Getting a chihuahua puppy with a 11 month old lab?

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Followup To
Question -
Hello, I own a 11 month old female unspayed black lab and am wanting to get a 6/8 week old female/male chihuahua puppy, I will be spaying the lab in mid spring and will be getting the puppy before spaying her. I am currently living with a friend that owns a 10 month old spayed golden retriver/yellow lab cross, my dog gets along well with her and vice versa, my questions are.......

Should the puppy be male or female? I pefer females, I've never owned a male dog before and my family has only ever owned one male dog which was an Amrican escimo and was unneutered,

My lab is a very gental dog and just loves my mothers two bichon/shiztuz's (both are spayed females) which come to visit, the goldenX however seems to bully the smaller dogs, I may not be living with this friend in the spring and may not have to worry about the goldenX but in case I am still living here..... how do I get the goldenX to not hurrase this tiny puppy? what disiple methods should be used?, also my lab and the golden get purina dog chow, they have a full dish avilible at all times, they are normal sized and not over weight or anything but I don't want to feed the new puppy like this I want to feed at saspific times during the day.... is there a way I can get my lab & the goldenX to eat at sertion times during the day?

Right now we have a huge yard(theres a truck parked in it, there are three crab apple trees, two big & one small and three other trees back there and there is still plenty of room) but as I said in the spring we may not be living here, my lab doesn't have a clue how to walk on a leash as we've always had the large yard and I've never really walked her..... she pulls like crazy when on a leash.... how can I teach her without using choke chains and prone collars how to walk and not run on the leash? we don't have m,any toys for the dogs as they have each other to play with and everytime we get a squeaky toy or rope it ends up in shreds.... the puppy would need some small stuffed toys and small ropes..... how can I teach the two larger dogs NOT to eat them?

I've never owned a chihuahau before and since theya re the worlds smallest dog... at 6/8 weeks they have to be very tiny..... how can I teach my lab and the goldenX to watch where there going and not trampel the pup?

And lastly my lab sleeps at the foot of my bed and has ever since I got her when she was a three month old matnurised pup.... I have never been able to allow a crying pup to sleep on the floor and found it was never nessairy and they always slept up on the bed with me..... now my bed is rather high off the floor and a tiny chihuahua pup would be bound to pee in my bed when it finds out it can't jump off without hurting its self...... should I go ahead and leave the pup sleep on the bed taking the risk of an actident? or should I try to let the pup sleep on the floor near the head of my bed in a tiny bed with a clock?

Thank you for your help in advance.
Answer -
Hi,  As far as which sex to get, females are a little easier to housebreak than males when it comes to small dogs.  That really would be the only difficulty I would see since you are spaying the lab later.  Sometimes, two intact feamles will eventually not get along, so that is why it is good if you get a female chihuahua to have one or both spayed.  

If the golden bullies the two other smaller dogs that just visit, then I would worry about bringing in a chihuahua to actually live there.  Remember, thats the golden's territory in her mind, and you want to bring in a puppy when she already feels threatened by two small dogs who just visit.  This dog would actually be staying and could get hurt by the golden.

To get the bigger dogs to eat at certain times, just place the food down, give them about 20 minutes to eat & then remove it.  If they didn't eat, then don't give them anything else until the next feeding (like treats, table scraps etc.).  At the next feeding, put the food down for 20 minutes and then remove it again.  When they finally start eating (don't worry, after a couple of times, they'll be hungry & start to eat) you can give them treats etc. in between meals.  If you give them treats when they aren't eating, they'll just hold out for the treats & never sit down and actually finish their meals.  (sort of like kids).

You can train the lab to walk on a leash using a Halti Head Halter.  We use them exculsively in our training courses as they are the most humane method to train.  They do not dominate the dog, but rather teach the dog via a leadership method (by leading the dog).  I wouldn't use anything else.  You do have to get them use to it, but if you follow the directions in the packaging, you will find they adapt really well to them and you won't be pulled around anymore.

You can't train the larger dogs to not eat the toys.  If you give them the toys, then they are theirs to do what they please.  I would be careful about putting small toys for chihuahuas out there for the big dogs to get to as they could choke on them.

My biggest concern is the size difference in your dogs.  I wouldn't be as concerned if there was just one dog and you made sure the puppy was never alone with her, but having two is asking for trouble.  Especially since the golden already has a problem with little dogs.  The two of them together could literally kill the chihuhua.  I knew a golden who did just that when a chihuhua was put down with him and a couple of large dogs.  He broke its neck trying to play with it.  The owner had literally just put the chihuhua down, and the golden grabbed him to play.  The owner couldn't even react fast enough to stop the dogs.  Thats how quick it can happen with little dogs.

As far as sleeping, I would make up a crate at night next your bed so that she/he can learn to housebreak (they learn to control it in the crate) and they will still be right near you.  Also, no risk of getting smothered by you or the lab in bed.  Hope this helps, and good luck.




Thank you very much for your help, I have decided to get a jack russle terrier insted as they are slightly larger, more active and would fit better into my lifestyle. I am going to get the pup while I'm living here as I may not be out or here until early summer/late spring, the goldens owner isnt home offen so I'd be trying to keep them apart until they get used to each other, I know that the golden doesnt like the smaller dogs that much and I'm not sure why but I know for sure that my lab would love it as she just loves my mothers dogs and she knows when they don't want to play but will still pester around them a bit trying to get them to play with her. I am attempting to train my lab in home somewhat before the pup arives as I don't want my lab bouncing all over the place when the pup's here, the golden will sit or lay down or even go belly up if you stare her in the eyes so she won't be a big hassle, how can I teach both large dogs that this pup is much smaller then them and can't be bitten/pinned down like there large friend can because they will hurt it? My lab will be sitting & staying by the time I bring the puppy home, the other dog is untrained but will sit/lay down/go belly up if stare her in the eyes.

When I bring the pup home how do I introduce it to the larger dogs? I know that my lab wouldn't hurt it but I don't really trust the goldenx so I'd need to get someone to hold the goldens collor or something while she sniffs the new pup.... after she sniffs it and we see her reaction.... would it be safe to put the pup down with her still being held by her collar?

Also my friend also has a cat, this cat swats the dogs just for going near it.... how would this work with the new pup? I would have to scold the cat by telling it no to pervent him from doing it again... thou it hasnt worked yet. Also my mother coems to visit quite offen with her two little dogs.... how should I introduce the pup to them?


Thank you for any help you can give.

Answer
Hi, I would still be concerned about the Golden.  Terriers are very tenacious & can be aggressive, especially if they feel challenged by another dog.  If the Golden acts aggressive at all towards the Terrier, odds are the terrier will act aggressive back, and then you would have a big dog fight.  Your best thing would be to talk to some Jack Russell Terrier breeders so they can inform you of the best way to introduce the two.  As far as the cat is concerned, you should allow the cat to establish his place in the house with the puppy.  That way when the puppy gets older, he will respect the cat and not chase him.  You can squirt the cat  and/or the dog with water in a spray bottle to deter either one of them from going at each other.  You should introduce the puppy to your mom's dogs one at a time so that they don't gang up on the puppy.  Hope this helps.
Dawn