Housetraining a Chihuahua

Small dogs get a bad rap when it comes to house training Because they're little, it can be easy to overlook a chihuahua puppy's accidents, because they're not as gigantic or disastrous as those left by a rottweiler or shepherd puppy. But this is a big mistake. I live in Toronto, which is very, very cold and snowy in the winter time. This makes housetraining tricky because it's not safe to take a...

Farfl Finds Fun Everywhere!

Who needs expensive toys? Not Farfl - all she needs is a couch with rustly upholstery and a hand to chase. She displays some pretty fierce growly barks and a stupendously waggy tail in this video. I also like how she looks out of the corner of her eye -...

Farfl and the Chew Bone

It’s amazing what fun a tiny chihuahua can have with something that’s meant to clean her teeth. Farfl is definitely teething right now and to stop her from chewing on my hand, my trousers, or the furniture, I bought her a nylon chew bone - chicken flavoured. This was shortly before the cat, who hadn’t noticed her on the ground, picked a fight with her as she got up on the chaise...

Leash Training Breakthrough!

I was a bit embarrassed at puppy kindergarten this week. Our homework for the first week of puppy training was having the puppy on a leash tied to you at all times except if the puppy was tethered while you were doing something like cooking. Let's just say it didn't exactly go to plan. One of the issues I hadn't quite counted on with a small dog is that although you can find tiny, lightweight...

One Bad Decision Costs $2,000

Why didn't I put her in the crate.... My husband is finishing writing his latest book at the moment and is a little bit stressed. I needed to go out and get some coffee and go to the bank and I decided to take Farfl with me so that she wouldn't bug him. What a bad decision that turned out to be...Farfl had coped really well being in my purse the other day after puppy kindergarten class so I...

Farfl and the Blue Rabbit

Who knew a $3 rabbit from the supermarket could be so much fun? Just like little kids who prefer the tat you buy at the dollar store better than the super-fancy presents, so it is with puppies. This rabbit toy is only about 6 inches long, which gives you some idea of how tiny Farfl really...

Farfl and the Red Ball – Rematch!

It ain't over 'til the fat lady sings....or the puppy gets bored. Later the same day that Farfl met the red ball she displayed some superb puppy bouncing which I was lucky enough to get on camera. There is nothing that quite beats the exuberance and pure joy that you see in a puppy at play. I wonder if she'll ever be big enough to make it onto the chaise longue without any...

Farfl Meets the Red Ball

This is the first video I took of Farfl I bought a cheap, red rattle ball from Ikea (I think it was like $2) and it turned out to be almost as big as Farfl.... This video was taken the day after Farfl came home. She was starting to come out of her shell and play and this is the first toy I introduced her to. The blanket that she takes the ball to is one I knitted for her before she came home. I...

Which Breeder?

Why and how I picked a breeder So I finally decided on a chihuahua. But where should I get one from? Did I want an adult dog or or a puppy? From an animal rescue shelter or from a breeder? I hadn’t had a dog in a long time, and I’d never had the opportunity to train one from scratch on my own, so I decided to get a puppy. Which meant finding a breeder, because I would never buy a puppy from...

Why a Chihuahua?

Of all the dogs in all the world...... It's what everyone I know asks - why a chihuahua? And it’s a good question. First off, let me tell you that it took me months of thinking, reading, planning and researching to decide: a) to get a dog at all and b) to get a chihuahua. There was my family to consider: my husband is fairly afraid of dogs (he had some bad experiences as a child) and...