Two Chihuahuas and Friends

Carino and Pepito were at first overwhelmed by our backyard which I converted some years ago into a bird sanctuary rather than trying to sustain St.Augustine grass in the midst of the padding feet of two Labs and an Irish Setter.  We have many trees and perennials, most of them native plants. After short adventures into the backyard the two of them are now exploring all over —investigating leaves, rocks,  bugs as well as chasing each other.  We have a privacy fence, and before they arrived, my son and I checked every inch of the perimeter for security.  I keep an eye on them, nonetheless. They always stay close to me and kept me company as I raked leaves this morning.  They were worn out when we came into the house and were quite content to settle down for some snuggling time with me while I perused my emails.  

Carino weighed in at 4.7 pounds today, and Pepito weighed in at 3.4 pounds.  The two brothers could hardly look more different except that they are both rare blue in color.  Carino is rangy and tall with long, lanky legs. His ears stand up tall.  Pepito is petite with soft curves, short legs, and floppy ears that blow around in the hot summer breeze when we go outside. He may be tiny, but he is feisty and often instigates wrestling matches with Carino. They both love snuggling with me and with each other.

Housetraining  is going slowly, but it is progressing.  My husband, daughter, and I are all vigilant when they have free time and try to catch them in the act or preferably when they start sniffing and circling. We rush them outside—always to the same spot— or to one of the three indoor potty patches.  This does not seem to confuse them because we alternate spots often.  I want to be prepared for inclement weather episodes so we don’t make sudden changes. There have been fewer and fewer “accidents.”  YES, Chihuahuas CAN be housetrained!

”We’re not too sure about this place.  What does booster shots mean, anyway.”

Our Dr. Ashley Stricklin of Kerrville Veterinary Clinic (https://kerrvillevetclinic.com) advised me last weekend that boys are much hard to housetrain than girls. I don’t know why that is.  No matter the gender of the puppy, or the breed for that matter, the keys really are vigilance, persistence, consistency.

Dr. Stricklin advised me also that the boys now were old enough at three months and had enough weight to begin having meals three times a day rather than being free-fed.   Our schedule has evolved, but it looks something like this: 7:00 out of their little house and out to pee and poop, 7:30 breakfast of kibbles, 8:00 food taken up and out again,  8:30 free run of the house to cavort,  9:00 nap time and snuggle with me while I read,  10:00 practice obedience skills, 11:00 out again and then into big playpen while I get ready, 11:30 lunch of kibbles, noon out again, 1:00 off to yoga class with me.  They have a car seat but are still so small that they jump out, tethers and all, so we are improvising for the moment.  

I take them out before and after a yoga class, and they very sweetly sleep through class for their afternoon nap time.  People are always commenting on how quiet they are.  I attribute that to intensive socializing we have been doing.  They like everybody!  On days when I am home in the afternoon, we enjoy nap time snuggled up on the bed.  The schedule does vary somewhat on some days depending on my yoga class schedule.  At one of the studios where I teach the owner has instructed me not to bring them any more, never mind that they stay tethered in their stroller and absolutely quiet the entire time.  She said some people might be allergic to or afraid of dogs.  Oh, well, it’s her house—her rules.  It’s sad, though, because my students love them.  They have dinner between 5:30 and 6:00, then outside to take care of business matters, then back inside for play.  Evenings are my quilting time, and they curl up on a blanket by my feet with no urging from me.  I wrap one of my old sweaters around them.  They just can’t seem to be very far from me, and I love it that way. 

Obedience training has focused on the sit command and leash training.  Smidgens of peanut butter on my index finger have been my best tool so far.  They still are not crazy about the leash but have stopped acting like bucking broncos! We may do another week of sit before I move on to the down command.  Sessions are short because their attention spans are as tiny as they are.

All in all, they are quite delightful and keep us laughing every day.  We love them so much.  Getting the two of them was the right decision.

“Hey, bro, let’s use Mackey for a conference table.  He doesn’t seem to mind.”

The conventional wisdom seems to be that Chihuahuas should not be in homes with big dogs.  Like most generalizations, that edict should come with the “It depends” disclaimer.  What type of breed is the big dog?  What is his/her temperament?  What is his/her age? What is the plan for introducing the newcomer?  So far our two male Labs, ages 8 and 10, have done well with Carino and Pepito although we continue to monitor their interactions.  I especially do not allow the little guys around when the big guys are eating. My family members and I also make sure to give the big guys lots of attention so that they don’t feel their positions have been usurped.

Carino and Pepito continue to grow although Pepito at 2.9 pounds is growing at a slower rate than  Carino, who weighs 4 pounds.  Pepito can be frisky but tends more to live in Carino’s shadow.  They love to meet new people and have been the subject of many photos. They are shown here today on my mat and prayer cushion waiting for Yoga students to start filing in to play with them before class starts and they get relegated to their stroller.

Housetraining  is an ongoing challenge and is requiring me to rethink my former strategies with big dogs. I do not believe Chihuahuas are untrainable; there are only owners unwilling to put in the time to be consistent and persistent.  If an owner is working full time, I can this would be challenging but not impossible. I am fortunate in being able to take them wherever I go, even out of town to teach Yoga classes.

My current  plan consists of taking Pepito and Carino outside every two hours or as close to that as I can manage.  I have been conflicted about allowing them to free time to run and play in the house.  They seem to have so much  fun, but the minute I get distracted, one or both invariably pees or poops on the floor somewhere. New plan includes restricting free time to 10 minutes at a time twice a day and staying with them every minute—although that can be difficult with two to watch.  Other times are spent in their “house” or their large playpen with their squeaky toys. It sits next to my sewing machine so they can watch me when I am working. The playpen is 2 feet wide x 4 feet long with high cloth and mesh sides, so they have plenty of room for playing, sleeping, eating, and drinking. I am also keeping the bedroom door closed during their free times to prevent their absconding under the bed.  They do have a couple of potty patches with plastic grass in the house because I thought perhaps they need to be aware of these in case of inclement weather.  I don’t know if this is a good idea or one which confuses them.

So far coming when called is a work in progress. Pepito is the more reluctant of the two, but he loves peanut butter and will often come closer if I have a little dab on my index finger. Carino is more assertive. Both show some rudiments of understanding the “Sit!” command, but we have along way to go.  Leash training has not been successful at all, but again it is a work in progress.

 

 

Carino (right) and Pepito (left) continue to grow and develop.  Their personalities as well as appearances are very different.  Carino has a streamlined body with long, lanky legs that propel him into jumping and whirling in a quite hilarious fashion. He is the more aggressive of the two and often has to be cautioned when romping with his sibling.  He now weighs 3.7 pounds.

Carino’s ears occasionally stand upright so he must be very close to having them stand up all the time.

Pepito remains a tiny 2.5 pounds but is nevertheless quite an independent and even stubborn spirit, preferring to dodge away rather than be picked up.  However, once corralled, he is quite disposed to cuddle up with me for an afternoon nap. He is the “Dora the Explorer “ type and likes to check out all the corners of the house, unfortunately leaving calling cards at times.

Housetraining has its ups and downs, mostly downs today, and I spent a lot of time armed with paper towels and spray.  They will attend to business outside, but admittedly, I sometimes get distracted and forget the every-two-hours rule. Patience is the word of the day.

They continue to go to all my yoga classes with me, much to the delight of my students who play with prior to the start of class.  They also love to watch patrons if Tea2Go through the mesh windows of their stroller.

Today Carino and Pepito met their godmother Sara Owen for the first time.  She immediately fell in love with them, and it was obvious the feeling was mutual.

For some reason Carino’s ear stood erect for the first time while asleep on Sara’s lap.  This is not supposed to happen for another month—a good  omen, no doubt.  It reverted soon to its floppiness, of course.

I feel a sense of comfort in knowing that Sara will always be there for them, no matter what the future may bring for me and my family.  It has always deeply saddened me when I read that an animal has been surrendered to Animal Services (AKA “the pound”) and likely to be euthanized because an owner, often elderly,  has passed away and no one is willing or able to care for the animal.  Then a lovely animal, perhaps in his/her later years, finds himself/herself in a cage with a concrete floor—alone, afraid, uncomprehending, and innocent of any wrongdoing.  This is just wrong on so many levels.  It is incumbent on pet parents, just as it is for human parents, to plan responsibly for those who depend on them.

 

Socialization is so critical to the development of a healthy and stable personality, especially in toy breeds who without proper socialization can become rather unpleasant as adults. The window for socialization is very small, so I try to take Carino and Pepito to as many different places as possible. They visited one of our local tea shops Tea2Go last Saturday and today.  They met staff members who brought them water on this hot 97 degree day.  Other customers came by and greeted them as well, and they basked in the attention.

This evening Pepito and Carino attended my 4:30 Yoga class where they happily met my students, then slept quietly during the class.  They woke up to greet the teacher and students of the class following mine, and they contentedly enjoyed being petted and held.  They charm everyone they meet!

Carino and Pepito came home and bravely met their new family of fellow furples.  Mackey the Chocolate Lab greeted Carino in the time-honored tradition of dogdom. 

The boys had what must have been a big day for them as they were introduced to outdoor potty-land, new environment, new faces, new toys.

However, they quickly settled into their “house, “ and they snuggled into the puppy pouch where they took frequent naps as well as nap on the bed with me.  There were only two accidents today, and that was a good start.  I took them outside quickly, saying, “Outside!” and encouraged them with “Go potty-potty!”

All in all, it was an auspicious beginning to this chapter of their lives—and ours.

On Wednesday Pepito and Carino took a big step in their development with their first trip to Town and Country Veterinary Clinic since their birth.  It was time for vaccinations!  However, they were less than impressed by the visit.

CARIÑO and PEPITO  are now seven weeks old, and how they have grown!  Tiny Pepito is so small as almost to merit the designation of teacup Chihuahua–although in reality no such breed type actually exists.  They are simply smaller puppies.  They will be joining a busy household with three adults, two Labradors, and five cats.  This, of course, breaks all the rules that Chihuahuas should not be with bigger dogs, not to mention cats.  Dog trainers also are fairly adamant about not bringing home littermates.  Well, I have always been a bit of a rebel, and this will be just another challenge.  These tiny ones will be watched over and protected members of the family but also grow up in the spirit of awareness that they are, after all, dogs, albeit a miniature version.