i have a problem. i have a 2 1/2 month old chihuahua. he is already indoor potty trained. still hasnt finished all his shots obviously but will be done by july but not nutered (have to wait til aug to get him nutered cause of size. problem is its march now and in july we plan to go to michigan and visit family. i dont want to take him because i indoor trained him.......and i will have to monitor him constantly and there are lots of kids and i will have to supervise....and well there will go my one and only vacation of the year. but if i leave him here........he will be 6 1/2 months by then......can i leave him at home and pay someome to stop by and check on him? or would he be better in a kennel? i feel terrible with both those options.....he is needy. feel like i should stay home. im sure there are others that feel this way. my husband thinks im crazy. but i dont think i could leave him in a cage for a week and i need to have a break from work.. i dont know what to do.we dont know anyone here in st. louis. we are new to this area. anyone i leave him with would be a stranger.what i mean when i say needy is he is a chihuahua and likes to be near a human....donesnt have to be me really he likes everyone.i indoor trained because of his size. he is 2 pounds now. full grown he will be 5 or 6....about the size of a cat. but he goes outdoors for walks if the weather outside is not harmful to him.i know its possible to outdoor train a 6 pound chihuhua. ive always indoor trained mine. its safer, chihuahuas are not suppose to be outside in cold weather.....very dangerous. especially for a 2 pound puppy. they have predators. and until he has all his shots shouldst be outside period. indoor training is great for apartments when you have no backyard. and all around has been wonderful for me and nibbler. thanks for asking though.

"Needy" dogs aren't born, they're created. So in the meantime before your vacation, work with a professional trainer.Ask your vet for kennel recommendations.

Look around for a petsitting service.

Normally in larger cities, they have a service where people actually come to your house and let him out during the day. Thats good and all, but I don't think I would trust strangers in my house! You should do what I did when I was in your situation. Go all over town and go to each boarding facility and watch first hand how they take care of the dogs at their kennel. I found one where they are as loving as i was! The smaller the facility, the more time they will spend with your dog!Stay away from vets that board, they won't spend much time with your dog and the kennels are normally really small.Meet all the people, check out the yard, and look at the kennels.Your baby could have so much fun he wouldn't want to leave!

I have a chi that is also very needy...you could take him with you and keep him in the room you are staying in while a bunch of ppl are over..since he is indoor potty trained that would be easy to do. I wouldn't feel good either about leaving him at a kennel or with someone u dont know. You and him will be much happier and more at ease if your together...good luck

your dog will be fine, check out the kennel first, many are very nice and gie them lots of love while your gone! or you can always see if someone will take ur dog in for that time, that way it isnt alone all day in a house.

Have you tried to call the breeder you got him from to see if they can watch him while you're away? At that age, you can also put him in a boarding kennel.Maybe this separation will be a good opportunity for him to learn not to be needy - Needy dogs are made that way by their owners, not born that way!

Check for a "Doggy Motel" type setting in your area. We used to take our schnauzer to a place like that to board rather than in the traditional cage setting. They gave them more attention, they had a larger enclosed area with a doggy bed for each pup rather than a cage, or a room with furniture that you could put them in if you had several dogs and they were used to the run of the house. They also bathed them on the day of pickup so they were nice and clean for you. It was the only place we ever found that she didn't mind staying at and we felt confident leaving her there. She is gone now but I am glad we pampered her while we had her.

In our area PetsMart offers a "hotel" service for dogs and cats (separated, of course). The rates are reasonable and the dogs get to go to "doggy camp" a couple of times a day and play with the other dogs. They even have more private rooms (with an actual door, not just a cage) that have soft beds, toys, water and a TV for your dog. My family had to leave one of our dogs there due to a family emergency out of town over Thanksgiving and they were very accommodating in getting our dog in on short notice over a holiday. Highly recommended.

I'd have to take him with me. Why don't you work on housebreaking him?EDIT: he not too small to housebreak. I have a 6 lb chi and he goes into the backyard to potty, he's completely housebroke.