To The New Owners of a female chihuahua puppy
Just as in humans, there are differences between male and female Chihuahua puppies. As the new owners of a female Chihuahua, you’ll find life with your new baby to be exciting, and probably a bit tiring. Little girl Chihuahuas tend to be very energetic and bouncy, and some of them will downright run you ragged, but they’re also irresistibly cute.
Female Chihuahuas can be very “prissy” especially as puppies. You’ll probably find her prancing and high stepping through wet grass, rolling around on her back on dry grass, basking in the sun, running around in circles through leaves and sand, tossing it all behind her as she goes, and probably avoiding mud and wet dirt altogether. Little girls also tend to groom themselves quite a lot, and even more when they get older.
Many female Chihuahuas love to run. Strangely enough, this does seem to be a characteristic of the females. Males don’t seem to have this desire to run as much. Often, you may look out in the yard when your little girl is out and find her running laps around the fence line, just having a great time. This is wonderful exercise for them and seems to be a highly enjoyable pastime for them as well.
While all Chihuahuas can and will attach themselves to anyone who cares for them, females often have a tendency to form a stronger bond with their male caretakers.
Little girl Chihuahuas can also be pickier eaters. Any change in diet should be done gradually so that she has time to get used to the new food. Most times though, if you change her diet gradually, she’ll become accustomed to it and do just fine. If you ever find that you have trouble getting her to eat, go back to the food that she last ate well, or offer her something like yogurt or chicken noodle soup mixed in with her regular food until she is eating well again.
You can expect your female to grow and mature just as any other dog you’ve ever owned. Small breed dogs mature more quickly than larger breeds. She’ll begin teething about 3-4 months of age, and this “chewing” stage can last from 2-6 months or so, so be sure you have plenty of chew treats on hand for her at all times. Don’t worry if you don’t ever see any of her baby teeth. Very often, she will swallow her teeth unknowingly when they come out during her feeding time.
You should expect her first heat cycle at 6-10 months of age. This milestone does vary though, with the earliest we’ve ever heard of being 5 months and the latest 12 months. During her heat cycle, you may want to try one of the variety of “doggie diapers” to keep the mess down to a minimum. Many females keep themselves impeccably clean during their heat cycle though, so you may not ever see any messy problems with it. If you wish to have your girl spayed, you will want to speak with your vet about this before her first cycle begins. Some vets prefer to give them one heat cycle before spaying, and some don’t. You can expect her to be fully grown by around 1 year of age, but females often are not fully mature, physically or mentally, till almost 2 years of age.
Possibly the most problematic trait of female Chihuahuas, and it’s also one of the most endearing, is their tendency to become dominant very quickly. Often, it takes a female Chihuahua puppy only a matter of hours to become dominant over an entire household of humans. If this is allowed, your little girl will quickly become difficult to train, moody and pretty soon, she’ll have the household under her thumb. Even if you consider her to be your baby, you must remember that your female Chihuahua puppy is still just that….a puppy…not a baby. Be sure you treat her as a dog and she will act like a dog.
Your little girl is unique and special. She’ll have a personality, and possibly an attitude, all her own. She will be loyal and loving with you if she’s treated with love. Enjoy your new baby girl. We hope you have a wonderful time watching her grow and develop. She’ll be a full fledged family member before you know it.