Your New Chihuahua

You have chosen to give a new home to one of our Chihuahuas that has been abandoned or abused. You should be proud of yourself. Without people like you hundreds of abandoned and abused dogs of all breeds would be euthanized every year only because no one wanted them.  River City Chihuahua Rescue (RCCR) thanks you for helping one of our dogs and for your love of the breed.

Rescued dogs, like other dogs, have diverse personalities. Some may be very friendly while others may be reserved. No dog is going to be "perfect" and due to their past history rescued dogs require special consideration. Rescue dogs have a higher chance of being very submissive due to their past history. Imagine being abandoned or "left behind" by the person you love the most in the world, either intentionally or by death. Rescue dogs have a greater chance of becoming emotionally attached very quickly to their new owners. Because of this, they may have bonded to their foster homes before you adopted them and may seem scared or sad for a few days after you get them. They tend to quickly adjust to new homes however and bond with their new owners. Chihuahuas love to get all the attention. Sometimes rescued dogs may exhibit behavioral problems that could include house soiling, destructive behavior, mild aggression toward other pets or humans, submissive urination, clinging behavior, licking behavior, and hiding or cowering in bed. All rescued dogs will exhibit some behavior when entering a new home. Most of the time, bad behavior is of very short duration as the animal becomes used to its new surroundings. The foster parent will advise you regarding any behaviors that have been observed while the animal was in foster care. Here are some suggestions for making the process as enjoyable as possible.

If possible you should try to duplicate the routine that the dog was used to while in foster care, and gradually introduce him to new routines over time. Most foster homes have set times to eat and specific places for the dog to sleep. If you want your dog to sleep with you, like most people, remember you may not get a lot of sleep that first night if the dog had been sleeping in a crate while in foster care. A good walk before bedtime assures that in most cases the new dog will sleep easily.
 

Introducing the rescued dog to other pets or children in your house should be done carefully. Don't leave your other pets or small children unsupervised with the new dog until they are used to each other. Don't feed the pets in the same room together until they are showing no aggression or jealousy at mealtime. A dog that has been starved, or forced to give up food to other dogs in the past, may be very protective of the food you give it. Aggression of course cannot be tolerated and in the case of rescued dogs, it is usually born out of fear. RCCR screens every dog for aggression prior to placement. It would be very unusual if the dog had any aggressive tendencies and the foster home is not aware of it. RCCR practices behavior modification while the animal is in foster care to eliminate this type of behavior. Usually the foster home can give you guidelines on how to approach a specific dog if it has shown food or fear aggression. On the other side of the scale, don't be too concerned if the new dog is not eating as much as you think it should in the beginning. Maybe it is a new type of food or maybe it misses its old foster home. It will come around eventually.

You will almost certainly have a few toilet accidents when your rescue dog begins living with you. He will not really know in the beginning where to go, or how to let you know it wants to go. The worst thing you can do is to physically reprimand it. This teaches it that he must go someplace you can't see him to void. A firm "no" when you catch him in the act and placing him outside or on papers will teach him where it is appropriate to go. Some experts say not to place the dog exactly where you want him to go when you take him outside, but nearby and calling it over to that place. The main thing is to reward good behavior, and use firm verbal cues for bad behavior. It is not advised that you let the new member of your household free reign of the house when you are away for long periods of time. Chihuahuas have small bladders. Unlike large dogs they are not physically able to hold their bladders for long periods of time. For this reason Chihuahuas need to be taken outside more often, even if they don't seem to have to go, and need to have papers or piddle pads available when you are away and cannot take them out. Although they will sleep all night long because one of their favorite things is sleeping under the covers, I believe that no Chihuahua is ever totally housebroken, simply because of their size or lack of it!
 

Submissive urination is a condition that is somewhat rare but it can be difficult to resolve. In addition to the urination taking place in a submissive role, the urination can also take place when the dog is happy or excited. Most of the time once the submissive dog has found out that he is indeed safe in his new home and will not be abused verbally or physically, the behavior stops on its own. Once in awhile however the new owner needs to take specific steps to stop the behavior. For dogs that exhibit the behavior as a form of submission, scolding will always make the behavior worse. When yelled at the dog will feel that it needs to be even more submissive and will increase the behavior. Here is what you should try. First when you approach the dog, let it come to you, let your hands hang down, but don't bend over the dog or reach for him. Once he sniffs your hand or licks it, take a step back and hunker down like a baseball catcher, and once again let him come to you, and initiate contact. Get down on his level and talk softly to him and slowly touch him. If he does not urinate then praise him and immediately stand up and go about your business. Submissiveness is a form of insecurity in canines. Some experts feel that rewarding good behavior, by teaching the dog simple commands, builds up a dog's self-confidence and reduces submission. If the dog is an "excitement" urinator, the secret is to come home and, as hard as it may sound, ignore the dog until it calms down, and then go through the steps mentioned previously. It may take some time but the behavior will stop once the dog realizes that it is not a big deal when you arrive home. Also do not make a big deal of your leaving, or it will become a big deal to the dog resulting in separation anxiety problems.
 

As strange as it may seem, one of the more annoying behaviors of a rescue dog is clinging. This dog jumps on your lap almost before you have sat down, regardless of what is in your hands be it cold or hot! I have actually had a foster dog that insisted on placing a paw on either side of my neck and just stare at me. It is best to gently place the dog beside you or on your lap and teach it that it is OK to relax. It may take repeating over time but eventually the dog will relax and trust you aren't going to abandon him. Submissive licking behavior can be addressed in the same manner. Gently push the dogs head away from where he is licking and say no. 
 

Some Chihuahuas make strange sounds. Some tend to hack or cough if their throats are pressed or if they get excited. This is due to weakness in the trachea of the animal and can be inherent in the breed. It is not life threatening, although it sounds alarming. Ignore it unless it is happening consistently even when the dog is relaxed. Other Chihuahuas snort. This is actually called a reverse sneeze in Chihuahua books. It is caused by a combination of the weak trachea and the short snout of the breed. It is also not life threatening and should be ignored.

We do recommend that your dog wear a collar at all times with rabies tag, microchip tag and - most importantly - an ID tag with your phone number on it.  Microchipping is an important means of getting your dog back should they get away but what if it happens on a holiday or weekend?  If your phone number is on the dog, you get a call right away.

We recommend that you use a harness for walking.  Collars can put undo pressure on a small dog's throat.  Small dogs tend to have weak tracheal rings and can actually injure themselves by pulling against a collar.  Walk your dog on leash and you'll not only protect their throat, but if danger should approach, say - a larger dog - you can actually yank your dog up to the safety of your arms without harming it.  Of course, you'll have to be using a good, old fashioned nylon leash to do that.  This is only my opinion but I don't trust those retractable leashes for a number of reasons.  I've seen them for sale for a dollar - so that makes me not trust the mechnaism.  I've heard stories of people dropping the plastic handle, spooking the dog who then takes off - handle bouncing and clattering on the sidewalk behind them, scaring them more.  I'm sure you can envision the scene.  Lastly and most important - retractable leashes allow your dog to walk 16 feet in front of you.  On a walk, your dog needs to be right next to you on your left side.  It's safer and your dog needs to see you as the leader.

People often don't realize that small dogs are vulnerable to birds of prey.  This is one reason why we don't want the dogs outside unattended.  An eagle, hawk or owl might not be able to carry your dog away but they can seriously injure them in trying.  Remember too that dog theft is rampant these days.  Your new dog is relying on you to keep them safe. We chose you as an adoptive home because we are comfortable relying on you, too.

For dishes, we recommend glass, ceramic or steel.  Plastic dishes can harbor a fungus that will infect your dog's mouth.

These are some of the situations and suggestions you may possibly run in to with your rescued Chihuahua. For the majority of adopters, however, after an initial few days of adjustment they find that they have adopted a truly wonderful little dog that wants nothing more than the touch of your hand, the sound of your voice, and the love of your heart. You may find it hard to believe that someone in the past treated your new friend with cruelty or neglect. It is difficult for us also but because of you, that will never happen again. Remember that even though the adoption is complete, if you ever have a question about your rescued dog, we are always available to you as a resource. We always enjoy hearing about our temporary charges, how they bring joy to your life and how much you love them. It is what keeps us going sometimes when we have to go out and rescue one more chihuahua from neglect, abandonment, or abuse.