What Makes Us Different

What makes Chihuahua World different?

For those avid followers of Chihuahua World this page will hopefully give you an ongoing insight to what’s happening here and why. Improving Chihuahua Breeding and Chihuahua Puppies Ownership with New and Fresh Ideas. Continuous investment sees constant changing in my breeding facilities and my dogs everyday and night life.

Over the years understanding my dogs behaviour allows me to look deep into what makes a happy dog and indeed creating outstanding temperaments which are then inherited by their offspring thus resulting in the perfect pet. As mentioned on other pages this is what gives us, the lifetime enjoyment of what should be our best friend.

All my dogs are treated the best they can be and enjoy the lives of active content young children which I’m proud to say gives my adults and pups the temperaments they are famous for.

STUDYING OUR DOGS 

BACTERIA and VIRAL

Past studies we looked into simple things like newspaper which we have all used especially for pups as it is cheap and easy to dispose of but with the problems associated with tiny new born pups like fading puppy syndrome some research was undertaken here and to our astonishment the ink that is used in newspaper print is actually toxic. Now although fading puppy syndrome has no identified specific cause, little things like not using newspaper I firmly believe has helped me to virtually eradicate any viral problems associated with my very young pups. I should also mention that I used to buy my disinfectant in large drums from the manufacturer but switched to Dettol antibacterial cleaner as more tests have been conducted with this product so having identified the news print it made sense to improve on bacteria eradication. 

Over the years we have all been educated on germ and bacterial growth in our homes so it makes sense to prevent the effects on pups which are not much bigger than a mouse, this is why it is so important in their young life to be as sterile as possible.

BEDS

A few years back we looked into the different types of beds available for small dogs and to see if they would use some more than others and believe it or not they actually did then and still have a preference of shaped bed, one which I use as much as possible here as the shape of the bed will see around 6 dogs huddled together. Being concaved in the middle it allows the dogs to naturally lean on each other when sleeping creating natural warmth for all. Vet bed has and probably always will be the toughest to use and wash everyday, in most situations and of course gives good value for money when brought by the roll compared to others. The problem with shaped and stuffed beds they lose their form and colours after a few washes apart from our Stress & Anxiety Beds that we sell in our store here.

NAILS

Small dogs spend most of their life in the house or running around the garden so don’t get the natural wear and tear on their nails to keep them short so instead of using the specialised dog clippers which understandably can be extremely clumsy on your dogs I have found the best method is to use the clippers we use for our own nails which enable a quick precise trim especially on a wriggling pup. I always make sure that I have Styptic Powder to hand just in case, so I can apply it to stop any bleeding. Both the clippers and powder are available in my shop.

FOOD

Perhaps the most important and still ongoing study happening here. Over the years I have probably used just about all the well known brands of the dry and wet food available but a year ago after reading a book titled “Say no to Cancer” if got me thinking about the highlighted topic of the book which is all the man made chemicals, additives, preservatives and colourings which go into our food as well as most dog foods. Having an attitude of you are what you eat well the same goes for dogs as most of you probably know that if you feed them rubbish then you end up cleaning up a real mess.

Dry food has come along way over the years and is very good if you buy the right one and do your research. Do not worry though as here at Chihuahua World we have done the leg work for you and we feed our dogs on Royal Canin (Mini & Mum and Pup) and Fish 4 Dogs. I also supplement with 100% natural treats which I sell on my shop and my dogs love them. Due to Chihuahua’s being a breed that graze all the time this is also the most cost effective with unwanted waste.

BOWLS

The choice of Water Bowl I have found to be extremely important especially for the pups. There are of course dozens of different shapes and sizes available when buying but many people are still buying just for the colour or pattern rather than the shape, and size. The factors to consider when choosing Bowls are the practicality features they have to offer your pup. 

A pup is obviously very small so the height of the bowl naturally needs to be low but not low enough that they will walk into the water as they tend to do with a saucer. On the other end of that being to deep can be a real hazard which can lead to drowning as the energy a pup can use to try and get out could leave them helpless even to stand up. Bowls of water I always look at being a danger object so you must always be aware of the problems surrounding them, rather than large bowls for large litters I have always got into the routine of putting down 2 or even 3 smaller bowls so to minimise any risk. 

The materials used to make them is a subject that I feel is equally important again especially when pups are involved. Most of you who have had pups in the past know that they tend to chew anything made of plastic with their Food and Water Bowls being no exception. Firstly chewing a water bowl inevitably will lead to their water being spilt, not only making a mess, but will leave them without water, something that must be avoided especially in the summer months. Plastic food bowls are a100% no no!! Chewing leaves teeth marks which then become bacteria breeding grounds due to the food and dirt embedded in them. Stainless steel is really the best option for durability and cleanliness so spend that little extra as it will be worth it in the end. 

BREEDING COMBINATIONS

Having 7 stud dogs gives me the opportunity to look at breeding combinations with my females in great detail. Although I have had most of my dogs Colour DNA profiled it still surprises me what variations I can get with certain parents. The same goes for appearance quality of pups as a female can have good quality pups with a good quality male and also bad quality pups with a different good quality male. What this means is DNA structuring of the parents play a huge part in what the quality the pups will be therefore finding good combinations will always be an ongoing priority in my breeding program. Just because 2 great looking Chihuahuas mate does not mean that all the offspring will be of the same quality. The mum always determines the litter size and sex of each puppy, where as dad determines the size of the puppies. Normally from 5 weeks if the ears are erect they are likely to be on the smaller size and ears still flopped over means they are likely to be on the larger size. This is why there is no such thing as a TEACUP dog because it really depends on the breeding pair. DNA structuring differs in every dog so only through documented breeding patterns are you then able to get an understanding why breeding combinations are so important, this is a foundation of my work here and one that I will continue to study.

PUPPY TOILET TRAINING

How nice would it be for pups to understand the difference between urinating outside on the grass and inside on the carpet? This is one of the fundamental teachings of any dog so we can live in a clean house with our dogs but so many people by pass this and use puppy pads which are great but obviously not desirable. I am currently trying different methods to help educate pups to the different environments they will be expected to empty themselves. Initial customer feedback has been really positive and has exceeded my initial expectations.

After 3 months of the trials that I have introduced, the pups recognition of grass and other materials have been very encouraging as they are proving even at 7-8 weeks of age they understand where it is desired to relieve themselves and where it is they can play. Being 2 different surface materials enables them to distinguish texture rather than us showing them where they have to go.

8 months on now and again the results are incredible. Customer feedback has been wonderful as have the puppies behaviour. This topic could potentially be a real sticking point for some when they think about buying a dog as none of us like dogs relieving themselves around the house so to actually educate the pups before they leave mum will take the hard work away from you when taking your new pup home.

TREATS

We all associate dogs with bones but very few people now days actually give their dog a bone but instead usually opt for the more convenient less hassle pet shop treats. There are now 100% natural treats available on the market now that you will always know you are giving the best to your chihuahua.

There is one particular bone that really did stand out in my trials and that was a particular pork bone that believe it or not you could still have sitting on your kitchen floor 2-3 weeks after your Chihuahua Puppies first started on it without any problems what so ever.

Here are some of the natural treats that I feed my dogs and they absolutely love them. Rabbits ears with hair (Natural Wormer), Tripe Sticks, Chicken Sausages, Pigs Ears and Marrow Bones. All available on our shop here

PUPPY PROGRAM SUCCESS

A recent experiment I carried out came from comments from my customers regarding their experiences when going to view other puppies. 

The sort of comments customers made regarding characters was how unfazed my puppies were by their surroundings in my office and by the presence of strangers compared to when they have visited other breeders puppies before coming to me. This led to me conducting a little experiment whereby the next 2 litters I kept mum and puppies in my kitchen in their beds for the duration of the 9 weeks until the puppies were ready. This meant that they would live and play in my kitchen, which is extremely big by the way, whilst other litters carried on being part of my Puppy Program meaning they would play all day in my Puppy House and then come in of an evening to their own designed area of the house. The puppies in the kitchen were obviously subject to house hold noises, my family etc and human interaction but when I took them for customers to view in my office the results were quite unexpected.

The comparison of the puppies from the two scenarios were quite dramatic regarding their characters as the puppies that were subject to my puppy program which includes daytime living and playing with other litters and their mums were so much more mature and possessed a lot bolder characters. The puppies which were brought up in my kitchen were nothing like they usually were when back in my kitchen with mum. What does this mean? Well I will explain, taking a puppy out of it’s environment or comfort zone they have become accustomed to triggers fear and caution which can be displayed at various levels, ranging from hiding away watching what is going on or just sitting there not knowing what to do except to be cautious. This is not necessarily a bad thing as they have never been subject to a strange area or a few unknown people so it can be said this is a natural reaction. But compared to my puppies involved in my Puppy Program it is as though they couldn’t be further apart as people are amazed at how they interact and show their bold characters from their very first viewing. I also try to expose the puppies to everything, so social interaction with staff and visitors, being around other types of animals (Sheep, Cats and my Douge De Bordeux Ruby) and getting them used to all the natural noises they may come across right from the start.