eating habits and holding issues!

Question
hi jo ann,
  I just bought the most adorable baby girl about 3weeks ago,Olivia, she is now 12weeks old and i cannot do nothing because she constantly wants held! i know they are loveable lil lap dogs cause my mother has one and thats what made me decide to get one, but,,, if i leave her for two mins, to go into another room she crys and jumps till i pick her up,, i tried sliding away while shes asleep and bundleing her up in a blanket   NOTHING WORKS WITH THIS LITTLE LADY!!!! what can i do to give her a little independence and me to get my home cleaned again!!!,, PLUS , how much is to much to feed her,her last weight was 3 1/2 lbs, vet told me its all up to me cause by the time shes 14weeks shes done growing,i put a handful of puppychow in her bowl usually she has it gone by bedtime. is that to much? PLEASE HELP!!! Tonya

Answer
Hi Tonya!

First off, congratulations on your Chihuahua puppy!  I think you've picked the best breed in the whole world :-)

Tonya, this "neediness" that Olivia is exhibiting isn't uncommon at all for a pup that was placed in a home before it was 12 weeks old. Unfortunately, breeders appear to be just too anxious to place pups too soon and that really has an effect on behavior quite often.  Fortunately, you didn't get Oliva at 6 weeks of age like many people do, so you're probably not going to see a lot of behavior or socialization issues that go along with placing a pup that young.  But let's just deal with what little Olivia is doing at 12 weeks.

Olivia has been taken from her mom and siblings before she had a chance to be what I call "emotionally weaned".  After an adequate amount of time, a mother dog will demand that her pups be less dependant on her and "wean" them towards more independence.  Olivia sees you as her mama right now and depends on you for everything - comfort, food, basic needs, etc.

Tonya, try the following:  Little Olivia really needs to be fed several times per day - she's just a wee pup.  Give her some food (I'd prefer to see her have a high quality kibble mixed with some warm water that has set for maybe five minutes) and then put her where you expect her to potty (pups usually poop right after eating) and then set her in her safe place (a soft sided dog crate, a playpen) and take an old sock and put some rice in it, tie it in a knot and put it in the microwave for a minute or more (just until the sock feels comfortably warm) and then put that sock in with Olivia (in her bed), give her some loves and leave the room.  Don't go back in when she begins to cry unless you're absolutely convinced that she's hurt herself somehow.  If you really want to cover all your bases, put a small wind up clock in her bed, too, so that she hears what sounds like to her the beating of another dog's heart.  If you're consistent about this, you will form a pattern with Olivia and she'll feel safe and comfortable and fall asleep every time you do this.  I did this with my youngest Chi using a playpen and to this day she loves her little bed warmer and asks to get in her playpen.

PetSmart carries what's called a Snuggle Puppy that has a velcro opening on the tummy and you can put a little bag of rice (that comes with it) in the tummy opening OR a little heart that beats when you turn it on.  This is a great invention for our little ones!  Of course, the problems would be solved if breeders would wait until pups are properly socialized and confident before being placed in new homes.

Oh, another thing I almost forgot to mention is the STRONG devotion that Chihuahuas have towards their owners.  It's one of the things that made me totally fall in love with this breed.  I would suspect that Olivia is always going to be devoted to you, she just needs to learn to be comfortable when you take some time for yourself.  But, don't expect her to become an aloof, indifferent adult - that's just not the usual personality of the breed.

I wanted to mention that you might want to seek out a new vet.  Olivia will not be done growing at 14 weeks of age - that's simply not true at all.  I don't think it's a good idea to "free feed" Chihuahuas (leave food out all the time), although no harm is done when you do this with pups.  The only thing that could come from this is that she will expect to have food left out all the time when she's an adult and will be picky if you don't do it.  Personally, I feel that by feeding her several meals per day that you will establish a routine with her potty and sleep habits.  That's what she needs right now - a routine and consistency.

I hope this helps, Tonya.  Feel free to write me again if I can be of any help.

Jo Ann