{"id":623,"date":"2013-03-29T19:25:19","date_gmt":"2013-03-29T19:25:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost:8888\/?p=623"},"modified":"2013-09-17T02:47:51","modified_gmt":"2013-09-17T02:47:51","slug":"coat-care-for-chihuahuas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chihuahuapuppytraining.com\/coat-care-for-chihuahuas\/","title":{"rendered":"Coat Care For Chihuahuas"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"coat-care-for-chihuahuas\"<\/a>Grooming your Chi\u2019s coat daily is ideal, but if that isn\u2019t possible, make three times a week the bare minimum. Caring for his coat gives you a chance to look for lumps and bruises, scratches and skin infections, and for signs of external parasites<\/a> like fleas and ticks. Everything is easier to treat when discovered early.<\/p>\n

Although most ticks are easy to spot on a smooth sleek coat, they are a little harder to find on a long coat. Favorite hiding places are in the ears, just behind the ears, between the toes, in the thick neck hair, or in the rump area just before the tail. To uncover fleas, rough your Chi\u2019s coat in the opposite direction from the way it grows. You may not see any of the minuscule pests move, but tiny black specks on the skin will tell you that fleas are having a free lunch courtesy of Pepe.<\/p>\n

If you see the telltale specks, ask your veterinarian to recommend a treatment program and use the products exactly as recommended.<\/p>\n

A Chihuahua\u2019s coat grows in cycles. As it grows, it should look glossy, but eventually it stops growing, dries out (doesn\u2019t look quite as shiny), and finally is shed. The cycle takes a little more than one-third of a year, or about 130 days, but it varies considerably between Chis. In fact, smooth coats shed some hair all the time. Dogs that spend a lot of time outdoors always shed their winter coats in the spring, but because Chihuahuas are house pets and don\u2019t always grow winter coats, they tend to shed on their own personal schedule.<\/p>\n

Grooming puppies at early stage<\/h3>\n

How soon do you start grooming puppies?\u00a0 As soon as they settles in-just a day or two after purchase. Condition your Chihuahua from puppyhood to accept grooming as a fact of life, and he\u2019ll soon learn to like it. Talk to him softly at first as you work on him. If he becomes fidgety about being handled on any part of his body, say \u201cNo!\u201d sharply and firmly (but not loudly or in a threatening tone) and continue grooming gently. Soon the sessions will become routine.<\/p>\n

If your pup is adamant about not wanting you to touch a certain part of his body-his feet, for example-don\u2019t force the issue.<\/p>\n

Dog grooming tables<\/h3>\n

You can groom your Chihuahua<\/a> on your lap or another surface with traction if he cooperates, but some Chi owners prefer using specially made dog grooming tables. Tables just for grooming are available through pet supply stores, at booths at dog shows, or in animal supply catalogs. They even come in small sizes for Toy dogs.<\/p>\n

You can also create your own dog grooming table. Any tabletop does well as long as it\u2019s the right height for you to work on and stands absolutely steady, without even a hint of a wobble. Provide traction by attaching rubber matting to the top of the table. And never turn your back when your dog is on the table-not even for an instant.<\/p>\n

Brushing your Chihuahua<\/h3>\n

Whether your Chi is a smooth or a long coat, you\u2019ll wear less of his hair and he\u2019ll stay cleaner and need fewer bathing sessions<\/a> if you brush him regularly. Just before brushing, give him a full-body massage. He\u2019ll love it because it feels good, but it serves a functional purpose, too: You\u2019re actually stimulating his skin and examining him from head to toe at the same time.<\/p>\n

The general brushing process<\/strong><\/p>\n

Grab a natural bristle brush for your brushing duties and then follow these steps:<\/p>\n