Skiddish and Lazy Chihuahua!!

[maggieleigh11]

We have a 13 month old chihuahua that we have wee wee pad trained in a NYC apartment. He was a very shy and sleepy puppy. The vet said he would come into his own and he has to some extent, however, he is still very skiddish and extremely lazy. He sleeps most of the day and when I try to take him outside, he hides under the bed. He seems to hate it. Hates the leash, although he does walk quite well on it, but he would prefer to be in his bag. Lately, he has begun growling at small children (this is due to my nephew pulling on his paw, i think) and barking and growling at strangers (to him) who come toward us in a faster manner than normal. I.e. a freind i run into on the street. Help! I dont want him to become one of those nipping angry chihuahua that everyone talks about!!

Thanks for any advice!!

[Chrisanne]

Well... as for the sleepy. How often does he eat?? Little dogs can get hypoglycemic extremely fast. He should eat every few hours at a mininmum. Just a little bit, enough to keep his blood sugars regulated.

As for his behavior. You need to work with him a lot. This is going to take time and patience. Always praise for him doing something good, and a firm NO for a bad deed. Please don't let the nephew pull on him, he could be injured easily. Your dog is going to see all small kids as the same as the one who its around most. Teaching the child right and wrong is also important.

When someone approaches you rapidly... try to let him know that it is ok. Sooth him and let him know you are not in any danger. He most likely fears for your safety, and his own since he is so tiny.

[maggieleigh11]

The nephew thing was an accident . But it was the only time her met the dog, so it has stuck in his mind maybe. He grazes on his food all day long, so i think he is safe as far as hypoglycemia is concerned. Thank you for the advice!! I will continue praising him and hope it works!

[Deja]

When you mention his "sleepy lazy" temperament the first thing that comes to my mind is his diet.

What do you feed him? Is he free fed? Does he have access to food all day?

The "skittish" and sometimes aggressive protectiveness you experience with him when you take him out could be a result of just plain old basic lack of proper socialization.

If his basic nature is such that he is "skittish" he could be reacting out of fear. I'd be worried at this point because the last thing you want is for him to develop "fear aggression".

There are some basic training steps you could start with him to get him used to strange people and have him start being a little more social and more confident.

Confidence building doesn't mean letting him be in control. It means teaching him that YOU are in control so that he can relax, be more confident around people and learn that with YOU as his leader he can start letting go of his fears. This takes training and consistancy -

If you could give me a little more detail about his diet, what age you aquired him at, is he crate trained? What is his daily routine? What is his background? Are you his first owner?

We could put our heads together and come up with a plan for you to reshape some of his undesirable behaviors.

There are lots of Chi owners here!! I am sure they have some insight for you as well.

[Pure14K]

I, too own a chihuahua who is 'skittish.' I've done a ton of socialization, but it just doesn't seem to work. She just doesn't feel comfortable with people she doesn't know, I guess. Pixie is far from lazy though, I do think it might be his diet, as small dogs tend to be hypoglycemic.... Good luck

[maggieleigh11]

Thanks Deja!

Well to start, yes he is free fed and has access to food all day. We feed him eukenuba both soft and hard food. He usually eats the soft food and leaves the hard food where he grazes on it all day. We got him at around 10 weeks old from a puppy store ( i know Terrible!!, im sorry!). He has had no other owners, and they said that they breed them at the store, but I am not so sure that is true. He is not crate trained as I work from home and was able to watch him all the time, so we ditched the crate as soon as he was wee wee pad trained. He uses a wee wee pad still and is very diligent about it. He did chew the carpet once, but we gated him off for a few days and then he never did it again, so he roams free, however, it is only a studio apartment. Basically we wake up around 10 am, and sometimes he is allowed to come into bed at that time for a little while, but he does not sleep with us. I feed him and start to work. Sometimes he plays with his toys but usually he jumps onto the couch and goes to sleep. The fear aggresion thing scares me too, because I want to make sure he feels safe as we love him very much and dont want him to feel afraid when he is with us. Any help you could offer would be GREATLY appreciated!!

Thank you!!

[Deja]

First of all - please don't apologize for falling in love with a Pet Store pup! He may not have the best genetic background - but you love him and have given him the great home he otherwise might not have had.

I'm an hour from NYC and I'm very familiar with the NYC studio apt. It's plenty of room for a small dog. I know my Yorkie pup can get all the exercise she needs running around my bed and bedroom

I'm thinking the first thing I would start to work on are basic obedience commands. "SIT" "DOWN" "STAY" and "COME" . Knowing and responding to these commands will do 2 things. It will set the stage for you taking total control of the dog and it could save his life should he somehow get off-leash in the city.

If you haven't done any training of that sort with him yet - I can help you get started.

In order to build confidence - start petting him on his chest and under his chin- be enthusiastic with your vocal tone and tell him what a "good boy" "pretty boy" etc... it's not so much the words, but your tone of voice that will build his confidence. Only do this though when he is exhibiting a desirable behavior. Laying quietly, playing with a toy....etc. Avoid tapping his head and concentrate on stroking his throat, under his chin and chest as you talk to him. It's a confidence builder!

Start sitting near his food bowl and hand feed him some dry food. Eating from your hand will send the message that you are the leader. The leader feeds the pack... Also, make sure that you can take food and toys away from him at any time without him growling.

Does he show any aggression in your apt? If so - that's the first place you want to start reshaping him.

You are in a delicate place of balance here! You want him to totally accept you as his leader - and that requires you to act more dominant, yet - you need to build his confidence and that requires you to let him feel important and worthy. It can be done though!

Working basic obedience commands with him will absolutely start boosting his confidence while placing you in the leadership position. He'll gain a sense of purpose by "working" with you every day. A training session only has to be 10 or 15 minutes long - always ending with him performing a command successfully and you praising the heck out of him. Small tiny bits of a healthy food reward is great if he is reluctant or unmotivated and will keep him focused on the task at hand.

Remember - this has to be a step-by-step process, layering behaviors and reshaping his attitude.

An example of the end result might be:
You take him outside and there are lots of people walking up and down the street, traffic noise, car horns, police sirens - stress inducers to him.
You give him a purpose - "Sit" "Stay" and he will focus on YOU and not the things that stress him out. You'll also be in control of him and can then start the socialization process.

Ack! I know I just threw a lot of stuff out there

I'm sorry for being so long winded...

Stay positive - There is lots of support here!
Ask any question you have....

[maggieleigh11]

Well, he sits and stays, but he will not come when called. He knows what it means, but wont do it. He NEVER growls at us, or at people he knows well. He is TOTALY gentle. A very sweet dog. In addition, if I let him off the leash he follows at my feet and stops when i say stay. But he is totally afraid of being stepped on. So walking can be a stressful thing for him. He is very aware of how small he is. I really have to work on come with him. Any suggestions? And... do you suggest i say No in a firm voice when he growls?

[Deja]

Based on how you describe him - I'd really start working on building up his confidence He sounds like such a sweetie!!

When he growls he could be just vocalizing (like when they growl at their toys and shake them around) - if he is growling at a stranger or a child - yes - you need to break that behavior now before he turns into an aggressive/fear biter. He doesn't sound dominant - but fear can turn into aggression.

Tell him "NO!" or "QUIET" in a sharp firm voice. Praise him when he stops and focuses on you. Redirect him to make him feel safe. Have him SIT or lay DOWN - give him a purpose - and he should start being less fearful and more in control. Make sure you praise him!!

Keep working on his Obedience Commands. That will help a lot too.

Do you have any pictures of him? We love pictures here

[maggieleigh11]

Thank you!! Of course I have pictures!! This one is him as a puppy. I think it was the day after we brought him home.

[Pure14K]

Very cute

[Deja]

awwwww!!! he's so adorable!! omg look at that sweetie

[Formula86]

look at those ears! cuuuteness!