Deb. Don't know if I have welcomed you yet or not, but just in case, welcome to the group. I hope you find the group nicer than the other you were in. We have had a few problems on here in the past, but nothing that isn't overcome after a bit if you be patient and wait for things to blow over.
Ok, you want to ask questions...that is great. We should all feel we can ask questions without being bashed. So, my question is...can you deal with contructive criticism? I am the type of person that feel everyone does not have to agree with everyone else. People should be able to say, "you know, I disagree," and do so in a humane and decent manner. Do you agree? I will try to answer a few of your questions. However, I would feel dishonest if I didn't first point out that I do not think you should be breeding this dog. I will not go into all the reasons why, since I am sure you have already heard them. However, since you have already made the determination to go ahead and breed, I think it is best that you do have as much info as possible, therefore, anyone that knows should be willing to help you. Registration......unless the parents of this dog are AKC and you have AKC registration papers, you can not register the dog AKC. There are other groups that you can register her with. I am sure others can throw out a few names....APRI I think is what one is called. There is the CKC (Contintal, not Canadian, which is the equivalent of the AKC) A fwe others. I know with the CKC, all that is realy required is a few pics of the dog submitted with a noterized statement from yourself and a witness that the dog truly is full blooded. Don't ask me what is suppose to prevent fraud here. Eating....Personally, I free feed. Most people do not. I would find a good quality dog food, which is nutritionally balanced for a small breed that is young and healthy. I would avoid human food. (unless you choose to go the raw diet rout....which I can't comment on due to lack of knowledge) If you do not free feed, I would follow the dog food and vet recommendations on proper amount to feed. Experment a bit, adjusting as needed. Dog A may not eat the same amount as Dog B even if they are the same size, age, weight, ect. Like humans, matabolism differs. Breeding: If you are determined you are going to breed this dog, my first recommendation to you is RESEARCH! Ask questions, speak to breeders, talk to your vet, ect and so on. Get as much info as you possibly can on the whole process including the many things that can go wrong with a pregnant chi and/or her pups. INFORMATION is your best weapon. Wait until she is at least a year and at least 2 heat. I wait till third heat. I do not know of any pros to waiting till a dog has had a litter of pups before spaying. I have heard that all my life, but best I can tell, it is a simple wives tale. Unless a dog is part of a well rounded breeding program, they should be spayed/neutered as soon as the vet thinks it is safe. With chis, a lot of people do decide to wait to see if any puppy teeth will need to be removed and if so, do both procedures at once so there is only a one time anethesia. This is normally a good idea and the timing still remains good for spaying/neutering. As for the cons of waiting....that is the pregnancy itself. Of course, things could go wonderful and you could have a cute litter of pups that emmediately find great forever homes. That is the goal. That is the best possible outcome. Unfortunately, too often, there are complications which could lead to the death of either the pups or the mom or both. Chis are pretty notorious for hard deliveries simply due to their small size. Then of course, the genetic problems that chis are prone to such as hip/leg difficulties, heart problems ect. And lets not forget low sugar that is REALLY dangerous for a chi pup. Way to much to go into here. So I am back to my original statement of RESEARCH ang get as much INFO as possible. I will again encourage you to reconsider, but I hope I have answered some of your questions and provided you with some info in a decent manner. Marsha > I am not sure who all I sent an intro to, so I am posting again. I know > that I missed some. For those that I already HAVE intro'd to, I have > also included a couple questions in this post that I really would like > some answers/advice about. > > Anyway, my name is Deborah, and I usually go by Deb. If there is > another Deb in the list, I can sign off Deb P to end any confusion, > hehe... I live in the SouthEast corner of TN near Chattanooga, near the > GA and NC borders. > > I have a new baby. She is an 8 month old, chocolate colored, short > haired, 3.7 lb, deer head Chi. I have named her Gordie, after a dear > friend that passed away Easter Sunday. She is so pretty and very smart. > I just got her on Tuesday the 18th of this month, so we are still > learning about each other. She is pretty good house trained. She only > poopied in the house the first night that I got her, and has been doing > her business outside ever since. I only take her out on a leash, > because my yard is not fenced in. (Oh, I live in the country, so not > much traffic on our road, but still wanting to be as careful as I can > with her). > > There are a couple questions that I have, and I am praying that one of > them doesn't get me bashed. I was in another group where I got really > bashed about my plans. > > First question is an easy one: how much should a Chi eat on a normal > basis? How many times a day? Should I just leave the bowl with food > down for her? What should a chi eat? What should I definitely NOT feed > her? What about table food - what table food is ok? (I have ordered > Chihuahua's for Dummies, and am awaiting its arrival, but I dont want to > wait 2 weeks to know the answers to these questions.) She doesn't eat > much, and the most that she has eaten was when I hand fed her. I cant > do that forever though. > > Another question: easy one I think: How do you get a chi registered? I > dont necessarily think it is something that I will do, but I was > wondering what it took, how you did it, and such. Do you have to know > the parents of the pup? Do you have to have proof of the lineage? etc, > etc, etc, hehe... > > Here is the question that is hard for me to ask because of the other > group... I am wanting to wait to spay my baby. I would like to wait > till she is a couple years old, or at least let her have one litter of > pups before having her fixed. The reason isnt for profit or anything > like that, but just because I would like to have a couple of her > puppies. What are the pros and cons of waiting till she has a litter? > And if I do wait till she has a litter, then at what age should I breed > her? Anything that anyone can tell me about breeding/spaying etc would > be appreciated as long as it is in a nice manner. I know that sounds > crass, but I have been hurt already, and really hope that I found a > couple of great groups of people to talk about these things to. > > I have attached a couple pics of her so that you can see what she looks > like. > > Hugs, > Deb > yahoo ID: little_cajun_queen99 > msn: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > msn: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > myspace: www.myspace.com/watching4jesus ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Yahoo! Groups gets a make over. See the new email design. http://us.click.yahoo.com/XISQkA/lOaOAA/yQLSAA/MJOolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> " Lets talk about our wonderful little friends! Join today! " Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Chihuahuas/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
