in my room all night. He was so good, didnt get wake up till 5am.

My second question is, is it true that Chis are really hard to toilet train? I want to teach him to go outside and have been taking him out lots, nearly every hour. He has done a couple of poos and wees outside, but also a few inside, and unfortunately he has done them when I have had my back turned for one second so I havent been lucky enough to catch him in the act, tell him no, and then put him out.
Any tips or advice on this?

Is there anything else I should know about chis? Health problems etc? How many times a day should a puppy be peeing and pooping?
He has a vet check up this Wednesday so should I ask my vet anything in particular?
How do Chis go at puppy preschool?

Sorry for so many questions. This is all very new to me...my first dog that is actually 'mine' and that IM bringing up, not mum/dad.

Thank you all so much

P.s Here is a picture of my gorgeous Bear x View attachment 7627

 

[michele]

Hi and welcome,you could try putting a jumper of yours in his bed,leave a radio on low,ticking clock,warm hot water bottle and a cuddly toy to snuggle up to.When he goes outside and does his poos and wees,lots of praise i used to give mine a small treat.He's very young so you're bound to have mistakes,i got mine trained at 3 months so not all are hard to train.Puppy's poo and wee a lot so you're doing the right thing taking him out every hour.Puppy pre school,i suppose it depends if they're outgoing or not,mine hated it she would hide behind my legs,but give it a go.He's adorable

 

[AussieLass]

Hi Hilary, Bear's a cutey! I too am in Brisbane, near Morningside/Bulimba and have 4 young Chi's. Could have puppy play days if you're close.

Just treat your Chi as you would any normal large dog, do NOT make allowances for the fact they appear tiny, fragile, simpering, whimpering, pathetic little things - they're not, they're DOGS first, foremost, and always! What Michele said is all great advice.

Feeding the best you possibly can for our tinies is most important, every mouthful must count and therefore you don't want any below-par food entering that little mouth - many of us here feed a raw diet (either self-prepared or Dr. Ian Billinghurst's pre-made BARF) and/or ZiwiPeak (100% dehydrated meat from N.Z).

Bear in mind the ever popular Science Diet, Eukanuba etc. are all considered total crap foods in USA, it's only the idiot Aussie hype we get over here that convinces the uneducated among us otherwise.

Dog Food Advisor, searchable via google will show you good & bad foods from USA and beware of anything that has been irradiated (irradiation creates free radicals - read up on the Orijen dog & cat food saga & withdrawal from Oz due to irradiation levels killing cats by the dozens).

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES feed any treats that have been made in China .... scan packs with magnifying glasses because the b's make the print super tiny, but make them look like they were manufactured in USA - 100's, if not 1,000's of dogs are currently dying in USA from eating Chinese chicken treats.

Make sure you have a harness as opposed to a collar to walk Bear in - Puppia or iPuppyOne are great brands & avail much cheaper out of USA on eBay, as are most things to be honest, the range we have here is ridiculously scant and way too expensive - I get super cheap Kong & other toys out of USA for a fraction of what we pay here.

Search the forums here for desexing and immunisation info i.e. it's possible to have Titer's tests instead of over immunising which can be risky with our tinies due to reactions. I refuse to get any annual boosters whatsoever, they do not need them, it's only revenue raising on the part of the vet. Once immunised, you remain that way for life because the body has created anti-bodies, and they don't simply go away, die or peter off.

YES Chis are notoriously difficult to housetrain, don't even start me on that topic, it's a nightmare & never has been for me before these little monsters who can't aim straight at a pee pad to save their darn lives. Mine are trained to go on pads inside but also have a doggy door to go outside so they do both depending on their whim, which is really slack on my part I'm afraid.

 

[susan davis]

Hi and welcome! First Bear is very young and doesn't have much control. Much like a baby baby! He gets an urge, and goes then and there. I have a puppy play pen and love it. Unless I can watch Bonnie, she is in there with her pad and food, and toys.

 

[honeybear]

Thank you all so much for your replies.

I will definitely give raw food a go, that is scary stuff about the pet food that is MEANT to be good quality :-|
Should I wean Bear onto raw food? Or will he be ok just to swap straight over from the food he is having now (about 30 small pieces of kibble mixed with a tsp of wet food, 3 times a day)?

I am loving the idea of the ticking clock, I will give it a try tonight Although I am starting to enjoy his snuggly company at night lol My partner has just left for 4 and a half months for the army, and I am so lonely, little Bear has been the best company <3

Sounds like the potty training is something I am just going to have to be persistant and watchful with. He went by himself on the puppy pad in the laundry last night, i was so proud, but upset that i missed it so i couldnt praise him for it straight after.

I have enrolled in puppy preschool and we start tomorrow night, so excited! Hopefully he enjoys it.

AussieLass, one of your Chis in your signature looks exactly like Bear!
gosh they are just gorgeous aren't they

Thank u all for the warm welcome xoxo