For a new Chihuahua puppy you need a small crate or exercise pen, a soft vest harness, a light leash, shallow bowls, a warm covered bed, pee pads or a low litter tray, enzyme cleaner, puppy-size chews, stair gates and a kitchen scale that reads in grams. If your winters are cold, add a fleece-lined coat, booties or paw wax and a fixed indoor potty spot. Expect to spend roughly $300 to $600 on supplies in total. Starter food, glucose gel and a scent blanket come home with every puppy from us, so leave those off your list.
What Comes Home With Every Puppy From Us
Cross these off before you shop. Every puppy we raise goes home with:
- Starter food, the same kibble it eats here, so its stomach meets nothing new on the hardest day of its life
- A tube of Nutri-Cal or glucose gel for low blood sugar
- A blanket that carries the smell of its mother and littermates
- Its daily weight log, plus the vet check, vaccine and deworming records
- A microchip, AKC paperwork and our written 1-year genetic health guarantee
Do not wash that blanket for the first two weeks. It settles a puppy on its first nights better than anything a store sells.
Chihuahua Puppy Supplies in the Right Size
A pet store "small" is usually built for a 10 to 15 pound dog. Buy for the puppy you will be holding, not the adult. A puppy from us may weigh only a pound or two on go-home day, depending on its size and age. The prices below are rough retail ranges we have seen in stores and online, and they change with brand.
| Item | Size or spec | Rough cost |
|---|---|---|
| Crate | 18 to 22 inches long, with a divider if larger | $30 to $60 |
| Exercise pen | About 24 inches tall, bars close enough that a small head cannot fit through | $40 to $90 |
| Harness | XXS or XS soft vest, fastens on the back | $15 to $30 |
| Leash | 4 to 6 feet, thin and light, with a small clip | $10 to $20 |
| Collar and ID tag | Light breakaway collar for the tag only | $10 to $25 |
| Bowls | Shallow, stainless or ceramic, 1 cup or less | $10 to $20 |
| Bed | Small cave or covered bed, 18 inches or less | $20 to $40 |
| Potty setup | Framed pad holder, or a low tray with paper pellets | $20 to $40 |
| Enzyme cleaner | One large spray bottle | $10 to $20 |
| Chews and toys | Puppy or petite size, soft rubber | $15 to $30 |
| Grooming kit | Small nail clipper, soft brush, finger toothbrush, dog toothpaste | $20 to $35 |
| Kitchen scale | Digital, reads in grams | $10 to $20 |
| Soft carrier | About 16 inches long, for vet visits and car rides | $30 to $60 |
| Stair gates | Narrow bar spacing, top and bottom of each staircase | $30 to $60 each |
Long coat or smooth coat: small differences
The list barely changes with coat type. Families taking home one of our long coat Chihuahua puppies should add a fine-toothed comb for the ears and feathering, because tangles start behind the ears first. Smooth coats need a soft rubber brush and, in our experience, an indoor sweater sooner, since they have far less coat between them and a cold floor.
Cold Weather Gear for a Chihuahua Puppy
Most checklists are written for places where winter means a light jacket. We are based in Minneapolis, so we know what a hard winter does to a tiny dog: a puppy that arrives in November can meet snow, salted sidewalks and wind chills below zero within weeks. If you live anywhere with real winters, from New England to the Rockies, plan for it. Buy these before the first cold snap, not during it.
A coat, ideally two
Fleece-lined, water-resistant, with coverage under the chest and belly, because a Chihuahua's belly rides only a few inches above the snow. Buy two so one can dry while the other is in use. A wet coat is worse than no coat.
Booties or paw wax
Salt and de-icer sting small pads. Booties protect best, but most puppies refuse them at first, so practice indoors for a minute at a time with treats. If yours will not wear them, put paw wax on before each trip out and wipe each paw with a warm damp cloth when you come back. Keep a small towel by the door from November to March.
A fixed indoor potty spot
Choose one corner and leave a tray or pad holder there all winter. A 3 pound puppy cannot be expected to wade through drifts at minus 10. Our Chihuahua potty training schedule shows how to use an indoor spot alongside outdoor trips without confusing the puppy.
Your Low Blood Sugar Kit
Keep the gel we send in one known place, with the feeding times written on a card beside it, and a second tube in your bag. Put your vet's number and the nearest 24-hour emergency clinic in your phone now. Learn the early signs: unusual sleepiness, trembling, a wobbly walk and no interest in food. Our guide to low blood sugar in Chihuahua puppies explains what to do in the first few minutes while you call your vet.
Puppy-Proofing for a Very Small Dog
Lie on the floor and look at each room from 6 inches up. You will find phone chargers, hair ties, a dropped pill and the gap behind the fridge. Then deal with heights. A jump off a sofa or bed is one of the most common ways a Chihuahua puppy breaks a front leg, so gate the stairs, add pet steps or keep the puppy off high furniture, and ask children to sit on the floor to hold the puppy instead of carrying it around. Check recliners before you lower the footrest. Sugar-free gum, some peanut butters and some baked goods contain xylitol, which is poisonous to dogs, so keep purses and coat pockets out of reach.
Things We Would Leave on the Shelf
- Retractable leashes: heavy for a tiny dog, and they let a puppy reach the street before you can react.
- Rawhide and cooked bones: choking and splinter risks for a small mouth.
- Electric heating pads in the crate: a chewed cord or hot spot is not worth the risk. A microwavable pet heat disc inside a fleece cover is safer.
- A big bag of a new food: finish the starter food first and talk to your vet before any change.
The First Week: Appointments and Paperwork
Book a vet visit within the first few days and bring the records we send. Read our health guarantee so you know which checks it asks for. Keep the puppy away from dog parks and pet store floors until your vet says the vaccine series is far enough along. Feed on schedule, take potty trips on schedule, and let the puppy sleep; 18 hours a day is normal at this age. Once your vet gives the rabies vaccine, look up your city's dog license rules, which vary from one city to the next.
Our Opinion: Spend on Gates and a Coat Before Toys
If the budget is tight, buy stair gates and a proper winter coat first. Toys can wait. A designer bed can wait. A broken leg in week two or a chilled puppy on a January morning cannot be undone, and both are far more common than any problem a toy solves. We have raised enough puppies at Twin Cities Chihuahuas to see that the families who get these two right have the easiest first month. When your list is ready, see who is available on our teacup Chihuahua puppies for sale page.