A Comfortable Dog Bed for Your Chihuahua

Photo Credit: DanCentury

Your favorite canine pooch would more than likely welcome a comfortable and cozy dog bed. Usually dog owners select a good dog bed, along with a new collar, leash, healthy dog food and water dishes for their new puppy. 

You may want to consider your dog's personality, lifestyle and age when selecting a style to match your dog's needs. Your Chihuahua may be so happy to have his own special sleeping space, so he can routinely get a good night's sleep.

You may wish to read Why Every Dog Needs a Bed: "Dog beds provide both physical and emotional comfort. HOW TO PICK THE RIGHT ONE".

Dog beds can also be very beneficial for dog owners. Once your dog gets accustomed to using his own bed, he might not be so likely to jump up on your bed or couch at night.

This may possibly help to prevent injuries by keeping your dog from jumping up and down on your furniture. Having a dog bed located in one specific area in your home may also help in controlling the spread of dog hair and dander.

Sometimes dog owners may even choose to have a couple of dog beds for their pets. People may decide to put a comfortable dog bed in their home office area, the living room, the family room, or in the finished basement where the family may watch TV. Their pet can relax and enjoy their company while they are working on their computer, talking on the phone, or enjoying a movie.

Your Chihuahua can use his comfortable bed just to relax when he is tired out or to get some quiet time if the household is extra busy and chaotic at times. You may want to read the following article: Dogs & Dog Beds.

A good quality dog bed can offer some cushioning support for your dog's joints and bones. An appropriate dog bed can help to provide warmth and protect him from a cold, uncomfortable floor. It can also give him a feeling of security.

There are a few essential things to think about when selecting the right bed for your own dog. First, you will want to make sure the bed is big enough for your dog. The dog bed should be large enough in size to comfortably support him when his body is stretched out and relaxed at night for sleep.

You can take into consideration your dog's unique sleeping habits. Also, you can observe your dog where and how he sleeps to check for special sleeping patterns. Does your dog like to curl up on a chair or sofa with a blanket or does he really like to stretch out?

It is not uncommon for some dogs to even sleep on their owner's bed with their head right on a soft pillow. With the help of some of these clues, you will want to determine exactly what kind of bed would be best suited for your dog.

There are many good quality dog beds to select at the pet store or while shopping for dog supplies online. There are roomy, square or round lounging dog beds that are nice and soft. Another style is a nestling type bed, which has supportive sides for your dog to rest his head. There are also bolster beds, which may be good for dogs who love to sleep with their head resting on an armrest of a chair or a pillow.

The veterinarian may recommend certain types of supportive orthopedic dog beds for older or arthritic dogs. They are often made of foam and/or box spring construction. The traditional or classic dog beds may come with machine-washable covers. Another style would be the mats or pads, which are usually made of foam construction. There are also travel dog beds for families on the go.

A responsible dog owner will want to make sure their dog's bed is safe and made very well. The construction of dog beds may consist mainly of foam, polyfil, or box spring support, or a combination of all three. Hopefully, your dog will benefit from the support for their bones and joints, comfort and warmth, and also a nice feeling of security.

Don't forget about the outdoor dog that sleeps in a doghouse. You may wish to get an outdoor-safe bed for an outdoor dog. It is so important to protect your outside dog. They make dog beds that are tough and water-resistant.

Where you place your dog's bed in your home is also an important factor. You may want to have the dog's bed in a quiet, safe place in the house. A peaceful and comfortable corner or section of the room may be nice. 

You probably will want to pick a special sleeping area for the dog where there is not much noise that would disturb him. The Chihuahua may feel a little more confident and secure if he can still see the people in the house from his sleeping area. Just knowing that you are there may help him to stay relaxed and calm.

Most puppies in a new home environment may feel somewhat anxious and have a difficult time at first trying to quiet themselves down to sleep for the night. I will offer some helpful tips on how to help a new puppy sleep through the night. 

A new puppy may whine to get your attention. Everything may seem so new to your puppy in the beginning until he gets a little used to his new home. He may miss his mom and family litter in the beginning.

The puppy may enjoy having a favorite, safe dog toy or dog blanket with him for a feeling of familiarity and security. Dogs sometimes instinctively circle around their sleeping place where they are going to sleep. 

If you want the Chihuahua puppy in his bed at a certain time, you can begin a daily routine schedule and try to have him go to bed around the same time every night, so he gets used to this habit. 

However, if the puppy leaves his dog bed, you can nicely put him back in his bed, so he gets the idea and learns to get comfortable in his special sleeping space.

When the puppy gets accustomed to where his bed is, you may tell him to go into his own dog bed when you want him to go to sleep at night. Dogs like to know what is expected of them. Hopefully, he will soon learn a nice bedtime routine.

So the puppy can sleep good at night you may want to allow for adequate and appropriate exercise for the puppy throughout the day. You can plan a routine schedule for meal times for the puppy. 

Dogs usually respond well to a nice schedule. It may be helpful to get into the habit of some calm, quiet time before the actual bedtime. The Chihuahua puppy may need to go outside to eliminate immediately before bedtime. 

Providing background sounds, such as a very soft background sound of a TV or radio may calm the puppy down and relax him at night.

A puppy may need to eliminate in the middle of the night. If the puppy needs to go out during the night, he may whine, pace or bark. You can take him outside in a safe manner to eliminate and bring him right back to his sleep area to go back to sleep. 

He should learn to understand that it is time for sleep and not time to play during the night. The Chihuahua puppy will learn that his owner is a good leader and he will feel loved and protected. Hopefully, with a few helpful ideas you and your puppy will get sufficient sleep every night and be happy!

As a “Dog Owner” You Can Learn How to Be a “Good Leader of the Pack” for Your Chihuahua

Photo Credit: By apdk

It is interesting that dogs actually like to know what they are supposed to do and what is expected of them. The puppy's mother is their very first pack leader. 

 

Your new Chihuahua probably looks to “you” as the leader, now that your puppy is home with you. You may wish to set reasonable house rules for your Chihuahua. If you don't provide your dog with specific leadership and direction, he may begin to make his own house rules.

An example: Your Chihuahua may steal a portion of your delicious sandwich and then try to hide and bury the rest of it in your living room couch and you happen to laugh and say isn't that cute! Your Chihuahua will get the wrong idea and think this type of behavior is acceptable and OK to do. You may have reinforced the fact that he is in charge and you may have reinforced his bad manners. As a matter of fact, dogs can easily become stressed when they think they can do anything they want.

Often times, dogs feel secure and confident when they understand exactly what you expect from them and having some fair house rules. A Chihuahua usually looks for their owner's positive approval.

Your Chihuahua's well-behaved manner may depend on your good teaching and leadership! You can teach your Chihuahuas what you want them to do or not do and you can praise them when they obey and they will very likely be happy companions!

 

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Basic Rules In Training Your Puppy

By Sandy Rutherforde 

Having a new puppy is always a joy as they can brighten up any home. However, training your puppy can be difficult, especially for first time owners. When it comes to house training your puppy, the rule is the earlier the better. Just like people, puppies develop differently. It's crucial that owners not push their pets. Instead, follow their pace of learning. At the same time, owners need to get into the mind of their puppies and understand what they are thinking in order to avoid frustration.

Puppies, or any animal for that matter, have only one thing on their minds when it comes to relieving themselves - they will do it when and where the need sets in. This is exactly why an untrained pet will see nothing wrong with doing it right on your living room floor. At the same time, dogs tend to look for a spot which is away from their feeding and sleeping quarters, and which provides them with some privacy.

Owners need to pick a specific spot in the backyard where they want their pets to do their business and be very consistent about it. The main principle of training your puppy has to do with consistency and getting used to a routine. It is also necessary to know when a puppy is more likely to feel the need to relieve itself. Most of the time, pets feel the need right after they have woken up, after they have eaten, and when they are excited. Owners have to be very quick with letting their pets out during these instances because puppies are unable to control their bladder that well.

Training a pet means that one has to keep an extra eye on the pooch. A pet who has to go will exhibit a few signs which include walking around in a circle with an upright tail and sniffing the ground. After seeing that ritual, the owner has to take the puppy out to the designated spot and then wait for the pup to urinate or defecate.

There are some times when a puppy will not immediately do anything. In this case, it is not advisable to have the dog linger for a long time in the yard or garden, and the owner should take his or her pet inside. This is to keep the puppy from thinking that taking him out means play time. Instead, the owner has to keep his or her eyes peeled for more signs and then take the pup out again in ten minutes or so.

Training a puppy does not come easy and the pooch will have a few accidents in the course of the training. Owners should never punish their pets for these accidents since doing so will only lead to trauma and fear. Practice and constant positive reinforcement is the way to go in house training any pet.

Do you need help with puppy behavior problems? Be sure to visit my site to learn how to stop puppy begging and puppy jumping.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sandy_Rutherforde

Why Do Chihuahuas Bark and How to Help Prevent or Control Excessive Barking

Dogs of all breeds usually bark to try to communicate with humans and other animals. It is important for your Chihuahua to understand when to bark and when to be quiet. It is common for dogs to bark for a variety of reasons. It's their way of expressing themselves. 

Here are some common reasons why dogs bark listed below.

To Get Attention: They may begin this process as young puppies with a little crying or whining sound to communicate with their mom and family litter. Puppies or grown dogs may whine when they want something like food, or when they scared, or even when they are frustrated or lonely and want some attention. It is common for a new Chihuahua puppy to whine at night because they may be lonely.
Dog owners may not realize it, but they may actually reward the puppy for whining by giving the puppy the attention he wants. It may be beneficial not to reward a puppy or grown dog that may be whining just for attention, but when he is quiet and relaxed you may wish to reward him with nice praise or a favorite treat. You will want to reinforce the puppy's positive behavior. It is usually so much easier to teach your Chihuahua puppy appropriate behavior from the start, than changing undesirable behavior later on.

Keeping in mind the fact that dogs sometime bark because they are scared, you may want to think about socialization and your puppy. Properly socializing the Chihuahua puppy is important to help alleviate unnecessary fears. You may want to safely introduce the puppy to situations that may cause anxiety later on. It is helpful for puppies to learn how to cope with their environment in a healthy and positive manner. Positive influence in the early weeks of the puppy's life can be very beneficial.

You could gradually introduce your Chihuahua puppy to a variety of items and sounds that are routinely around the house, so they become a little familiar with them. Some sounds that may be new to your puppy are the following: doorbell ringing, telephone ringing, sound of the television or video games, music playing, and also the noise from a vacuum cleaner.

Barking from Playful Happiness or Happy Excitement: Your puppy or grown dog may just be barking because he so happy about playing outside, or going for a nice walk, or going for a ride in a car. He may have a habit of routinely barking when he sees his favorite relatives or friends of the family coming over to visit at your house.

Barking when He Hears Other Dogs Bark: Your Chihuahua may be barking to respond to other dogs he hears barking in the neighborhood.

Warning Bark: It is common for dogs be protective and bark if they see a stranger approaching the house. Dogs often bark at mail carriers, joggers, or people riding bikes on the street by the house.

Bored Barkers: Dogs who are bored need something constructive and positive to do besides barking. It is important to routinely provide enough appropriate exercise and attention for your dog each day.

Separation Anxiety: You are probably the most important thing in your dog's life. When a Chihuahua that is routinely used to constant human companionship and attention is left alone, he can experience some anxiety about where his owner might be going. Your dog may not understand why he cannot go with you, and he may worry about whether or not you will be coming back home to be with him. Your Chihuahua may bark, whine, cry or howl when he is experiencing separation anxiety.

Here are a few ideas that may possibly help minor separation anxiety listed below.

Try not to be dramatic when you are leaving or returning to your home. When you return back home you can calmly pet your Chihuahua and reassure him.

When you have to leave your dog in the house, you may decide to let him have something of yours like a piece of clothing that smells like you.

You can make a reassuring habit of using a certain word or phrase that you routinely use every time you leave that tells your dog you will be coming back home.

Possibly, if the dog could hear the sound of a radio or television, it may be calming.

Sometimes having their safe and appropriate dog toys available for them will be a little distraction for them and help to keep them busy.

In summary, these are ideas to help prevent excessive barking listed below.

Try to have your Chihuahua get enough routine daily attention.

The dog should get adequate appropriate exercise.

Try the methods listed above for proper socialization and to help separation anxiety.

Try not to give positive reinforcement to the grown dog or puppy when he is only barking or whining just for attention. You can reward your Chihuahua for the quiet, relaxed behavior instead.