Why does a puppy need walks?
Before answering the question about at what age can you walk a puppy, it is necessary to clarify: why does a puppy even need walks?
Meanwhile, walks for a puppy are very important. Firstly, they are necessary for normal physical development. Secondly, for mental development and getting to know the world. Thirdly, walks help the baby quickly adapt to the external environment and teach him proper behavior in the streets.
In addition, through walks, the puppy quickly gets used to the owner and begins to understand him better. In addition, walking the baby teaches him not to get his house dirty.
Caring for a puppy and first training
Before picking up the puppy from the breeder, you should prepare the house for his arrival - you need to do a general cleaning, remove all small objects from the floor that the puppy might accidentally swallow, hide wires, and close dangerous cracks. Particular attention should be paid to unstable objects - if they accidentally fall, they can injure the puppy, especially considering such a feature of the breed as a non-overgrowing fontanel. The dog should not be allowed into rooms where for some reason this cannot be done.
Place to sleep
For a puppy at home, it is necessary to prepare a private place where he can sleep or simply retire, hiding from prying eyes. This could be a soft mattress, a blanket, a special bed, a house or a plastic tray with pillows. The bed should be 10 - 15 cm longer than the pet, so that he feels comfortable stretching out to his full height. For convenience, you should choose a model with removable covers that are easy to remove and wash, keeping your Chihuahua's place clean. If the apartment has several rooms, the best option would be to equip a place for the pet in each of them - this will allow the dog to always be close to the owners and participate in their life.
The sleeping place should not be located on a cold tiled floor, near heating appliances or in a draft.
First days
Once in a new home, the Chihuahua experiences stress and needs special attention and care. The dog immediately needs to be shown its place, a little later take it to the bowls of food and water, soon the Chihuahua will remember the route and will walk from the feeding place to the house on its own. You need to start raising your pet from the first days of his arrival in his new home.
In addition to accustoming the puppy to the place and explaining what can and cannot be done, it is necessary to accustom the puppy to the nickname and the command “Come to me”, calling him by name as often as possible. It is best to do this before feeding or simply reward the dog with a treat - this helps to reinforce the positive associations associated with the name and coming to the owner.
Representatives of this breed are quite touchy, so screaming and physical punishment when raising a dog are unacceptable.
Toys
You need to buy toys for your Chihuahua - they will help the dog not get bored in the absence of its owners and distract it from unwanted damage to shoes and furniture. It is best to buy latex or rubber toys that do not have metal or plastic parts. You should also pay attention to chewing toys made from veins, which facilitate the process of changing teeth and promote their natural cleansing of plaque. It should be remembered that you should not pull the toy out of the dog’s mouth - this can cause the development of malocclusion.
Accustoming to cleanliness
Accustoming a puppy to a litter tray or diaper is necessary, since it cannot be taken outside until the end of the quarantine period after the last vaccination, and a pet that is not toilet trained will poop in inappropriate places. You need to lay several diapers in the house: near the windows, doors and the dog’s place. The more of them there are, the less chance the pet has of making a mistake and going to the toilet in the wrong place. You should also take the puppy to the tray or diaper after sleeping and eating, put him there and not let him leave until he has done all his business.
Sometimes the puppy independently chooses a place for the toilet - if he methodically relieves himself in the same place past the diaper, you should lay it there. Over time, the diaper can be moved to any other place. You can also use special toilet training sprays. You need to spray a cloth or piece of paper with it and put it in a tray or on a diaper - the smell of the spray will indicate to the dog where the toilet is.
Walking outside
Walks and socialization are necessary for the proper physical and psychological development of the Chihuahua. Representatives of this breed should be walked 3-4 times a day and only on a leash or harness. You should first accustom your puppy to these accessories and the “Near” command at home. For walking, especially at first, it is better to choose quiet places away from cars and large crowds of people. Chihuahuas do not tolerate cold well, and under the scorching sun they can get sunburned or get heatstroke. Therefore, for walks in winter they will need warm clothes, and in summer it is better to take them outside in the morning or evening; if there is a need to walk during the day, then they should stay in the shade.
You can take a few granules of dry food or special treats with you on a walk and treat your pet with them as a reward for correct behavior.
Alone at home
Chihuahuas are very attached to their owner, prefer to spend all their time with him and do not like to be left alone. Therefore, if you need to leave without taking your pet with you, you need to leave him several toys, as well as food and water freely available. In addition, you should ensure the safety of the dog, which can get injured due to its curiosity. The best option, especially for a young dog, would be to purchase a large and comfortable home enclosure where you can close the Chihuahua, leaving a diaper, toys, food and water there.
At what age can you start walking puppies?
Many new puppy owners want to start taking their pets for walks as soon as possible. And this is commendable. However, you still need to be aware of some important points.
At what age do you start walking your puppy? The optimal time for walks is when the puppy is 3.5 months old. It is by this moment that the full course of vaccination must be completed, taking into account the quarantine period after vaccination.
However, if it’s a warm sunny day outside, and you really want to show your baby the world, then even at the age of 1.5-2 months, when not all vaccinations have been completed yet, you can take the puppy outside for a short time without letting him out of your arms.
It is important to avoid contact of the baby with the surface of the earth, other animals and people. Even while in the owner’s arms, the puppy will receive the sunlight it needs, spend time outdoors in a new environment and become familiar with smells and sounds that are unusual for it.
However, there is another opinion that determines at what age you can walk with a puppy. It is believed that you can start teaching cubs to go for walks when they are barely a month old. Each baby is endowed with colostral immunity from birth, which it acquires with immunoglobulins from colostrum and the mother’s milk.
At the same time, it is important to understand that the mother should have been properly vaccinated before the birth of her babies, and by the time of birth she had developed a strong immunity. If these conditions are met, then the baby’s body is protected from any infection until approximately the age of 3 months.
However, if the owner does not have confidence in the mother’s good immunity, then it is better not to take risks, and until the puppy is fully vaccinated, you need to walk with him, without letting the baby go.
Should you walk your Chihuahua?
Despite the apparent simplicity of walking, a baby like a representative of this breed needs to walk in a special way. The first thing the owner should remember: you shouldn’t risk the health of your ward and let him get away with vaccinations. If going outside is necessary (for example, for a trip to the veterinarian), then a carrier for a Chihuahua will come to the rescue. It is customary to keep puppies at home for a couple of more weeks to avoid infection with enteritis or distemper during the period of formation of protection from the vaccine. After this time, do not deprive the dog of the opportunity to go for a walk, because while meeting other dogs and sniffing the surrounding world, a certain immunity is formed that is able to resist infections. A domestic puppy also has a chance of becoming infected, and they get sick more seriously.
The benefits of walking include:
- fresh air promotes health, hardening and acquisition of immunity by the animal’s body;
- if you need to travel somewhere, stress is guaranteed, because if you don’t get acquainted with the sounds, smells and appearance of the street in advance;
- the pet will not be socialized and will not be able to adequately maintain contact when communicating with other dogs if necessary.
What vaccinations do puppies need?
Having found out at what age you can walk with a puppy, you need to decide on vaccinations, which must be given in accordance with the age of the small pet.
A week before vaccination, the puppy must be dewormed, that is, treated for worms. In general, veterinarians adhere to approximately the following schedule:
- At 1.5 – 2 months the first vaccination with Nobivac Pappi DHP+Lepto against plague and parvovirus enteritis should be given. Two weeks after the first, a second vaccination with Nobivac DHPPi+ RL is needed. The third is placed after the change of baby teeth to permanent ones at 6-7 months Nobivac DHPPi+RL with the addition of a rabies vaccination. Nobivac DHPPi+RL is given one year or 12 months after the third vaccination. Then, every year throughout the rest of the dog’s life, the dog is vaccinated with Nobivac DHPPi+RL.
It must be remembered that only a healthy, not weakened animal with timely deworming is vaccinated. It is important that after the first vaccination the puppy cannot be walked; after the second and subsequent vaccinations, the puppy must be walked after 10-14 days of quarantine.
To dress or not to dress a Chihuahua?
Some people are quite skeptical about dressing dogs in all sorts of outfits. However, they forget that these pets have already moved far from wild animals. Many small breeds of four-legged friends need more care from their owners. More and more often, pets are beginning to feel unwell from “human” diseases. We are talking not only about colds, sometimes dogs experience sunstroke and burns on their own skin. This is why clothing for small dogs is sometimes so necessary.
The smaller the animal, the more energy it needs to produce to maintain normal body temperature. Small dogs really get cold in winter. In contrast, today you can find a myriad of blouses, overalls and even shoes for dogs. All this will help your pet not to freeze from every breeze and enjoy the walk for a longer time.
The dog's toilet is changed seasonally and depending on the weather. For spring and autumn, they buy sweaters and blouses for their pets. In rainy and damp weather, wear light overalls made of moisture-resistant materials. In winter, dogs are wrapped in warm jackets and scarves, and socks and shoes are put on their paws. Some dog breeds need clothing even in summer, despite the warm weather. Bald and smooth-haired friends can get sunburned during long walks. To prevent this from happening, owners dress their pets in T-shirts and suits.
Chihuahuas are one of the most popular small breeds. The weight of an adult dog is no more than two kilograms. However, representatives of this breed are very active, so clothing for Chihuahuas should be as comfortable as possible.
If your dog is going for a walk in nature (in a park or forest), it is better to take care of a cozy suit for him in advance. The suit will not only protect the Chihuahua from excess dirt, but will also protect it from burrs and pine needles. In addition, due to their small stature, these pets are more likely to catch various insects than others. If for a person grass is a soft flooring, then for a Chihuahua an uncut lawn is practically a jungle.
It also happens that a dog does not like to ride in a car - unfamiliar surroundings and noise can frighten a Chihuahua. One of the characteristics of this breed is that when stressed, they begin to shed sharply. In this case, clothing can no longer protect the dog itself, but the upholstery from hair.
Not all dogs like to wear bottoms. If your pet tries to take off his pants and shows his protest in every possible way, it is better not to force the animal. You can always wear only the top part in the form of blouses and T-shirts. However, if your dog sneezes during a walk, curls up its paws, or begins to tremble, you should immediately take it home.
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Do I need to dress my Chihuahua?
12/04/2014 18:44 “Do I need to dress a Chihuahua?” As a specialist, I affirm that small or short-haired dogs must be dressed in cold temperatures. At the same time, dressing a Chihuahua or a dog of another breed is not at all difficult if you teach it to clothes from puppyhood. Update list of comments
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How to properly walk a puppy without vaccinations?
At what age can you walk a puppy without vaccinations? Two-month-old puppies can be walked, but not allowed to pick up objects from the ground and prohibited from contact with other people's dogs, especially stray ones.
It’s good if the baby grows up outside the city, where he can run around in the local area without fear of grabbing other people’s feces. However, when kept outside the city, the walking area should be cleared of debris and carrion, as well as traumatic objects.
A one-month-old large breed puppy can already be accustomed to a leash and walk with him over longer distances, making sure that he does not grab anything from the ground.
At what age can you walk a puppy without vaccination in the city? In the city, it is better to carry a two-month-old baby in your arms and let him go only in proven and safe places, without letting him off the leash. The walk should not exceed one hour per day, provided the weather is warm. In uncomfortable conditions (rain, wind, cold), as soon as the puppy relieves himself, he should be taken home.
How long to walk?
In order to determine the optimal time for a walk, you need to know how busy you are and what age your pet is. The puppy is usually walked every 2-3 hours. At the same time, they arrange for the walk to be after a meal, when the mini-dog definitely wants to relieve itself. If you use special oilcloths, then you can walk him twice a day - morning and evening.
It is best to take an adult dog out 3-4 times a day at equal intervals. This is the optimal scheme that allows the mini dog to endure and not cause harm to its health.
If you walk often, then 15–20 minutes is enough for decorative breeds. During this time, the dog will easily do its business and stretch its muscles. You can walk females less, but males will need more time to mark their territory. If you only manage to walk your pet in the morning and evening, you should increase the walking time. In the morning you can spend 30 minutes with your dog, but in the evening it’s best to spend about 1–1.5 hours outside, depending on the weather outside. On weekends, it’s worth going for long walks, when your pet can get a good workout after a daily stay in the apartment - for this you can use active games or walk with a group of the same mini-dogs.
In summer, it is better to walk your dog early in the morning and late in the evening, when the temperature is optimal and there is enough sunlight. In hot weather, mini dogs should be protected from heatstroke. In winter, on the contrary, walk a little later in the morning and early in the evening. Make sure that the mini dog does not freeze too much during the cold season. Additionally, you can use special dog clothing.
