The smallest breed of dog in the world, Chihuahua got its name from the Chihuahua state in Mexico. The progenitor of the breed was found in the same place in 1850s though the origin of the breed is still deduced from many different theories. Right from the traces in the Great Pyramid of Cholula and ruins of Chichen Itza to the discovery of a similar looking dog effigy to 1325 AD in Georgia, there are various arguments over the breed’s origin. History is by-gone, now these little dogs have become the most popular breeds as a toy dog. A litter may have pups that may differ drastically in weight and size. Chihuahuas give you a good long company of up to 20 years if cared well for. They are good pets to keep and easy to take around. They are feather light so just hold them into your arms and carry on. A quirky breed, it doesn’t need much exercise. If not anything it will be a loyal protective companion at least.

Appearance

There are two breeds of Chihuahua, recognized by the hair length- the short haired and the long-haired. The height ranges from 6-9 inches however some breeds even grow to 12 to 15 inches tall while the weight of around 1.8 to 2.7 kilograms is considered healthy. They have big round eyes, ears that stand erect and round or sometimes deer like skull. Their furs can have velvety touch or can be upright like whiskers. Surprisingly the short haired breeds shed more hair than the ones with long hair. The fur color is a mix of hues that range from solido red, cream, brown and spotted.

Temperament & Traits

The behavior of the owner greatly affects the behavior of the Chihuahua. Temperamental Chihuahuas can get provoked easily and may even attack, so it is better not to have this breed in a family with small children. Sometimes they may become possessive towards their owner and may even attack in the act of protecting them. Children of 13 years or above can manage with the dog if properly taken care of. Chihuahuas don’t get along well with other breeds as much as their own breeds. Despite being the smallest in the canine family of dogs, they dare to show their bold side at other dogs. They usually sneak into small places making their own den kind of thing. They also love to bury themselves under pillows, blankets, clothes and bottom of beds. Many people treat Chihuahuas like a doll or a baby, carrying them everywhere along, shushing them playfully, ignoring signs of aggressive display and swaying it all off in one or two excuse maybe. But the reality is the temperament of your dog totally depends on how you raise it. They generally get suspicious towards strangers. A  Chihuahua cab be trained to various things including not barking at anyone and everyone. They bark because they usually get suspicious about strangers which is the first sign towards building a tendency of biting.

Health

Chihuahuas require extra care in case of births and dental care. They also have tendency to have some genetic disorders generally neurological like epilepsy and seizure. They don’t grow equally in a litter, with drastic variations in weight and height among their siblings. Chihuahuas have larger eyes hence more chances of eye infections and watery eyes due to dry air or air-borne allergies. They also shiver when excited, stressed or feeling cold. The ones with shorter coats are less tolerant than their counter breeds. They usually like to be in sun or under blankets to get warmth. They would look for the tiniest sunspot and gather themselves there to warm up. It is recommended to make them wear something warm during winters, specially the breed with shorter hair.

Taking Care

People buy toy dogs out of wish, of just to have one, but they don’t realize that a breed this small can be easily injured or stepped over. Now that you know they have tendency to hide under pillows and blankets, you might sit on one, unknowingly or maybe hurt him, while he has slit under the sofa pillow.  Proper care is required towards the breed and they should be always kept under your eyes so that you are assured, they don’t run away and injure themselves. It is better to put them on leash and getting themselves to injury. They jump around and use their front claws like cats, so if you have leather furniture just be careful with this little devil, as they even have tendency to chew off your possessions. Your home should be comfortable enough with not too many holes and spaces as these dogs tend to snug themselves almost everywhere. Chihuahuas shed a lot of hair, but that also depends upon which is it.

Like every dog or any pet for that matter, your Chihuahua requires a lot of attention. If you work late and have  little time for your pet then this breed is not the right choice. Your pet will gift you with its tremendous loyalty and compassion.

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A pet is your animal companion and eventually becomes your family as you develop bonds with it. At one point this human-animal bond becomes so strong that it can turn your pet into your protector. There are hypothetical super-humans who risk their lives for your safety. Now let us have a look at super-pets who have pushed the limits of human-animal relationship and emerged as heroes with their extraordinary and unbelievable deeds to protect their owners and family.

Below are few instances where animals have proved themselves to be understanding, protective, heroic and above all a best friend.

1. Protector Pedigree

This incident took place on a fine October day in 2007. Charlotte Svillicic, a 17 month old baby was playing in yard in her Australian home when suddenly their pet Doberman, Khan starting making growling noises. The reason behind his snarl was totally unexpected, as it turned out to be one of the most poisonous snakes of the world, king brown snake, under the house. The dog tried to nudge the baby away but when it realized no avail in doing so, it lifted the baby with the diaper and tossed her few feet behind him. This startled the snake and in the sudden act it struck back at Khan and bit him on the paw. The snake dashed away and the toddler was saved, but the dog was ended up in hospital. Though Khan was given antivenin and he soon recovered but this act of courage got him appraisal and made him ‘hero of the day’.

2.  Parrot Alarm

Megan Howard, who was babysitting 2 year old Hannah Kuusk, heard her pet Quaker parrot screaming at the top of its voice and flapping its wings. Megan was in bathroom at that time and later said that she had never heard such shrill cries of her pet before. When she came out of the bathroom, she saw the toddler had chocked herself and her face had turned blue by then. Immediately Megan performed Heimlich maneuver over Hannah, a series of steps to save people from chocking. Although she saved the little girl but admitted that her pet had been the real life saver. The bird was later presented with the local Animal Lifesaver Award by Red Cross.

3. Lulu to the Rescue

While on a vacation in Pennsylvania woods, Jo Ann Altsman suffered from a heart attack. Lulu, her potbellied pet pig realized that something went wrong with her owner and somehow managed to get out of their mobile home, towards the road. When a car would approach, the petit piggy would lie down in the middle of road to stop the passerby. The times car didn’t stop, Lulu would go back to her owner to check upon her and then run back to the road. This intelligent act of the pig made a motorcycle stop and follow the pig into the woods. There he found the lady and immediately called 911. Such an immediate and surprising act saved by Lulu, saved the owners life.

4. A Meow saveS 3

Keesling family would have died in their sleep, had their cat not woken them up, by nudging and meowing loudly and continuously. A gas-powered water pump started leaking odorless carbon monoxide in the home. Nobody realized it except the cat, who tried her best to wake up her owners. Cathy’s husband and son were already unconscious, when Cathy got woken up by shrilling meows of her cat. Slightly feeling dizzy she called 911 and got help before it was too late.

5. Magic Mare

Animal therapy has long been known for its health benefits. Animals are known to reduce blood pressure and even prevent heart attack.  In a similar incident where horse therapy proved to be a boon to a patient who hadn’t spoken to anyone for three long years in her assisted-living facility. Magic, a beautiful mare with blue eyes used to visit patients, who needed comfort. That included her trips to hospitals, care facilities and group homes. When that patient saw Magic for the first time, she uttered out her first few words after a long time and that were,” Isn’t she beautiful?” Those words made every one come to tears and the lady improved considerably up on her health. This one interaction got Magic AARP’s Most Heroic Pet 2010 award.

6. Taking a bullet

In this heroic act by Lefty, this brave dog dared to cross all bounds when she leaped in front of one of the robbers, who pointed the gun at one of the family members. This incident happened during one night when the family home was broken in by four robbers. The dog took the bullet all by her and ended up getting injured on her leg and her shoulder. She was immediately taken to the nearby veterinary hospital but unfortunately had to lose one of her limbs. The cost of surgery was too much so in order to raise money for her treatment, they shared her story on Facebook. Not only were they able to get enough funds but the family pet became a heroic pup overnight.

7. Fire Fighter

Buddy, a brave German shepherd, received a silver-plated bowl from Alaska State Troopers for his heroic act when he saved his owners home from fire. When Ben Heinrich’s workshop caught fire in 2010, he shouted to his pet for help. Buddy made a dash to the road nearby and led a state trooper to the fire site. With the in-time help and Buddy’s bravery, Ben’s house was saved from flares.

These are just a few stories of bravery and selfless acts of pets towards their owners. These super animals have saved lives in time, with their intelligent and heroic acts. They are not just your friends, they are caring and concerned for you as any family.

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Many breeds of dogs popularly kept today are said to be ‘Spitz’ dogs or ‘Spitz type dogs’. If you’ve been looking at a variety of different breeds and types of dogs with a view to finding out the perfect future pet or companion for you and the entire family, you may have possibly heard the term in usage and wonder what kind of a dog it is and also, whether, a Spitz dog might be worthy of consideration as a future pet.
Spitz is generally characterized by their pointed ear and elongated muzzle and thick, dense fur which often contains a significant amount of white pigmentation. Their tail naturally curls up over the back of the dog to some degree. The term Spitz is not a breed in itself, nor does it refer to dogs of any particular breed. It’s more of ‘type’ identification and dogs of the Spitz type often bear a passing or sometimes strong resemblance to wolves. Recent genetic testing of a range of dogs of Spitz type shows that they originate from both deliberate and accidental mating of both domestic and wild dog packs with wolves. A significant number of dogs classed as Spitz originate from East Asia and the Arctic regions. While the word Spitz is Germanic in origin and a significant number have been bred in Germany during their relatively recent history, various factors that make up the Spitz typing are not believed to be indigenously Germanic

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Dogs which fall under the heading of Spitz type may come from a wide variety of different breeds. The range of dogs most usually considered to be Spitz and having the universal traits of that type include Alaskan Malamute, American Akita, Canaan Dog, Chow- Chow, Finish Spitz, German Spitz, Greenland Dog, Labrador Husky, Siberian Husky, West Siberian Laika.
Spitz is extremely cute dogs. One of the most distinctive and uniting factors common to all of them is their dense, often luxurious coat, which comprise of two layers; a long fine tapcoat and a thick insulating undercoat of coarser hair. A dog with a coat of this type requires considerable grooming to avoid matted fur and associated problems. Dust ad licks found in their fur makes it uncomfortable for the dogs. Brushing is not enough because a brush takes care of only the top layer of fur and a comb, if used to groom the dog down to the skin, will have to deal with knots and mats within the fur.
Spitz is loyal, good natured and inquisitive and relatively easy to train, although they can be prone to stubbornness and need firm direction and consistent handling. They inherently have a lot of stamina and endurance which helps them run over long distances etc. They are always brimming with excess of energy and hence need a large amount of space to walk around, roam freely and do energetic exercise for proper utilization of their energy. They are generally good with children and other pets. They are very active since they are bred for work. Spitz love to bark and we adore a barking Spitz at home, although outsiders and guests can find it scaring. Some people are too petrified of Spitz because of their ‘non-stop barking nature’. They are real smart animals; they get bored easily, try to grab your attention and if not given, they know well how to manage it from you. It will not eat unless you feed it. It will hover all around you until your attention falls on him and if guests are at home, they sniff so carefully from head to toe unless they make sure that you are perfect and not an evil intruder.

In warm seasons, it is of utmost importance for you to perform regular checks on your Spitz for fleas and ticks. There are numerous ways to avoid this problem which includes shredding the fur, using flea comb to find fleas etc. If she is exposed to mosquitoes often, she may carry heat-worms with her. As a result, she might die early. In some moderate climatic areas, veterinarians advise preventive worm medication throughout the year. Male Indian Spitz need to be neutered-and the females sprayed- removal of ovaries and uterus by 6 months of age. This reduces female breast cancer possibility. Prostate diseases, testicular cancer, some Hernias and certain types of aggression can be prevented by neutering males. The yearly cost of rearing the Indian Spitz- to include food and snacks, to vet bills, toys and license- is not much high.

The Indian Spitz is a dog type belonging to the utility group and was once an excellent farm worker found in India. As pets, they are playful and kind towards the humans. They love to chase their own tail and are quiet athletic. They adapt an aggressive nature if not treated properly. They learn to perform many impressive tricks and tasks. They are quiet clever and can understand human intentions very well. When properly socialized from a young age from a young age, the Indian Spitz gets along well with small children and other pets, often making friends quickly due to its social nature. These dogs adapt well to indoor and apartment living. They are obedient, loyal, loving and affectionate, making an excellent hunting dog, family pet and companion alike. They are superb watch dogs and strangers will be greeted with yapping shrill barks. Their diet is very adaptable and can include anything from milk, rice and yogurt to a rice and chicken diet. The point of obesity should also be kept in mind.

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You can’t expect your dog to never bark, its impossible as it is the only type of the vocal communication they have, expecting him to never bark is like expecting a child to never talk. They have a lot say and they usually do it by barking or some other actions. When you cannot understand why he is barking then your dog may show other actions, for example, if he wants to play then, first he will asked you by barking and if you couldn’t understand then he will try to do other things like showing you his ball, which obivously indicates what he wants to do – Play!
But excessive barking might create a problem for you if your neighbour often complaints. To control his excessive barking problem, you have to find out first why he is barking. Here are some cause of barking :-
1. PROTECTIVENESS :- When a person comes to your dog’s area or adjacent yards whom he considers as territory then it triggers the excessive barking. His barking will be louder as the threat comes closer. They are known as the “Watch – man” and it is natural for him to warn you about the threats.
2. BOREDOM :- They are pack animals if they are left alone then they will get bored and feel lonely. And they will bark in order to show they are not happy.
3. FEAR :- They may be frightened due to noises like thunder or people, objects or other animals. Due to fear, they can bark excessively.
4. ATTENTION – SEEKING :- Your dog often barks in order to gain attention from you. He knows either you will scold him for his excessive barking or pet him, and in order to control his barking, you’ll do whatever he wants like playing. In this case you are rewarding him for his excessiva barking which encourages him.
5. GREETING :- This is usually a happy bark. In this case, this is the way of your dog’s greeting some new people or guests or other dog.
6. PHYSICAL NEEDS :- If your dog is cold, hot, hungry or thirsty then he will bark as it is the way of his communication and he will request you to fulfill one of these needs.

HOW TO TREAT EXCESSIVE BARKING?

Here are a list of some solutions which will help in controlling the excessive barking of dogs. However all of them are useful but will take some time as you cannot expects results overnight. The longer your dog has been facing this problem, the longer it will take time to recover.
The two most things you have to do during treating the barking problem – First is have patience, it might take time but once it is done, it will be worth it. And 2nd important thing is not to yell at dogs, do not react to anything. Now I am telling you some solutions which will help in treating your dog’s excessive barking problem :-
1. EXERCISE :- Take him to walk or play. Always remember that, a tired dog is always a quiet dog so if you want to get rid of the barking problem then you should do him plenty of exercises.
2. DON’T GIVE ATTENTION :- As I said earlier, sometimes dogs bark just to gain attention or demands for whatever he wants. In this case, just ignore him untill he stops barking. The more attention you give, the more his barking problem will increase. Don’t even yell at him as it means you are still giving attention to him so gently command to keep calm and when he stops, give rewards as he will think that behaving well will get him rewards and not barking.
3. MEDICAL PROBLEMS :- Sometimes medical problems can also occur. If you don’t know why he is barking the taking him to the veterinarian is the best idea as he can develop some diseases which must checked and the specialists will give the appropriate solution.
4. BOREDOM :- If your dog is barking because of boredom then you must provide him some toys to play when you left him alone otherwise he will get bored and the neighbours will complaint! You can also adopt other companion for him, also it will provide extra safety to your home.
5. FEAR :- This type of fear is caused by fear or threat. You can control this by lessend by limiting whatever your dog sees. Try to keep him in a closed room as in yards, he will definetly see or hear something so its better to keep him closed with toys.
6.TEACH HIM TO BE QUIET ON COMMAND :- You can teach him to be quiet however it may takes some time. Firstly teach him to bark by saying “Speak”, when he do this, reward him, then slowly teach him to be quiet. Believe me it will be very useful. If your dog will bark uncontrollingly then you can command him by saying quiet.

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Usually, dogs shows their attention seeking behaviour at their puppyhood age and there is nothing wrong in that unless they cross their limits. Many times, dogs will try to communicate with you by showing some actions by barking at you, it will be perfectly normal. You must know that they are great at learning how to get our attention. The reason that annoying behaviour by him never stops such as barking at us, pawing at our hands, whine etc, is because we often tries to stop his behaviour by yelling at him, and ultimately they gets what he wanted “Attention”. They will do anything to get our attention whether it is positive or negative attention but they wants it as for them, it is better than nothing.
Attention – seeking behaviour can include the following :-
1. Barking
2. Whining
3. Jumping
4. Stealing clothes of you
5. Scratching furnitures
6. Demanding
7. Insists you to rub his belly

There are two types of attention seeking behaviour – Positive and Negative. Dogs love positive attention but when they do not get it, they start doing things like barking to get negative attention. He know that the owner will scold him for this behaviour. For instance, you are talking with someone on telephone and your dog is sitting besides you, first he will do things like laying, sitting, standing etc in order to gain your attention but if it didn’t work then he may do other things to seek the attention like barking or pulling your leg can work. He knows that he will get immediate response by doing this “Bad behaviour”. With time your dog can learn to do these kind of behaviour with maximum affect.

There are many reasons that how these attention seeking behaviour starts but top most reasons are :-
1. Boredom :- When someone feels bored, they’d do something to distract his mind, when our canine friend gets bored, he will try to gain our attention by some of his attention – seeking behaviour. He may wants to indicate something through his behaviour, for instance, if he is insisting for belly rub, this is because he is feeling bored and wants your love and attention.
2. Lack of exercise :- If dog gets enough exercise, he’d be too tired to gain attention all the time, otherwise he’ll become your “Boss” and will demand your attention. The more you delay, the more he will become demanding and obviously no one want a demanding dog.

HOW DO YOU STOP THESE KIND OF BEHAVIOUR?

Most dog owners don’t recognoze this behaviour initially unless it becomes intolerable for them but you are the only one who encourages his behaviour by responding it so you have to deal with it, however solving this problem might takes a lot of time so you have to have some patience.
The best way to solve this problem is ignore him as much as possible. This might be psychologically painful for you and your dog but this is the best solution. You are rewarding his behaviour whenever you respond his behaviour. Do completely ignore him if he is seeking attention somehow, don’t even look at him and try to stay busy in your own work. He might try harder but do not give any attention for his sake, when he calms down, then you can give command to sit and by give rewards too, when he do this. Soon, he will learn that these attentions seeking behaviour are not worth it but if he behaves well, he might get attention as well as rewards.
This idea is not as simple as it looks, most people will get frustrated and annoyed with their dogs and they will mistakenly yell or kick at him, which means you are still encouraging his behaviour. This takes a lot of patience and time but once your dog realises you are not giving him attention by his behaviour, it will all be worth it.
If your dog is trying very harder to gain your attention and is intolerable for you then you can simply take him in the room and locked him up and you can open up when she calms down.
Your dog can also be spoiled if you always give him what he wants. This is one of the thing that encourages in attention – seeking behaviour. If you fulfill his every demand then he will soon realise that he is the boss and knows that you love him so even you do not give him whatever he wants, he will beg you and you might fall into his innocent behaviour. If you do not want this at your house then don’t fulfill his every demand but you should reward him whenever he obeys your command as I said earlier, giving rewards to him for his good behaviour realizes him that if he behaves well, he’ll get good rewards.

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This question often comes to your mind – can dogs and cats live together? The answer of this question is YES, they can live together with proper instructions. Sometimes if you have a dog you may want to bring cats in your home or vica-versa. But you cannot just throw the animals together and let them deal with it on their own, this can lead to more fights, you must provide proper training to them. Dogs and cats are two different animals with different personalities but by giving proper instructions, they can live together peacefully. They both are predatory creatures, and it is in their genes that they loves to chase and hunt small animals.  Dogs sees cats as prey and chase after them whereas cats don’t see dogs as their prey because of size differences but they hunt smaller creatures like mouse.

If kittens and pups raised together then generally they learn to accept each other and they can even playing, sleeping or eating together as kittens and pups are like children and whatever you tteach them, they can learn it easily. But if you already have a raised dog then bringing a new cat in your home might be a problem.
Following are the points that you must keep in mind if you want both of your pets live together peacefully.

1. THE FIRST INTRODUCTION -

When you first introduce the animals to each other, let your dogs do some exercise so that he gets tired. But even then, your dog gets angry or cats get frightened then remove your cat immediately from that place, and calm your cat by taking up in your lap. Also take her litter boxes, food bowls and other belongings, away from your dog, where he cannot reach it, so that the cat can do anything without harassing by the dog.

2. KEEP KITTY SAFE -

If you don’t want your dog to hurt the cat then you have to set up refuge which must be unreachable for the dog. Dogs often see cats as their preys so in order to prevent from any harm to the cats, you must do this. Also keep all the belongings of your cat in the refuge only.

3. NEVER LEAVE THEM ALONE -

Never leave them alone until they get used of each other. But this can take weeks, and even you are sure that they won’t harm each other then you can be surprise when you’ll be home back and finds them injured, even if you don’t see any visible wounds, there can be mental wounds on the animal and they can be terrified of other animal the whole life.

4. DON’T FORCE THEM TO LIVE TOGETHER -

You cannot expect your dogs and cats live together in just ONE DAY! So don’t force them to be together instantly,  they are moral enemies so you have to give some time to them although it can take weeks.

5. DON’T PLAY FAVOURTISM -

Don’t play favouratism in front of your animals, they can be jealous easily if you show care to an other animal more than him For instance, if you give more attention to your cat then the dog might show aggressive behaviour and he might show this behaviour to your cat and might injured her.

6. INTRODUCE THEM WHILE THEY ARE YOUNG -

Try to intruduce them while they’re still young as in young age it is easier to teach them socialization with other animals

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7. DON’T ALLOW YOUR DOG TO CHASE -

Do not allow him to barking or chase. To stop this behaviour you can keep him in the leash and whenever he shows aggressive behaviour, you can move the leash away from your cat. You can divert his mind by the exercise or giving him or giving him treats.

8. KEEP THE CAT’S NAILS TRIMMED –

Claws are the only weapon of the cats and they can use it to dogs in order to show their aggressive and disruptive behaviour. You should trim their nails regularly if you want your dog to be safe from any scratches. But trimming claws is a painful procedure for the cats and she might feel defenseless infront of the dogs so in order to prevent from this situation you can cover her nails in the veterinary..

This whole process can take 3 – 4 weeks but till then, all you have to do work  with patience.  It is difficult to say if cats and dogs are getting along by their interactions.  We can’t say whether they are playing or it is just a predatory part.  If the cat is too afraid of the dog or the dog is too physical towards cat, then you have to pay attention towards them. By keeping in mind the above points, your two pets who are completely opposite to each other, can live in your house with the perfect harmony. The whole process can sweat you but once this works, there is nothing blissful than seeing them together.

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