new puppy

Question
QUESTION: I am the owner of a 10 week old male applehead chihuahua. He is a very healthy and happy boy. I have had him nearly 2 weeks now, and I had some concerns about his chewing behavior. He likes to mouth fingers and toes, and I don't like it. I don't mind kisses, but I don't like the feeling of teeth. My boyfriend says it is normal puppy behavior, but I don't want him developing a bad habit. What should I do to correct the behavior in a positive way for my little guy?

ANSWER: Your boyfriend is right that this is a normal puppy behavior.  I firmly believe that pups should be left with the mother and litter mates for at least 12 weeks so that they have opportunity to interact and play and learn limits from their "pack".  A mother will teach a pup to bite more softly, but she won't teach it to not bite at all when playing.  

Heather, pups play biting or teething is entirely natural and doesn't lead to bad habits. It's a stage that they go through during normal development. I haven't met or heard from anyone that was bothered by the feeling of teeth and if this bothers you now, you're really going to be unhappy with the teething stage and it's a stage that they do go through as they have the impulse to chew or mouth things so as to help new teeth emerge. I think you have to ask yourself if it would be better for you if you had an older dog that wouldn't have a need to play like a pup does.  A 10 week old pup is way too young to teach much of anything.  Teaching it to potty on a potty pad is something that takes a lot of time and is successful off and on at this tender age. Pups have a very short attention span and learn more slowly.  I think there's reason to fear trying to teach a pup through any kind of disciplinary measures not to mouth or play when the method of play is a natural part of maturing - I think that THAT can cause other behavioral issues in the future. The only thing I can possibly think of to do to handle this in a way that will satisfy everyone is to have a toy handy (a soft toy like a dog-safe stuffed animal) when the pup is "mouthing" and substitute the toy for your toes or fingers and tell him how good he is when he diverts his attention to the toy.  NO yelling at him or negative reinforcement if he doesn't divert his attention though - he won't understand.  Use lots of positive reinforcement, though, when he accepts the toy to play with.  The thing is, your boyfriend will have to do the same thing and not encourage the pup to "mouth" and bite when playing. You always have to be consistent with pups and it's very important not to shame him.

If you really can't deal with this natural function at 10 weeks, then finding a good home at this age would be easy.  It gets more difficult to re-home dogs as they get older.  I think there's no shame in being honest with yourself and re-homing him if you think you can't deal with him at this stage.  The Chihuahua is not a breed known for chewing and destructive behavior as an adult, but they are like any other pup that has the need to play as a normal part of growth and maturity.  Sometimes a pup will get older (16 weeks or so) and bite really hard with those tiny, sharp teeth and that is the right time to start teaching them not to do that with a firm "NO!" and then substituting the play behavior with a toy.  

Whatever you do, don't leave him alone with any kind of chew hoof, rawhide, etc., as he can easily choke to death.  I would rather see teething pups given a big carrot stump or long carrot to chew on when teething.

Hope this helps some Heather.  Don't hesitate to write back if you have further questions or need more clarification on this question.

Jo Ann



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for your response, it was very informative. I am very new to the dog world. I am 26, but have never owned a dog before. My family had dogs as a child, but they were limited to the yard, and I didn't interact with them much because they were large dogs and I didnt trust them. I was bitten by a dog when i was 3, so I had some reservations with them.  My boyfriend whom I live with and have a family had wanted a dog for a few years, so I gave in and let him get a dog. He brought home this cute little chihuahua, so that is how we got him. He is a darling black and white and looks like a mini boston terrier. He loves me and follows me around everywhere. I don't want him getting too dependant on me, because we are home together all day. He loves to sit in my lap or play and he wants to sit on my shoes or something else of mine. He loves to bite my jewelry too - rings earrings, necklace, etc. When i discipline my son (not yelling), the puppy will bark at my son along with me. Is he getting too attached to me and protective? Also do chihuahuas like to dig? He likes to "dig" at just about anything. Is he too young/fragile to take to a groomer to clip his nails? He is just 10 weeks and about 22 ounces.

Answer
Hi again Heather....

First off, I have to commend you for asking so many questions and being so completely open and honest about your inexperience with dogs and with what your past experience with dogs has been.  That really tells me how serious you are about wanting to learn and resolve problems.  Again, very commendable!

Heather, one BIG trait of the Chihuahua breed is the fact that they bond VERY strongly with their chosen people. That's probably the one thing that attracted me the most to this breed.  They are totally devoted and often times pick one family member to totally bond with even though they react fine with other family members.  Heather, you're home all day with this little guy and he IS bonding with you.  He's just 10 weeks old and you're like the mama dog to him.  Why is it that you don't want him to become too dependent on you?  I'm sure if you were home with your  son all the time when he was an infant that you expected him to be dependent upon you for his needs because he was just a helpless baby and that you expected that he would bond with you.  There's not much difference when you're raising a pup.  They are helpless like babies, they are dependent upon you to satisfy their needs and they LOVE you for taking care of them and just plain being with them.  Heather, what is "too attached and too protective"??  He's a puppy!!  And he's a Chihuahua puppy and this breed is known for being both protective and highly bonded.

I think that when your boyfriend got this puppy he should have made this experience more of a family experience where you researched all the breeds out there together and chose one that would suit everyone instead of just giving into him and letting him bring home a pup and "winging" it from there.  You obviously don't know what to expect from this pup, nor are you familiar with the traits of the breed and I'm afraid that you may be regretting your decision to allow your boyfriend to get this pup.  Chihuahuas are also known for not doing well with small children and we haven't even discussed that fact yet and you DO have a small child. You must supervise this pup very well around children both as a pup and as an adult.  

Heather, why do you want to take a 10 week old pup to the groomers to get the nails cut??  NO you shouldn't do that.  This pup has only had what one or two sets of shots thus far?  You should NOT be taking this pup anywhere where it is exposed to disease & other dogs and that means anywhere but home or the vets office and you should even be very careful when taking it to the vet's office and perhaps go first thing in the morning before any sick dogs have been seen.  Some diseases are air borne.

It's natural for all dogs to periodically dig and it's natural that pups will dig during the maturing process. Is it a trait of this breed to be a chronic digger like the Jack Russell Terrier or the Beagle?  NO!  The digging that you see is most likely a form of play or distraction that a 10 week old pup is displaying.  Chihuahuas are natural burrowers - they love to dig on bed covers and get under them to get comfortable & warm.  Burrowing is a Chihuahua trait in my opinion.

Heather, being totally honest, how much of your day do you spend on the average enjoying this pup and how much of the day do you spend not liking certain things about it and worrying about it?  I'm not wondering from a critical standpoint, I'm just concerned and want you to be happy with this pup and feel comfortable and informed or else find it a more suitable home.

Get back to me and maybe you'll want to mark your reply as "private" so it's not available for the public to read.  Totally your choice.

Again, I really do commend you for asking questions and trying as hard as you are to learn and figure this situation out.

Jo Ann