Find out 12 interesting facts about chihuahua puppies that make them stand out from other dog breeds. Did you know that the Chihuahua is the smallest dog breed? Or that it is named after the Mexican state of Chihuahua?
Even though they may be small in size, you will find that they have big personalities that make up for it. For a small dog, chihuahuas are good in the agility and obedience departments and have been named among the top ten watchdogs by experts!
Considering adopting a chihuahua puppy? Here are 12 things about Chihuahua puppies that make this little dog breed stand out from the others.
How Much Do Chihuahua Puppies Weigh at Birth?
A chihuahua puppy will usually weigh between 2 to 6 ounces at birth.
That may sound tiny, but chihuahua’s moms still often need to have a Cesarean section because the puppies’ heads are large in comparison to the rest of their size.
In the Complete Chihuahua Encyclopedia, it states that if the chihuahua baby weighs three ounces at birth, then it will most likely weigh around three pounds by the time it is 18 months old and fully grown.
It is good to know your pup’s size because it can help you make more informed decisions when it comes time to choose their crate, bed, harness, leash, and other accessories the newborn chihuahua puppy will need.
Having this kind of understanding about their weight early on can also help you identify problems early if your small breed dog is underweight or overweight.
When Can You Tell a Puppy’s Eye Color?
Many puppies have blue eyes when they first open their eyes. But their eyes can also be other colors such as gold, green, gray, or brown.
Usually, they are paler when they are young but change to their permanent color between 9 to 16 weeks old.
The permanent eye color can change at 16 weeks old as well. Your chihuahua will start to open its eyes around the two-week mark.
In the beginning, the eyes will look almost foggy and have that bluish tint. The eyes are always lighter in the beginning because a puppy’s iris lacks melanin.
When Will My Chihuahua’s Ears Stand Up?
The ears usually start standing up at around two to three months old.
Some days one or both will be up, and the next day one or both will be down. It takes a while before they stay up for good.
If your chihuahua’s ears haven’t stood up by six months of age, then they probably aren’t going to stand up at all. And that’s okay.
Some chihuahuas have floppy ears, and they are just as cute and lovable as any other chihuahua.
When chihuahuas first come out of the womb, their ears are floppy. Remember, there really is no set timeline when it comes to when and if their ears become fully erect. Some Chihuahua pups can develop sooner, while others may take more time.
How Often Should I Feed My Puppy?
It depends on the age of the puppy, but usually, feed them 3-4 times a day until they are a year old.
The best time to feed your puppy its first meal is around 7 in the morning, then again at noon, and around 5 for dinner.
Following this easy-to-remember timeline allows ample time for the dog’s food to digest and allows them to take one more trip outside right before bedtime.
How Much Should I Feed My Chihuahua Puppy?
Puppies should eat 50 calories per day per pound of body weight.
You shouldn’t feed your puppy adult food because it lacks certain nutrients your puppy needs for its growth.
To meet their unique nutritional needs, feed them up to four times a day. You should also be aware of the weight of your pup because this helps determine just how much food they should be getting each day.
For more tips on feeding your chihuahua, read these Tips for Feeding Your Chihuahua
How Long Does a Puppy Sleep?
Chihuahua Puppies sleep between 16 and 20 hours a day.
They will often wake every few hours for about an hour before they go right back to sleep.
To help establish a good sleeping schedule, set a routine. Before it is time for bed, offer them their final snack, give them just a few more minutes of playtime, and allow them to go outside to the bathroom one last time. You can then offer them their favorite toy as you persuade them to go to their bed or crate.
When Will My Puppy Sleep Through The Night?
Usually, your puppy should be able to sleep through the night when it’s around four months old.
If there is an upset in their routine, like if you just adopted him, if you are traveling overnight, etc., it may take longer.
Make sure to establish a bedtime routine for your newborn chihuahua puppy and be sure to take them out to potty before bed. They may need to be let out again for another potty break during the night.
When Do Chihuahuas Stop Growing?
Most chihuahuas stop growing and are full-grown by the time they are a year old though they will fill out some more within the next year.
A few puppies will grow a little more and stop at 18 months old.
A chihuahua puppy’s growth will usually begin slowing down between 12 weeks of age and six months.
They will be very close to their fully grown size by this time. However, they are not considered fully grown adults until they are at least one year old.
Is It Normal For My Puppy To Have a Soft Spot on His Head?
Yes, it is. It’s called a Molera, and in most cases, it will close up on its own by the time the puppy is a year old. In some cases, though, the Molera never closes up.
When Should I Start Potty Training My Puppy?
You should start house training as soon as you get your puppy.
It’s a long process, so be consistent and have patience. When potty training your chihuahua, take your puppy out very frequently – about every two hours or so. They should also be taken out right away in the morning, during and after playtime, and after they eat and drink.
Pick out a nice bathroom spot in the yard and guide your chihuahua puppy to that spot every time. Once done, reward them for their good behavior.
You can read more about housetraining a chihuahua here: Housetraining Your Chihuahua
When Do Puppies Stop Teething?
Puppies tend to like to chew for most of their first year.
When the baby teeth start falling out at around four months old, the urge to chew on everything will increase. The adult teeth should all be in by eight months of age when the urge to chew starts to decrease.
Of course, most dogs of every age do like to chew, so be sure to have some chew toys around for them.
Did you know puppies have 28 baby teeth and adult dogs have 42? Good dental cleaning and checks are important for helping to maintain the health of your Chihuahua. Their teeth should be brushed regularly to avoid infection and tooth decay.
When Can a Puppy Be Around Other Dogs?
You should start introducing your puppy to humans, other dogs, cats, and other species if they will be around them, pretty much as soon as you get your puppy.
It is a good idea to let your dog settle in first for a day or two, and I’d keep them away from unknown dogs (such as in a dog park) until they have had time to settle and interact with known dogs.
But the earlier, the better. Always supervise your puppy when he’s around other animals and children.
What Are The Unique Qualities of The Chihuahua Dog Breed?
When you have a tiny breed dog like a Chihuahua, they are going to have very unique and individual needs that will have to be met for them to remain happy and healthy in their new home.
Chihuahua puppies are a tiny breed dogs but are very confident. They love to give and receive attention. Despite its small stature, this small dog grows up to be very bold.
Their wide eyes and big ears are just two of their distinctive features in addition to their small size. The ears usually remain erect and are often quite large when compared to the rest of their head and body.
A newborn chihuahua baby won’t open its eyes for a few days and will live off the mother’s milk while sleeping often.
Chihuahua puppies can be adopted as soon as three months after they are born. However, a dog breeder may want to keep the puppies with their mother until they are at least six months old.
Chihuahuas are smart dogs, and as long as you are consistent with your training and you are patient with your new Chihuahua pup, your puppy will learn what is expected of him and will soon adapt to his surroundings.
A good thing to always remember is each Chihuahua pup will have its own personality. Some may be more laid back while others may be full of energy. They can also be very stubborn, but they are protective and territorial.
It will take some time to see where your newborn Chihuahua pup falls in the behavior and personality category, but once you learn more about each other you can both create an environment that is suitable for the entire family.
More Facts About Chihuahuas
Be sure to also check out this guide that showcases all our chihuahua facts articles!
If you’re interested in what makes chihuahuas stand out from other dog breeds, take a look at these 5 reasons to choose a chihuahua over other dog breeds.
Hi Cathy,
I’be been reading your newsletter for a while
now. My husband and I are getting a chihuahua puppy the week after New Years. We can’t wait to bring her home. The breeder has been sending me pictures of her every week. We live a distance from her. We found our breeder on the AKC site.
I just wanted to say thank you so much for all
Of the great information and wonderful pictures that you share with everyone.
God Bless you and Merry Christmas!
How exciting Cathryn! Puppies are so much fun.
Be sure to send photos once you get your little one.
And keep the link below handy. It’s where we have all our puppy articles:
https://ilovemychi.com/chihuahua-puppies/
@Cathryn Rush, you are smart
Our little girl Merida is just 13 weeks old and loves any and every cell phone. This poor girl survived parvo and then pneumonia. I direct a rescue, and the little of 7 Chi’s came to us at 8-weeks of age. Only 4 of the 7 actually contracted the parvo. Amazing!
That is such a cute photo! It’s funny she likes cell phones. Wonder what she’s thinking when she’s looking at them?
Hi Cathy I got a puppy chihuahua about 2 months ago I have been reading your newsletter for about 3 months thank you so much for all the tips they’d have been very useful. All your Furbabies are so cute!?
This is My Fur Baby Luna❤️?
(She is cuddling with me on my bed)
Your welcome Maddy. Luna is a beauty!
Hi Cathy A few years ago I rescued 7 chi’s. from Old Lyme CT. I took care of all their medical needs and just loved them into sweet dogs. I took my time (long time) to pick out just the right parents for each. One chi STELLA went to a lovely lady in Ledyard, Gales Ferry CT. She said she would send pictures etc but never has. I just want to make sure STELLA is happy and healthy. You provided me with the woman’s name. Any way you could remember and send me her number so I can contact her??? PLEASE!!! She also had rescued a chi prior to STELLA with a lot of medical concerns thank you so very much I really appreciate it thanks JoAnne
Yikes, I have no way of finding that info now. I’m sorry Joanne. The only thing I can think of to do is to put a post up on the FB page asking if she would contact you.
My 3½ yr old chi has recently had a beautiful litter of puppies.
We are so pleased that although she had 7 puppies, we were able to bring up 6 of them (sadly losing one in the first 1½ hours ), 5 have been rehomed and 1, the smallest is staying here with her mum.
She really is a tiny pup and still only just weighs 1kg at 16 weeks old.
I’ve been reading your page on and off since my chi was a pup. Now I hope the owners of the puppys will also check you out too.
What an adorable photo! Such cute chis. Glad you got to keep one of them and thank you for recommending this site to the new puppies’ owners.
I am having a home visit from for adoption of chihuahua/min/pincher 11 week old puppy please advice for what to buy asap…this is my first pup and I am retired. vet strongly believe crate train
Here’s a post on what you need for a puppy: https://ilovemychi.com/what-you-need-for-a-chihuahua-puppy/
A few of the things you can wait until after you get the puppy such as a harness (you can take the pup with you to the pet store to make sure you have the right size). And if you don’t know what kind of food the puppy is eating, I’d hold off on that until you know.
This is going to be my new puppy on Friday his name is Diesel
He’s adorable Holly!
trying to read everything I can about teacup chis..in July my sister is bringing me my pup..was going to include a pix but couldn’t figure out how to do it
You can email the photo Karen, specially if you would like for it to be chi of the day on Facebook or chi of the week in our newsletter (just let me know which you prefer). Email to cathy@ilovemychi.com
My Chi is nearly 8 months old. Her ears are still floppy but she is very cute. I don’t know how to add a pic either?
I had to remove the plugin that allowed readers to add their own photos. It broke my site. Sorry Oriel.
Are Chihuahuas good with kids? 5years?
5 years old would be the very minimum age I would suggest. As long as your child can be gentle and not rough or jerky around the dog, they can both become good friends. I wouldn’t suggest a chi for a hyperactive child though.
Our 6-pound Chihuahua (now 10 months of age) was only 2 ounces at birth. So the growth charts can be very much off in their projections!
That’s true Ann. They definitely can be off sometimes.
our chihuahua is about 12 wks our vet said. we have had her for a month and she has a huge pen to run in and many teething toys but when we pick her up to hold her she bites and draws blood. we need advice please.
Yeah, you need to nip that in the bud or it will only get worse. Check out our post on biting for some ideas of what you can do: https://ilovemychi.com/how-to-stop-dog-biting/
I just purchased a 7 week old chihuahua puppy on May 25, 2021. Breeder sent me a video of the puppy walking around on May 19th. We left breeder and went to Petsmart to get puppy supplies. And other shopping as needed. This puppy road in my mother’s lap or in a shopping cart all the time until we got home. The puppy sleepy the whole time only walking to squirm around. When we got home, we put her on the ground to pee. She would not walk or attempt to walk. She pulled herself around by her front feet with her back legs dragging. Took her inside. I would stand her up and her back legs would do ‘splits’. She would not eat until I pried her mouth open and put some wet food in her mouth. Then she started gobbling like she was starved. She would stand a few seconds or take 1 step and immediately fall. Breeder will not answer my calls or text to let me know if some thing happened to her between 19th and 25th. Is this normal for a 7 week old chihuahua puppy. My mom said she seems stronger today and exploring her new environment. But very antisocial. Doesn’t want to be held at all. My heart is breaking not knowing what is going on. Looks like puppy swimmers syndrome. She was the runt of the litter too. Any advice would be awesome.
A 7 week old puppy, although clumsy, should be able to walk and run. I would get her checked by a vet. A breeder who ignores you is not ethical. Ethical breeders have a guarantee and will take a puppy back if something is wrong with them and will answer all questions.
It doesn’t sound like she has had much socialism. She’s really young and you can turn that around and handle her often. Make it a fun experience by playing with her and giving her tiny treats. But first get her checked out. It could be she doesn’t want to be held because it hurts.
@Betsy, I know it’s been over a year since your post and I hope your dog is normal now, but 7 weeks is too young for any dog to be taken away from its mother. The fact that the breeder would do that should have been a red flag. I’ve always heard a minimum of 8 weeks, but the longer, the better.
How do i keep my puppy from biting my feet and hands
It’s completely normal for a puppy to bite but you definitely want to stop it. Your puppy thinks its playing. When they bite you, say “ouch” in a loud but hurt voice, pick them up and put them in a time out (crate or playpen) for a few minutes. Give them something to chew too. This will take time but they usually will grow out of it. I’m dealing with this myself with my puppy.
If you feel your puppy is being aggressive and not just playing or teething, lay your puppy on their back and gently hold them down until they calm down. When they calm down, let them loose. If they continue to do it, you can also pick them up and hold them over your head (make sure you have a firm hold so you don’t drop them-use 2 hands if needed). Hold them up for about 10 seconds and then lower them. This usually helps them to see that you are in charge, not them.
Bogart automatically sat on his own, he was very good at staying by my side as I could not get a harness to fit. Now he is starting to take off I bring a squeeze toy with me to get his attention as he will not go pee or walk with his harness on.
That’s a great idea with the squeeze toy Melody!
Hi and thank you for all the great information. I just purchased my chihuahua and we’ve had her all of a month, she’s healthy and happy, but she can’t get the potty and pooping thing at all, I’m consistent to take her to her potty spot, and poop spot, but she’s just not getting it, we praise and give treats when she does , we never punished or scold, what can we do, also her teething on us is taking a terrible hold of our skin, we play with her all the time, and say no bite, but we don’t hit. What can we do with our little ball of fur? I’m work either but she does have a stubborn side. Help? Again she only 4 months old. And help would be Appreciate. Linda Straton
The teething thing will probably stop in time as she grows out of it but we do have an article on it here if you need more tips: https://ilovemychi.com/what-you-should-know-about-puppy-teething/
The housebreaking thing may come in time too. Chis are notoriously hard to house train and it takes time and consistency for them to get it. Sometimes though, they never get it. Check out our post on that here: https://ilovemychi.com/housetraining-your-chihuahua/
My Chihuahua is going to have babies by any miniature Jack Russell Terrier and they due march 13 and what do I do when starts having them never did this
Be sure you get her pre-natal care from your vet if you haven’t already done so and have their number on speed dial along with an emergency vet number for after hours. Chihuahuas being so small, often have trouble delivering puppies on their own and need a C section.
As for the delivery process, go to YouTube and do a search for “How to deliver puppies”. There are lots of videos on how to do it. I Like this video in particular: https://youtu.be/hCY2wvGphso
Hi I have a 5mth old tea cup chihuahua named bleu he is very picky with he’s food but I’m preserving wuth him he has brought so much joy laughter in my life any suggestions when it comes to getting him to eat ☺️
Hi Dorothy, Try adding a little beef broth to his food. For extra nutrition, you can make it beef bone broth. If that doesn’t work, you can try adding a small bit of shredded cheese.
lol
onnnnn!it is so cute
lol love it