Beckie15

Hi Everyone, We've had Poppy (16mo Chi) for about a month now, and she has settled in with us perfectly... BUT I have one question about house training... Poppy is house trained, asks to go out, goes on command etc. BUT when she goes upstairs she almost always does a poo somewhere on the carpet. And it isn't always in the same spot or area. Downstairs is all polished floorboards or vinyl, with a large rug in the lounge room. No problems at all - no accidents or anything. The stairs and rooms upstairs are all carpeted. Any ideas why she has uncharacteristic accidents upstairs? Could there be remnants of a carpet cleaner smell that is triggering her off? If so, what carpet cleaning products would you recommend? How can I stop her doing this before it becomes a habit? Thanks! Cheers, Bec

Hi Everyone, My new dog, a 16mo Chihuahua, Poppy, has settled in really well. On the most part. She loves all of us (me & 2 daughters) except my husband. She's not too keen on him - growling at him when he comes home or when he comes downstairs in the morning... He is being super nice to her and she doesn't mind him patting her but she won't voluntarily go near him. She used to belong to my grandma, who had her from a pup, and was never mistreated by anyone. Quite the opposite! Any ideas why she has taken a dislike to my husband? What can he do to win her over? Thanks! Bec

Hi Everyone, Well, Poppy has been with us a week tomorrow and has settled in amazingly well! She is settled at night now as well - putting in a baby gate rather than closing the door made the difference. No crying or anything, no little accidents and sleeping happily in her bed next to the heater. Today, however, I did come back to her after being out for only an hour and she has scratched out a section of the door frame... Not sure why. Probably hyperactive as she hadn't had her morning walk yet... Anyway, this should be easy to fix but I was just wondering when fixing, are there brands of non-toxic wood putty that would be better to use than just any old wood putty? The putty will be painted over... Thanks! Bec & Poppy

Thanks everyone. She has her blanket and bed, a hot water bottle and there is a heater in the room so I doubt she is cold. Lonely, however, is most likely the case. And she got herself pretty stressed last night poor thing :-( I think I'm down to a crate or a baby gate... Opinions? Thanks!

Hi Everyone, Well, this is the end of day 2 of Poppy in our house - she is a 16mo Chihuahua that we adopted from my grandmother whose health was failing. Poppy has settled right in and is behaving beautifully and is very obediant. However, we are still confining her to the kitchen at night. The problem is she is scratching at the door (no visible damage... yet... But we're renting at the moment so don't want any damage!) and it is really annoying and definitely behaviour we want to stop. Any tips on how to strongly discourage this behaviour? I realise she doesn't want to be left by herself in the kitchen at night, but it is only her 2nd night here and even though she hasn't had an accident inside, we don't want her having the run of the house unsupervised just yet. She has her bed and lots of toys etc. so she's not bored. And she is getting heaps of exercise. Thanks! Cheers, Bec

Thanks everyone for the fast replies! Poppy will be coming with a lot of stuff for such a little dog - all her toys, beds, rugs etc. I'll make sure I do the toilet re-training just to be sure. Thanks again & I'll keep you updated! Cheers, Bec

Hi Everyone! I'm new here and am about to inherit a 16 month old "puppy". My grandma's health is failing and unfortunately she can't look after her sweet little Chihuahua, Poppy, any more. Poppy came from a breeder in Kyneton and from about 16 weeks of age has lived with my grandma. I grew up with dogs in country Vic, so am no stranger to obedience etc. Apart from me, there is my husband and two daughters - 11yo & 8yo. My mum has a Chihuahua cross, so the girls are used to being gentle with a small dog. We don't have any pets at the moment. Pops has the most beautiful temperament - smart, lively, gentle, enthusiastic, eager to please etc etc and picks things up unbelievably quickly! She is definitely one of the smartest dogs I have ever met! However, my grandma lives in Apollo Bay (we're in Melbourne) and so Pops doesn't know us particularly well, and she is only 16 months old. Which brings me to my main question - what can I do to make her feel comfy and at home when she first comes home with us? I grew up with working dogs, not little tiny dogs, so a Chihuahua is a bit of a change I'm thinking... I've read they are pretty loyal, so should I expect her to pine for my grandma? I want to make the transition as gentle as possible for Poppy, and my family, so I want to make sure we are well prepared before we bring her home. UPDATE: While I was typing up this post my grandma rang - I will be picking Poppy up next weekend. Thanks in advance for any advice! Cheers, Bec