The Chihuahua is one of the most popular dog breeds in the world and that is not surprising at all. Not only are these dogs the tiniest of all breeds, they are the oldest as well. According to the American Kennel Club these dogs have been around from the time of the Aztecs. You will find these dogs to be very attractive growing no taller than nine inches and weighing a mere three to six pounds. They have a sweet small face with a sharp muzzle and large fox-type pointed ears. Their eyes are large and quietly intelligent. The Chihuahua coat comes in two varieties - one is short and straight and another is long and fluffy.
Grooming your Chihuahua usually does not involve much effort or time. This dog’s coat is either short and straight or slightly long and fluffy. Both types of fur are easily manageable and would not require more than twenty minutes of brushing every alternate day (for long coats) or thirty minutes for bathing and brushing (for short coats).
Other areas that would require your attention would be its ears, nails and eyes. You will find that the Chihuahua tend to develop watery eyes due to excessive dryness. A simple way to prevent it is to add a few drops of saline water whenever you notice that the eyes are watery. The nails need clipping every month or so and the ears need to be checked carefully for infections
Since most people have a lot difficulty with this kind of grooming here are some sure-fire tips that will help you clip your Chihuahua nails without any trouble at all. You will need a few things first - a large towel, grooming clippers for dogs, another person who can assist you, and your pet - preferably in a good mood.
How do you shampoo your Chihuahua to remove both the smell and the possible infection from its fur? Fight your nausea if it smells very bad, by tying a scented hanky around your nose and mouth. Now, take your Chihuahua and give it a good bath with dog soap or shampoo. Do not give in to the temptation to wash it with your own human shampoo or soap. Human soaps and shampoos are made with the human hair and skin in mind. Similarly, the dog soaps are manufactured keeping in view their requirements of cleanliness and retention of fur oils. Hence, using human shampoo or soap could be extremely harmful for your pet.
Sometimes it will be difficult to clip the nails of the dog even with the utmost patience and precautions when grooming your Chihuahua. But do not fret, because there are two ways to reduce the length of a dog’s nails. One is to exercise and the other is by having a professional do the job for you.
Use a blow drier to gently dry the fur and pay attention to the fact that these dogs are extremely prone to cold and infections. In fact, before you bathe it, it would be best if you put two cotton balls into its ears to prevent the water from entering them.
If you have a cemented courtyard, you could make your Chihuahua run about ten to fifteen minutes everyday with the help of a ball or a Frisbee. The running should apply enough friction on the nails to file them and you will have lovely short nails without any clipping headaches