Chihuahua concerns... (teeth, chew, puppy, best)

[Kees]

Originally Posted by Three Wolves In Snow

The fact that your dog is growling and snapping at you when you try to take something away is all anyone needs to know that you are not in control. Your dog is. The poster was right, you need to nip this in the bud NOW, or you are going to have a very out of control dog in the very near future.

Thanks to everyone for the responses... I just got back from my holiday week. My dog spent the week with my ex while I was in NY.

So... an update.

She is still showing aggressive behavior... not that I expected it to change while I was out of town a week.

1) She'll try to hump and I'll smack her butt and tell her no... she'll then growl or snap at me.

2) I'll make her food (wet/dry food mix) and while she's eating she'll show the resource guarding behavior that we already talked about... the hair on her neck from head to tail will stand straight up.. she looks like Stripe from Gremlins... I could walk into the kitchen where she's eating and she'll do that... like she thinks I am going to take her food from her...

3) She'll bark and growl at my male roommates when they enter the house and/or when they enter the living room where she spends all of her time during the day... but then she'll let them pet her.

4) I could be watching TV sitting in the chair and she'll come get under the blanket and go to sleep.... and if I happen to move and/or touch her like 15 mins or so later she'll bark and growl at me WHILE SHE'S STILL UNDER THE COVERS!

As said my other Chi never acted like this... could this just be a personality issue? Short of locking her in a cage all day or whipping her with a belt what am I supposed to do to curb this behavior?

Dog training? Do I need to call that guy on the Chihuahua from Hell videos?

I mean seriously... what am I doing wrong here? I damn sure am not rewarding her for her aggression!

[Three Wolves In Snow]

Originally Posted by Kees

Thanks to everyone for the responses... I just got back from my holiday week. My dog spent the week with my ex while I was in NY.

So... an update.

She is still showing aggressive behavior... not that I expected it to change while I was out of town a week.

1) She'll try to hump and I'll smack her butt and tell her no... she'll then growl or snap at me.

Do not smack your dog. You don't fight aggression with aggression. When she starts to do that, simply get up and walk away. Ignore her.

2) I'll make her food (wet/dry food mix) and while she's eating she'll show the resource guarding behavior that we already talked about... the hair on her neck from head to tail will stand straight up.. she looks like Stripe from Gremlins... I could walk into the kitchen where she's eating and she'll do that... like she thinks I am going to take her food from her...

That's exactly what she thinks. Try feeding her from your hand, just little bites at a time. That way she will soon learn that you mean food comes to her. Yes, I know, you put her food bowl down, but feeding her bits of food from your hand will change her attitude. (I read that it is wet/dry mix...you can wash your hands when you are done.)

3) She'll bark and growl at my male roommates when they enter the house and/or when they enter the living room where she spends all of her time during the day... but then she'll let them pet her.

What do they do when they enter the house? Do they look at her? Do they talk to her? Do they acknowledge her? They need to completely ignore her. When she acts up, she needs to be removed from the area. If she snaps or growls at you if you try to pick her up while removing her, then get a leash that you can slip over her head without putting your hands near her mouth, and walk her to another part of the house. I personally believe in crate training for this, because it works. Others seem to have a problem with putting their dog in their own crates to calm down. It's her den. It is no different than sending a child to his room when he acts up.

4) I could be watching TV sitting in the chair and she'll come get under the blanket and go to sleep.... and if I happen to move and/or touch her like 15 mins or so later she'll bark and growl at me WHILE SHE'S STILL UNDER THE COVERS!

Don't let her on the chair in the first place. That is YOUR chair, not hers. YOU decide if she gets the privilege of being up there and right now, with her behavior, she has not earned the right. She should not be allowed on the furniture NOR in your bed anymore. You can think that's cruel...but what will be more cruel? Keeping her off of the furniture and bed, or having to deal with the consequences when she bites someone?

As said my other Chi never acted like this... could this just be a personality issue? Short of locking her in a cage all day or whipping her with a belt what am I supposed to do to curb this behavior?

DO NOT, I repeat, DO! NOT! whip that dog with a belt. YOU are the one making the mistakes, NOT her. If you are going to abuse that dog, then give the dog away. If you want to fix the problem, then you need to listen to what people have been telling you. You need to learn how your dog sees things. You do not speak dog, and your dog does not understand human emotions. You think you are petting and hugging your dog, she sees it differently, depending on the situation. If you go up to her to be petted or held, you are telling her that she is the ruler of the household. A leader NEVER approaches the other animal, they make the animal come to them. Keep her off of your furniture. All of it. Get her a dog bed. She may lie in that. You do NOT have to keep her in her crate all day. That's cruel. You can use the crate for time out, or if you would like, she can have a bed in there and use it to sleep in, but crating a dog all day long means that you have absolutely no control, and the dog knows it. Your dog will get WORSE if you do that.

Dog training? Do I need to call that guy on the Chihuahua from Hell videos?

No, you need to listen to what people have been telling you. Here is what is going on, in a nutshell:

Your dog does not trust you. Period. Your dog has decided that because she cannot trust you, she has to take the job of leader because you are unwilling to do so. You need to be that dog's leader, protector, and friend. AND, when you ARE training her, you need to know that she knows what you are asking of her. I'm not talking about telling her to get off of the furniture or when you remove her from the room, or even when you feed her, I'm talking about if you try to train her to sit, lie down, stay, etc. You cannot punish that dog. You have to be fair and know that she understands what you are asking of her. Imagine someone speaking Chinese to you and telling you to do things. When you don't understand, they get upset with you. How much are you going to trust that person after a few times of that?

You need to be calm with your dog. You need to speak to your dog in calm tones, do not yell at her. You do NOT hit your dog, ever. Not even a swat on the butt. You need to be firm, but fair. You need to be consistent. You need to show authority...and that does not mean be abusive or roll her over, or try to show your power over her. You just BE an authority figure. When your dog starts trusting you, she will start respecting you. When your dog starts respecting you, she will change her behavior. But YOU are the one who needs to make the changes right now, not her.

I mean seriously... what am I doing wrong here? I damn sure am not rewarding her for her aggression!

What about when she does something good? Do you reward her then? It doesn't matter how small YOU think it is, if she does something good, then reward her.

And...you ARE rewarding her for her bad behavior, you just can't see it.

[sargentodiaz]

As others have said, when she growls, put her down and ignore her!

She is training YOU instead of the other way around.

A simple no is usually the most effective.

The best way to train your Chi is by showing her love. She will return it without reservation and, once she learns you are here Alpha, she will obey you.

[k9coach]

Why in the world would anyone smack a dog for humping? If you are going to do silly, abusive things like that to your dog, don't act all confused when you end up with a royally screwed up dog.

You have to admit that what you're doing is not working, in fact it is escalating the situation. Then you have to accept that by continuing to do what's not working, you are officially the problem.

Here is a general guide for how to prevent & reverse food aggression:

The Goal in preventing & curing Food Aggression directed at PEOPLE: Dog should see human as the SOURCE of all food, not as a THREAT to food source.

Techniques:

1) Determine total amount to be fed per meal. Let’s use 1.5 cups for example. Feed meal in 3 parts. Feed ½ cup and allow dog to finish, never disturbing dog in any way. Approach empty dish and add another ½ cup. Allow dog to finish undisturbed. Approach again and add final ½ cup of food. This method is one way to show a dog that every time you approach his dish it is to ADD more food, never to take any away.

2) Fill dog’s dish with food and allow dog to begin eating. Approach and add a couple delicious, stinky, high value treats to dish while dog is still eating, then step away and let dog eat undisturbed. Approach once more before dog finishes meal and add a couple more yummy treats, allowing dog to finish undisturbed.

3) Feed dog from your hand. This can be done by literally using your hands as the food dish, or you can hold the dish in your hands and have dog eat from the bowl. This method is highly recommended for pups, dogs who have not shown marked food aggression, and dogs who have already experienced a few weeks of #1 and #2 above and have responded well.

NEVER, EVER take a dog’s dish away from him while he is eating unless it is an emergency (like you accidentally dropped a shard of glass in the bowl!) The only reason to ever remove a dog’s food while he is eating is if there is something dangerous in the food dish.

It is not wise to pet or touch dogs while they are eating. It is highly annoying and causes dogs to form a negative association with people around their food. You would not appreciate someone patting you on the head or back while you are trying to eat!

Here is the beauty of the techniques described: they convince the dog that having you approach his food dish is the greatest thing ever. Therefore, if there is ever a time in the future when someone does have to grab a dish away or bumps into the dog while he’s eating, the dog has a long history of positive associations to fall back on and will react positively or in a neutral way any time a person gets near his meal. If nothing bad, annoying, or threatening has ever happened when a person got near his food dish, and in fact plenty of good things have happened, the dog has no reason to object or react negatively to a person near his dish!

Keep the goal in mind always: Dog should see human as the SOURCE of all food, not as a THREAT to food source. That means always add, never take away, and never annoy!

If even being in the room with the dog when he's eating is causing tension, toss treats from afar and gradually work your way to the point when you can get closer without causing tension.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

The best way to get control is not to punish her. Get control by setting the rules and making her work for everything she gets.

She wants food? She has to sit, or come, or lay down in order to get her food. For tiny dogs, lure training is the easiest to get obedience tricks. Clicker training works really well, too, if you can discipline yourself to learn how to use the clicker right.

She's a toy and she is going to be a lap dog. If she is in your lap and shows any unwanted behavior, dump her off your lap. She wants the lap, she has to work for it by showing civilized manners. She'll be shocked to get dumped on the ground and you probably won't have to do it more than a couple of times.

That lap is a big, high value reward. She wants it, but she has to learn that you control the lap and she doesn't. She misbahaves and the lap is taken from her until she can behave herself. Chihuahuas are smart. She'll figure it out quickly.

If she won't behave around guests, remove her from the party. She wants to be where the action is. If you say "No more of that", very calmly and pick her up and banish her to another room for a few minutes, then let her out and banish her again as soon as she growls, she will figure out fast that the growling is not getting her what she wants.

Toys are much too small to strike. You could break something. Their little ribs are the size of fishing line and their legs are fragile. So you must do it with a combination of praise for good behavior and a "no free lunch" program. Set a rule and then enforce it every time. Every single time, no matter how inconvenient for you at the time, correct her every time.

Time outs work on social little dogs. If you are consistent, she will learn how to behave in order to avoid them.

Above all, be very calm when dealing with her misbehavior. It should be "We are not angry, but if you want to play, you must follow the rules" Then, when she follows the rules, be sure to reward her.

[movedtothecoast]

Frustrating, so many people gave you spot on advice.
Go look in a mirror and you will see the person responsible for
your little dog behaving the way she is!!

Seems like you listened to none of the advice here so
I bid your little dog lots of luck!

[Kees]

Originally Posted by Three Wolves In Snow

Do not smack your dog. You don't fight aggression with aggression. When she starts to do that, simply get up and walk away. Ignore her.

Originally Posted by k9coach

Why in the world would anyone smack a dog for humping? If you are going to do silly, abusive things like that to your dog, don't act all confused when you end up with a royally screwed up dog.

You have to admit that what you're doing is not working, in fact it is escalating the situation. Then you have to accept that by continuing to do what's not working, you are officially the problem.

Originally Posted by k9coach

anyone who would hit a dog should be prosecuted for animal abuse. smacking a chihuahua is the most misguided, ignorant thing i have ever heard of. when we are violent to our dogs we create violent dogs. ~k9coach (quoted from a rep comment)

@k9coach

Not sure if I am supposed to be offended by this but lets clear one thing up right now... I am not an animal abuser... I am not a violent person. When I said "smack" my dog I am saying an every so gentle slap on the bottom followed by a stern "no"...

Next time post for the world to see. I don't mind criticism. I will try the walking away approach.

Originally Posted by Three Wolves In Snow

That's exactly what she thinks. Try feeding her from your hand, just little bites at a time. That way she will soon learn that you mean food comes to her. Yes, I know, you put her food bowl down, but feeding her bits of food from your hand will change her attitude. (I read that it is wet/dry mix...you can wash your hands when you are done.)

Ok... I will try that too.

Originally Posted by Three Wolves In Snow

What do they do when they enter the house? Do they look at her? Do they talk to her? Do they acknowledge her? They need to completely ignore her. When she acts up, she needs to be removed from the area. If she snaps or growls at you if you try to pick her up while removing her, then get a leash that you can slip over her head without putting your hands near her mouth, and walk her to another part of the house. I personally believe in crate training for this, because it works. Others seem to have a problem with putting their dog in their own crates to calm down. It's her den. It is no different than sending a child to his room when he acts up.

One says hello... the other ignores her. She barks at them when they enter the living room and will be an "ankle biter" so to speak... I have a full size cage crate that I kept her in when she was really young. I'll take it out of storage tonight and will send her to her cage when she acts up.

I have leashes but the problem is she is so small that even the XS sizes don't fit. The leashes and harnesses as well as collars basically fall off her... They are so loose that she can chew on the collar/harness as she's wearing it! I am going to the pet store this week and will see about ferret collars that someone suggested.

Originally Posted by Three Wolves In Snow

Don't let her on the chair in the first place. That is YOUR chair, not hers. YOU decide if she gets the privilege of being up there and right now, with her behavior, she has not earned the right. She should not be allowed on the furniture NOR in your bed anymore. You can think that's cruel...but what will be more cruel? Keeping her off of the furniture and bed, or having to deal with the consequences when she bites someone?

Good point.

Originally Posted by Three Wolves In Snow

DO NOT, I repeat, DO! NOT! whip that dog with a belt. YOU are the one making the mistakes, NOT her. If you are going to abuse that dog, then give the dog away. If you want to fix the problem, then you need to listen to what people have been telling you.

Never planned to. It was a figure of speech. See my first response in this post.

Originally Posted by Three Wolves In Snow

Keep her off of your furniture. All of it. Get her a dog bed. She may lie in that. You do NOT have to keep her in her crate all day. That's cruel. You can use the crate for time out, or if you would like, she can have a bed in there and use it to sleep in, but crating a dog all day long means that you have absolutely no control, and the dog knows it. Your dog will get WORSE if you do that.

Understood. She has a dog bed already... she lays in it when I'm not home but when I'm home she avoids it. Will see what she does when I keep her off the furniture.

Originally Posted by Three Wolves In Snow

No, you need to listen to what people have been telling you. Here is what is going on, in a nutshell:

Your dog does not trust you. Period. Your dog has decided that because she cannot trust you, she has to take the job of leader because you are unwilling to do so. You need to be that dog's leader, protector, and friend. AND, when you ARE training her, you need to know that she knows what you are asking of her. I'm not talking about telling her to get off of the furniture or when you remove her from the room, or even when you feed her, I'm talking about if you try to train her to sit, lie down, stay, etc. You cannot punish that dog. You have to be fair and know that she understands what you are asking of her. Imagine someone speaking Chinese to you and telling you to do things. When you don't understand, they get upset with you. How much are you going to trust that person after a few times of that?

You need to be calm with your dog. You need to speak to your dog in calm tones, do not yell at her. You do NOT hit your dog, ever. Not even a swat on the butt. You need to be firm, but fair. You need to be consistent. You need to show authority...and that does not mean be abusive or roll her over, or try to show your power over her. You just BE an authority figure. When your dog starts trusting you, she will start respecting you. When your dog starts respecting you, she will change her behavior. But YOU are the one who needs to make the changes right now, not her.

What about when she does something good? Do you reward her then? It doesn't matter how small YOU think it is, if she does something good, then reward her.

And...you ARE rewarding her for her bad behavior, you just can't see it.

Makes sense.... just hard to comprehend that my dog doesn't trust me. I never yell at her, and I've already went over the swats on the butt. No need to call PETA on this one... trust me.

I'm wondering if part of my problem is I'm 39 and don't have kids... been living the bachelor life dating women who either didn't have kids or didn't want kids. I don't have parenting skills... be it kids or dogs.

[Kees]

Originally Posted by k9coach

Here is a general guide for how to prevent & reverse food aggression:

Keep the goal in mind always: Dog should see human as the SOURCE of all food, not as a THREAT to food source. That means always add, never take away, and never annoy!

Much appreciated. Good info.

One thing though... part of the reason I find her aggressive behavior while she's eating confusing to me is the fact I have NEVER taken food from her or teased her with food. It's been the same from day one... feeding her and giving her treats.

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

The best way to get control is not to punish her. Get control by setting the rules and making her work for everything she gets.

She wants food? She has to sit, or come, or lay down in order to get her food.

She's a toy and she is going to be a lap dog. If she is in your lap and shows any unwanted behavior, dump her off your lap. She wants the lap, she has to work for it by showing civilized manners.
That lap is a big, high value reward. She'll figure it out quickly.

If she won't behave around guests, remove her from the party.

Toys are much too small to strike. You could break something.

Time outs work on social little dogs. If you are consistent, she will learn how to behave in order to avoid them.

Above all, be very calm when dealing with her misbehavior. It should be "We are not angry, but if you want to play, you must follow the rules" Then, when she follows the rules, be sure to reward her.

Understood. Thanks!

Originally Posted by movedtothecoast

Frustrating, so many people gave you spot on advice.
Go look in a mirror and you will see the person responsible for
your little dog behaving the way she is!!

Seems like you listened to none of the advice here so
I bid your little dog lots of luck!

I never denied that... I've already said I'm inexperienced in this. One thing I am not is an animal abuser... I'm no different than the people in the Chihuahua from Hell videos... they just needed some guidance.

I'm only slightly offended by some of the responses I've gotten but it's cool... I can take criticism. Just don't start comparing me to people who beat their dogs and leave them on the side of the road somewhere...

Mine is spoiled rotten. Period. Guilty as charged.

[k9coach]

Originally Posted by Kees

@k9coach

Next time post for the world to see.

I did post for the world to see, genius. And I wrote the same thing in my public post as I did in my private comment to you. But in my public post I went on to offer helpful advice, which you acknowledged.

Did you notice that feeling you got when you read my rep comment? It made you want to retaliate. (That's why you felt the need to "expose" me.) Well, that's what your Chi is doing when you smack and scold him. He's reacting to confrontational intimidation with confrontational intimidation. And that was my goal in sending that rep comment to you. I wanted you to compare how that made you feel vs. how the food aggression guide made you feel, then apply that concept in how you interact with your dog. When I "attacked" you, you attacked back. When I offered clear, helpful guidance, you had no reason to attack. You even considered my advice thoughtfully and expressed appreciation. Do that for your dog: offer clear, helpful guidance instead of all this scolding and smacking.

Teach your dog what you DO want. How much time do you spend each day training basic cues like Sit, Come, Stay, Off, Leave It, Heel, etc.? These cues provide you with a means of communication between you and your dog, so that when he is doing something you don't like you have a language he understands to let him know what you'd like him to do instead. If he's humping, instead of "no no bad dog" (which gives him no information and creates a punitive, frustrating atmosphere) use your Off or Sit cue - now you're giving the dog information, something better to do, and of course a reward for compliance (which creates respect and trust.)

Watch clicker training videos on Youtube and start doing short, fun training sessions each day with your dog. You'll see your relationship transform. Look through Kikopup's videos and pick a few tricks and cues to teach your dog over the next several weeks: kikopup - YouTube

[Kees]

Originally Posted by k9coach

I did post for the world to see, genius. And I wrote the same thing in my public post as I did in my private comment to you. But in my public post I went on to offer helpful advice, which you acknowledged.

Maybe I missed the public comment... didn't see it... unless it showed up during the 30 or so minutes I was typing my reply and we crossed our posts. Anyway, doesn't matter, I'm not even mad.

Originally Posted by k9coach

Did you notice that feeling you got when you read my rep comment? It made you want to retaliate. (That's why you felt the need to "expose" me.) Well, that's what your Chi is doing when you smack and scold him. He's reacting to confrontational intimidation with confrontational intimidation. And that was my goal in sending that rep comment to you. I wanted you to compare how that made you feel vs. how the food aggression guide made you feel, then apply that concept in how you interact with your dog. When I "attacked" you, you attacked back. When I offered clear, helpful guidance, you had no reason to attack. You even considered my advice thoughtfully and expressed appreciation. Do that for your dog: offer clear, helpful guidance instead of all this scolding and smacking.

Yes it did. Good point.

Originally Posted by k9coach

Teach your dog what you DO want. How much time do you spend each day training basic cues like Sit, Come, Stay, Off, Leave It, Heel, etc.? These cues provide you with a means of communication between you and your dog, so that when he is doing something you don't like you have a language he understands to let him know what you'd like him to do instead. If he's humping, instead of "no no bad dog" (which gives him no information and creates a punitive, frustrating atmosphere) use your Off or Sit cue - now you're giving the dog information, something better to do, and of course a reward for compliance (which creates respect and trust.)

Watch clicker training videos on Youtube and start doing short, fun training sessions each day with your dog. You'll see your relationship transform. Look through Kikopup's videos and pick a few tricks and cues to teach your dog over the next several weeks: kikopup - YouTube

Honestly... I haven't spent any serious time training her with the basic commands. I've worked on "sit" a few times here and there (and she's done well) but other than that, not much. Yep, my fault.

I actually have a clicker... bought one a few weeks ago but haven't started to use it yet. Will watch the videos.

She's actually a very good dog. I know I've probably given the impression that she's like Cujo or something, but she's far from that. She's very lovable and friendly she just has started to show an aggressive side these last few weeks which is why I posted this thread.

I've got a lot of work to do... and have already started. Will update with progress.