Crate Training and Feeding a baby Chihuahua?

Hey all!

I have had cats for a long time but recently decided that I wanted a little
Chihuahua. This is the first dog I have ever owned. He is AKC certified
and just over 10 weeks old now and he seems extremely smart. When I got him
he was 8 weeks old. So I have quite a few questions and have no idea if I'm

Janet B...

Just a point of clarification - AKC doesn't certify anything. They
are a registry. Did you get your puppy from a breeder or a pet shop?

doing things right or not. Most of what I do I have gotten from reseraching
online.

Janet B...

Probably not from a breeder then. One of the many, many benefits of
buying from a responsible breeder, is the guidance they give new puppy
owners.

Cameron...

I put that in there so that everyone would know I had a full Chihuahua and
not some half chi half pug or other type of dog that might have special
needs. I purchased him from a Chihuahua breeder that breeds nice dogs but
is more of a puppy farm than a nice breeder. Most of her instructions for
me seemed neglegent and mean and I felt like I should liberate her 50+
Chihuahuas that she had living outside in cages.

Janet B...

egads - how awful. She's obviously not looking out for the best
interest of the breed or her dogs.

I guess my first two biggest questions/problems are with feeding and crate
training.

Crate training:
I have a small crate that is big enough for him to get up and move around
but small enough that if he craps he will be sitting 5 inches from it. I

Rocky...

The crate size is good - big enough to turn around and sleep in.
That he's avoiding his poo in the crate is good. That he's
pooing in his crate means poor preparation or supervision on
your part.

put him in it when I go to work. He crys and crys anytime that I am in the

Rocky...

Has he eliminated before you crate him? My latest puppy
experience is a 14 (now 16) week old Coonhound/Boxer who's been
here for two weeks. He *needs* to poo about two hours after
each meal and he eats 3 times a day.

Cameron...

For the events before the pooping in the crate. I had taken him out and he
pooped and peed before bed time. He slept all night and I took him out
again to poop and pee about 6:30am. Got up at 8:30 and let him go again,
but he only peed. Put ihm in the crate with his food and water. He ate the
food, splashed all the water out, and pooped.

Rocky...

This is my experience with puppies also. Again, water in the
crate should not be required.

AnimalBehaviorForensicSciencesResearchLaboratory...

That so? Would ANY veterinarian agree to THAT, matty?

From: Rocky - view profile
Date: Fri, Apr 14 2006 11:22 pm
Email: Rocky <2...@rocky-dog.com>

"Cameron" said in rec.pets.dogs.behavior:

Samson (who's going home tomorrow after two weeks here) is
reliable in the house at night but needs supervision during the
day.

Sam needs 2 poops in the morning before I let him have run of my
house.

Alison...

Can someone ask Matt to clarify how long a puppy can be left with no
water.
To the OP, the temperature will make a difference as to the length of
time you deny access to water. In hot weather, any animal should have free
access to water. Some people use water bottles you attach to the cage,
rather like the ones used for rabbits, to stop spillage.

Cameron...

I was actually looking at one of those types of water dispensers last night
in the pet store. I think I'll get one and attach it to the side to see if
he likes it.

Alison

house if he is in there. However he never goes potty in there except in

Rocky...

Is this part of acclimating him to his crate? What do you do
when he cries?

Cameron...

Yes, this is trying to get him acclimated to the crate. When he is in the
crate and he cries I do nothing. If I go to the cage and try to talk to him
he goes even more crazy.

Janet B...

Even over night? I'm of the opinion that puppies should have free
roam - closely supervised, with the crate being used when you aren't
home or can't supervise for some reason (sleep, bathing, etc).

Cameron...

I only made him sleep in the crate the first few nights to make sure he
could hold it. Once I saw that I have been letting him sleep in the bed
with me. He is much happier there.

Janet B...

If it's working for you, great! And he'll always fit!

extreme circumstances that I'll get to in a minute. My question for crate

Rocky...

I read ahead, but didn't see a qualification of "extreme
circumstances." If you mean diarrhea, of course, illness
happens. If you mean that he needs to poo after a few hours,
well, that came with the dog and needs to accommodated and
planned for.

Cameron...

By extreme circumstances I was referring to the above where he splashed all
the water out and was howling for me and pooped in the crate. Doesnt seem
extreme to me, but it must have been for him.

training, is how long does it take for him to sit in the crate and be quiet?

Rocky...

Depends on the dog and how secure he feels in his environment.
What do you do when he's not quiet? What do you do when he is
quiet?

Cameron...

I do nothing when he is quiet and nothing when he is not quiet. If I go to
the cage when he is quiet he wont be quiet anymore.

Rocky...

Heh - long term gain for short term pain. When he's quiet in
his crate you should be opening the door. He can come out when
he wants.

Janet B...

Where is the crate at bedtime? That's an ideal time to acclimate him
to being calm in the crate.

Feeding:
First I will say that I feed him at 8:30am before work and at 6-7pm when I

Rocky...

FWIW, such a small and young dog should be fed 3 (and probably
4) times a day.

get home. I put the food water in front of him and give him about 15

Janet B...

You have a very tiny breed. He not only cannot be crated for that
long without a break to eliminate, he needs to be fed more frequently.
4x a day at this point.

Cameron...

Feeding him twice a day was what the puppy breeder told me to do. Could
have been crappy advise. What times of the day would you sugguest for

Janet B...

It was.

multiple feedings? I am gone to work from 9-5, so one feeding is before I
leave and one is as soon as I get home. I cant come home every day for
lunch, but I can about 3 days of the week. I would hate for him to get used

Janet B...

That's grossly unfair. Can you hire someone? Tiny breeds can have
low blood sugar issues as well as every puppy should be fed more
frequently. As Matt said, free feeding, although not usually
recommended, may be something to think about. Or a timed feeder.

to eating 3 of the days and not get it the other 2 days. I also dont want
to feed him without hours of going to bed so he wont have to poop it out at
3am.

Janet B...

For 4x, I've done (roughly) 6, 10, 2, and 5. This would be a reason
to litter train him as well.

minutes to eat. After that he doesnt get anything else. I also give him

Rocky...

I'm not a big believer in free freeding, but your 10 week old
puppy was recently weaned and may not ready for such a feeding
regimen. I'd leave his food out to nibble on. Or, if you don't
want to free feed, do what you're doing, but at least 4 times a
day - not two.

some additional water around 10pm. At first I would feed him and sit there

Rocky...

No water restrictions, ever, in my opinion, unless there's some
overriding medical reason. Even if they pee on the floor.
Restricting water is not a substitute for proper supervision.

Janet B...

I never restrict water unless the puppy is crated.

Cameron...

Again was the breeders advise, and I also thought it was rough. I will try
giving him access to water more throughout the day and hopefully he doesn't
pee all over the place.

Janet B...

I give free water when I'm home, and once mature and housetrained,
when I'm not home as well.

by him while he eats. That got old quick so I would put his food down and
walk away. When I would do this he would whine for me and would not eat.
So I decided that I probably need to put him in his crate and make him eat
in there.

TOTE...

Chihuahuas are prone to hypoglycemia. At this age he needs to be fed at
least 4 times a day. If you aren't home then you need to have someone
come in, or you need to day board him, or you need to leave food for him.
Staying with two times a day at this age could risk his health, even his
life.

Rocky...

There's nothing wrong with feeding a dog in his crate. I do
that when friends' dogs stay here.

3 feedings ago, I put him in the crate with his food and water for the first
time. He splashed all the water out, whined, ate no food.
2 feedings ago, he splashed all water out, whined, ate no food.
Last feeding, splashed all water out, whined, crapped in the cage.

Rocky...

He was bored or not hungry and probably wanted to crap in a more
appropriate place.

What is the proper technique for getting him to eat without me standing over
him. Should I not put the water in his crate and only put his food in?

Rocky...

You can continue to feed him in the crate, but I wouldn't put
water in there (that implies the crate is his main living
quarters). That said, he should only be in his crate for very
limited times and should have an unlimited water dish.

Janet B...

Just stay near him. Dogs are social eaters.

Those were my main two problems, but I also have other questions about
stuff.

Going outside to potty versus pee pad:
I take him outside numerous times during the day. He has pee'd on the floor

Janet B...

When you're at work? I'm confused.

Cameron...

7am, 8:45am, if i come home for lunch somewhere between 12-1pm, 6pm, 8pm
etc.

Janet B...

that's not very numerous for a toy breed young puppy. my adult dogs
go out more frequently. Something that is ideally considered before
getting a puppy, but....... There are many petsitting services
available, you may want to look into them.

a few times but never took a poop. It would be great if he would use a pee
pad inside if he had to go. However, I am unsure how to train him to use
the pee pad without confusing him about going outside.

Rocky...

IMO, you answered your own question. I also think that pee pads
send out confusing signals. Outside is best.

Janet B...

You've got that right! It IS confusing, which is why it's ideal to
teach him that outside is the way to go. Some toy breed owners litter
train their pups, but that's a personal decision.

Leash training:
I have a tiny harness that I put on him and a leash. I put this on him
almost every time I take him outside. He scratches at it some and bites at
the leash. I will follow him around or sometimes I just set the leash down
and let him run free with it still attached. He wont follow me anywhere.
How do I get him to start following me?

Rocky...

He'll come around. Letting him drag the leash is a good idea.
You can do this inside while enticing and rewarding him with his
favourite treats, eventually picking up the leash. Both dogs
I've had as puppies didn't take to a leash right away.

Janet B...

Keep doing what you're doing, leave the leash on indoors
(supervised). he'll get used to it.

Not leaving him in the crate all day:
The next thing I would like to do is to put the dogs crate in my landry room
and let him out of it while I'm at work. It has hardwood floors and is
about the size of a cube at your office. Then he could play around during
the day instead of being cooped up. My only concern is getting him to use a
pee pad in the room instead of just going on the floor. Does that sound
like a good idea or a terrible one? The end goal will be to give him free

Rocky...

Half way between the two. Obviously, the first choice would be
to not leave him, but this is the real world. Can you get home
at lunch? Or is there a student or retired person who could
give him some outside play time during the middle of the day?
As part of my dog daycare, I helped raise and train a whole lot
of puppies.

Cameron...

3 or 4 days out of the week I am at home for lunch either for an hour or for
15 minutse to let him potty and run around in the yard. I have no one that
could take him out on the other days.

Rocky...

It's great that you can get home most of the week. At this
point, though, I agree with your thought of pee pad training.
We're not talking a lot of volume, eh?

One downside - this could cause problems if you travel with
him. You'll have to make sure that you train him to the pad and
not the spot on which the pad is placed. Outside really is
easier.

And, as we agreed above, pee pads send confusing messages to a
dog where the ultimate goal is house training.

roam of a couple rooms (with baby gates blocking some paths) while I'm not
at home.

Rocky...

That's a good intermediate goal. There's no reason why he
shouldn't have total freedom of your house once he's past the
chewing stage and feels secure in his freedom.

Cameron...

The reason for limiting him to free roam of the house is I can limit him to
several room that are all tiled or hardwood floors rather than carpet. I
also do not want him to eat the cat food, and this will keep him from
getting to the cat food.

When he is older will he be able to drink from the water bowl at his own
free will and make it 3-4 hours before having to go pee?

AnimalBehaviorForensicSciencesResearchLaboratory...

Water should always be available.

Rocky...

Water should always be available.

Thanks again!