# My Chihuahua has become VERY aggresive



## Vivian146n5 (Oct 18, 2009)

In May I got a Chihuahua from a person that was a friend of ours. She was going to take him to a shelter because she couldnt take care of him anymore. We are his 7th home in his short little life. I felt so bad for him and the shelter he was going to is known as a kill shelter. He was 8 months old when we got him, and he seemed like the perfect dog. Until recently...

About three weeks ago he got out of our yard and someone had taken him. They were actually his original owners. I dont live in the best town and a Chihuahua is a high end dog around here, especially since he is a young un-neutered (sp?) male, and she is starting a puppy mill inbreeding Chihuahuas it makes me sick, but thats a story for another thread. 

Anyway, he was with them for a week before I had to give them $300 to get him back. Before he went missing he was very attached to me. Would only let me out of his sight for a few short minutes. But now its worse. He is attached to me like glue and he always has to be touching me. He sits at my feet and leans against my legs even while I potty, and whines the entire time I am in shower. Three different occasions he has joined me in the shower and just stood there waiting for me to finish. 

So about three days ago things just changed. I work over nights and sleep during the day and when someone walks into my bedroom while I am in bed he gets up and growls and sometimes even barks at them. Especially my children. I tell them to pet him and tell him its ok, but recently he has really been scaring my daughter (who is 5). I seen on a show to tell the dog stop and use a solid hand in front of his face, but its not working. When my husband comes in the room he does it too. 

Then tonight my daughter came in the room and got in bed with me. Rocky (my dog) wedged and practically dug his way between us. I would move him behind me so I could cradle her and he was just so persistant with being in the middle. I told him no firmly and he stopped. Then my husband came in the room and went to tap my daughter on the leg because he told her to go get ready for a bath and she hadnt, well when he tapped her on the leg Rocky just snapped. He launched him self at my husband barking showing his teeth and snapped at his hand almost biting him, he just looked so angry. My husband stepped back and I scooped Rocky up and cradled him telling him it was ok, and my husband leaned in to pet him too. We are so worried and dont know what to do. 

I called our vet who has a 24 hour on call unit, ($35 useless ten minute phone call), and she said that Chihuahuas are just aggresive and if he is that aggresive we should have him put down. That just seems ridiculous to me. 

Please any help would be great. I would really like to start with ways to get him to stop growling and barking at people that come into my room while I am in there.


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## Entwine (Jan 14, 2009)

Why is he not neutered? Just curious. 

One method you can try is to have your daughter/husband/anyone coming into the room to toss him a treat while avoiding eye contact. In other words, when you are in the room, practice several times a day with a person coming into the room with you and your dog and tossing him a treat without looking at him. He will begin to associate good things with other people and be less prone to growl or bite. He'll begin to look forward to someone coming into the room because they bring treats!

Another technique you could use is the second he growls when someone enters the room is to pick him up and put him on the floor from the bed. You would be the one putting him on the floor, not the other person. However, this could lead to him biting you. If you find you can remove him from the bed when he begins growling this technique could work. The point is to teach him that growling gets him removed from the bed. 

I'd try the first technique and stick with it for a while--see where it gets you.


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## Vivian146n5 (Oct 18, 2009)

That is a very good idea. One I hadnt thought of yet. I am going to get his treats and put them on the table right inside my door for them to give to him when they come in. Thank You so much.

As far as the neuter, we just havent done it yet. My husband is one of those owners that thinks its cruel to do it, so I am working on that with him. In Feb my husband is most likely going to re-deploy and I will do it while he is gone. It just isnt a big deal to us, because he is the only dog we have and he has no interaction with females. But I do want to have it done just in case, because I dont believe this world needs any more animals until the ones it has are taken care of.


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

By picking him up and coddling him after his attack on your husband that only reinforces the behavior. He needs a FIRM fair leader not a coddler. That's why he's always sucked up your rear end. You constantly let him violate your personal space and any good leader wouldn't do that unless it was invited. You need to teach him to back off you and if it comes to it baby gate him off on his own for a half hour or so th start becoming more self reliant. I know it's hard givin his history and being a mother all we want to do is coddle and reasure but dogs don't think that way and it is seen as weakness. You need to be the leader and tell him what he is doing is unacceptable. It will pay off in spades and BTW... chihuahuas aren't aggressive dogs... it's weak owners that make them feel like they gotta defend everything they love and thats make them aggressive. If he knows that you have everything under control there is no need for him to be reactive. Personally I'd instill a strict NILf program, where he earns love, pets, food, play time etc by performing basic obedience commands (usually sit or downs are good) then he gets the reward of your attention. This isn't the 60's... no free love. Absolutely no sleeping on the bed for at least the next 2 weeks while you do your rank reversal training then you can gradually start permitting more privledges but make sure that they are at YOUR will and not his. You need to put him down (off furniture) and ignore him any time he shows this guarding behavior for you esp. when it comes to your 5 year old or there is going to be a serious bite here sooner or later. Go on youtube and look for it's me or the dog videos (Victoria Stilwell) she has done several very successful rank reversal rehabs for small dogs with just this problem. Non-hostile logical training techniques.


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## Cracker (May 25, 2009)

I saw your other post about the diarrhea and food issues as well. This could all be linked. Behaviour, diet, health issues etc go hand in hand.
First off get the results of the fecal test so you know if you are dealing with parasites.
Second..your dog has been traumatized by being away from you, he is now "resource guarding" YOU. This is based in anxiety of losing you again, most likely.
Try a DAP diffuser to see if it helps calm him and BANISH him from the bed for now. Since it appears he is guarding YOU (not just the bed itself) I would start having the other folks in the family walk and feed him and you to be aware just how much attention you are giving to him. I know you feel bad for him, I do too, but it is better for him to settle in as part of the entire family and not be TOO attached..it is a recipe for separation anxiety and guarding behaviour.
If he guards you (when others get near you) put him on the floor and walk out of the room, wait a few seconds and then come back. Ignore him for a bit and then praise any good behaviour.

These behaviours are based in anxiety. He needs consistency right now. 

Oh and your vet? WTF? Not all chihs are aggressive, though many are and this is almost always fear based. To recommend euthing a dog that has only snapped and not BITTEN is irresponsible. If a dog really wants to bite you it will, they are much faster than we are. The fact that he didn't get your husband shows that he was warning, but this does not mean he won't bite..you have to get a handle on the behaviour before it escalates.

Please find a vet that understands at least a modicum of canine behaviour.


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

You have so much more tact than I do cracker when it comes to talking with people... care to give me a lesson???  

Sorry for the segway...


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## paux (Jul 26, 2009)

First off, you shouldn't let your dog sleep/rest in your bed. The bed is viewed as a 'superior' location and by letting him stay in your bed, you are communicating to him that he is one of the top dogs in your house. As a top dog, he feels he must defend his position, which is why he is acting aggresively towards other members of your household.

Also, NEVER cuddle your dog after he has done something wrong. This only reinforces the behavior. Cuddling him may calm the behavior momentarily but it makes him view the behavior as something that will be rewarded by your affection.


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## SandyPuppy (Aug 8, 2009)

Dog_Shrink said:


> Go on youtube and look for it's me or the dog videos (Victoria Stilwell) she has done several very successful rank reversal rehabs for small dogs with just this problem. Non-hostile logical training techniques.


I actually watched a show of hers recently that was this exact same situation. One thing to add is that you are not to give the dog ANY treats or food. Everyone else in your family can and should give her treats like crazy. But, for at least a couple weeks anyway, the dog needs to learn that it has to depend on the other family members.


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## Entwine (Jan 14, 2009)

paux said:


> First off, you shouldn't let your dog sleep/rest in your bed. The bed is viewed as a 'superior' location and by letting him stay in your bed, you are communicating to him that he is one of the top dogs in your house. As a top dog, he feels he must defend his position, which is why he is acting aggresively towards other members of your household.


I have to agree with all of the other posts but this one. I neglected to mention a few things which the others have already said beautifully. Follow the advice given and the problem can be resolved.

My dog sleeps in my bed with me. She guards NOTHING. You can reach down and take anything she has at this point, be it a toy, treat, chewy, or her food and she will not so much as lift her lip. She gets off of the furniture/bed when she is told and has excellent obedience when it comes to obeying such commands. Now, I realize that this is due to early training and the such, but to say that if you allow a dog to sleep in bed it is a root cause of resource guarding is ridiculous.

My dog is a Chihuahua like the OP and she was allowed to sleep in bed with me as soon as she was house trained. It's caused absolutely no blurring of my authority or any problems in her obedience. This is just a case of an insecure dog, not an aggressive dog trying to "alpha" up on the family.


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## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

Entwine said:


> I have to agree with all of the other posts but this one. I neglected to mention a few things which the others have already said beautifully. Follow the advice given and the problem can be resolved.
> 
> My dog sleeps in my bed with me. She guards NOTHING. You can reach down and take anything she has at this point, be it a toy, treat, chewy, or her food and she will not so much as lift her lip. She gets off of the furniture/bed when she is told and has excellent obedience when it comes to obeying such commands. Now, I realize that this is due to early training and the such, but to say that if you allow a dog to sleep in bed it is a root cause of resource guarding is ridiculous.
> 
> My dog is a Chihuahua like the OP and she was allowed to sleep in bed with me as soon as she was house trained. It's caused absolutely no blurring of my authority or any problems in her obedience. This is just a case of an insecure dog, not an aggressive dog trying to "alpha" up on the family.


I definitely agree. All 5 of ours sleep in human beds and they're fine. Of course there are boundaries and rules about sleeping on the bed but I don't believe that sleeping on a bed causes these issues.


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## Xeph (May 7, 2007)

I also disagree with paux in his application of being on the bed...HOWEVER, I would not be allowing THIS dog to be on the bed (at least for now) as I'm sure this is part of his issue. Being on the floor could help drastically. It may not even BE about the bed, but removing one stimulus can help.


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## Vivian146n5 (Oct 18, 2009)

Im not sure why I coddled him now that I think about it. He never acted that way before and it really scared me, my husband, and my daughter. 

I have been putting him off the bed last night and this morning and he has really stopped growling and barking when they come in the room, so so far I feel it has been a sucess. The first time I put him off the bed he just kind of looked at me like WT--? I think it really sank in then, and now he doesnt growl at my daughter at all, and only once at my son. 

I am going to start setting boundries with him though. I dont mind him following me around, it doesnt bother me at all but the "guarding" is really starting to bother me, so I will do what I have to do. 

Also someone mentioned their Chi letting them take her toys from her, how can I work on that? He will growl and seem like he is going to bite us for taking his toys but we want to play him with them. My daughter will just ignore his growling and take it from him cause she said she knows he just wants us to stop that he isnt really going to bite her, but one day he might so any help with that woudl be great.


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

Off the bed is just temporary for dogs that have this kind of issue because it obscures the line between leader and follower. After a few weeks and the little one has the idea (which it seems he's catching on VERY fast) then you canstart gradually permitting more "on the line behaviors" such as on the furniture. Just not during the rank reversal process. Once he knows the rules,then you can allow him to break them (under invite of course, just don't let him take the innitiative). Its so hard not to coddle the little ones cause they're so stinking cute and small, but once you see the ugly side of them you can almost always track it back to some overly permissive behavior and inappropriate timing. Sounds like you're doing everything right so far... the proof is that you're already seeing a positive response from him. Keep it up solid for the 2 weeks even if he is seeming better, that way you set the behavior. Keep up the good work. Be tuff and stay strong.


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## Entwine (Jan 14, 2009)

That's great that you're making progress! You got a lot of great advice from the wonderful members here--keep it up. 

As for training your dog to allow you to take toys, simply trade off with a treat or teach "drop it". You offer a treat and when he drops the toy you take it. He'll begin to associate you taking his toy with a treat. Of course, do play with him with the toy. You can soon fade out the treats. 

To teach drop it is the same as above but you can also use another toy. When he drops the toy in his mouth give the cue "drop it". He'll begin to associate the words with the action and soon he will drop the toy on command. It does take a lot of work, but you seem more than willing to do so. Have everyone practice this command with him any chance you get. You will teach him that compliance is pleasant and he does not have to fear losing his toy.


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