New Dog owner

Hi my name is Beth and last week I aquired a Chihuahua! A 7year old bitch named Fifi wandered into my garden in the pouring rain. I managed to tempt her into the house and she stayed with us for three days before her owner phoned up to claim her. The next morning the owner phoned back saying she didnt want her and would I have her.

I obviously agreed, otherwise I wouldnt be on this forum. I have never owned a dog and from what the previous owner told me about her past I really want to make her as happy as I can. For 6 years she was used for breeding in a puppy farm. She is a very nervous dog, easily frightened although she's fine with me. When she first came into the house I ignored her. I could see that she was terrified so I thought the best thing I could do is give her time and she'll come when she's ready. It worked, she now follows me everywhere.

Right. Here's where I pick your brains!

She wont do her business in the garden, she waits then does it on the carpet. She will if I walk her but she's on heat and I dont know whether it's a good idea to take her for a walk.

She pulls on the lead and zig zags in front of me, I nearly trod on her yesterday because of this.

She snapped at my daughter. I think it was a warning, I dont believe she intended to bite otherwise she would have bitten her. She has been brilliant with the children so far and my daughter went to touch her tail. I told my daughter off and as soon as I was how the dog reacted I told her off too.

Any suggestions, advice will be very welcome. Never thought we'd have a dog but I would like to do the right thing.

well done you for taking her on, i will be back shortly with something that the lady who runs the rescue i work for wrote about homing ex puppy farm dogs just need to find it

Being in heat complicates things. I hope you plan to have her spayed, but most vet will insist on waiting until she is finished. The second and third weeks are when the most risk of accidental breeding is. Don't take this lightly. She will do anything to get loose and get to a male. Once loose, an accidental breeding and an unwanted litter is far from the worst that can happen. Such breedings can also result in fatal infections. She can get killed when she dashes heedlessly across the road in front of a car. Other dogs may kill her. You can expect the same thing about every 6 months for the rest of her life if you don't go ahead and get her spayed.

She may have already been bred before showing up at your house. There is little telling if she is pregnant for about a month. If already bred, that won't diminish her urge to breed again.

You were on the right track taking her out and walking. Exercise stimulates elimination. Exercise her until she has to go. Then lavish praise on her. It might be safer to walk in your own garden or other exercise. Will she fetch?

A vet check up would be a good idea. It would be great if the former owner would at least make her medical records available even if they skimped on her care. Here dogs usually have rabies tags with the vet's name on it.

You are to be commended for taking her in giving her a home. I do hope you don't have to go through her being pregnant and a litter to find homes for. If so, everybody here will do what we can to help.

here you go this is what we posted on our website for people thinking of adopting an ex breeding bitch, hope its helpfull

Information on adopting an ex-breeding dog
Dogs are pack animals, they can adapt really easily to living with people as they will think of themselves as one of the people pack (the family). However, many ex-breeding dogs only know their own kind. They will need time and patience to learn that humans can, and will, interact with them and love them. They only know the surroundings they are familiar with as many have never gone for lead walks or been on picnics or travelled in the car. They may never have seen a child, a cat, a TV or vacuum cleaner or ,in some cases, the inside of a home.

These dogs are not used to being left on their own (as they usually have K9 company), therefore we ask that they are not to be left for more than 4 hours in a whole day. If they are to be kept as an only dog we ask that they are not left at all until they are completely settled in a proper routine. This is because these dogs know nothing of our world and need you there to help them understand what is expected of them.

These special dogs need truly special people who have time love and plenty of common sense. If they are to be an only dog they will take longer to come around and be harder work, but it can be done. Also for an only dog, house training may take longer as they can be scared to go in the garden on their own and mark unfamiliar territory. It can go quickly or take months before you see a happy settled in dog.

IF YOU WANT A READY MADE DOG THIS MAY NOT BE THE PLACE TO LOOK,
IF YOU WANT THE SATISFACTION OF SEEING A DOG GROW INTO A HAPPY TRUSTING SOUL LOOK NO FURTHER!

So if you wish to adopt an ex-breeding dog please think long and hard and consider the worst possible cases:

* Many of these dogs are not house-trained.
* Many do not know how to walk on a lead.
* Some have not been socialised. They do not know how to accept love and affection from people and will often run away or hide when you try to give a cuddle or even stroke them.
* Many have never been away from the area they were kept in and often every day things we take for granted will scare them.
* They often do best in a new home with another dog/dogs to take direction from.
* They need to go to a steady home environment that can give them the time they need to adjust and come out of their shell.
* They are generally afraid of loud noises and lots of activity. Unfortunately this usually includes young children.
* New situations, places and strangers may easily scare them.
* Are you ready to give up time and a lot of love for sometimes very slow progress?
* Are all your family members willing and happy to help?
* This is a long term commitment.
* Be ready - your dog may be traumatized with all the changes in it's life.
* What you put in is what you get. Be prepared for the worse and you will be pleasantly surprised!

As soon I decided to keep her I got her micro chiped and the vet checked her over. I have her booked in for her jabs beginning of next month and I've already enquired about getting her spayed. It is going to cost us £160 which I do intend on doing as soon as I have the funds.
The previous owners will not answer my calls as I have phoned several times to find out which vet she'd used previously.
As she ran away from the previous home so although in the garden I keep her on a flexi lead as there are hedges instead of fences and no amount of chicken wire seems to keep her in.
We bought toys for her but she is frightened of them, she likes to roll around on the sofa when with me and she genlty mouths my hand. Is this ok? Is she playing or wouls it turn into something else?

The vet told me she'd only be on heat for 7-10 days but you mentioned weeks Labman?

I am a stay at home mum so I can devote as much time as she needs. I have been teaching the children to only stroke her if she approaches them and to move around quietly and slowly while she's around and they are doing very well (for children) The previous owner had her a year and her child is under 2yrs so Fifi has had some experience living with children. I have bought a dog crate and she does go in and out when she pleases so the rule is nobody touches her while she's in there so she can have a "safe haven".

She's a beautiful little dog and I'm already enjoying her company and the very steep learning curve.

There are several stages to a heat cycle. I often see the figure 21 days. That would be from the first discharge until the end of the fertile period. That is proceeded by hormonal flows and swelling of the vulva. After the end of the fertile period, the vulva and nipples are still swollen and take a while to shrink.

Your vet may be giving you the typical fertile period. I tend to look at the worst case to warn people wanting to avoid accidental breedings.

I think you would do well to follow Lizzy23's advice.

The dogs of the world need more good people like you. It sounds like you are off to a good start.

I noticed the bleeding and the swelling a few days after I took her in. Before that she was roaming and lost. Could it be that she may have been caught before we found her?

Hi, firstly wanted to say welcome and that you are an angel for taking the little girl in. With time and patience, you will have the most wonderful little pet ever!

It sounds like you may have been lucky with her fertile period not having started until after you got her. However, if you are not used to dogs, is there is a possibility you could have missed the signs happening before you noticed the bleeding/swelling?

If there is any doubt whatsoever as to whether she could have been "caught" I would have the vet give her an injection to make sure that no possible pregnancy can continue (it consists of 2 injections 24 hours apart).

I haven't read all the other advice you've been given, so sorry if it's been said before, but I'd just go back to basics with all training (including housetraining) and start from scratch. Chihuahuas are very clever little dogs that pick things up very quickly.

Contrary to what you might hear, Chihuahuas are wonderful with children but like everything else, she may be a little nervous around kids for a while. My Chis love my kids!!!!

Best of luck with her

Can I just say well done for taking this poor girl in. From the sounds of it she has been a breeding bitch and god only knows what kind of life she has had up until now.
You sound like your are willing to be patient and do whatever it takes for her and I think that should be applauded since you weren't even looking for a dog......I think maybe she entered into your garden for a reason.

I have to say I have no experience of exbreeders but I'd imagine you'd have to take things slowly and right from scratch as if she were a pup. For example taking her out to toilet every hour or so, so she learns where to go and when she does go give her lots of gentle praise or maybe a titbit of chicken or something she loves the taste of. You could try a good book like Gwen Bailey's The Perfect Puppy, although she's not a pup it may give you some suggestions on very basic training, although I think all she needs right now is lots of love and time to build up confidence.

I'm sure someone else with lots of experince can give you more advice. If your at all concerned she might have been mated, get her back down to the vet and they can advice the best course of action. The chances are her last owner won't have let you keep her if she was in pup as that's money they would want.

Good luck. I'm sure in time she will turn into a very loyal, loving little girl who'll learn life has so much fun in it.

You're dead right there, but I was thinking more from a point of her getting mated on her travels from the previous home to ending up at her new home!