How much more care does a chihuahua puppy require than an adult?
I'm planning on adopting a chihuahua soon and she will be able to come home with me in February. I will be going to school three days a week for a few hours. I understand that a chihuahua is okay for a few hours on it's own, but is it any different when it is a puppy of 12 weeks? Will there have to be someone there with it ALL the time until it is older or will it be okay? Also if anyone has any experiences with raising a puppy i would appreciate advice. Thanks!
I really appreciate the advice i'm getting, but if anyone could i'd appreciate more on the main question. Would a young puppy of 12 weeks be able to be alone while i'm at school? I've heard they need to be taken out to pee almost every hour.
hello! Great choice of dogs! As you can tell from my name I am a big Chihuahua fan. I have been raising them for over 8 yrs. The main thing with a chihuahua is to make sure they don't get low blood sugar(hypoglycemia). The best way to prevent this is to free feed them, leave their food out in front of them all day. They eat small meals, but eat often..They are fine if left for a few hours a day, just like any dog. They are very fragile. You have to watch where you walk, sit, or lay down. They like to climb too and can easily hurt a leg by faloling off the back of a chair or couch, or out of your arms. It is best to leave them in an x-pen while you are at school. Here is a link to what I am talking about.
http://images.google.com/images?q=dog%20exercise%20pens&ndsp=18&svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&rls=GGGL,GGGL:2006-18,GGGL:en&start=0&sa=N
They are big enough to hold a bed, water/food bowls, puppy pad or even a litter box. Enjoy your new puppy when you get it!
depends on the dog
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Chihuahua pups, because of their size, are very very dependent on their owners! It is very common for a chihuahua pup to become hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) which can be fatal! You want to make sure the pup eats every 3-4 hours, at 12 weeks you could even wait 5 hrs. Be sure you have Karo syrup at the house or get some Val-Karo from your vet in case of emergencies. Make sure your pup is always playful and aware. Signs of hypoglycemia include being lethargic, weakness, unwilling to eat or drink.. just be sure you keep that blood sugar up and keep the pup hydrated! You should be in the clear in about a month!
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hello! Great choice of dogs! As you can tell from my name I am a big Chihuahua fan. I have been raising them for over 8 yrs. The main thing with a chihuahua is to make sure they don't get low blood sugar(hypoglycemia). The best way to prevent this is to free feed them, leave their food out in front of them all day. They eat small meals, but eat often..They are fine if left for a few hours a day, just like any dog. They are very fragile. You have to watch where you walk, sit, or lay down. They like to climb too and can easily hurt a leg by faloling off the back of a chair or couch, or out of your arms. It is best to leave them in an x-pen while you are at school. Here is a link to what I am talking about.
http://images.google.com/images?q=dog%20exercise%20pens&ndsp=18&svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&rls=GGGL,GGGL:2006-18,GGGL:en&start=0&sa=N
They are big enough to hold a bed, water/food bowls, puppy pad or even a litter box. Enjoy your new puppy when you get it!
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I have a Toy Poodle that I got when he was 12 weeks old. He is now 2. He was home for about 3 hours a day in between the time I went to work and my husband got off work and that was 5 days a week. A lot of ppl crate train their animals so they won't destroy the house, wet,mess ect, while their masters are away or while everyone is sleeping. I couldn't do that. It broke my heart to see him all locked up in a dog crate. I just gave him lots of soft toys to play with, give him a raw hide chew toy, made sure he had plenty of food and fresh water and put down plenty of newspaper for him to wet/mess on–and surprisingly he took to the paper immediately without much encouragement—and he did fine on his own. Of course each dog is different, have their own inbred temperaments and just like humans, have their own insecurities. I'm sure for just a few hrs a day 3 times a week, it's not going to hurt him to be by himself. At 12 wks, I don't think he will have had his first shots yet so you may want to call a vet to inquire about these costs and ask him about any concerns you may have about leaving a young puppy by itself for this amount of time. Most vets don't charge just for asking questions. I know mine doesn't.
For example: The flu is going around my town. I caught it last week and was sick for 3 days. Now my dog is puking. He puked 1 time last night and 3 times today. I called the vet to ask if dogs can catch the human flu virus. He told me "no, it's not been proven that they can". He also advised me to take away his food for 12 hrs and to give him 1 tablet of childrens chewable Pepto Bismal. After 4 hours of no vomiting give him a few morsles (he eats dry dog food) every few hours and see how he handles it and then give his regular amount of food serving back to him early tomorrow morning and if he gets sick again, bring him into the office.
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The baby will be fine while you are at school… I adopted my chihuahua when she was just 6 weeks old…. I put her in the bathroom with towels all over the floor while i went to work and that was 8 hours at a time. she did get her sugar medicine everyday untill she was a bit older. But she was fine. and she only weighed 3/4 of a pound when i got her. just make sure you leave her food and water in bowls that she cant fit into like a cat dish the ones with two compartments. and a toy. put the radio on something boring like talk radio or easy listening music something with alot of talking so she doesnt feel lonely. all will be just fine i promise my baby is now 5years old and doing great. other than thinking she rules the house… ( she really does)
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A puppy requires ALOT more attention and care than an adult dog. A puppy requires constant attention like a human baby, not only to care for it but to get it socialized and trained.
A puppy on average can hold it's bladde/bowel about one hour for each month of life til 8 months when it should be able to hold over night.. 12 week old pup = 3 months = 3 hour hold .. after it's been crate trained (hopefully)
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