• Noises behind a wall, such as a high pitched heater motor or the scurrying footsteps of a mouse, might trigger investigative chewing.

• A delay in feeding time may send a hungry Teacup Chihuahua Teacup Chihuahua Puppy off chewing into cabinets as he searches for food.

• Food spilled on a piece of furniture can cause a Teacup Chihuahua Puppy to tear into it with his teeth in hopes of finding something tasty to eat.

Teacup Chihuahua Teacup Chihuahua Puppys make good pets because they have a very social nature and plenty of energy to share in activities with us. In return, we need to provide enough exercise, mental stimulation, and social interaction to avoid destructive behavior.



Understanding Your Teacup Chihuahua Puppy's World
Teacup Chihuahua Puppies usually pass time or relieve boredom by using their mouths, which may result in household destruction. But Teacup Chihuahua Puppies don�t know�they are simply entertaining themselves.

Sometimes we unwittingly contribute to a Teacup Chihuahua Puppy's problem with improper training. Teacup Chihuahua Puppies don�t know the difference between old shoes and new shoes, or between stuffed toys and the corner of a stuffed couch.

Likewise, tug-of-war games can set your Teacup Chihuahua Puppy up to fail. A Teacup Chihuahua Puppy or Teacup Chihuahua Teacup Chihuahua Puppy entertained by tearing a towel is tempted to attack curtains fluttering in a breeze.



What About a Second Pet?
Most often, getting a second pet to help correct a chewing problem isn�t the best idea. In some cases, a new pet may distract the destructive pet away from chewing, but it is just as likely that the problems could double, especially if the newcomer is another Teacup Chihuahua Puppy.



A Little Guidance
The first step in correcting a chewing problem is to guide your Teacup Chihuahua Puppy's chewing toward acceptable chew toys.

• Choose a mix of good-quality, safe products. When your Teacup Chihuahua Puppy shows you what he likes, buy several more of the same type.

• Hollow rubber toys work well since biscuits can be wedged inside for your Teacup Chihuahua Puppy to pry out. This gives him a job to do and helps keep his focus away from your possessions.

• Another way to keep your Teacup Chihuahua Puppy focused on the toys is to teach him to fetch.

• Never take proper chewing for granted. Take an active roll in rewarding desirable chewing with lots of encouragement and praise.

• Designate a potty area outdoors.

• Guide your Teacup Chihuahua Teacup Chihuahua Puppies there to do his business.

• Heartily praise him when he goes.

By occasionally giving him a treat right after your Teacup Chihuahua Teacup Chihuahua Puppies finishes, you can encourage him to potty in the desired area. The odor left from previous visits to that area will quickly mark it as the place for the pup to do his business.



Timing Is Important!
A six- to eight-week-old Teacup Chihuahua Teacup Chihuahua Puppy should be taken outdoors every one to three hours. Older Teacup Chihuahua Puppies can generally wait longer between outings. Most Teacup Chihuahua Puppies should be taken out:

• After waking in the morning

• After naps

• After meals

• After playing or training

• After being left alone

• Immediately before being put to bed

• Make some chicken soup (low sodium variety or make it yourself) ice cubes and give them to the puppy.

• Soak a clean rag in water, wring it out and then freeze it (rolling it up helps) and give it to your puppy to chew on.

• Soften the kibble a bit with water.

• Discourage biting on your arm or hand for comfort.

Teacup Chihuahua Puppies lose their teeth in a distinct pattern: first the small front teeth come out. Then the premolars just behind the canines. Then the molars in the back come out (and you'll see adult molars behind those erupting as well). Finally the canine teeth come out. Sometimes the adult canines erupt before the baby canines have come all the way out.

Newborn Teacup Chihuahua Puppies receive immunization against diseases from colostrum contained in their mothers milk while nursing (assuming the bitch was properly vaccinated shortly before the breeding took place). Initially, during their first 24 hours of life, maternal antigens (passive immunity) are absorbed through the pups intestines which are very, very thin during those first few hours (this is why it is so important that Teacup Chihuahua Puppies nurse from the mother during that critical time). After the colostrum ceases (a day or so later), the maternal antigens decline steadily.

During this time, Teacup Chihuahua Puppies cannot build up their own natural immunity because the passive immunity gets in the way. As the passive immunity gradually declines, the pup's immune system takes over. At this time, the pups should be given their first immunization shots so they can build up their own antibodies against them. However, there is no way to tell when passive immunity is gone. This is why pups should be given a shot every few weeks (2 - 3 weeks apart and a series of at LEAST three shots).

Picture a plot of antibody level versus time. Maternal antibody is steadily declining. You just don't know the rate. At some level, say X, protection from parvo is sufficient. Below X, protection may be less than effective against an infection. In general, vaccine antigen cannot stimulate the puppy's own immune system until the maternal antibody level is below X. Let's say it is .7*X. Here's the rub. The antibody level spends some time dropping from X to .7X. During this time, even if you vaccinated every day, you would (in this theoretical discussion) not be able to stimulate immunity. Yet you are below that level of maternal protection at which infection can be effectively fought off.

Thus the importance of giving several vaccinations at 2-4 week intervals until around 16-18 weeks. One maximizes the chance of catching the puppy's immune system as soon as it is ready to respond, minimizing the amount of time the puppy may be susceptible to infection.

IMPORTANT: The last shot should be given AFTER 16 weeks of age (4 months) to be SURE that dam's antibodies have not gotten in the way of the pup building up its own immunity (read the label of the vaccine!).

Up until 8 weeks or so, the shots should consist of Distemper, Measles, and CPI. After that, it should be DHLPP (Distemper, Hepatitis, Leptospirosis, Parainfluenza and Parvovirus). This is at minimum: you may need to add other vaccinations appropriate to your area, such as Lyme, Heartworm (actually a preventive medicine), Rabies (most places), and so on.

You should keep your puppy away from all strange dogs. If you know that a particular dog is current on its shots and not carrying disease, then go ahead and let your puppy socialize. The same holds true for people. Ask them to wash their hands before they play with your puppy. It can't hurt and it could save you a great deal of grief. As your puppy gets its shots, you can slowly add more and more exposure to its life. But keep in mind this is an infant and needs gentle care!

Because Chihuahuas are small dogs they make great apartment dogs, however they do not do well with small children.

Because of the Chihuahua delicate constitution, they are purely indoor dogs; prolonged exposure to the outside will make them ill.

Because these dogs are so tiny it is not wise to leave them outdoors unsupervised, these dogs can become prey to larger animals such as coyotes.

Did you know that Chihuahuas come in two different coats, the dominant smooth short coat and a long haired coat that can be flat or curly?

Did you know that a Chihuahua puppy by the name of Heart-Kun was born in Japan with the actual pattern of a heart on his coat? The little Chihuahua made television news and has captured the hearts of people worldwide.

Many Chihuahuas have difficulty in birthing because the puppies' heads are too large for the birth canal. Many Chihuahua dames need immediate caesarian delivery or even die from birthing (whelping).

The world's smallest police dog is a 7-pound Chihuahua, Rat Terrier mix called Midge. She is training as a drug sniffer police dog.

Even though Chihuahuas are tiny dogs they have no fear of larger animals. If not kept on a leash, they will run after them and attack. The problem is the tiny Chihuahua can get seriously hurt.

Did you know that Chihuahuas can be born with a molera, a soft spot on the skull, similar to the fontanel in human babies? The molera also hardens with age just like a human.

Chihuahuas are fragile dogs and can break their bones very easily. Even jumping from a chair can cause hip displacement. Chihuahuas often suffer from patellar luxation, knee displacement, ulcers on the eyes (corneal dystrophy), heart problems, liver shunts, hypoglycemia and other genetic disorders.

Some Chihuahuas can make amusing trilling sounds when they want to communicate with humans. Some people call it a cross between a bird and a squirrel sound.

• Schedule your Teacup Chihuahua Teacup Chihuahua Puppy's dinner times so that you will be available to let him out after eating.

• Avoid giving your Teacup Chihuahua Teacup Chihuahua Puppy a large meal just prior to confining him or he may have to go when you're not around to take him out. Schedule feeding two to three times daily on a consistent schedule.

• Have food available for only 30 to 40 minutes, then remove it.

• The last feeding of the day should be done several hours before he's confined for the night. By controlling the feeding schedule, exercise sessions, confinement periods and trips outdoors to the potty area, your Teacup Chihuahua Teacup Chihuahua Puppy will quickly develop a reliable schedule for pottying.

Crate Training
This is one of the best Teacup Chihuahua Teacup Chihuahua Puppy house training tips we have to offer. Training a Teacup Chihuahua Teacup Chihuahua Puppy to be comfortable in a crate is a good way to keep him safe and confined during housetraining. Most Teacup Chihuahua Puppies will quickly accept crate confinement when you make the introduction fun. Since it's important to associate favorable things with the area where your Teacup Chihuahua Teacup Chihuahua Puppy is confined, it is a good idea to play with him there, or simply spend some time reading or watching television nearby as he relaxes with a favorite chew toy. If he is only in the area when you leave, it becomes a social isolation area that he eventually may resist entering.

A good time to start crate training is at dinnertime. Feed your Teacup Chihuahua Puppy his dinner, one piece at a time, by tossing pieces of kibble into the crate for him to chase and eat. This way, you can make a game out of training.

When you pick up his toys, store them in the crate so he will enter on his own to play. You may even want to occasionally hide a biscuit in the crate as a nice surprise.

You should not use the crate for periods that exceed the length of time the pet can actually control the urge to urinate or defecate. If you are gone for long periods each day, you will need to provide a larger confinement area. You may want to consider using an exercise pen or small room.

Provide an area large enough so that if your Teacup Chihuahua Teacup Chihuahua Puppy has to potty when you are gone, he can do it in a space that is separate from his sleeping area. A 15- to 30-square foot area is adequate for most Teacup Chihuahua Puppies. If he chooses a specific place to eliminate, cover it with paper to make cleanup easier.



Expect Some Mistakes
Left on his own, the untrained Teacup Chihuahua Teacup Chihuahua Puppy is very likely to make a mistake. Close supervision is a very important part of training. Do not consider your Teacup Chihuahua Teacup Chihuahua Puppy housetrained until he has gone at least four consecutive weeks without pottying in the house. For older Teacup Chihuahua Teacup Chihuahua Puppies, this period should be even longer. Until then:

• Your Teacup Chihuahua Teacup Chihuahua Puppy should constantly be in your sight.

• Baby gates can be helpful to control movement throughout the house and to aid supervision.

• Keep them in the crate when unsupervised.

When you're away from home, sleeping or if you're just too busy to closely monitor your pet's activities, confine him to a small, safe area in the home.



Nervous Wetting
If your Teacup Chihuahua Teacup Chihuahua Puppy squats and urinates when he greets you, he may have a problem called submissive urination. Teacup Chihuahua Teacup Chihuahua Puppiess and Teacup Chihuahua Puppies that urinate during greetings are very sensitive and should never be scolded when they do this, since punishment inevitably makes the problem worse.

Most young Teacup Chihuahua Puppies will grow out of this behavior if you are calm, quiet and avoid reaching toward the head during greetings. Another helpful approach is to calmly ask your Teacup Chihuahua Teacup Chihuahua Puppies to sit for a very tasty treat each time someone greets him.



Direct Him Away from Problem Areas
Urine and fecal odor should be thoroughly removed to keep your Teacup Chihuahua Teacup Chihuahua Puppies from returning to areas of the home where he made a mess.

• Be sure to use a good commercial product made specifically to clean up Teacup Chihuahua Teacup Chihuahua Puppiesgy odors. Follow the manufacturer's recommendations for usage.

• If a carpeted area has been soaked with urine, be sure to saturate it with the cleaning product and not merely spray the surface.

• Rooms in the home where your Teacup Chihuahua Teacup Chihuahua Puppies has had frequent mistakes should be closed off for several months.

• He should only be allowed to enter when accompanied by a family member.

Don't Make Things Worse
It is a rare Teacup Chihuahua Teacup Chihuahua Puppies or Teacup Chihuahua Teacup Chihuahua Puppy that can be housetrained without making an occasional mess, so you need to be ready to handle the inevitable problems.

• Do not rely on harsh punishment to correct mistakes. This approach usually does not work, and may actually delay training.

• An appropriate correction consists of simply providing a moderate, startling distraction. You should only do this when you see your Teacup Chihuahua Teacup Chihuahua Puppies in the act of pottying in the wrong place.

• A sharp noise, such as a loud "No" or a quick stomp on the floor, is all that is usually needed to stop the behavior. Don't be too loud or your pet may learn to avoid going in front of you, even outdoors.