i want to buy a Chihuahua

Question
Hello i really love Chihuahua dogs and im consedering buying one the problem is that i live alone and i work too much is it ok if i keep him home alone during the day??he's 2 months old.


Answer
Hi Murielle,

A two month old puppy, though adorable, is not the pet you need. Having a puppy, and never being around to socialize or train it is a recipe for disaster, both for the puppy, and you.
Though it's a tiny breed, Chihuahua's have the same demands on your time that a Great Dane would have.

If you go about this right, it's possible to have an adult dog, and be away from home most of the day. A great deal depends on the dog you choose.

In your situation, I would recommend an adult, housebroken dog and not a puppy. Puppies require a substantial amount of round the clock time and effort. They need someone at home to train, housebreak, and socialize them properly.

There are some dogs that mind being left alone less.  Less active breeds, such as Greyhounds (though fast, they're really big 'ol couch potatoes) will fare much better when left alone.

In general, the calmer and more stable the dog, the happier it will be to simply curl up and go to sleep while you're gone. The more excess energy he has, the harder he will be to keep entertained.
Chihuahua's are not noted as being "calm and stable dogs".

You'll have many more options, as far as available dogs if your search is a dog based on it's individual traits and personality, and not on a particular breed.

As far as personality, you are looking for a fairly calm, outgoing dog (not a puppy) who is friendly to everyone but not overly "clingy" or frantic for attention (meaning it will say hi to your you, but then also be interested in wandering off and checking out his surroundings) without a history of severe trauma or neglect.

Choose your new pet carefully, and you should end up with a happy dog who enjoys living with you as much as you love him!

A sweet adorable kitten however, would do very well home alone. Actually, two kittens are best to adopt at the same time if you know you won't be home a lot during the day.  That way, they keep each other company.

Kittens do not need the constant supervision, care and training which puppies need. They litterbox train themselves in an afternoon, and in many areas you can get kittens for free (or close to it!)

You can also adopt kittens and cats who are already declawed. Browse available declawed cats in your are here:

http://www.petfinder.com/search.html

Select cat as the animal you're searching for from the pull down menu. Enter the age if you have a preference, and your zip code. Select "Regional" from the search parameter pull down menu. Be sure to select "Only Declawed Pets" before hitting the search button.

Besides being declawed, the cat will most likely have already been spayed or neutered, be up to date on shots, and been evaluated for temperament.

Even though kittens and cats are more independant than dogs, it's best to being any new pet home when you have some time to spend with it, so a weekend or vacation is a great time to adopt a new pet.

I hope I've been a help.
Best of luck,

Patti