Are you a new owner wanting to learn how to care for puppies? Don’t worry, this puppy care guide will show you how to do that. We’ll go over some useful tips and advice that will help keep your little companion safe and sound.
How to Care For a Puppy
While I primarily deal with apple head chihuahua puppies, this guide can help all new puppy owners. So then, the first step in taking care of a puppy is not to travel everywhere with them. In fact, you should keep them home for the first few weeks. The only place you should take them is the vet, if it’s necessary.
Why is this so important? Stress! Think about it. When you buy a new puppy, they change environments and that can be stressful for them. And let me tell you, stress can be very dangerous to a small, delicate puppy.
You know how you can get diarrhea if you get nervous about a wedding, funeral, change of job, etc.? These tiny Chihuahua puppies can get stressed too, and that can make their intestines act up! So keep life simply at home for a while. When caring for puppies, here’s how to keep them safe:
- Do not drive all over to show everyone your puppy for at least a month.
- Do not take your new puppy to a public area around other dogs.
- Avoid putting them on the ground in public areas until their finished with their puppy shots.
It would be helpful to set up a playpen with baby mobiles, toys, a bed at one side, and a potty area on the other side.
Remember: Young puppies should not be travel companions. They don’t have body reserves like an adult dog and can burn up calories quickly.
Puppy Care Advice: Don’t Leave Puppies Alone
Another piece of advice I have on puppy care is to not leave them unattended for long periods of time. If you plan on leaving a puppy under five months alone at home for two hours or longer a day, you need to provide visual and audio stimulation. If you are gone longer than four hours a day, you will need a babysitter until the puppy is at least five months old.
Here are some ideas if you leave your puppy alone for a short amount of time:
- Place the puppy playpen near a television and put a children’s channel so the puppy can hear voices and see people.
- Put the playpen near a window so the puppy can see outside.
- Have a baby mobiles hooked to the top of the playpen to provide visuals.
- A radio can provide audio.
- Buy a monitoring device so you can see and speak to your Chihuahua puppy while you are gone.
Remember: If you want to take proper care of your new Chihuahua puppy, don’t leave them by themselves for long periods of time. They need your company!
Puppy Care Tips: Fleas and Heating Pads
When you bring a new puppy into your home, there are certain problems you may run into. Here are some puppy care tips on how to deal with these common issues:
1. Flea Treatment
At some point, most people have to deal with these annoying parasites, so learning how to handle them now will prepare you for when they appear.
The best way, I’ve found is to use a product called Revolution Drops. Give it on the nap of the neck every 2 months STARTING AT 4 months old.
Puppy Care Tip: Flea medications should NOT be given through the mouth. Ensure that you give the proper dosage of drops on neck!
2. Pet Safe Heating Pads
A simple, but critical item every new owner should have is a heating pad. Yes, caring for your teacup Chihuahua puppy means keeping them warm, even in summer if you keep your ac on and temp of house is under 72 degrees, a heating pad should be used at night. Basically, if the temperature in your home ever falls below 75F degrees, then I would recommend getting a heating pad for your puppy to keep them warm.
Now, there are two types of heating pads. There’s one kind made for humans, and another made for animals. The difference between them is the maximum temperature they are capable of reaching. Human heating pads generally run hotter than dog heating pads, even on lower settings.
Once small Chihuahua puppies reach 6 months in age, they go from a frail puppy to a sturdy little dog, and most no longer require a lot of special care. However, remember that your small puppy will continue to require supplements and more supervision
Puppy Care Tip: Never force a puppy to remain on a heating pad!
How to Care for New Puppies: Low Blood Sugar
A few other potential problems to consider when caring for your puppy is low blood sugar and children. How can you deal with that?
Calorie Supplement, Nutri-cal Gel
Puppies can burn through calories at an extremely rapid pace because of how active they tend to be. This can be dangerous because sometimes the puppy burn through more calories than they are taking in, which then leads to low blood sugar. One way to prevent this from happening is using a calorie supplement, known as Nutri-cal. Give your tiny Chihuahua an inch of this during the middle of the day.
Children – Keep an Eye on Them for the Safety of Your Puppy
If you have children at home, they are likely going to be excited about their new pet puppy. However, imagine being stuck on a rollercoaster with no way of getting off, you begin to feel nauseous and, well, that’d probably be the worst ride of your life. Similarly, small puppies can be put into this situation when young kids pick them up and carry them around. Being carried around can cause nausea, and nausea can ruin a puppy’s appetite. If a puppy’s not eating, especially at such a young age, there’s a possibility for low blood sugar to manifest itself. Have children sit with the puppy.
Puppy Care | Feeding Your Puppy | Hypoglycemia | Parvo and Vaccines