8 Month Old ChiSpaniel Puppy

This is my ChiSpaniel puppy at 8 months old.  As you can see, her fur is longer and she has a nice muscular tone.  Her floppy ears blow in the wind and it drives her crazy!  She's active, friendly, and incredibly soft to pet.  She's very attached to me, but I don't mind as I mainly work from home, so if I leave, I get a pet sitter for her. 

This is easily the best dog I've ever owned, and I was so very certain I'd never, ever, ever own a small-breed dog.

6 Month Old ChiSpaniel Puppy

This is my ChiSpaniel at 6 months old, in March 2012 (thus the dead grass).  She loves to run outside!  I took her to a safe area though and stayed with her because we have bald eagles and hawks in our area.  It was too cold for snakes, but if it wasn't, I'd have been looking for them as well! She's not on a leash because she was on 14 acres of private property without any roads around.

By this time, her fur still isn't very long, but has become exceptionally silky on top and the whisps on her back legs are fuzzy and super soft.  She's still only about 12 pounds and easy to carry.

Nyota has some awesome markings...there's a heart on her head and on her chest is a tan tear drop surrounded by a white circle of fur.

At this point, I was still wondering how she'd look when she got older! It pretty much stayed like this, but her fur continued to grow.

3 Month Old ChiSpaniel Puppy

3 Month Old ChiSpaniel Puppy

"My Octopus never listens to me."

Unwilling fashion victim: Sporting a Hello Kitty winter jacket.

ChiSpaniels are NOT outdoor pets.  I had mine clipped in a saddle-back cut on a 90 degree summer day and she was still shivering.  These dogs would rather be social with first, humans, second, little dogs, then third, other dogs.  Leaving a dog outside is cruel. If you can't keep your ChiSpaniel indoors, for its health, please find it a more appropriate home.  

My ChiSpaniel has definitely inherited her Chihuahua father's intolerance to extreme temperatures.  She can't take the cold and she can't take the heat.  Please keep this in mind!  My ChiSpaniel has a coat for each season and sweaters as well.  If you wouldn't expose your baby to the weather, don't expose your ChiSpaniel to it.

10 Week Old ChiSpaniel Puppy

10 Week Old ChiSpaniel Puppy. This is when she started getting really active and playful.

8 Week Old ChiSpaniel Puppy

8 Week Old ChiSpaniel Puppy

7 Week Old ChiSpaniel Puppy

7 Week Old ChiSpaniel Puppy

Newborn Chi-Spaniel

This is a newborn ChiSpaniel puppy.  She is one day old. Her mother is a cocker spaniel and her father is a chihuahua.

Cocker Spaniel / Chihuahua Mix

Aww...

1 Year-Old Nyota Uhura

Chi-Spaniel!!!

Fluffy, silky, and small...

Getting ready to jump...

Froggy!

I have no idea what she was looking at-- prolly a ghost.

Toys!

So cute!

7 Month Old Chi Spaniel Puppy

Gorgeous Shiny Coat

Floppy Ears

Fearless Explorer



Nyota keeps growing.  I'd estimate her to be around 15 pounds at the moment.  Curled up, she'd still fit in a shoe box.  The only fur trimming she's needed has been her 'pom pom feet' which the groomer shaved the bottoms of her paw pads, informing us that the fur between her toes may get matted and then irritate the delicate skin there that cocker spaniels are known for.  Prior to shaving, her feed had long wispy fur on them.
She did have her nails trimmed, but that is all. 

She's so small, I bath her on my own.  She's not fond of the water, so I have to hold her with one hand and bath her with the other.  It's quick and not difficult.  Because chihuahuas have a difficult time regulating their body temperature, I make sure the water's not too hot, but the air is so she is okay until her fur dries.

I had previously used a national brand of "natural, gentle, oatmeal" puppy shampoo, but I disliked the smell and switched to Richard's Organics Moisturizing Dog Shampoo with oatmeal, echinacea, and almond oil.  It smells like almond and leaves a very faint almond smell in your pet's fur.  I have allergies and asthma and normally perfume smells irritate me, but this did not.