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, any change in our routines. 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.
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I was chosen one of the 20 finalists in the TrainPetDog blog contest. Alas, I did not win first place. Nevertheless, I get to give away free 10-year memberships to the Elite Dog Owner’s Club to 10 lucky readers.
The Elite Dog Owner’s Club is a unique online club that helps members get access to exclusive videos, audio recordings, and articles on different aspects of dog training, and also features exclusive interviews with some of the most famous dog trainers in the world.
Membership to the Elite Dog Owner’s Club costs $37 per month. Therefore, a 10 year membership to the Elite Dog Owner’s Club would cost $4,440. But I get to give away 10 such memberships for free.
Such a deal. If you or someone you know would like one of these “free 10-year memberships” let me know and I will give your name and email address to TrainPetDog.
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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.
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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.
Lucy and her toy.
Chihuahuas, like most dogs, love to chew. It’s what we live for. Because we don’t have thumbs, it’s hard for us to use our “hands” to do things with, such as typing this blog, knitting or playing video games.
So most things are done using our mouths. As puppies it is the way we explore the world. We see, we grab, we taste and we chew. It is best to give your Chihuahua an appropriate toy or chewy substance. This helps relieve boredom and it’s fun.
But if you don’t give us a “dog-friendly” bone or stuffed squeaky toy, we will take what we can get. This includes every piece of paper, material, rug, wall, sock, shoe and most things non-editable.
Please make sure if you must leave your dog home alone that there is nothing he/she can get a hold of that may cause damage to their insides. I’m lucky. My daddy works from home and is almost always around. This makes it difficult to get away with things.
Here’s an excerpt from an article called Why Good Dogs Eat Bad Things… Should You Worry? by Dr. Jon at PetPlace.com:
Chewing on things is a normal part of “puppyhood”, and many times the things our dogs eat are not dangerous. Still, you can expect to see some vomiting and maybe even a little diarrhea when your dog eats something that is not “food”.
So, before you rush your pooch to the vet, check out this list of non-toxic items that dogs often eat.
If your dog eats any of the items on this list, you do NOT have to worry unless the object becomes lodged in the stomach or intestines, causing an obstruction.
Acrylic paint
Ballpoint pens
Bath oil
Bubble bath soaps
Candles
Chalk
Citronella candles
Cosmetics
Crayons
Deodorants
Elmer’s glue
Fabric softeners
Glow jewelry
Hair conditioner
Hand lotion
Incense
Indelible markers
Ink
Lipstick
Magic markers
Mineral oil
Modeling clay
Newspaper – (non-colored/black ink only)
Pencils (nontoxic since they are no longer made of lead)
Petroleum jelly
Play-Doh
Putty
Rubber cement
Shampoo
Shaving cream
Silica gel packets
Soap
Spackle
Suntan lotion
Superglue
Teething rings
Thermometers
Toothpaste
Water colors
If you have any doubt, always call your vet or local emergency clinic.
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Where is my dinner?!
Chihuahuas love to eat human food. It’s so much more desirable than dog food. But if you really want to cook your own dog food you must find a nutritionally sound recipe.
Don’t make the mistake my daddy did with his previous Chihuahua. He let her decide what to eat and she ended up eating nothing but VitaSnax and whatever meat daddy had for dinner. She got quite a variety but not the right nutrition. The result was the inability to digest protein leading to a protein deficiency as well as Inflammatory Bowel Disease. It wasn’t pretty.
Search online and you will find plenty of ways to prepare a proper meal for your dog (from wikiHow.com).
For another option to cook your own pet food check out balanceit.com. It’s run by a board certified veterinary nutritionist and was recommended by Dr. Michele Hoag DVM, Plaza Del Amo Animal Hospital, as seen in The Daily Breeze.
Just make sure you have the right amount of meats, grains, vegetables and healthy supplements.
But if all this is too much, you can always play it safe with a good, high quality, human grade dog food. I eat Merrick Turducken. It’s tasty and good for me. Plus daddy usually adds a few extra ingredients for flavor and variety, such as other dog food, treats, rice, vegetables and such.
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I exercise and eat right daily.
Do you wonder how much you should feed your little Chihuahua? If he/she is overweight, then you should be very concerned. Overweight dogs do not live as long as normal weight dogs. They need lots of exercise and the right kind of quality food.
The folks at TrainPetDog.com have developed a unique calorie calculator for dogs. Give it a try. (Caution, you will be given the opportunity to buy a Canine Cuisine ebook. If you do, I get a little commission.)
Cast your vote for AllMyChihuahuas and make Lucy happy.
Lucy the Chihuahua has 48 votes to date. Two more to go and she moves on to the next round. Time is running out. AllMyChihuahuas has been entered in the “TrainPetDog.com 2010 Dog Blog Award” Contest and she needs at least 2 more votes by the 20th of February to qualify for “Round 2″.
So I am asking all my friends and loyal readers to visit TrainPetDog.com and cast your vote for AllMyChihuahuas. Here is the unique Voting code:
WvG6E
All you have to do is copy and paste the code into the bright yellow box on the TrainPetDog.com home page. You will not be asked to sign up for anything. Only 1 vote allowed per IP address. Vote at home and have your office-mates vote at work.
Winning will help me increase my blog’s readership quite a bit. It will also allow me to give away some freebies from TrainPetDog.com. Here’s the details:
- “Each of the 20 finalists will get the chance to give away free 10-year memberships to our Elite Dog Owner’s Club to 10 readers that they select at their own discretion.
- The Elite Dog Owner’s Club is our unique online club that helps our members get access to exclusive videos, audio recordings, and articles on different aspects of dog training, and also features exclusive interviews with some of the most famous dog trainers in the world.
- Membership to the Elite Dog Owner’s Club costs $37 per month. Therefore, a 10 year membership to the Elite Dog Owner’s Club would cost $4,440. You get to give away 10 such memberships to your readers, making this prize worth $44,400.”
I appreciate you taking the time to do this for me.
Thanks in advance.
Lucy and her daddies.
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Waiting for my surgical tape to fall off.
This is not an easy thing to do. Trust me, I know. It’s very painful if you pull the tape off. Yikes! Since I just had knee surgery a week and a half ago, I consider myself a survivor and an expert.
According to WikiAnswers: “The easiest way is to soak the tape in water to release the adhesive in the tape. This may not work because the dog may not like to be in water. It is the best way that will not hurt the dog.”
I agree it may not work. Standing in a pool of water is not my idea of fun. I’d much rather lay in my bed under three blankies.
I’ll go with my vet’s idea. Leave it alone and it will come off eventually (even he didn’t want to pull my tape off).
Gradually my tape is peeling off. I help a little by licking at it. Once it’s gone I will feel like a new Chihuahua girl. I deserve a treat.
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Anticipating my medicine.
This actually applies to all dogs but since I am a Chihuahua I tend to be self-centered. Medicine is not tasty. Therefore, trying to give your Chi a pill is going to be a problem, unless, of course, your Chihuahua (or dog) loves pills.
So the trick is to hide the pill in something your pet loves. Here are some great ideas I recommend.
- Peanut Butter (just enough to disguise the pill, not half a jar)
- A piece of meat (chicken or turkey). Make sure the pill doesn’t fall out.
- Cheese. Not too much, just enough to hide the pill so it isn’t visible. If it’s too big your dog may decide to chew the cheese and potentially spit out the pill.
- Mashed potatoes (or a bit of unmashed potato). Make sure it’s cooked.
- Canned dog food. If your dog is picky this might not work.
Liquid medicine is also a challenge. I absolutely hate having a dropper full of yucky medicine forced into my mouth. So I bite. Daddy tried gloves. I fought back. Two daddies tried holding me and opening my mouth at the same time. I won.
Then came a brilliant idea. Hide the liquid medicine in ice cream. Just a bit of lactose free vanilla. I loved this. Now I look forward to my medicine every day. Ice cream is probably not the best choice for your dog, but it works great. You might want to consider vanilla yogurt or natural apple sauce.
So don’t get stressed over giving your Chi medication. Make it a game of hide and go treat.
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