Dogs and Apples

My chihuahua Shannon spent the second half of the summer munching on fallen apples in the backyard. She's like a squirrel, nibbles on one a bit and then goes looking for another one. And she was really helpful with the yard work, I would gather the apples into a bucket and she would pick them out. (see photo). It took me twice as long to gather the apples into the bucket but it was so funny watching her try to pick them out. Apples are actually a good treat to give your dog.

Shannon likes being in the backyard, I have to keep a careful eye on her because she always finds some spot in the fence to crawl through and ends up snooping in the neighbour's yard, but she returns when I call her. She's pretty good at coming when called, well sometimes I need to repeat myself but overall coming when called is not too bad. Small dogs such as chihuahuas shouldn't be left alone in the backyard, even if it's fenced in. Depending on where you live, they can become easy prey for birds such as hawks, and even a cat could pose a danger for a chihuahua.

Dog Training In Progress

Wow, time really flies by, Shannon is going to be 1 year old in a couple of months. She weighs about 4 lbs now but she's on the skinny side, I'd say she should probably weigh close to 5 lbs. I think that Chihuahuas reach their full growth by around 7 months so she's pretty much done growing. her favorite toy is the "sqeaky" (see photo), when I tell her to go get her sqeaky she searches the whole house and brings it to me.

Shannon now knows the basic commands such as sit, stay, lie down and come here. I'm working on increasing the amount of time she will stay. She also knows how to "dance" for a treat by standing up on her 2 back legs and twirling around a couple of times. Once puppies understand a command it's important to use it often to reinforce it. I find opportunites throughout the day for this. For instance if she wants to go outside, sometimes I tell her first to sit and stay and when I give the okay she come's out and this becomes her reward for obeying. Playing is also a good time for practicing commands, before your dog gets the toy have him do something for you such as lie down. Once he does what you say, reward him with play and the toy.

Guess that's it for now.

Small Dog Clothes For Chihuahuas

If you're having a tough time finding dog clothes that will fit your Chihuahua why not try making some yourself. It's really easy with the simple FREE pattern that the Circle of Crafters website offers. The pattern is resizeable so no matter what size your chi is, large or small, you're sure to be able to make a dog coat that will fit your poochie.

"Aw but I don't know how to sew" you're saying. Hey, if I was able to make it then you can too, just check out my puppy Little Shannon in the photo wearing the dog coat I made for her. It was really easy and fun. I used a fleece blanket to make it. Does she look cute in it or what. I can't wait for the weather to warm up a bit so I can take her outside in her new doggie outfit.

FREE Dog Clothes Pattern

A Day In The Life Of A Puppy

Little Shannon spends her days eating, sleeping and playing. She now responds to her name and knows how to sit, come here ( this command still needs some working ) and get her teddy bear when told.

She's getting a little better about being alone, for the first time she spent the whole night by herself, I hope there's more nights like this. Usually she sleeps crated in my mom's room. I use an overturned laundry basket as a crate but it only works for very small young puppies, older bigger pups are able to lift the bottom and get out from underneath, Shannon was able to get out twice, but for the most part it's working fine, she now sleeps quitely in it at night. This is the only time I use it, during the day she's confined to the kitchen.

Thumbs Up For Puppy Housebreaking

It's four weeks since my new puppy, Little Shannon, became part of our household. The housebreaking is going well, she knows that she's suppose to pee pee and poo poo on the newspaper so I'm very happy with that. Of course I still have to keep a close eye on her, she's 12 weeks old and still developing bladder control. But she rarely has an accident so I'm pleased, I know that housebreaking puppies can be one of the most frustrating things in training puppies.

We do however have a problem with her, she doesn't want to be alone. The first couple of weeks she would scream the moment I would leave the room. And I don't mean whining, whimpering or crying, but screaming at the top of her lungs. She has settled down somewhat, the screaming has fizzled into whining and sometimes she will even stay quite for a couple of hours when left alone so I guess that's a small improvement.

My New Puppy

This is my new Chihuahua puppy "Little Shannon". She bacame part of the household Friday Oct. 28. She's 8 weeks old, weighs 1 lb. and very cute (but I guess you can already tell by the picture). I'll be writing in this blog my experiences with training my new puppy and how she's coming along in her new home. You're welcome to comment with any tips, suggestions and critiques about what I'm doing wrong and what's the better way.

So far Little Shannon knows that the newspaper is where she's to go pee-pee, she will go on the paper by herself and if I place her on the paper and say "go pee-pee" she seems to understand. But going poo-poo is something she still needs to learn. I'm keeping her on a feeding schedule and trying to keep her routine the same so that the housebreaking will go more easily.

That's all for now, I hope to be posting more on puppy's progress and antics but she is keeping me so busy I don't how I'll get the time, she already knows how to run up the stairs which scares me, I keep thinking she might fall down or fall through the railing.