There's always time for a nap.

People Sometimes Have to Work

Unfortunately it’s almost impossible to spend 24 hours a day with your dog. People tend to have to work during the day in order to support their dog’s many needs. People also do errands and go out for entertainment purposes without their canine companions. Shocking, I know.

In truth, we dogs occasionally like having a little time to ourselves. It gives us a chance to catch up on naps and play with our toys without constantly having to entertain our human caretakers.

Do You Suffer from Separation Anxiety?

I know my daddy has separation anxiety when he has to leave me alone. We’re both lucky in that he works at home and so he almost never leaves. Help.

Actually I do like having him there. But I save my energy for when my other daddy comes home from work. Then I have three or four hours of fetch to contend with.

Even Chihuahuas Need Some Alone Time

Most dogs get to nap all day long. I have to go on three long walks every day. I show my displeasure by dragging my little feet. I secretly smile when I see my daddy’s frustration with me. Occasionally he’ll pick me up for part of the walk.

But hey, I don’t put a harness on him and pull him from a comfy bed to go out and walk. They made indoor piddle pads for a reason.

Alleviate Boredom for Your Lonely Chihuahua

If you do have to leave your little dog at home alone, make sure they have plenty of toys and chewies to play with so they are not bored. Keep the TV remote accessible (kidding). Don’t forget water. A few snacks would be nice too.

If your dog is anxious and destructive or barks continually, you may want to invest in a dog walker to help with the boredom. You could take your Chihuahua to day care, but I for one would hate that. I prefer my home environment.

For additional helpful information read Reducing Separation Anxiety in Your Chihuahua from Dummies.com

I'm ready to play, after my nap.

I enjoy sleeping. It’s fun, relaxing and gives me energy to play with my Daddies all evening long. I have many places to sleep so I can pick and choose the best options. There’s my regular, sturdy bed next to the living room floor heater that’s ideal in winter. It has two blankies over the top of the bed so I can easily run under the covers if ever I need a quick nap and wish to hide.

I also have a portable bed that is next to my daddy in his office where he works during the day. It has a little pillow and a comfy blankie. This is the same bed that magically appears beside my daddies bed at night. I prefer to sleep in my own bed at night because I don’t want to be disturbed by my daddies. Also, their bed is so high I might hurt myself if I decide to jump off and use the restroom (piddle pads).

Generally a Chihuahua sleeps 12 – 14 hours a day. Some sleep up to 18 hours a day. There’s light sleep and there’s REM (Rapid Eye Movement) deep sleep. We wake often to make sure our environment is kept safe and secure.

I would sleep longer during the day but my daddy wakes me for several long walks. I don’t believe in exercise but my daddy does. What can you do.

Here’s more information on the Behavior and Temperament of Chihuahuas from PetChiDog.

Just last night I was having a good time. I had a nice walk. Ate my dinner and was playing catch with my stuffed racoon and my two daddies. When I tore the foot partly off my racoon my daddy took it away before I had a chance to eat the tempting stuffing. I waited patiently while my daddy sewed my racoon’s foot back on and we played some more. Both daddies were on the floor so I had all the attention I could want. Except for that distracting television on the wall, of course.

I even enjoyed a crumb or two that fell on the floor from a cookie. Then I freaked. Eventually I ended up on my daddy’s lap under a blankie, shivering. This is so not like me. Usually nighttime is play time until I wear my daddies out.

From there I went to my other daddy on the couch and perched myself on his neck while leaning against the sofa back. I could not find a good place to rest. I did not want any snacks. I ignored the chex-mix my daddy was eating and eventually ran into my bed and hid under my blankies. In the middle of the night I went into the bedroom and hid under the blankies in my other bed.

Come morning I was back to normal as if nothing had happened. There was no barfing, no diarrhea, no loud noises, no earthquake, no explanation. I did get lots of worried attention, though. Not much helpful info online.

Has this ever happened to you, or your Chihuahua?

Sniffing is serious business.

Do you feel like your dog is an anchor when you take them on a walk? Just think how you would feel if someone put a collar around your neck and dragged you outside. Sometimes we really want to go out and sometimes a nice warm bed seems much nicer.

Once we are outside we do enjoy sniffing stuff. And occasionally we feel the urge to taste and/or eat stuff. Some of this stuff may not be appealing to you but that’s because you’re uninformed of the quality, texture, taste and most importantly smell of the stuff.

“The percentage of the dog’s brain that is devoted to analyzing smells is actually 40 times larger than that of a human! It’s been estimated that dogs can identify smells somewhere between 1,000 to 10,000 times better than nasally challenged humans can.” Read more at Understanding a Dog’s Sense of Smell from Dummies.com.

In addition, “…a dog has a phenomenal olfactory memory. A dog can remember smells long after being exposed to the original odor. Not only can your dog recognize that a certain neighborhood cat passed by the day before, he can even tell what that cat had for dinner!” Read more at Dog Sense of Smell from Dog.com.

Thus, when you take us dogs for a walk you may be thinking a bathroom walk or an exercise walk. But we’re thinking this is serious business. We must sniff and catalog everything we pass. And then store it in our brains for later retrieval. Think of your dog as a living computer. Treat your iDog with respect and don’t pull us when we’re working.

That bone is mine! Let me at it.

Hard as it is to believe, your Chihuahua is a dog and dogs love bones. They smell good and we absolutely love to chew them.

I seem to be finding bones wherever I walk lately. Are people throwing their chicken bones out the window?

My daddy won’t let me keep the bones I find and I let him know that I am not happy with him stealing my bones from me. He says genuine animal bones can be dangerous. They chip and can damage your dog’s interior organs. They can also harm your dog’s digestive track.

Sounds dreadful. But still I can’t resist. That’s why daddy recommends a safe rawhide or nylon bone instead. Not as good, but better than nothing, I guess.

The morale of this story is think twice before giving or allowing your dog to have a bone. Read “Bone Fragments Cause Canine Gastrointestinal Problems” by Joy Butler to get the real scoop.

I won't go. You can't make me!

A Well Behaved Chihuahua Should Walk At Your Side

How do you get your little Chihuahua to walk nicely with you? In my case, you don’t. I’m in control most of the time and I know it.

The trick is to not let your dog be in control. If your dog knows it can get away with being stubborn it will. With one daddy I usually win. He’s a pushover. The other daddy will not give in to my stubbornness so I relent and walk nicely. Sort of.

At the beginning of each walk I get excited to go and explore. This lasts about one or two houses. Then I want to take my time and sniff everything. And if I find a treat, so much the better.

But daddy wants to exercise. He wants me to move and I don’t. Unless, of course, I see another dog, a squirrel, a cat, a kid on a skateboard, a garbage truck or any other object of particular interest.

At a certain point on my one to two mile hike I realize we’re going home, finally. So I take the lead and pull. Unless I find a really good smell or the wind blows a leaf my way.

If I protest long enough my easy daddy gets frustrated and “air-lifts” me for a while. It’s certainly a quicker way to get where we’re going.

Personally I don’t see the point in all these walks. True, I get to meet new friends and find treats. I catalog new smells and mark my territory. Occasionally I leave a gift which daddy insists on bringing home. These are all important jobs.

But in the end we get home and I’m exhausted and need to take a nap. Maybe that’s what daddy had in mind all along.

Helpful tips:

• Try coaxing your little dog with praise and words like “Let’s Go”
• When/if your dog walks nicely give a little treat. Not too much, you don’t want to overfeed them.
• If your dog refuses to budge, try waiting them out. If they move toward you, reward and praise.
• Use a harness on your Chihuahua. A collar can hurt their little throats.
• Try not to drag your dog. It could hurt their feet and looks really bad.
• If all else fails, pick up your Chi and carry them a bit. Then put them back on the ground and see if they get the hint (probably not a good training tip).
• If your Chi pulls you, be grateful they are finally moving. Try walking faster to keep up. (This is probably not a good tip either.)

Checking out hydrants relieves my stress.

Lots of things can stress your Chihuahua.

We take our cue from our human companions as well as the environment. We Chihuahuas are very intuitive and we know when something is up with our parents. Also stressful situations like thunderstorms, fireworks, sirens, strangers at the door, strange company, noisy children, people putting their hands in front of our faces, being left alone, arguing parents. Ay, the list goes on.

Because Chihuahuas tend to be nervous types, a little bit of stress can cause unwanted behavior. Don’t ask.

There’s a great article called “Our Stress, Depression, Joy…Can Dogs Tell” by Dr. Nicholas Dodman. Dogs really know when something is wrong and whether they should hide or attack. I have lots of hiding places and know just where to go where I can’t be caught.

Depending on our personality, we can either act out in an aggressive or annoying way or just take to our beds and nap. Nice soothing classical music helps us relax. Just make sure it’s not the 1812 Overture.

[Advertising Alert!]

Music My Pet is one of several CDs made especially to help your dog relax. It makes a perfect gift for that hyper dog, and their human caretakers.

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My daddy forget to take a picture of me bathing so this will have to do.

I disagree. I just had a bath today and it was certainly not fun. One daddy held me in the bathtub, which had a couple of inches of warm water in it, while my other daddy poured a bucket of warm water all over me. Then he rubbed me down with puppy shampoo from Target. He got into all my crevices and unmentionable places. Then he wiped me all over with a wash cloth.

The final step was a rinse or two with a bucket of warm water and then a romp around the bathroom while my two daddies dried me off with a huge towel. The final step was an application of Advantage Flea Medication and now I’m all set.

True I smell clean and pretty but I’m sure glad it’s over.

It is recommended that you bathe your Chihuahua monthly. And don’t get water in your Chihuahua’s ears as it could lead to an infection. A lot of Chihuahua’s ears stand up so this could be troublesome. Mine do not, most of the time. Guess I’m lucky, huh.

Ear infections are not fun. I understand the Chihuahua before me had a few infections and drops had to be put in her ears. Plus the drops had to be refrigerated. Can you image someone putting cold drops in your ears. This could cause grumpiness.

Check out Grooming Your Chihuahua 101 from Chihuahua Puppies Guide for more useful info.

Doing my part to keep the streets clean.

Spring is officially here. Can you believe it?! I’ve never seen snow but I have felt cold and wind and rain, even in Southern California. I still sleep under three blankies next to a floor heater. I like to be cozy.

But I digress. The subject is toxic plants. You should avoid eating them. I know I am guilty of eating lots of things I shouldn’t. I drive my daddy crazy as I constantly pick up things on my walks. Sometimes I just like to carry a leaf or a stick. But sometimes I smell a flower or catch a piece of a plant that’s blowing in the wind. Often I let go when daddy tries to retrieve my catch. But sometimes I don’t want to and choose to eat it instead.

So far I guess I’m lucky since I have not eating anything bad for me. Occasionally I do cough a bit, but that’s part of the experience of eating on the road.

Unfortunately some plants are toxic to dogs and for Chihuahuas a little bit of toxicity can go a long way to causing harm.

PetPlace.com has an interesting article called “Outdoor Spring Plants – Are They Toxic?“. You should check it out and be informed.

Here’s a list from the article of plants to avoid:

The springtime plants that can result in gastrointestinal upset in dogs and cats include:
Amaryllis
Ferns
Caladium
Calla lily
Hyacinth
Iris
Tulip

Plants that are considered very toxic and can result in severe illness or even death include:
Crocus
Azalea
Rhododendron
Tiger Lily
Easter Lily
Bittersweet
Clematis
Daffodil
Day lily
Foxglove
Lily of the Valley
Narcissus
Morning Glory
Death Camas

Make sure your daddy or mommy carries a plant identification book when you take a walk, so that when you absolutely have to eat a plant, you’ll know if you have to visit the emergency room.

Or else learn the commands “leave it” and “drop it”. I’m still working on that. So far, I’m winning.