[mrsjefferson]

I just realized that I forgot to ask the previous owner how far into shots our new guy is. I will ask her in the morning!

That aside, we just got a 5mo Chi last night. He is not fixed yet. Can we just pick a vet and make an appt to get him fixed, or will they want to do a check up first? When can we get him fixed? He's on puppy food now, when should we transition him to adult food? What kinds of treats do you give your chis? Do they all hate leashes? He won't budge with his on, how can I get him used to it?

Thanks!

 

[Huly]

Rabies Vaccine- is normaly after 16 weeks, only a 1 year then after a year you can go to a 3 year.

The vet will do a check up prior to fixing your pup. I always wait until a pup is at least 6 months old as that is how I was trained at a vet clinic. Not sure what everyone else does.

Leash- Patience and training work with him slowly. Let him walk around your house with the leash attached but free from your hand. Then hold the leash walk the distance of the leash from him and call him with his favorite treat. Lots of love when he comes and slowly work your way up to walking on a leash.

Treats & Food- I feed holistic so my kids were never on puppy food. What are you currently feeding him? As for treats my kids love anything! All of their treats are holistic though so I doubt it would help you.

 

[mrsjefferson]

I took him outside to go potty with the leash on and he did much better. He didn't always follow, but he was much more responsive than last night. So that's good.

She had him on Purina Puppy Chow. I bought one small bag, and plan on transitioning him to better food asap. He hasn't eaten yet today, and he threw up on the way home last night. Almost all of the food was whole too! So I'm guessing he didn't chew much. I'll watch him closely today and see what he eats and how he does.

And I will work on finding a vet this week. I figured neutering would be 6 mo. And I think he's actually 4mo...It's only been 4mo since Thanksgiving, right? That's when he was born.

Thank you!

 

[Chi Nation]

First, i would like to say congrats on your new puppy! I must warn you tho... loving your chihuahua is the easy part, but keeping yourself from having more than one is the hard part

Ok, down to business. The higher quality of food the better. I dont lnow what your budget is but would suggest Wellness Puppy, Taste of the Wild, Solid Gold, Canidae, Holistic Select just to name a few. I have also heard great things about Fromms and Ziwi Peak. These are a few you can look into to get you started in the right direction.

There is also a link that shows the foods rating that is a big help. I cant remember what is but i'm hoping someone will post it (hint hint....)

 

[jesuschick]

Dog Food Reviews | Dog Food Ratings

 

[Chi Nation]

Dog Food Reviews | Dog Food Ratings

I'm going to bookmark it this time

 

[Suzn]

Paco hated being on the leash. I tried attaching it and letting him run around the house with it on like suggested but he really hated it. I found the retractable leash works well. He like to run ahead a few feet and then back to me. He takes twice as long a walk as I do every time... lol. When I need to keep him closer I just lock the leash with a short distance. He has gotten used to being on a leash much quicker this way.

 

[LostLakeLua]

The vet may or may not require a separate exam appointment prior to the surgery date, it'll depend on each one's requirements. Sometimes they'd just come in for the exam, and end up being left for the neuter then if time worked out.
As far as leash training, I always just hooked the leash onto the harness when the dog was inside and secure. And bring out 'the good treats' whenever it's on; slowly teaching the dog that wearing the leash means GOOD things happen. Once they're used to dragging it around everywhere and learning to FOLLOW me while wearing it, I just pick up the other end. Viola! I like to teach loose-lead walking so this avoids them from pulling already; if you're teaching them to follow by your side and not ahead of you.

 

[mrsjefferson]

Thanks everyone. I have another question...about how much sleep does he need? He got up at like 7:30 am, played for a while, and then took a rest around 11, and then he was up most of the afternoon, and he laid down around 6:30 maybe. It's 8:30 now...is he going to get up soon full of energy and be up for hours, or is he maybe done for the night?

Also, he pooped twice today, is that good? He only peed maybe 4-5 times, but he's done GREAT with that, either outside or on the pad. But he pooped on the linoleum in the dining room/kitchen both times. lol I can't wait to get him on better food, we're going to go tomorrow I think and we'll work on integrating it in.

 

[mrsjefferson]

He woke up for a few minutes after I posted this last night and looked like he was going to go buck-wild, but he laid back down after a few minutes and stayed in bed (a crate that we only close at bedtime or while we're out of the house) until 7 am again!

I tried to get him to use a pad this morning because for about 30 minutes mornings are CRAZY busy and I didn't have time to take him out (and we don't have a fenced yard here...a few more weeks though and we'll have one at our new house so my 8yo and 5yo can take him out then). I left him in the bathroom with it for a little bit while I got my husband's lunch and coffee made and got the kids their breakfast. He still hadn't peed (and he didn't whine or anything, he was happy as could be), so I took him out and he peed and pooped! Yay! He's doing so good.

Today we're going to take him with us to the pet store to get a sweater (poor thing shivers in the morning and evening, it's still a bit cold here), nail clippers, some toys (suggestions?), some treats, and better food to start transitioning him. We're so excited!