05
2009Bathing Your Chihuahua
Some Chihuahuas will get dirtier and smellier than others, but however clean they are they will still need to be bathed at least once a month. The majority of owners give their indoor Chihuahuas a bath once every one or two weeks. If your dog, goes outdoors you can almost guarantee that it will get into all kinds of stuff that you will really want to wash off.
Bathing a Chihuahua is quite a simple task. The most important thing is to only use a shampoo that is designed for dogs. The shampoo you use – even if it’s baby shampoo – will dehydrate his skin. Chihuahuas also have delicate eyes, so find a tearless dog shampoo, and even then, try not to get soap or water into your Chihuahua’s eyes when you bathe him.
Use a sink or dishpan to bathe your Chihuahua. These are tiny dogs, and because of this, it is much easier and less hazardous to bathe them in smaller containers. You don’t need a lot of water in the sink or dishpan, and using a water sprayer is the best way to wet and rinse the dog.
When you wet the dog, prevent water entering its ears. You can do this by putting cotton balls inside the ear canal. Once he is wet, apply the shampoo and lather him up well. Check his skin as you do so. Keep an eye out for any dry skin or wounds and any evidence of ticks or fleas. Should a tick and flea shampoo be required, get one your vet recommends.
After you finish with the shampooing make sure you rinse him well. It is extremely important that you rinse away all signs of the shampoo, otherwise it could cause your dog’s skin to dry out.
Your Chihuahua will be cold after his bath, so have some towels ready. Wrap him up well and dry him to get him warm again. You can use a hair dryer on your Chihuahua, but ensure that you set it to put out low heat, and that it doesn’t get too close to the Chihuahua, so that you don’t unintentionally burn his skin.
Give your Chihuahua a brush before and after its bath. If you want to trim his nails, a good time to do this is immediately after his bath, while the nail is soft. Dry the ear canal, check the pads on his feet, and brush his teeth – using a toothpaste designed for dogs.
One good tip is to start bathing your Chihuahua at an early age so that he becomes accustomed to it. This will also save you the expense of taking him to a groomer to get this done, unless, of course, you prefer professional grooming.
katy
Well, my chihuahua hates water, and he always has to be held down by someone, and they usually get bit. have an suggestions? please leave a comment.=- }
tilly
hey, katy
well, my chihuahua had the same problem except she never bit. what i did was take little amounts of water and just dampen her, so she was a tiny bit wet. then, gradually i increased the amount and she became accustomed to the water. if your chihuahua is biting someone, it might mean they are insecure of their situation. i would recommend getting him used to the water first. hope this helps!!!!!
kara
Hi,
My little chihuahua bites so how do i give it a bath it will enjoy ?
Millie
Hi my name is millie and I have never had a pet before, I’ve always wanted a Chihuahua and finally got one for B-day …..my chihuahua is 1 month 15 days old and i would like to give him a bath but iam not sure if I should sice he is such a baby…what can I do????
Kelly
Can I give my 6 month old toy Chihuahua a bath or is this to young?
sean nelson
How cute Is That!!!!!!!!!!
nut meg
how much should i feed my dog she is a really picky eater and she hates to get a bath so please help:-)!!!!!
nicole
i really want a chi but i dont know if it will like me im 10nwill it bite me
cloe
i really want a chi how should i convince my parents! plez plez help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
paige
kelly you should bath your dog now. get him used to it
Kathakali
Thank you for this very helpful article. My new (but 5 yr old) Chihuahua-Silky mix handles the bathing pretty well. But he gets pretty stinky pretty fast, so I am glad to know I can safely bath him ever 2-3 weeks!
Thanks again!
Monique
Well, my chihuahua (Diamond) hates water too. She always trys to jump out the tub. How can I make her stop doing this? Please reply
Jennifer
So I have a chihuahua too and he is super picky about anything. Bathing is not really his favorite activity. We just put him in like a dishpan that’s filled with really shallow water, just tell him he’s doing really good, and when he gets out we give him a treat. It’ll probably take a while for him to get used to the water, just take your time.
Stephanie
I have a 7 wk old chiwawa is it to early to give him a bath he altready has fleas.
Karen
For Stephanie. You shouldnt use flea shampoo on a puppy that young. But giving him a bath may be a good idea to get him used to bathing. You can get a flea comb to get fleas off him before and after the bath. I use the comb outside so the fleas get put back out there too. Make sure he is totally warm and dry before going outside tho. Puppies should be at least 6mnths old before using flea shampoo. check the bottle of the shampoo for the exact age.
izzie
My chihuahua (tinkerbell)she hates baths everytime she sees a towel she knowa its bath time and she gets scared as in shaking and accidently poops i dont know why
d
i’m getting a chi in three months!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
bethany
im 8 will a chihuaha like me because im getting one
Sharon
I have a 5 year old chi that I got at the Humane Society and she is so good. I bathe her with no problems at all. She is a keeper.
beverly
MINE HATES water hard to bath . But will if I have a shower spayer comes down from the shower then she is ok
Annee
I gave my 2 yr.old rescue chihuahua a bath today. I waited until my boyfriend could be here cause I didn’t how Lexxee would handle it. She doesn’t like water at all. What a surprise! It was easy peesee. She is a trouper. She did shiver a lot afterward so I put her little pink sweater on her. She is such a JOY!!!!
Cranky 24/7
When we wash our two Chihuahuas, one of us takes the pup in the shower with us. I use the hand held shower sprayer, sit on the floor of the tub, cross legged. The pup stays in my lap for the most part and have encountered no problems. The security of having me close by alleviates any fears or reluctance to get wet.
jocelyn
my dog is pregnet how do i take care of it
jocelyn
u should not show her the towell intal u get out of the restroom
Hannah
well most chihuahuas dont like children but if you get your chi. from an experienced breeder you can find out the history of the mother the daddy and mabye if possible the brothers and sisters behavriol acts,it would also be better if you dont have another animale in the house if so you probably she carie or cage your chi. up so your other animales cant hurt them,especialy a cat,cats get jelous and can feel left out the best thing to do is give a cat lots of love to not feel abondon if you even have one so i hope this helped you out nicole,
Hannah
Ok this is to cloe first do you know what your going to get yourself into if you get a chihuahua? if you do first get the reasearch and sit down tell your parents the GOOD stuff about chi’s, then you can tell them how much your chi will mean to you,last tell them a few of the BAD things about them,this is the way i got mine especialy if you show pictures and always get your chihuahua younge to teach them things like to use the bathroom in a certain place and to teach them a good name also have at least 2 sylables in there name thats easier to remember,also chis are not good with other animales so you should mention that to your parents,i hope this helped you good luck…