I have two, chihuahuas(though I believe they may not be purebred as said by the breeder, they weigh 10 and 12 pounds and look a little different from my sister's chihuahua which is much smaller), a male and female, both around 2-2 & 1/2 years old. The issue I've encountered is that they both appear quite scared of me, the male in particular. As soon as I come near them they run to the nearest soft area to lie on their backs, when the male is eating he constantly stares at me, as if he's afraid I'm about to steal his food. The male is also afraid to even enter my room, he hesitates at the door and stares at me, like he needs some cue to come in. In addition when I look at him he gets low to the ground and and stick his head down, usually flipping on his back if I attempt to pet him. I'm really unsure of why they act like this as I spoil them and have never really scolded them or been threatening towards them. Could anyone offer any insight on this?

[CorkyMax]

Originally Posted by Vorpal

I have two, chihuahuas(though I believe they may not be purebred as said by the breeder, they weigh 10 and 12 pounds and look a little different from my sister's chihuahua which is much smaller), a male and female, both around 2-2 & 1/2 years old. The issue I've encountered is that they both appear quite scared of me, the male in particular. As soon as I come near them they run to the nearest soft area to lie on their backs, when the male is eating he constantly stares at me, as if he's afraid I'm about to steal his food. The male is also afraid to even enter my room, he hesitates at the door and stares at me, like he needs some cue to come in. In addition when I look at him he gets low to the ground and and stick his head down, usually flipping on his back if I attempt to pet him. I'm really unsure of why they act like this as I spoil them and have never really scolded them or been threatening towards them. Could anyone offer any insight on this?

Do you know this breeder well!!?? Sounds like you did not get them as pups? Need more background, please! Do you know how they were previously treated? This breeder sounds a little suspicious to me if he told you they were purebred and you are pretty sure they aren't!! Why did he have them for 2-2 and a half years?! Did someone else have them and bring them back to breeder? Because it sounds like to me that they may of previously been mistreated or at the least not socialized. Can you give some more info on their background and how long have you had them?

Hmmm, I think you may have misinterpreted my post. Both of the dogs were bought as puppies, they are about 2- 2 & 1/2 years old (a rough estimate by me). They were definitely not full grown when we purchased them. Also, this behavior has come to be over time, though the male has always been quite timid throughout the time I've had him he's become more and more scared of me, and people in general. I'm very confused as to this behavior because they are both spoiled dogs, they have a very large yard to play in, they sleep in a bed most days of the week and they get loads of attention.

I only say that I suspect them to not be purebred as they are significantly larger and different from our first chihuahua(who now resides in a different home), they are more energetic and have a tendency to jump quite a bit. Regardless I love them all the same and only included that I thought they might not be pure bred because I've heard mixed breeds can have different behavioral characteristics as compared to their pure blood counterparts.

Apart from this behavioral characteristic they appear very healthy, they are very energetic and active dogs.

[Lara's mom]

This sounds very strange to me. I've had rescue dogs all of my life and none of them have ever been afraid of me. They were timid until they got used to their new home but, if your dogs are afraid of you, you need to change whatever you're doing. Something just doesn't sound right about this whole post....

[CorkyMax]

It is pretty hard to figure this all out!! Do not get upset with me when I ask you these questions---Just trying to figure this out---I haven't a clue as to how you live, etc. #1. Do you have a boyfriend/companion/someone/ a roommate/a friend or relative/ a child/ even a dog sitter/that unbeknowest (word?) to you might be a duel personality and be treating these dogs wrong?? When you are not around? You'd be surprised at how often this can and does happen! There has to be a reason these dogs are so afraid!! You said you don't 'be mean' to them so I guess by that you don't holler at them or punish(ever so slightly) whenever they do something you don't like?? Have these dogs been socialized properly from the very beginning of their life? Do they go for walks--see other dogs and people now? Even though you say they are spoiled, do you play with them a lot and have bonded?? Was there some kind of trauma they may have had that could have affected them this way? Try to think back to when things really got worse--Was there some kind of situation in play at that time that may have caused this problem---Think hard--Different person,perhaps that may of entered at that time, etc??

Also looked up in a book I have on breeds. You are right to wonder if this is a mix as far as the weight goes--unless yours are way overweight! the weight is suppose to be 2-6 #s for both male and female and 6-9" for shoulder height. Might as well quote what it says also about the temperment: intensely loyal and becomes very attached to its owner, even to the point of jealousy. When strangers are present, it follows it owner's every move, keeping as close as possible. It learns quickly and responds well to training. BE AWARE: These dogs tend to snap out of fear, so be especially careful when handling. (Doesn't sound much like your dogs are being true to their nature! Why?)
----Do you have any pics you can share so we can see if these dogs may have other features other than chihuahua--There are some good guessers on this forum!!

[Kingsbridge Cav]

I find nothing upsetting or unusual about this behavior.
It is obvious that you are the top dog. You have trained your dogs vicariously to be quite submissive. Am I right in stating that you do not let your Chi's sleep in your bedroom or at least not on the bed? They do not eat until you have eaten...
These are traits of a top dog; you get the elevated spot to sleep, you eat first, you tell them when it's Ok to bark.
They have learned to follow you as their leader and in teh pack this means that they need to be invited into your domain. They probably even "ask" if they can jump into your lap. These are not bad qualities and we should be teaching all of our pets to have these "manners".
What has happened here is that they have decided that they can't function w/o yiour permission. It has nothing to do with abuse, just a misunderstanding of the natural calming signals. Trying yawning or licking your lips when they seem stressed and then reward them with a pat on the head or petting or getting to sit in your lap. You'll be amazed at how well the lip licking and yawning works.
For more of the same ideas try reading Thurid Rugaas; On Talking Terms With Dogs: Calming Signals. That's where I learned it! Amazing little book
Good luck, and don't beat yourself up...This can be rectified!

Originally Posted by Corky/Max

It is pretty hard to figure this all out!! Do not get upset with me when I ask you these questions---Just trying to figure this out---I haven't a clue as to how you live, etc. #1. Do you have a boyfriend/companion/someone/ a roommate/a friend or relative/ a child/ even a dog sitter/that unbeknowest (word?) to you might be a duel personality and be treating these dogs wrong?? When you are not around? You'd be surprised at how often this can and does happen! There has to be a reason these dogs are so afraid!! You said you don't 'be mean' to them so I guess by that you don't holler at them or punish(ever so slightly) whenever they do something you don't like?? Have these dogs been socialized properly from the very beginning of their life? Do they go for walks--see other dogs and people now? Even though you say they are spoiled, do you play with them a lot and have bonded?? Was there some kind of trauma they may have had that could have affected them this way? Try to think back to when things really got worse--Was there some kind of situation in play at that time that may have caused this problem---Think hard--Different person,perhaps that may of entered at that time, etc??

Also looked up in a book I have on breeds. You are right to wonder if this is a mix as far as the weight goes--unless yours are way overweight! the weight is suppose to be 2-6 #s for both male and female and 6-9" for shoulder height. Might as well quote what it says also about the temperment: intensely loyal and becomes very attached to its owner, even to the point of jealousy. When strangers are present, it follows it owner's every move, keeping as close as possible. It learns quickly and responds well to training. BE AWARE: These dogs tend to snap out of fear, so be especially careful when handling. (Doesn't sound much like your dogs are being true to their nature! Why?)
----Do you have any pics you can share so we can see if these dogs may have other features other than chihuahua--There are some good guessers on this forum!!

My mother and godmother are certainly more harsh on the dogs than I am, they scold them for things like peeing inside, however I don't. However they've only had the same treatment as my first, much older chihuahua which doesn't have these qualities at all(very confident, even a little fiesty). The only trauma I can think of is mostly associated with the female, she has a damaged tail(doesn't curl properly), I inquired about it with the vet and she said that the female probably had her tail stepped on and it altered it's growth/it wasn't cause for concern. However she was bought like this and it wasn't an injury endured under my care, she was also dropped as a puppy but after 2 minutes of frightened screaming she was back to normal jumping around and getting excited for everyone around, so I don't think this affected her behavior towards me or anyone else. Also, these "traumas" were sustained by the female which shows these very submissive behaviors to less a degree than the male.

They see new people very often,in the form of family friends and the like and they generally quite submissive with them, as for other dogs they only really have contact with each other, and my two sister's dogs(also chihuahuas, one bought at the same time/from the same litter as my two dogs). But towards these they seem quite playful and normal. They don't go for walks very often, around twice a month perhaps, they certainly seem to enjoy my caged off backyard more than being on a leash walking around as they usually want to just return home. I play with the dogs very often, around an hour a day, they run around, get excited retrieve sticks like normal dogs.

While the dogs weigh more than what is being described as a pure bred chihuahua I don't believe they are really overweight. I can feel the male's ribs and he is actually quite muscular, has a great deal of energy and jumps higher than any chihuahua I've ever seen. The female however seems to have gained some undesirable weight after being spayed, I can still feel her ribs and the weight doesn't make her lethargic but she is definitely less trim than the male. Since noticing this I'm trying to feed on a schedule instead of offering food in a dish throughout the entire day.

Another thing I wanted to add is that the female, and to some extent the male are severe face lickers, when they sit on my bed with them their first response is trying to lick my face, not allowing them to makes the female pant and cry. Also their submissive behavior isn't constant, for example when I return home from school and see them they act very excited, jumping, crying for my attention and scratching even. However, once I try to pet them they usually run away to their bed and just flip on their backs.

[chemalurgy]

The original post was almost a year ago and I wish that I'd seen it then. I sincerly hope that you still have the dogs.

What you have described is normal behavior for chihuahuas. They have a personality of their own. I've had dogs my whole life and when I was given my chihuahua by my daughter in law, who volunteers for a rescue organization, my true education began.

Between my and her chihuahuas plus reading information online we have concluded a few behavioral aspects unique to chihuahuas. First, they are scared of everything. They are afraid of stairs and tile floors. They are afraid of strangers, loud noises, and fast movements. They bark at the tv and the wind. They whine and need to be reassured that they are safe. They may froth at the mouth or shake when scared or unsure.

Secondly, chihuahuas don't seem to realize that they are small. They will try to defend their owners or territory by attacking even the largest animals. This can get them hurt.

The good news is that Chihuahuas are one of the most loving dogs out there. The excessive licking is a way that they show you that you are the pack leader, but also because they are very affectionate. They also like to cuddle and lay all over you.

When they roll over and show their bellies it's because they like to have it scratched. They will follow you everywhere - even to the bathroom. At night they like to crawl into the bed with you and slide under the covers like moles.

Remember that they need a lot of exercise. Daily walks are very important for many reasons. They should also have toys to chew on if you want to save your furniture and they require a lot of human interaction.

In return you will receive immeasurable love and devotion. My chihuahua Coco is the best dog that I've ever had.

[slane86]

I would have to agree this sounds like normal dog behavior. I have seen it many times with family members dogs, they wag thier tails while turning on thier backs to get rubbed. Just means they love you