Page 119 - K9 News Digital - Issue 11 May2020

The Chihuahua

outdoors or in kennels. They are well known for being of missing Chihuahuas escape from their gardens or dart
difficult to house train, but it can be done with consistency, out of the front door. Never leave them unattended in a
patience and reward; indeed, they can be sensitive in car; apart from the detriment to their health in hot weather,
nature so reward based training is a must with these little a number of Chihuahuas have been stolen when left in
ones. That said, they are like any dog and need to know such a manner by opportunistic thieves have broken into
boundaries and they respond well to routine. an unattended car to take the dogs.

PoPulariTy and Buying a PuPPy Chihuahuas and The Canine disCiPlines
The Chihuahua is a very popular breed of dog which There is no reason why
has attracted many an unscrupulous breeder and made these tiny little dogs
them one of the most stolen breeds of dog. The advice cannot do as well in the
of all the breed clubs is that puppies should stay with their bigger dogs in the canine
breeders until 12 weeks of age, with very good reason. disciplines. They are a
As mentioned above, they are prone to hypoglaecemic numerically high breed
attacks and they benefit enormously from the extra in the show ring, but only
socialisation time. Breeders selling puppies earlier than a few of them compete
12 weeks should be avoided. The breed clubs are often in other disciplines such
an excellent place to start when looking for a good breeder as Agility, Obedience or
and remember that the reputable breeders often have Heelwork to Music. It is
waiting lists. Vigilance when out and about with your dog worth considering training
is a must and ensure that gates and doors are not left open in one of these disciplines
at home as they can be little escape artists. The majority as they often do very well
at it. They are more than
capable of tipping a see saw in agility (albeit the tipping
point is in a vastly different place to a bigger breed!) and
given the opportunity to
partake in obedience
they will often delight in
the training they receive.
In recent years we
have seen Chihuahuas
competing at Crufts in
Heelwork to Music and
obedience.

Breed CluBs
There are 10 breed clubs in total, covering all parts of the UK. All have a code of ethics which members agree to adhere
to. Contact details for each of the clubs can be found here:
www.thekennelclub.org.uk/services/public/findaclub/

Name of Club Area Offers Rescue
British Chihuahua Club National Yes
Chihuahua Club of Scotland Scotland No
Chihuahua Club of South Wales Wales No
Longcoat Chihuahua Club National Yes
Midland Chihuahua Club Midlands Yes
North East Coast Chihuahua Club North East No
Northern Counties Chihuahua Club Yorkshire and Humberside No
Smoothcoat Chihuahua Club National No
Ulster Chihuahua Club Northern Ireland No
West Country Chihuahua Club South West No

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