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Chipoos are very sweet, loving, devoted and loyal dogs that tend to be suspious of strangers. Chipoos are very clever
and thus tend to be very amusing for their owners to watch. They make great family pets but are not recommended for
young children because of their small size. Chipoos are wonderful companions as they are very loyal to their owners
and make great lap dogs.
The size of a Chipoo depends largely on the size (Toy or Miniture) of the Poodle parent. Chipoos can range in weight
from about 3 to 20 pounds and 5 to 15 inches tall. They can come in any color or color combination. The wide range of
a Chipoo's color is because of the wide color variation of both the Chihuahuas and the Poodle. Chipoos can have coarse,
wiry coat or more fluffy, poodle-like coat. Some even have a mixture of the two. Chipoos can have short or long coat
depending on the coat type of the parent Chihuahua. A Chipoo's coat may be wavy or curly like that of a Poodle. They
tend to be extremely light shedders which makes them very good dogs for allergy sufferers.
Chipoos should be groomed often. They should be brushed or combed a few times a week depending on the length of the coat.
Chipoos will need to be trimmed every few months depending on the desired coat length. Chipoos should be bathed every 4-8
weeks or when needed. Chipoos should be brushed before and after their baths. Brushing your Chipoo before the bath will
remove any loose hair and keep it from becoming matted when it gets wet. Brushing your Chipoo after the bath will remove any
remaining hair as it tends to loosen and fall out more after a bath. Using doggie bath wipes every few days to help keep their
coat clean can also help.
Chipoos are intelligence dogs which makes them fairly easy to train. They are very eager to please their owner and love
praise. With positive reinforcement Chipoos can be a treat to train and will make you a very happy Chipoo owner. They are
wonderful and well-behaved dogs. Chipoos may show some possessiveness of their toys toward other dogs. They tend to bark
with proper training this can be minimized.
Chipoos should be fed a high quality food. A food for small or toy dogs is recommended for their diet as some may have trouble
digesting some of the ingredients in other dog foods. They dislike the cold weather. A sweater or coat is recommended if they
will be outside for a long period of time when the temperature is below 50 degrees Farenheight. Chipoos love to run. As long as
a Chipoo has some room indoors for running and playing they will do fine. Chipoos also love the outdoors and enjoy walks as long
as the weather is not too cold.
Chipoos are succeptable to all of the common health issues of the Chihuahua or Poodle like the tendency to wheeze or snore,
corneal dryness, secondary glaucoma, runny eyes, cataracts, gum problems, colds, stress, ear infections and digestive or heart
disorders. They may have the overactive tear glands that are also common in Poodles and may require cleaning around their eyes
to remove the dried tears. A small fine tooth comb without any sharp points can be used for this. This routine should be started
at a young age and done a few times a week to get the Chipoo used to this routine. As with all dogs, Chipoos should have their
teeth brushed 2-3 times a week. A daily rinse is also available for dogs that may be recommended along with this brushing schedule.
Providing your Chipoo with dental chews daily can also help reduce the build up of tarter.
We have two Chipoos ourselves, Lacey and Logan. Check out their bios
for more information. They are the most wonderful dogs I have ever owned. Chipoos are a very playful, affectionate
and intelligent dogs. I highly recommend them to all dog lovers and first time dog owners. You won’t be
disappointed.
My husband and I got Lacey in July of 2006 from a breeder in Wisconsin. I really wanted a puppy and
knew I wanted a small dog that wouldn't shed much. I started researching dogs and found out about Poodle Mixes.
The more I read about them, I knew that they were the right choice for us. I started researching breeders in the area
and found a breeder online that had a booth at our local Flea Market on the weekends. My husband and I decided to go
and check it out the next weekend. The breeder had Shihpoos and Yorkipoos listed online. We found the breeder's booth
but they didn't have either Shihpoos or Yorkipoos at the time. There was another breeder's booth next to them that
had a cage with three small black and brown dogs in it. They were all sleeping cuddled together and looked so adorable.
I stood there and watched them for a couple of minutes. Then my husband wanted to go look around at other things so we
walked away. The more I thought about them the more I knew I had to have one. I dragged my husband back over to them
and stared at them some more. I told him I wanted the one on the right. Then the lady working the booth came over and
told us they were Chipoos (Chihuahua-Poodle mix) and that there were two boys and one girl in the cage. I told her I
wanted to see the one on the right. It turned out to be the girl. I held her for a while. She was so small and loving.
She cuddled in my arms and fell asleep after only a couple of minutes, I was hooked. A few minutes later we were paying
for her and taking her home.
I held her all the way home. We stopped at Petco to buy her food, toys, treats, a cage and other needed supplies.
She slept in my arms almost the entire time we walked around the store. When we got her home I put her down in our
kitchen to let her explore. She was still a little wobbly on her feet as she walked around investigating everything
in her new home. Then she found our shoes and their laces. She would not stop playing with them. We would move the
shoes but she would go right back for more. That is how she got her name, Lacey. Even today she still loves to play
with shoe laces.
We had lacey for about 3 weeks and we realized she needed a friend. So we started looking for another Chipoo around our area
but we couldn't find any. We were able to find a litter of them in southwest Missouri that were about 10 weeks old.
There were 3 girl Chipoos and two boy Chipoo in the litter. We decided to get one of the boys, Napoleon was the name the breeder had given
him. We paid for him and made the arrangements. He would be flying into O'Hare airport on Thursday August 31, 2006 at 7:45am.
I woke up that morning very excited and eager to go get our new puppy. I checked online to find out if his plane was on time
only to find out that his flight had been cancelled. I was terrified. What happens to a puppy whose flight was cancelled?
Luckily, he was put on the next filght and made it to us safe and sound. We picked him up at the airport at about 10am that
morning. When we first saw him at the airport counter, he was terrified. He was huddled in the very back corner of his travel
cage and wouldn't move for anything. We took him out to our car and set the cage down in the trunk to open it up to let him out.
He didn't move. We finally took of the top of the cage so we could see him. I didn't want to reach in and pull him out for fear
it would only scare him more. He finally warmed up a bit and we got in the car to take him home.
My husband held him all the way home. When we got him home we put Lacey in the other room so Logan could investigate his new home
on his own. Later, when we let Lacey out to meet her new friend she ran up to him and wanted to play right away. Logan was still
a bit unsure of his surroundings and didn't want to play just yet, but in a few hours they were playing, running and wrestling
together. Then they both went to sleep the same doggie bed. It was adorable. They became best friends almost instantly.
That is the story of how I got my two wonderful dogs and how they totally won over my heart.
For more information check out my profile - sands904.
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Breed Information
