A Place of My Own – what every puppy wants
The feeling is widespread. Sometimes the world just feels like too much, and the only solution is to get alone in a quiet place for a bit. People are not the only ones who need to be alone. Dogs need a private place as well, even a new puppy. And little nervous dogs need personal space more than the calmer breeds.
Needing a place to hide goes back to the wild days, when dogs roamed in packs and lived in caves. A small nook in a cave or a hole dug under a rock or fallen log provided each dog with privacy in the crowded pack life. Providing a private retreat for your new puppy can make everyone’s life easier. The easiest way to do this is to buy a crate.
Hey, Sis! Let me in!
A crate is a gift, not a punishment
It is essential to remember is the crate is not for punishment. If an owner punishes a dog by locking it in the crate, the dog will hate the crate and never get the benefits. As an owner, you will have more disciplinary problems if you make your dog resent his crate. You want the crate to be where the dog is happy.
One important rule is to stop any punishment once the dog reaches the crate. The crate is the dog’s haven, a place to be safe. Never drag your dog out of its crate for punishment. Once that dog enters the crate, he or she should feel protected. The owner’s job at that point is to leave him or her safely inside, and unlocked whenever possible.
Chihuahuas love heat
In most climates, a Chihuahua needs a special place prepared before it comes home. Few books warn that a dog might have disciplinary (especially whining and tearing cloth and paper) problems because it is cold. A puppy, especially a shorthaired one, has trouble creating enough heat to sleep alone. But taking one to bed with a person can be a bad solution, because the puppy cannot go more than 3 or four hours without going pot. Being too small to get on and off the bed alone, the pup has no choice but to use the human bed as a toilet.
If you want to make a heated bed for your little darling, you need to pick a crate slightly larger than recommended. There are special pillows that you can heat in a microwave and they will radiate gentle heat for ten or twelve hours. Another choice is an electric pad or pillow that provides warmth day and night.
The dog should have enough room to choose to sleep on the heated part of the bed, or on the unheated part. If the pup is fewer than three months old, you might want to have a small area in the crate with paper for times when he’s locked up and just has to go. Dogs naturally try to keep the bed warm and dry, so we need to help.
After the bed is warm, throw little treats into the bed and encourage the pup to go in. As the pup goes in and out, he discovers the heat.
After we took this picture, we opened the crate and he refused to leave
A crate simplifies potty training
A crate isn’t for punishment, but it can help you train your dog. It is important to remember is that a tiny dog has a tiny bladder, and can’t hold it for long. The rule is an hour a month. So a three-month-old pup might need to go every three hours, and a four-month-old pup needs to go every four hours. Fortunately most dogs do manage to go longer at night after four months, but don’t expect a six-month-old puppy to wait ten hours.
As soon as you open the crate, take the young dog to the chosen place, the papers or the yard. Stay with the dog, playing and keeping it there for about ten minutes. When the dog does his business, praise him and make a big deal over it. It won’t be long before the dog runs straight from his kennel to relieve himself.
Once potty trained, there is no need to lock him up at night.
Finally he had to know what the others were doing.
Help your dog love his crate
A crate should have a few toys and be close to you. Your dog may want a little privacy, but a Chihuahua never wants to be far from its owner. A small crate can fit nicely between two chairs under an end table. Being portable, you can easily carry it and set it next to your bed at night. It is an ideal way to transport an excited dog that is jumping around the car too much. You will find your crated dog welcomed at hotels and friend’s houses. As a bonus, you are protecting your pet from other animals
The crate should never be a way to shut the animal out-of-the-way while you are busy, rather it is a way the dog can safely be part of activities that are threatening or confusing, such as picnics or family gatherings.
Small dogs need a small hiding place
Sometimes you will need to confine your dog in his crate. It is an important part of potty training to lock the dog up each night while he sleeps, so you have control over the morning wake-up time. It’s also a good idea to lock him in his crate if you have to leave the puppy home alone.
Some dogs get nervous when the owner leaves, and become destructive. They just have to chew something, and it is usually something that smells like you. The longer you are gone, the more nervous and destructive the dog gets.
Then he gets in trouble when you get home, so the next time you leave, he is even more upset and destructive.
But if you lock the dog in his crate with a few chew toys, he is in his den, safe. He knows the crate is to sleep in, so he sleeps. You come home to a happy dog and a safe house. This works well for shopping trips, going out to eat or visiting friends.
If you are going to be gone more than five hours, you might consider taking the dog with you. A Chihuahua lives to be with its person, and won’t be happy in a home where it is alone long hours on a daily basis.
After several weeks, my dogs learned that I expected them to sleep while I away. So I don’t lock them up any more, and they still sleep in the crates when I am gone. However, the lady I bought mine from can’t do that. Even after five years of consistent crating, she still has to lock them up every time she leaves, or return to a trashed house. The good thing is she just has to say the word “crate” and all four of them jump obediently into their crates and wait for her to lock the doors.
Whenever possible, get your puppy from someone who has introduced the litter to a crate. It isn’t always possible to crate train them as babies, but it is handy if they have been in crates and see them as good.
Once your puppy adjusts to his crate, don’t be surprised if he spends extra time there. On winter mornings, my dogs come out to greet me, then return to the warmth of their crates for a few more hours.
I never could convince them it was warmer to share a crate, each dog wants its personal space. Sometimes things get too quiet in the evening, and a quick search shows the dogs have abandoned our laps for the warmer and softer crate pillows. Normally our dogs love to have company, but there have been times when the company was still eager to play with them, and the dogs were tired, and went into the crates. The message was clear, play time was over.
