Tag: <span>chihuahua health</span>

Chihuahua arthritis, what can I do?

September 29, 2022September 29, 2022
by Louise Kirby

How can I help with chihuahua arthritis? A case study.

A question came into the office about how to help a chi chi who is struggling with arthritis and was it Ok to feed a salmon oil supplement.

Question: I’ve got a 9 yr old and a 3 yr old Chihuahua rat terrier and chi jack russell. We’ve battled an overweight problem with my 9yr old. I know it’s the extra weight on her but she’s struggling with her weight and she’s got arthritis. I’ve recently added salmon oil to her dry food. Only in the mornings I feed them about 1/4 cup of food and about 1tsp drizzle of the salmon oil over her food. My question is is that ok to feed her this. Is the salmon oil safe? It does seem to have helped her.

Chihuahua arthritis is a common problem so I thought I would answer it as a case study for everyone to read.

Answer: I’m sorry your chi chi is struggling with arthritis. What a shame for her.

Yes, it is a good idea to give her a good quality fish oil as this will certainly help. But you can go much further using food as medicine.

Your chi is not old as they can live to be 20, but in her current condition she is looking at spending her senior years in pain, which is a shame.

Weight control

If she was my dog this is what I would do:

Getting her weight down is essential, as this is putting his joints, spine, and internal organs under pressure. Being overweight takes around 4 years of a dog’s life.

First you need to establish what is correct weight should be and feed her around 3% of this. This is his total daily food allowance. Everything you feed comes out of this total.

For example, if your chihuahua’s correct weight is 6lb or 2.7 kgs then the daily food intake should be about 81 grams a day in total.

Dry food is causing chronic illness in dogs

Move away from dry or processed food if this is what you are feeding her as it’s the carbohydrates and starch in this food that will be contributing to the extra weight. Dogs have zero need for carbs and should get most of their food from healthy fats and protein in the form of fresh meat, eggs, organ meat, fish, and oily fish with low GI veg.

Dry food is also very low protein and made from poor-quality cheap ingredients. The cooking methods used kill any natural fats and minerals. Factory produced vitamins and minerals are added at the end of the process.

Dry food and poor-quality diets are one of the main reasons dogs become ill, they cause inflammation and inflammation is the root cause of most chronic illness. Certainly, arthritis will fall into this bracket.

Feed a fresh diet

Start to feed her a fresh diet, either a good quality raw food or a cooked food that has not been ultra-processed. You could look at home cooking and this is a good option but there will be some supplements that you must add in, like calcium and taurine. These are available online.

If you decide on raw, and this would be best, you can mix raw and cooked food, like chicken for treats and training. (Some people believe you can’t, but this is not correct)

Change her diet slowly, to give the gut a chance to adapt to a higher protein offering. You may need to swap over gradually around 10-20% a day. You can help this process by adding a good quality probiotic. Dr Mercola do a good one and we always have a pot in the house.

Mixing up the food

Work out how much food she needs a day and add into this total a lightly fried egg cooked in coconut oil keep the yolk soft. (You can feed a raw egg, I prefer to lightly cook mine). Feed twice a week as part of her breakfast. Add a tablespoon of kefir daily as this helps the gut biome. You can also feed a half a small sardine that has been packed in spring water, I give my dogs this twice a week. (The bones are soft enough for your dog to eat)

These additions are included in their daily food allowance.

Turmeric for the inflammation

You can also add some turmeric, turmeric is a miracle cure for inflammation, you could mix this into the kefir. The dose is around ¼ tsp per 10Lbs of body weight. Feed daily.

What not to feed

Don’t feed any shop bought treats. Food is food to a dog; they don’t know if it’s a ‘Lily’s Kitchen cranberry sausage’ or a bit of chicken. Treats are full of rubbish and with a small dog like a chihuahua they don’t have room for the extra calories. If you want to take food out with you on a walk, just put some of their daily food allowance aside as chicken or boiled pork mince and use this.

Don’t feed lots of raw vegetables, Dogs do need some veggies in their diet, but they can’t easily digest big lumps of raw veggies and it can cause tummy ache.

Never feed your dog either a vegetarian or vegan diet as these are not species appropriate.

Don’t feed rice as this is also not species appropriate and can contain toxins that create inflammation.

Exercise

Your chi needs exercise, but if she is in pain then keep it appropriate. Don’t overwalk her. Rather than take her out on long rambles play some games in the garden over the day.

Rest and healing

Also make sure she gets plenty of undisturbed rest so the parasympathetic nervous system gets a chance to help heal. A good nap in the day is essential.

Why fresh food is best

Fresh food is as essential for dogs as it is for people. It contains natural vitamins, minerals and healthy fats that are required to maintain a healthy gut biome. A strong balanced gut biome will defend your dog against illness and senior decline.

It is an error to believe that dry food or processed food is all we need to feed our dogs and this food is somehow ‘complete’. It is very far from nutritionally appropriate and contains some ingredients that harm our pets.

You can join us in Chihuahua School (opening soon) and we will be covering diet and nutrition in detail.

Hope this helps and let me know how you get on.

Behaviour

Stop Chihuahua Barking

September 21, 2022September 21, 2022
by Louise Kirby

Would you like to stop chihuahua barking?

Chihuahua barking can be a problem. Chihuahua are excitable dogs and they like a bark. As a Pro Dog Trainer and Behaviour Coach this is the number one thing I get asked about.

The other evening, I happened to be in an extremely large chihuahua fan page on Facebook and saw a post asking how to deal with chihuahua barking. The post has a lot of comments with a vast array of advice being given.

Methods that make chihuahua barking worse?

Some of it was horrifying and ranged from squirting lemon in the dog’s mouth, firing water at it, shock collars, citronella collars, shaking cans of coins at them. It was really depressing that owners believe these types of training methods will solve the issue.

These are called adverses training methods, methods of training that produce an unpleasant stimulus for a dog to try and teach it something.

The error people make is assuming that the dog makes any kind of pairing between the unpleasant stimulus (squirt of lemon in the mouth) and what they are doing, (barking). What is happening is the dog will make the pairing of fear or pain from the training method being applied and the event that they are barking at. Can you see the difference?

People assume these methods work because they stop the chihuahua barking in the moment as dog is momentarily shocked. But long-term it has a very detrimental effect on the dog’s confidence. Creating anxiety and worry as it has no idea where the next bit of pain or fear is going to come from.

For example, a chihuahua barking out the window at a passer-by won’t understand that the squirt of water or loud noise from an air horn is to stop them barking. How could they? All this stimulus does is add more excitement into the situation and increase their worry about people walking by the house. This may then track up to anxiety about being walked outside. Increasing stress and therefore barking at other dogs. Around it goes in a toxic cycle of stress, anxiety, and barking. It withdraws from your chihuahua’s confidence and ultimately your relationship.

Why Chihuahuas bark

Chihuahuas bark because they are hypervigilant to sound and movement. It comes with the territory when you are only 10 inches high.

They spend a lot of time in a high state of arousal or ‘flight or fight’ mode. This means they are going to be full of cortisol, the stress hormone, which changes how they view things.

When your chihuahua sees or hears something they will ask themselves, “what does this mean for me?” then “is it good or bad?” Because they are in ‘flight or fight’ mode and more inclined to be worried by something, they decide it’s bad, and bark at it to get it to stay away.

It is entirely possible to reduce chihuahua barking in a force-free way. No gadgets or unpleasant training methods required. We reduce your chihuahua’s arousal and help them calm down. We work with them to help them understand not everything needs to be barked at. Grow their confidence and tolerance to novelty (new things).

I wrote a book about it, fully intending to sell it, but currently I give it away free. I want to reach as many chihuahua owners as possible and help owners reduce barking without the need for some of these awful training methods.

In the book I show step-by step you how to reduce barking in a kind, force-free way that will grow your chihuahua’s confidence. It’s easy to follow and fun to do.

If you would like a copy, you can get it here. Just let me know where to send it.

Yes please send me a copy

aggression towards dogs

Get stress-free walks with your chihuahua

September 2, 2022September 8, 2022
by Louise Kirby

From ‘chippy chihuahua’ into ‘I got this!’

Arlo (pictured above) is a funny chap and has the loudest bark you have ever heard from a small dog! He came to us through a rescue having been surrendered at 19 weeks because of his aggression towards his sibling. We thought it was just excited play.

But the truth is he can be chippy and aggressive. It’s something that’s kind of crept up on us until one day we realised we had a real problem. For a chihuahua he has a long muzzle and a big bite, so it was something that had to be taken seriously. Last week I took Arlo and little Macy out for a walk on their own. I like to mix up the groupings a bit. We went to some fields that are separated by a large ditch. Arlo is perfectly able to jump the ditch and has done on more than one occasion. Anyway, Arlo was on a long line and Macy was off lead.

A walker with two dogs came into our field behind us. I bent down to secure Macy, and was momentarily distracted. I just didn’t see the other dog in the next field. Separated by the ditch but still only 2 yards away was a little black poodle. It was staring at Arlo. My heart leapt and I went into panic mode until I realised that Arlo had seen the dog and was ignoring it. He just shrugged it off. Nothing happened! I couldn’t believe it. Not so long ago he would have turned himself inside out, barking and lunging, basically, a full-on meltdown. It was amazing. He was amazing!

Honestly, I was so proud I cried. Only someone with a reactive dog will understand this.

How we got our transformation

Arlo’s transformation has taken time to achieve. But it’s not an accident. We have been playing training games to help change his perception of what he considers a threat. We’ve played games to build his confidence, a solid proximity and recall. But one of the most important things he’s learnt to do is disengage. This is the power to see another dog and ignore it. It really is a superpower and is huge for Arlo, before he would have chased the dog hard just for looking at him.

Chihuahuas are hyper aware of movement and will see another dog (or something that worries them) and refuse to let it be. Escalating things until you have a crazy chihuahua spinning and barking on the end of the lead. Completely over threshold and unable to think or engage with you.

Through games we have rebuilt Arlo’s confidence and kind of rewired him so he can make better decisions.

Building in proximity so he stays by our side unless we say it’s Ok to ‘walk on’. The incident in the field made me realise how far we had come.

If your chihuahua is reactive and goes off like a rocket every time it sees another dog, or a bird or even a bag blowing in the wind it can be frustrating and embarrassing. People tut and point, and it makes you stressed when you take out your dog.

This is why I am starting the Chihuahua School Membership. So, I can take you and your chihuahua through this transformation. It doesn’t matter if you are lead on or lead off, imagine taking your chihuahua out for a walk and not being embarrassed or worried about a meltdown when another dog comes into view.

You are not under any obligation to do anything, I will just let you know when we open next.

Get on the waitlist for Chihuahua School!

Put me on the waitlist

Behaviour

No need for senior decline in chihuahuas

May 24, 2022August 1, 2022
by Louise Kirby

We all want our dogs to live forever and chihuahuas are blessed with a longer lifespan than most dogs. Chihuahuas can easily live until they are 16 and some have happily made it to past 20 years old. Which is well over 100 in human years. But there is a difference between living to a ripe old age and passing away a happy old dog and living to be old and aging badly, beset with health issues that are the result of senior decline.

Obviously, there will be changes in our dogs as they get older but there really isn’t the need for our dogs senior decline mentally and physically to the point when days are full of confusion and pain.

It’s all about gut biome

How can we ensure our dogs become senior without the senior decline that dogs often suffer? Scientists, nutritionists, and vets are doing a lot of work around aging in dogs. The link between gut biome and brain health is astounding. Gut microbiome are the microbes that live in the intestines. The gut biome is so influential that it’s being called a ‘second brain’. Having a healthy, balanced microbiome is essential for our health and it’s the same for our dogs.

Turn back you dogs aging brain

It is possible to restore your dog’s the ageing brain by making some simple changes to your dog’s diet and fitness regime. What this means for us as dog owners is it’s never too late to make positive changes to our dog’s wellbeing and overall health and turn back the clock and help them grow into a healthy old age.

How to stop senior decline

Stop feeding kibble and over processed dog food like pouches of slimy jelly that contain a substance similar to antifreeze to keep it soft. Kibble or dry food is not a species appropriate food. Kibble is full of carbs and fillers and generally have a low protein offering and does not contain enough moisture essential for digestion. Because of the way it’s cooked it is a ‘dead’ food and synthetic vitamins and minerals must be added. It is so far away from the ‘balanced’ diet that vets and the petfood industry want us to believe. Kibble is the worst thing that has happened to dog health and is responsible for a wide range of illnesses including obesity and tooth decay.

Feed your dog a range of fresh foods that are rich in antioxidants. Muscle meat and organ meat, Raw is preferable either home-made or brought if it’s good quality. If you can’t feed raw look at a high-quality semi moist food. Dogs need fat and protein, they don’t need carbs. Research what goes into a homemade diet so you are feeding a balanced meal. If you’re not feeding bones then you will need to add calcium in the form of ground egg shells. Never feed the same meat everyday.

Make sure your dog gets additional eggs, cooked or raw. (Not the shell). 2-3 a week

Add in some oily fish (sardines packed in water but not tuna or raw salmon). Around half a sardine per 4.5Kg of dog.

Add some superfood veggies like sprouting broccoli to their dinner as a topper or give them instead of ‘treats’. While low GI veggies are helpful to a dog they must never be more than 18% of their daily food allowance.

Add a tablespoon of Kefir (1 tlbs per 4.5 kg) to their dinner daily.

Stop feeding treats. These are full of rubbish and don’t have any kind of nutritional profile. Chihuahuas are small and treats can take up a big part of their daily food allowance. Food is food to a dog so use their dinner for training.

Get appropriate exercise and have a fitness regime in place. A little sensible exercise every day will help halt senior decline. But don’t assume more is better and over walk your dog as this can fill their bucket and make them reactive.

Keep them at their correct weight. Being obese can cost a dog 4 years of its life. If your dog is overweight, you don’t need prescription diet food from the vet. Just weigh their daily food and make sure you feed them for the weight they should be. An adult dog that has been nurtured needs around 3% of their bodyweight. A complete dog (one that has not been spayed or neutered can eat more). Speak to your vet who will advise what your chihuahua should weigh.

Cut back on the vaccinations, if your dog has had a booster every year, they never need another one. Over vaccination is harmful for your dog and expensive for you. If you live in the US, the rabies vaccination for small dogs is causing a lot of controversy. Have a look at this website. Protect the Pets http://www.protectthepets.com

Summary

In summary freed a range of fresh food, get sensible exercise, cut out the rubbish treats and keep weight stable, get plenty of real rest and reduce the stress. Seems obvious really.

barking

Is your chihuahua ‘action-prompting’ you?

September 28, 2021January 18, 2022
by Louise Kirby

If your chihuahua nudges you, paws you or barks at you to keep doing something they want this is called action-prompting. On the face of it, giving you a little nudge with their nose to keep to stoking them seems harmless enough but this behaviour can escalate into continual barking to throw the ball or play with them. This action-prompting behaviour can become annoying if you are trying to read or worse if you are working from home and in the middle of a work call.

If you have a chihuahua puppy, action-prompting may look like mouthing or biting or nipping at clothes to get you to play.

If action prompting behaviour is causing a problem in your house this road map will help you get it under control and divert your chihuahua to a calmer state.

The action-prompting road map.

Action prompting is when your dog ‘prompts’ you for interaction.

Nudging
Barking
Dropping a toy
Nipping
Jumping

Often this is because your chihuahua is in a more excited headspace than is appropriate to you are the environment. For example, they will drop a toy at your feet while you are working, trying to read, or just doing something that doesn’t involve them.

Why ignoring it is not a good idea

Conventional training suggests that you ignore action prompting, but this can be hard if their chosen behavior is barking, and you are working. Ignoring can also lead to frustration in the dog and they may up their game to nipping and biting to get a reaction. While they are doing they are going to be getting more and more excited and less able to calm down.

Meet the dog halfway

We are going to re-direct the dog to a more calming activity, thus avoiding an escalation of the behavior and frustration in the dog. Eventually the dog will learn that action prompting does not yield the desired results and the behavior will reduce.

Figure of 8s

Figure of 8s is a calming walk that involves walking your dog around in a quiet figure of 8. This action has a meditative effect and will help your chihuahua calm down. Using a double ended lead and a two point harness makes this easier.

Direct to boundary

Boundary training is when your dog is directed to an area where sit until directed to leave, a raised bed is often used or a crate. The boundary is always an area of calm and often your dog will settle down for a sleep or be given a long chew.

Settle down with a Kong

Feeding you dog in a Kong is very helpful as it gives you chihuahua lots of fun and engagement trying to dig the food out. Rather than give your dog all their daily food allowance in the bowl in the morning spread it out and use it during the day. Think of food as currency and spend it to give your chihuahua something to do over the day.

Calm road walk on two-point lead

If your chihuahua is able to walk outside without becoming over excited, then a calm road walk can help put them in a better head space.

Settle down with a hoof or long-term chew

When we talk about long-term chews we don’t mean anything you are going to buy from the supermarket. That includes dental sticks which are often full of empty calories and rubbish, or plastic bones that are meat flavoured. Think about using a hoof, raw bones (remove the marrow), pigs ears or something natural. Avoid rawhide as this can cause stomach upset.

Scatter feeding

Scatter feeding is another great way to feed your chihuahua and get fantastic value from their dinner. It is simply getting some of their daily food allowance and scattering on the grass. Your dog will really enjoy hunting and snuffling about for it. If you don’t have a garden then think about a snuffle mat. See Minnie in the video enjoying her snuffle mat. The act of hunting and snuffling for their food is very calming and hardwired into their psyche. Dogs are natural scavengers and this is a natural behaviour for them it’s even got a name, contrafreeloading. It is much better for your dogs mental health to work for their food.

Plan for it

If your dog is an action prompter, then plan for it. Have things ready so the behavior can be dealt with in the moment.

Have the dog on a soft harness so you can do 8s
Frozen Kong ready to hand out
Long term chews ready to go (not anything from a supermarket packet)
Boundary training in place

Louise Kirby

My name is Louise Kirby and I’m a freelance writer and certified Pro Dog Trainer. I adore and train all breeds but have a special interest in chihuahuas and their rehabilitation. Chihuahuas are awesome little dogs, spunky, full of joy, loyal and tenacious. But some present with behaviours that make them a challenge to manage. I’m on a mission to restore the relationship between owners and their dogs. To help you get back the dog you always dreamed of. That’s why dog training is a happiness project!

aggression towards dogs

Change your ID tag to reduce chihuahua barking

March 17, 2021August 14, 2022
by Louise Kirby

Can changing your ID tag help reduce chihuahua barking?

Having an ID tag on your chihuahua is essential and a legal requirement. The most obvious reason so that if your pup gets lost you can be contacted quickly. But can the type of tag reduce chihuahua barking?

It’s so ingrained in us that I’ve never given it a second thought. Each one of my dogs has a small tag with my surname and contact phone number and it’s attached to their collar or harness. When they walk it makes a noise and again, I’ve never given it much thought. Until now!

Barking on walks

Chihuahua like to bark at other dogs, it’s one of the main reasons people contact me. (They want coaching to help reduce chihuahua barking and being aggressive towards other dogs). Owners don’t understand that if your chihuahua barks and lunges at other dogs on a walk they are overwhelmed and stressed. Your chi is not doing it because of ‘small dog syndrome’ or because he thinks he’s a rottweiler. It’s not good for them or you.

So what’s the ID tag got to do with it?

A dog’s hearing is very sensitive they can hear four times further away than we can and at a much higher frequency. Think how quickly they arrive when you open the fridge door!

Which means they can hear the tinkle of another dog’s collar long before it comes into view. Then the dog appears, and a pairing of the collar sound and an approaching dog is rehearsed over and over on every walk. Now the sound of the tinkle is a trigger for a full-on chihuahua tizz.

My dog doesn’t bark at other dogs

Even if your dog is more chilled and doesn’t react to other dogs you may still need to give it some thought because the issue works both ways.

You may meet another dog’s that is dog-dog reactive. Hopefully they are on a lead, but they will also be sensitive to the sound of the tinkle of a dog collar and have rehearsed the pairing in the same way. So, it will be a trigger for them as well.

This mean that when your chihuahua potters into view the other dog would be hyper aware of it and ready to react by barking and lunging towards your chihuahua. The worst may be just barking, but if the dog is off lead he may lunge. Your chi is likely to run which may prompt a chase situation.

I have spoken to more than one owner whose dog has been attacked and tossed ‘out of the blue’ by a larger dog. But the chances are the attacking dog is reactive and hypervigilant and trying to deal with its own full emotional bucket. This will be a frightening enough for both you and your chihuahua and could have long term behavior consequences.

1 negative interaction outweighs 100 positive ones.
Dr. Tom Mitchell, Behavavet

What to do about it.

Change your ID tag to a silent one that is either made of silicone or that threads through the collar or harness. Don’t put your dog’s name on it in case of theft. Put your surname.
If your chihuahua is reactive to other dogs, then desensitize him to the sound of a tinkling collar will help.

How to make a start

When your chihuahua is in a calm frame of mind have a harness near him. Make a tiny movement so it makes a sound when your chi looks at it reward him. Do this a few times. Don’t be stingy with the food. (That’s why we use his dinner rather than extra treats)

Do this calmly, you are not wanting to pair the sound with a different excitement. Build this up over time until your chi seems more relaxed about the sound. Try it with different sounds including bells. For some reason people put bells on their dogs, I can’t imagine how stressful this must be for it, filling up their ‘emotional bucket’ before they even get out the door!

It’s difficult to quantify the result of this training in a blog post, but you know your chihuahua so you will be able to gauge your dog’s reaction. But you are a step closer to helping your chihuahua bark less at other dogs out on a walk.

Try this as well

If you take your chihuahua out regularly for walks and he barks at other dogs, then this becomes a deeply rehearsed behavior. Dogs will do what they have always done. It can take 72 hours for a dog to calm down after an ‘incident’ so if he goes out every day, he is going to still be psyched up from yesterday’s interaction, this is called trigger stacking. Try giving your dog a few days rest and just play with them in the garden.

Need more advice

If you would like more advice about how to stop your chihuahua barking at other dogs, jump on a short call and we can see if behavior coaching can help you and your chihuahua enjoy a calmer life. It might not be right for you, but if we don’t chat, we won’t know, and I’ll enjoy talking to you anyway.

Louise Kirby

Get help with chihuahua behaviour

Join the happiness project now!

Your chihuahua transformation starts with a free discovery chat to see how I can best help you. Please get in touch I look forward to hearing from you. Together we can get back the dog you always wanted.

Dry food

Help! I have an overweight chihuahua

February 28, 2021June 13, 2022
by Louise Kirby

How to tackle an overweight chihuahua

It’s easy to overfeed a chihuahua because they are so small, just a few grams too much food and you have an overweight chihuahua. So if your chi is a bit on the chubby side don’t beat yourself up too much. Just as long as you’re ready to tackle it.

Obesity amongst dogs is a growing issue and a lot of the problem is down to dry food, not weighing out food portions and feeding treats. Being overweight can have lasting health consequences for all dogs like: heart disease, diabetes and arthritis.

Being too heavy may put pressure on an existing luxating patella. It can also aggravate problems with anal glands because, if the glands are covered in fat, they will not easily express.

Evidence it contribute to canine cancers

There is a growing body of evidence that suggests over the longer-term, being overweight can contribute to cancers.

Food motivated

Some chihuahuas are highly food motivated and will scavenge relentlessly. Minnie is one of the greediest dog’s ever and is an expert at hoovering up scraps and crumbs. Keeping her weight under control requires diligence, we monitor her weight regularly.

It can be a daunting task to try and get an overweight chihuahua back into shape, especially if bad habit have crept up on you, but getting them back down to slinky chi chi is not as hard as it feels.

Shift in thinking

It requires a shift of thinking, and owners need to realise that the treat or little extra that you give them because you love them, could be shortening their life, contributing to poor health and huge vet bills. The reality is, we all need to toughen up. Instead of using food to show affection play a game, give a belly rub or go out for a walk.

No need for diet food

The good news is it’s easier than you think to get your chihuahua back into shape, and you don’t need to buy expensive prescription foods to get weight under control. Just feed the correct amount of regular food for their weight. Diet food from the vet’s is often unpalatable, expensive muck made from the worst ingredients.

Food is food to a dog

Here is another big shift in thinking. Food is food to a dog. They lick their bums, eat horse poop and cat vomit so they aren’t that fussy. My point is here, if you’re training your dog, use their daily food. Hold 20-30% back from their breakfast and dish it out over the day as training rewards. They really aren’t going to turn their nose up and stalk off in a huff because it’s not a Lily’s Kitchen mini apple and pork sausage. When you add up the cost of some of these treats they are costing you £35 per kilo!

However while food is food to a dog, that doesn’t mean feed them any old grub. Understanding what you are feeding your dog is important. Stay away from food filled with fillers, rice and grain. You want something high protein and preferably not dry.

Get everyone on board

It goes without saying that good habits start from puppy hood and it requires the whole family to cooperate.

Key essentials to dealing with an overweight chihuahua

First of all, it’s a good idea to have only one person responsible for feeding.
No one gives the dogs treats, and if training treats are being used then it must come out of your chihuahua’s daily food allowance.
Keep the dogs away from the table when the family are eating, teach them to go and lie down or put them into another room. The sad face as they watch you eat is very effective at getting titbits.
Weighing out food rather than just chucking in the bowl is key. Especially as feeding guidelines on commercial dog food are often so vague. Knowing the amount you are feeding will help you make measured adjustments.
Write down and record weight and the amount you are feeding.
Weigh your dog on a regular basis. If he starts to put on weight, then you can reduce the amount you are feeding down by a few grams. Just a 10gm reduction in her food helped Minnie lose 500g and get down to her target weight of 4.8kg
Feed for the weight your dog should be not the weight they are now.

How to tell if your chi is overweight

Vets use a table of body condition to assess if a dog is overweight or malnourished, looking at where your chihuahua is on the scale will give you a good idea of how overweight they may be. For instance:

Does your chi have a pot belly?
Can you see his waist or tuck? (The part that goes in after the ribs)
Are their ribs easy to feel under their fur? If they are cushioned and you need to dig for them, then he is carrying extra fat.

But if you are not sure ask your vet. Most vets are keen for dogs to lose weight and will be happy to help.

How you feed is important.

There are two main ways people feed their dogs. Meal feeding and free feeding.

Free feeding is when you put down the food and your chihuahua can eat when he likes. But, if you have cats who can be partial to dog food, or more than one dog it can be difficult to monitor who is eating what.

Meal feeding is when your chi is given dinner at set times. This does make it much easier to monitor the amount. Both methods have pros and cons. You can read more about this here.

But if your chihuahua is on a diet, then it’s better to go with meal feeding as you can monitor exactly what is being eaten. You can still kong feed or scatter feed if you are working on calming strategies with your chihuahua. Meal feeding also works better if you have multiple dogs and are feeding wet food.

What to feed your chihuahua

Feed the best quality food you can afford, but the other side of the coin is expensive doesn’t mean quality. In general stay away from dried food. Even mixes made for chihuahuas as this is just marketing nonsense. These premium priced science looking products are often made from the least desirable ingredients. Learning how to read food labels is helpful. Read more about understanding food labels here. Just don’t be taken in by the label on the front. They have little to do with what is actually in the tin or packet.

Dog’s don’t need rice, grain or food with carbohydrates. They do need a range of high quality protein and fat, from meat (red & white) fish (white & oily) eggs, offal and heart.

Vegetables do play some part in a dogs diet, but not nearly as much as people like to think. Any veggies you feed your dog should be cooked or grated and never given in raw lumps as they can cause upset belly or even a blockage. Veggies should only ever form 10-20% of your dogs daily food.

Food delivery for dogs is now very popular with several companies offering comparable services. Semi moist fresh food is also becoming popular. There are also some good quality canned foods, Butchers and Cannagan spring to mind.

Life stage

Dogs need different amounts of food depending on their life stage.

For example, a complete dog male or female will need to eat more than a neutered dog. An older dog will need to eat less than a young dog. A puppy can need 10% of their body weight. If you are not sure then ask your vet, they will be happy to help.

Avoid some of the online calculators that tell you how much to feed your dog and how much they should weigh. I have looked at a few and the information has been very suspect. If in doubt ask your vet.

Take away

Stop or significantly reduce treats.
Weigh your dog so you can plot progress.
Weigh out food
Feed for her ideal weight not her current weight.

About the author

Louise Kirby

barking

9 things you must do with your chihuahua puppy from…

January 9, 2021May 4, 2022
by Louise Kirby

Your chihuahua puppy is an open book

Their brain is a mass of flexible pathways and with the right management and training it’s easy to help them become bright, cheerful and an optimistic dogs. If we get it wrong then we can create the exact opposite, a dog that’s brarky, bitey and pessimistic. Turning a pessimistic, over cautious dog around can be hard work.

Some of the personality has already been shaped by the breeder, so it’s extremely important to buy your chihuahua puppy from an experienced, reputable breeder. A puppy born to a stressed mother is more likely to have behaviour problems. This is one of many reason you need to make certain you are not buying from a puppy farm. Puppy farm dogs live in the worst situations and suffer dreadful cruelty. Please be super cautious.

A good breeder is likely to have done some of the work already by playing low level household cd’s and getting the puppy used to being handled. Don’t be scared to question the breeder and find out what socialization they have had.

#1: Socialise (not)

Ok so this is a departure from everything (including me) used to be told. We used to be told that our puppies should meet as many people and dogs as possible before they are sixteen weeks old, sixteen weeks being the theoretical ‘fear window’ cut off point. We were advised that we had to cram in as many experiences as possible before this magical date. However new thinking and research suggests that the ‘fear window’ idea is nonsense and pushing your puppy through a schedule of socialization can cause harm rather than good.

Your puppy does need to meet new people and other dogs, but they need to be very positive, gentle and controlled interactions. Tom Mitchell (Behavavet) teaches that one negative experience can outway a hundred positive ones. I believe this is the error we made with Price. We diligently took him to puppy socialisation, he barked at everything and became very stressed. Now he’s a nightmare around other dogs and it’s taking a huge amount of work to undo the damage. So only introduce your puppy to a very gentle, calm older dog when you think he’s ready. Build on it gently and slowly. If your chihuahua is stressed and unhappy don’t do it.

#2: Clean their teeth.

Get them used to teeth cleaning from the off. Chihuahuas have big issues with their teeth. Bad oral hygiene can cause major health issues as they get older. The bacteria in their mouth can cause heart disease, strokes and contribute to cancer. Keep teeth clean and get into a good, regular teeth cleaning routine.

#3 Baths and grooming your chihuahua puppy

Get used to being handled at the groomers and being bathed, brushed and having their nails clipped. If you are going to a groomers then go to one that’s calm and quiet. Maybe ask for an appointment when they are closed to start with. If you take your chi into a loud scary environment with lots of big dogs you could ruin the experience for ever.

#4: Household noise

Introduce household noises, like the vacuum cleaner and hair dryer so they are not stressed out by everyday activities. You can do this from a low level CD or start from another room so you don’t scare them. Playing background sounds of thunderstorms as a pup has been shown to reduce issues of noise phobias later on in life.

#5: Bedtime

Decide where your chi is going to sleep and stick to it. Many people allow their dogs to sleep on the bed, there is nothing wrong with this if it makes you all happy, but it can be a nuisance if your dog’s a fidget, you go on holiday, your chi must be boarded or stay in hospital..

A good compromise is having them sleeping in a basket on the bedroom floor or a crate as a den. I am not a fan of leaving a dog in a locked crate during the day, but a crate as a cosy den gives your chihuahua a place of his own and somewhere to go when things get too hectic. Read the Crate Debate

#6: Barking

Barking is a thing with chihuahuas and if you live somewhere that noise is an issue then think long and hard about whether a chihuahua is the right dog for you.

But, it is possible to teach them what to bark at. They consider it their job to alert you to security breaches, teaching them what you consider a breach can be done. it’s about being calm and have calm as part of your training protocol.

It is never acceptable to use electronic gadgets, squirt your dog with water, rattle tins filled with coins or anything that will scare your dog into silence. All you will end up with is a sad dog who is afraid to speak. Never ever consider de-barking your dog (illegal in the UK) it is beyond cruel and inhumane. Re-home your dog before you consider this. Barking is one of the main behaviour problems with chihuahuas. Understanding why they bark and being able to respond to them correctly is key to getting excessive.

#7: Get them used to you leaving

Chihuahuas are prone to imprinting on one person in the family and then making them their favourite. When that person goes out they can become stressed. Get your chihuahua used to your coming and going so this does not become an issue. It’s very hard to undo later. Go in and out regularly without making a big thing about it. Don’t over pet them before you go or make a massive fuss when you get back in. If you are not stressed your chihuahua puppy will take his cue from you. If you do have separation anxiety issues read: How to deal with separation anxiety

#8: Don’t ignore basic training

Many owners think, as their chihuahua is small, they don’t need to be trained. This is not true. A badly-behaved dog is a pain in the butt. Chihuahuas don’t always do well at training school unless it’s for small dogs and even then they may bark with stress. Once they are barking and over aroused they can’t learn anything. Consider games based learning which is the type of training I teach. You can do this at home if you can’t get to a training school.

#9 Get them used to a crate or a pen

I know the title says nine but this is important as well. Get them used to a crate. Now, once upon a time I was dead against crates and would never advocate using one. But since becoming a dog trainer and having my own litter of puppies I have had a re-think. A puppy needs plenty of rest. It’s called active rest, this means putting them down for a nap somewhere where they don’t get to zoom about when they hear a noise. You are taking the decisions away from them so they can have an uninterrupted sleep. If your puppy doesn’t get a good sleep in the day you will end up with an overstimulated, bitey, barky dog.

What a crate isn’t, is a place to leave your dog for hours on end while you go to work nor is it a solution for toilet training. Obviously with COVID many people are working from home, (this will have it’s own repercussions later on). A crate is a den, a safe comfy cosy place your chi feels safe to snooze. It should be a family rule that when puppy is sleeping he is left alone.

Hard work but worth the effort

Having a puppy is hard work, having a chihuahua puppy is even harder. They are wilful, extremely naughty and very destructive. They are also super cute, smell divine and will love you forever. Putting the work in now will ensure you don’t end up with a chi-zilla.

So many chihuahuas are surrendered because of appalling behaviour. 99.9% of these cases is because the dog has been poorly socialised, spoilt and babied. They are not accessories to go in a handbag, to be carried around or dressed up like a doll.

Chihuahuas are dogs not toys, they must be treated like a dog and will respect you as their guardian for setting the correct boundaries and taking care of their needs.

I will be running puppy classes online and in person once the s

About the author

Louise Kirby

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anal glands

Why anal glands can be a pain in the…

January 3, 2021May 15, 2022
by Louise Kirby

What are anal glands?

When your chihuahua has anal gland problems it really is a pain in the arse, for both you and your chihuahua.

Anal glands are two little sacs of fluid that sit just inside your dog’s rectum. Their job is to produce his signature scent that he leaves on his poo as a marker for other dogs. When your chi stops to sniff another dog’s poo they are picking up the scent that identifies who the dog is. This is also one of the reasons that dogs will sniff each other’s bums when they first meet.

If you are lucky, your chihuahua will never have anal gland problems and this process will pass you by. His anal sacs will empty by themselves when you chihuahua does his business and happily, you will be none the wiser.

If you are unlucky, anal glands can cause recurring problems, mainly centred around not emptying and possibly getting infected. This is very uncomfortable for your chihuahua and often a visit to the vet is required. Treatment for full anal glands is a manual expression, and if infected, antibiotics.

How to treat inflamed anal glands

Our latest vet (long story) suggests that giving oral antibiotics can be ineffective as they find it difficult to reach the area of infection. Persistently infected glands need to be irrigated then filled directly with an antibiotic. This is done under sedation rather than full anaesthetic. This is something we might have to consider for Mika as he has recurring issues with his glands. (Update we did have this done in the end and it did seem to help).

Another option is to remove the sacs completely. Many experts warn against this unless there is absolutely no option. Removing the anal glands can cause their own health issues and cause permanent damage to the anal sphincter.

Another job of the anal glands is to help the body cleanse itself of toxins (like flea treatments, vaccines and worming tablets). If the anal glands are not there, then the body can find it harder to remove these toxins.

Why do they get anal gland problems?

There can be a variety of reasons why your chihuahua’s anal glands get inflamed and infected.

Allergies; If your chi has allergies to grass, pollen and other substances, sitting and getting them on his bum are going to cause itching. As your chi chews and scratches at the area he can cause trauma to the anal glands.
Existing GI or colon inflammation is likely to cause inflammation in the glands.
Medications, vaccines, flea and worm treatments. These toxins can cause inflammation and an imbalance. The usual liquid in the glands becomes thicker and can’t be discharged through the ducts.
The glands may be slightly in the wrong place and aren’t stimulated when a stool passes.
A chihuahua that does not get enough fibre in his food will probably pass soft stools. This will mean they don’t have enough bulk to stimulate the glands as they pass through. This can happen after a bout of diarrhoea or illness.

Should we DIY?

Once-upon-a-time it was usual for the groomer to automatically express your dog’s anal glands as part of the service they provided. The advice now is don’t express a healthy dog’s glands. Constant manual manipulation causes trauma to the gland and poor muscle tone. This can cause the very problem you are hoping to avoid. Once you have started to express manually you find yourself having to do it more often and the issue becomes cyclic.

Some owners also like to express their dog’s glands at home and have taught themselves how to do it. I can understand why at £20-30 a visit to the vet. But, caution is required here. If pressed too hard the gland can rupture. This would be very painful for your chihuahua, might require surgery and antibiotics.

You can try and stimulate the glands externally by gently massaging your dog’s back end just under his rectum and this has proved helpful during lockdown with our dogs with visits to the vet problematic. I don’t like to leave them alone while you stand in the carpark. (sigh) So even after the lockdown lifts, I will carry on with this option unless I am concerned that there is some kind of infection or the glands are blocked. There are occasions when an internal empty is best.

There is a useful video on Youtube of an American couple showing you have to do an external massage. Be warned you can never unsee it!!

Signs your chihuahua is having anal gland problems.

Scooting across the floor on his bum
Rubbing himself against the furniture or you
Sitting down while on walks
Chewing his back end or legs
Paw licking and displaying signs he is in pain. Read how to tell if my dog is in pain.
Sitting uncomfortably
Hot painful lumps just under his tail
Squatting to produce phantom stools

Prevention is always better than cure

Trying to avoid anal gland issues is better and a lot cheaper than trying to cure it. Make sure your chihuahua has a healthy species appropriate diet that produces firm stools. Raw is good for this. People who feed their dog’s raw food will delight in their dog’s small firm stools.

Add psyllium husk to their food. This will bulk up and firm the stool and make it more likely that it will express as the stool passes.

Keep your chihuahua at a healthy weight, as anal glands covered in fat are less likely to express naturally.

Make sure your chihuahua has regular exercise, chihuahuas may be small but they still need to get out for a good walk every day.

Avoid over vaccination and other toxins like chemical worming and flea treatments. There are plenty of natural alternatives. Yearly vaccination boosters are unnecessary and Leptospirosis is just a nonsense vaccine that can make your chihuahua ill.

Keep your dog’s teeth clean. Excessive bacteria in the mouth can cause all sorts of additional health issues.

Try to avoid manual manipulation of the anal glands unless it is necessary.

Update! Try this…

We have been using this with out chi chis to facilitate training and calm things down. It also has a beneficial effect on the gut. Poops are hard so the anul glands are expressed during evacuation. It’s not what we brought it for, but I’ve noticed a massive improvement and not had to do Mika’s glands for some time..

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General

Brachycephalic Airway Syndrome and Chihuahuas

May 14, 2020September 29, 2022
by Louise Kirby

Chihuahuas – A Brachycephalic Breed

The Symptoms & Management of Brachycephalic Airway Syndrome

Chihuahuas have been selectively bred over time to give them their short stature and flat faces that we’ve fallen in love with. Their flat faces put them into the Brachycephalic Dog Breed (BAS) category (along with other dogs such as Bulldogs & Pugs) due to the slight compression of the respiratory tract which has the potential to cause airway obstruction.

The extent of these respiratory differences between Chihuahuas and other canine breeds, and the level to which they cause airway problems is different between one Chihuahua to another. This can easily be managed with some advice that we will explain within this article.

BAS or Brachycephalic Airway Syndrome

BAS is an obstruction to the airway caused by air turbulence in the upper respiratory system which has the potential to lead to more serious problems such as tracheal collapse.

Breeds with BAS will often have far greater problems with heat and strenuous exercise; and in more problematic cases, an increased chance of heat stroke can occur which may be life-threatening.

The diagnosis of Brachycephalic Airway Syndrome should only be done by professionals and is to be based on the assessment of the respiratory tract to identify anything that isn’t normal.

A positive is that BAS can be managed, and early intervention often leads to much better outcomes.

Management Recommendations

These are the management recommendations professionals make to Chihuahua owners to manage the risk of Brachycephalic Airway Syndrome:

Exercise Recommendations

Over exertion can lead to overheating and breathing issues, this means exercising your Chihuahua should be done in as smart manner, this also doesn’t mean you shouldn’t exercise your pup as conversely obesity exacerbates airway obstruction. Basically, Chihuahua should not being doing strenuous exercise in hot or humid weather; look into alternative options such as indoor exercise ideas within an air conditioned room.

Use of a Harness

A collar can put intense pressure on the neck area and increase the symptoms of BAS. Always use a low-front harness that is recommended for these breeds.

Over-Heating

As a Chihuahua owner you probably already know that your dog is not able to regulate their body temperature as well as other breeds, what this means is that you should take extra measures to ensure they are not put into situations that they might overheat. Alternative options to outdoor exercise in the heat and/or humidity include indoor exercise and ensuring a cool temperature in your home and plenty of water.

Conclusion

Brachycephalic Airway Syndrome is an often misunderstood or totally unknown issue that affects many Chihuahuas and other flat faced dog breeds. As responsible dog owners we need to ensure we understand the correct management of the syndrome and educate other owners of the potential harm.