General Information:
The Chihuahua, with its apple-dome skull and large luminous eyes, can wear a remarkably human expression at times; she or he will want to be with you most, if not, all of the time.
A warning to casual dog owners: make sure you have the emotional real estate in your heart or the time for the complete love and attention of this furry
little pet. They are like children. Each dog of this breed has their own unique personality; this is a very individualistic breed. However, a few generalizations
can be made. Chihuahuas are graceful, energetic, and swift-moving canines. They have often been described as having "terrier-like" qualities; that is, the
qualities of being alert, observant, and keen on interacting with their masters. They are extremely loyal and get attached to one or two persons. These tiny
dogs are certainly unaware of their diminutive stature: they can be bold with other dogs much larger than themselves, and protective of their masters.
They are fiercely loyal to their masters and wary of any strangers or new guests introduced into the household, which the Chihuahua considers to be its
personal domain. For these reasons, Chihuahuas make good watch dogs (not guard dogs, though!).
Your puppy must be inoculated between 6 & 8 weeks the first time and then again twice, each one month following each other, e.g. 6 weeks/10 weeks/14 weeks or 8 weeks/12 weeks/16 weeks. Give Rabies as well. Your puppy has been dewormed regularly, but when you take him to the vet for his injection your vet will probably deworm again. Be careful of certain deworming medications, remember it is a poison and an overdose can harm or even kill a tiny puppy, always read instructions carefully before administering deworming medication yourself. Your puppy will house train quickly, although he is just a baby. The best is to take him out as soon as he has woken up or eaten and then every two or three hours, praise him when he has made his puddle on the lawn. He has been trained on newspaper, so put some down for him to prevent accidents. If he does have an accident, scold him to show you are displeased, but rubbing his nose in it is cruel and outdated, unless you catch him in the act he will not understand what the fuss is about and will become nervous, hiding and messing under the table or bed where you will have difficulty in finding and cleaning it. Take him out first thing in the morning and the last thing at night, no matter the weather, otherwise later on when the weather doesn't suit him, he will refuse to go out. They are very intelligent dogs, they soon learn what is expected of them.
Never leave your puppy in a parked car, not even with the window partially open, the temperature can reach very high degrees in a couple of minutes and your puppy can suffer brain damage or die. An upset tummy can kill a puppy in a few hours, so make work of it quickly if your puppy does develop a watery tummy, get him to a vet immediately. They become dehydrated very quickly, or ask your vet for Enteritis suspension and keep some in the fridge for an emergency.
The Chihuahua needs a great deal of human contact: touching, petting, and general attention. If the Chihuahua does not get this, she or he will use various attention-getting tricks until you give her/him attention. Like using paws to lightly scratch the hand, a signal that says, "Pet me now!" They give a lot of love and affection in return for your care. Keeping more than one Chihuahua can greatly ease the dog's stress when left alone each day if the owner works. They will compete for your attention when you get home, though! Because they are by nature gentle, loyal, and sweet-tempered, Chihuahuas are ideal for single people, the elderly, the handicapped, and shut-ins. They will keep you company for hours by lying on your lap or beside your torso if in bed, and treat you like royalty. No one with a Chihuahua in their household will ever be truly alone! They are quite happy in apartments, as long as there is enough to play with and explore.
They are high-strung dogs. I define "high-strung" as follows: barks easily, does not adapt easily to change in environment, is suspicious of strangers and will growl at them, and flips in circles and jumps around when excited (like when you come home after a five-minute absence, for instance). Your friends will see the worst side of them and never believe you when you tell them that your little buddy is really a gentle, sweet-natured dog. It is a characteristic of the Chihuahua to prefer to sleep under a cloth or blanket. They will even get under pillows in order to feel snug. Be sure to provide your puppy with a soft towel or blanket in their sleeping area so they can burrow underneath it. Don't be surprised if your Chihuahua scrambles under your blankets at night, even though your house or apartment may not be particularly cold.
Chihuahuas are quite the sun-worshipers.
They prefer to bask in the sun for hours and have been known to lie in a spot of sun no larger than the size of a five rand coin!
Unfortunately, they are not sensible in this regard and will stay in the sun even when panting begins. Watch your Chihuahua in
hot weather to be sure that they don't suffer from heat stroke.
Chihuahuas do shiver when they're cold, but they also shiver when they are wary, excited,
unhappy, or frightened.
This is a result of having a high metabolism, and is a normal characteristic of this breed.
On a cold day they will sit as close to the fire or
heater as possible.
I keep mine all under infrared lights in winter and on cold days so they are at all times nice
and cozy.
Chihuahuas love very comfortable beds and they often end up in Mommy’s bed! They also like to burrow and hide themselves
away to sleep. Some of mine even will wrap themselves up in their own blankets, clever indeed!
Chihuahuas thrive on love & attention and bond exceptionally well with humans. It is often said that a chihuahua,
if given the choice of the company of other dogs or its master, it will choose to be with you!
As with all living things, there will be a size variance between individual dogs within this breed. No breeder can guarantee what size your puppy will reach or whether a boy will develop two testicles, whether they get to be overshot or undershot by the age of four months, as with humans, nature takes its own course. Us as breeders always try to mate the best to the best and hope for the best, but of course there are no guarantees in nature. Also see article on size variation in GENETICS.
Remember I am there to help if you have any questions or problems and I am just a phone call away!
In the unlikely event of your puppy dying from a breeding/genetic disorder, the puppy will be replaced free of charge, all that I will need is the body to be sent for analysis to get a report from Onderstepoort so that the disorder can immediately be corrected. Puppies that die from negligence on the part of the buyer (e.g. puppies being dropped or being neglected in any way) will not be replaced, as stipulated on Purchase Agreement.
FEEDING INSTRUCTIONS: - (also see section on CARE)
For Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner feed Hills Puppy food with enough luke warm water (boil water first and let cool down a bit) to make sloppy substance, you can add a little sugar or glucose powder if preferred, add about a quarter teaspoon of PROTEXIN powder to this. Put required amount of food in puppy’s bowl, add enough water just to cover it, leave to soften and cool down. A few drops of Miracoat can be added for a beautiful glossy coat. Coconut oil also excellent to use for general health. Good quality tinned pet food with rice & vegetables (food from your table) and some gravy on top can be added for variation, or a tiny bit of cooked chicken or mince, always just small quantity as it may cause diaree. I leave a bowl of dry Hills Puppy pellets and a bowl of freshly prepared Rooibos tea with bit of sugar and Protexin powder where puppy can have it available all the time - A bit of cooked minced meat, or finely chopped chicken or fish won't do any harm and can be added for variation, they also get tired of eating the same food day after day, but be careful of overfeeding them on too much (heavy) meat like biltong or steak, although they absolutely love it, their little digestive systems can not cope with this and thereby you are shortening their lifespan. Don’t give small bones which can get stuck in their throats or chicken bones which splinter away and can damage their intestines. Fresh cow’s milk usually causes upset tummies, I do not use any milk for mine. Even adult chihuahuas don’t always agree too well with fresh cow’s milk. Plain unflavoured Yoghurt can be given, especially when using antibiotics.
N.B. Change in diet and even change in drinking water may sometimes cause puppy to develop runny tummy which can be disastrous if left unattended.
Buy a small bottle of ENTIRITIS SUSPENSION from your vet and keep bottle in fridge afterwards in case of tummy upset at any stage. (You can also use PECTROLITE - human meds) Give 0.5ml three times daily until tummy settles. Feed with rooibos tea with bit of glucose powder and pinch of salt instead or electrolyte formula available from pharmacy. Poo usually looks like soft porridge, but if tummy squirts out water give Stop Diaree mix or Pectrolite. A pinch of PROTEXIN powder added to food and water/rooibos tea of pup puts the good bacteria into the stomach (probiotics) and prevents diaree.
Prepare Rooibos tea for pup make half a cup with one teaspoon sugar or glucose powder added and a dash of Protexin powder to add probiotics.
Remember especially pocket size puppies can be prone to low blood sugar and can go into a trance similar to having an epileptic fit very quickly. When ever a puppy looks lethargic, wobbly or “off” place a drop of golden syrup, honey or Nutristim on it’s tongue to restore sugar level, this treatment works wonders and has saved the lives of many small puppies already.
HEALTH & HYGiENE:
DEWORM regularly with suspension for puppies (e.g. Nemex, Antezole or Welpan) and later when grown up a good type of deworming tablet for adult dogs, ask your vet for proper instructions and dose according to weight.
Keep in mind that puppy may not be fully immune against certain diseases until he has had all his injections, be careful of “uncertain areas” and only put him down there if you are certain no other dogs have been there who could carry diseases or who could harm him. While he is a puppy, rather do not let him walk on pavements or in the streets in town, much safer to carry him to keep him out of harms way. Big dogs may appear to be friendly but could kill him in a few seconds.
Chihuahuas are finely boned, watch that small children do not squeeze or drop them. They have a molera (hole in the skull on top of the head) which seldom closes and which is therefore a vulnerable spot to injuries. Lift them carefully and watch that they don’t jump out of your arms or from beds and furniture, they are not known for good legs and could easily hurt their legs or land on the soft spot of their heads by jumping down from your arms or high furniture. Watch out for any sharp and dangerous objects in his playing area which might hurt him or cause eye injuries.
Control of Ticks and Fleas - Frontline spray is very effective and safe for even newborn puppies. When older you can put him on the Program pill. Certain dips can be dangerous for young puppies, always read instructions well before use. Tick and flea collars might irritate their sensitive skins, watch carefully for any signs of skin irritation. Bath about once every 2-3 weeks, bathing too often can destroy natural skin oils on his skin and could start skin problems. Use a good quality tick and flea sjampoo once a month, this is for killing ticks and fleas, also preventative. Use a small nail clipper to cut their nails regularly so they become used to the routine. Be careful not to cut too short otherwise it might bleed, in the event of a bleed here baby powder to stop the bleeding. Buy a special toothbrush and tooth paste from your vet and get him accustomed to having his teeth brushed from young, then you won't have a battle on hand every time you have to brush his teeth.
Curb jealousy, it can get out of hand with him biting every person who wants to kiss you in greeting or sitting next to you. Care for him in his old age, do not let him suffer. If you have to at some stage make this dreaded decision ask yourself if he is still enjoying quality of life, if not, grind your teeth and end his suffering, but stay with him to the bitter end, you owe it to him. Remember I am here to offer assistance to the best of my knowledge, at any time,
I am just a phone call away.
I always enjoy hearing news from my precious babies later on, please keep in contact.
BREEDING:
Chihuahuas are not easy to breed. Because of their tiny size they often need to get a ceaser as puppies get stuck easily because of their
large apple heads, thus breeding is NOT recommended. Puppies are often presented breach or in wrong position, like shown on photo where
pup was out of its water bag already, this was our "miracle pup" who started breathing when her head was out of vulva while rest of body
was still stuck...
Breeding does bring the breeder a lot of heartache and tears very often as losses can be huge and vet bills mounting up!
Thank you
