Getting Through the Dark Hours
Hopefully, you're rested and have gotten several nights of good sleep prior to bringing home your puppy. If not, then maybe you've thought ahead and taken several days off from work. Just as when a newborn baby arrives in the home, it could be a while before you're able to sleep restfully through the entire night again.
During the wee hours of that first night at home, when your Chi is singing (and barking and crying) the blues, have compassion for the little guy. Remember, all he's known is a loving mom and his littermates. Naptime meant a nice, warm puppy pile to snuggle up in, with lots of little heartbeats to listen to and, most likely, lots of little Chi snorts and snoring.
Do not respond to your puppy's cries by picking her up and saying, “Oh, you poor baby!” Though it is human nature to comfort those in distress, you just rewarded her for crying, which will increase the puppy's crying. As difficult as it may be, ignoring whimpers (unless your puppy is signaling that she needs to relieve herself) and rewarding a quiet puppy will cut down on the number of puppy howling nights you'll have to endure.
Now that you've taken her away from all this, she's lonely. She hasn't had the time to bond closely with you yet, nor has she learned that she can trust that you'll always be there for her and that you'll always come back. She's probably a bit scared and frightened in her new home, and she's certainly more than a little disoriented.
Separation Anxiety
There are many ways, however, in which you can help your puppy feel more comfortable and ease her anxieties. Consider these tried-and-true methods:
The following tricks will help with separation from Mom:
Place a momma-scented hand towel in the crate with the puppy.
Spray DAP (a synthetic hormone that imitates the comforting hormone produced by lactating dogs) in the crate or rub it on a soft toy.
Wrap a ticking clock in a warm towel and place in the crate (to imitate a heartbeat).
Rub a drop of Rescue Remedy on the pup's gums to ease her separation anxiety.
Here are few ways to help ease sibling separation (a major source of warmth):
Wrap a hot-water bottle in a towel and place in the crate.
Insert a dog-safe heating pad in the crate or a battery-operated electric warming pad.
Keep the puppy warm with a soft pajama coat.
Provide lots of nestling-down materials in the crate.
Keep the crate away from any drafts.
You can decrease her disorientation and provide distractions from any source of distress by doing any of the following:
Keeping the pup's crate next to your bed so your Chi can see you.
Pulling out the sleeping bag and sleeping on the floor with a hand in the Chi's crate.
Placing a soft plush toy in the crate with the Chi puppy.
Giving the puppy a busy toy such as a scrumptious chew or a hard rubber toy that requires chewing to release tiny bits of treats.
Whatever you do, don't put the Chi puppy in your bed. Even relatively light sleepers are quite capable of rolling over and crushing a young Chihuahua puppy. They are just too small to sleep with you at this point. Wait until the Chi is older and is housetrained. Most puppies don't know to wake you when they have to relieve themselves. They are also so small that the end of the bed doesn't seem like part of their “space,” so they're not worried about soiling it. You'll wake each morning to a mess (the best-case scenario) or a deceased puppy (the worst possible — but entirely feasible — scenario).
