[jigsaw10]

Hi, guys! New member here Very glad that I've found this community online as I am having a big problem with our 1-year old baby Chihuahua named Poopie and any advice from anyone would be greatly appreciated.

Poopie suddenly developed a habit of getting agitated (to the point of biting) when a hand gets near her. And she gets most agitated when it's my hands. It's very confusing since she's extremely playful with strangers but when it comes to me and my wife, we can't even pick her up and carry her without a bite coming our way! It seems that the closer her relationship with a person is, the more irritated and easily agitated she gets. When it's her idle time, she would also stay in places where I can't reach her (under the bed, under a couch, behind a closet). I've had Poopie since birth, I also own her mother. I saw glimpses of this behavior when she was still a pup. (She would always get mad when someone pets her head or if someone touches her foot). But nothing bothersome until about a month ago. And since last month, it just keeps getting worse. I have to admit that I've spoiled her since the very day I had her so I'm thinking that's mostly the reason for her nasty behavior.

Our 2 chi's just mean the world to us and I'd do anything to have Poopie back to normal again. I'll be grateful for any advice that I can get from any one. Hope to hear from you guys and thank you in advance!

[CorkyMax]

Can we rule out any physical/sick problem!? At this point I will assume it isn't a physical problem causing this and go from there---A lot of dogs don't like to see a hand coming at them or patting on the head either and many dogs are also touchy about their feet. I am no expert here but have gathered a few things just from being in this forum for nearly 3 years. And I am sure you will hear from some of the experts in here--but maybe not till next week as most of the time weekends are a little slow and esp. in the summer when families are busy doing other things!

As I was saying, I have gathered some info-- One thing being that your Poopie is entering adulthood and maybe is trying to assert her dominance over you---and you should not allow this--You need to be the alpha! As you said she is spoiled--but you need to show her that you are 'the boss.'

On another note: Wondering if you should not try (at least for the present time) to pick her up or pet her head. Let her decide to come to you. A suggestion to help get this started--I imagine she loves treats? Try sitting on the floor with a treat in your hand laid casually on your thigh and see if she will come to get the treat. If and when she comes to get it --slowly move the treat into your lap. Let her get to your lap and slowly reach behind her head to pet her--Don't touch her feet. And don't give her the treat until she behaves and lets you pet her. If she does good--Tell her what a good girl she is and let her have the treat----Do not force the petting if she doesn't want you to but don't give her the treat either in that case. May take time and repetition ---Wouldn't it be nice if she would finally sit in your lap to eat the treat! PLEASE DO NOT LET HER HAVE ANY TREATS AT ANY OTHER TIME WHILE YOU ARE TRYING THIS OUT. Right now the only way she will find is that she has to behave and treat you with respect in order to have a treat at all! This will also help reinforce that you are the alpha and if she wants a treat she has to behave. And getting a treat whenever she is petted or held should help associate that there is 'pleasure' in all this and petting is a good thing.

To help show her that you are the alpha---Try doing a little training--just simple things that helps show her who is in control here! And make her earn things--like even her food---Make her sit or she doesn't get the food--other things on this order. Make her respect you! If you keep spoiling her--This problem will only get worse!

Do you take her for long walks---Tire her out so she isn't so 'fiesty' (Sorry, can't figure out how to spell that!) Does she have a lot of unused energy? I would try taking her for a long walk and then try the treat thing after you get home.

Hope some of this helps. Would like to see updates on this little stinker! Keep us posted no matter what you try.

Here is a good link about the chihuahua--Please read the temperament part--May help you understand better.--->
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/chihuahua.htm

[jigsaw10]

Hi, CorkyMax! Thanks for the very warm welcome!

No, it's not a physical problem since every time Poopie wants to be carried, like in the middle of the night to sleep with us in our bed, she would allow me to do so. Spoiled brat.

I've read the link that you suggested and I have to admit that I'm guilty of every mistake that was enumerated especially on the temperament part. She seems to think that is indeed the pack leader! I didn't foresee this happening since we've given the same treatment to Poopie's mom when she was a pup and the only bad habit that she developed is aggression with other dogs and strangers (which I thought was normal with breed. Apparently, I was wrong with that too.)

I've never taken her to a walk due to their small size (they're on the tiny side of the breed. Poopie only weighs about 1.2 kilos with a very small frame) when we go out, she's always carried. To drain some of her stored energy, I've taken her running around the house.

With a very heavy heart, I've started treating her like a dog and have given her cold treatment since yesterday. I'm seeing improvements little by little. She's now craving for my attention! But we won't give in to her cuteness just as easily. I'll try your technique and will keep this thread updated. Thanks once again!

By the way, how do I make a thank in your account?

[CorkyMax]

Good to hear that Poopie is 'learning' so quickly! But then this breed (a quote from my breeds book) 'It learns quickly and responds well to training.'

It really surprised me when you said you don't take her for walks! Am again going to quote word for word from my book-'Although it is tempting to carry these dainty creatures about, they will keep fitter if taken for walks. A body harness is safer than a collar.' That was listed under Exercise in my book (for the chihuahua, of course) Under the section called Pet Facts for this breed-- Will just copy the whole thing--->
Affectionate, alert, playful
Poor watchdog
Ideal for apartment living
Regular brushing ---and this is the main one I wanted you to see-->
Regular gentle exercise

That little girl needs to have daily walks--Let her feel the grass/ground!
And I would definitely use a body harness and not a collar ---This breed is fragile as far as a collar on that little neck is concerned! Even a little jerk by you or her could cause problems! But if you just started out with short walks (OUTSIDE!) until she gets 'fitter' and then gradually increase the time and distance---She may not want to walk at 1st as you have been carrying her and she is spoiled and use to that routine but you never know--She might actually enjoy it! Take mama dog too!! (What is her name?) Part of the problem you may have been having is also she may need these little walks to make her happier--mentally and physically! If she doesn't want to walk at 1st---hopefully you can convince her it is a good thing!---Take some small treats with you. Praise her and make it a happy, playful event. When you know she is enjoying these outings and you increase the distance--She will prob. give you clues as to when she has walked far enough. Lol, being a smart breed that learns quickly--and if she starts really enjoying these walks--if you have her harness where she can reach it (in the house) she may go to it to let you know it is time to go for a walk! And this time together may be a good bonding time too! And I think both dogs walked together would be good for all of you. You could start out with both to see if it is a good idea---If it isn't, then maybe wait until Poopie is enjoying her walk but I don't think I'd wait too long as Poopie might have gotten use to just her and you and may resent Mama coming along.

Hope I'm not sounding too bossy here---Just want that little girl to be a happy, healthy, loving little girl again and MAMA dog too!

As far as thank you's---Glad if I have helped here---I just love dogs and want the best for them. For your question--(and I don't have it visible right now while posting--so hope I am telling you right)---If you go to my post here--you will see 3 symbols to the left under my name---I think you click on the white one in the middle-----You can just put your curser on it before clicking and it will say what it is for. And thank you for that!

Keep updating ---Love to hear how she is doing. And Mama too!


Just checked and I gave the right directions for that thank you ---It is under my name to the left but it is at bottom of my post there--which, lol, is usually far down as I have long posts mainly---I am too jabbery but I like to be thorough!

[jigsaw10]

We followed your training tip (the treat on the lap) and Poopie allowed us to pet her on the back, albeit with a little hesitance for now I wish to train her more, problem is she spends half of the day under the bed, sleeping! And since I'm still giving her the cold treatment, I didn't reach out to her to come out from hiding. It's midnight here, she'll come out in a bit for sure and make me pick her up

Yes, we don't take them out for daily walks. We often go out but both of them are always carried. When there's free space, I let them roam around freely without any leash. I also let them out of the house almost every morning to wander freely in the garden and the garage. So they still haven't learned to walk with a collar/harness on. With your advice though, we're getting both of them their own harnesses and start walking them daily! Problem with Poopie though is how I'll be putting on the harness without any bite coming from her!

Mama's name is Mochi, by the way. She has her own issues too but that will be in a different topic. Nothing as serious as what's happening to Poopie. My main concern for now is the little monster!

I'd love to share pictures of both of them but I guess I have to wait until I reach 50 posts, right?

Thanks once again, CorkyMax! You're a very nice person and I admire your love for dogs.

[Lunareclipse]

Close all doors to any room you don't want your pooch to be in during the day. During breakfast is a great time to do that. Breakfast in the kitchen for poochy means you have time to go and close off the rest of the house so she can't hide under the bed anymore.

[CorkyMax]

I was just checking out my Walgreens ad (on the net) Do you have a Walgreens near you? I don't know if they have the same ads for all areas but this was in the ad for my area-- AS SEEN ON TV
The pic on the left--harness. It is $10.99 here right now--thru Saturday-the 13th of Aug. I notice that the pkg has medium as the size but maybe there are other sizes too. If you were interested you could call them if you have a store nearby. Does MAMA need one too?

[jigsaw10]

Originally Posted by CorkyMax

[B][COLOR="SeaGreen"]I was just checking out my Walgreens ad (on the net) Do you have a Walgreens near you? I don't know if they have the same ads for all areas but this was in the ad for my area--
The pic on the left--harness. It is $10.99 here right now--thru Saturday-the 13th of Aug. I notice that the pkg has medium as the size but maybe there are other sizes too. If you were interested you could call them if you have a store nearby. Does MAMA need one too?

Thanks for the advice! Unfortunately, I live very far off from the US. We're all the way here in the Philippines

Update on Poopie: She's doing very well now, almost back to the sweet little angel that she really is! She responded well to the 'iron hand' treatment that we're implementing. I think she already understood that she's part of the pack, and my wife and I are the leaders. She's barking a lot lately, maybe to get the attention that she was used to receiving before, but we can pet her and carry her all the time now!

The only problem that we haven't solved yet is her jealousy of her mom, Mochi. When Poopie's either sleepy or eating, and the two of them make eye contact, she'll threaten Mochi by growling. When Mochi is in a not-so-good mood, a fight will happen after. I'm sure we can solve it though, I'll just back-read on the threads posted here (to avoid re-posting of the same problem) for some training tips. Thanks once again, CorkyMax!

[CorkyMax]

Hey! You are welcome and so glad to hear Poopie is doing better--the little dickens!

I may be wrong here--If I am, hopefully another member will correct me but I am thinking that Poopie is trying to be the dominant dog of 'the pack'--over mama but it sounds like mama may be putting Poopie in her place. Not sure but this may be something the 2 of them will have to figure out--who is the alpha dog---Just so the fights don't get violent or too out of hand--It is best to leave them alone and hopefully between the 2 of them--They will decide their position 'in the pack!' Dogs need to know their position so they can settle down and be comfortable with one another.

Just found this site--might tell you a lot and give you some good ideas: Alpha Dog, Pack Leader, Dog Growling, Dog Bitting, Dog Snapping, Snappy Dog

[jigsaw10]

Originally Posted by Lunareclipse

Close all doors to any room you don't want your pooch to be in during the day. During breakfast is a great time to do that. Breakfast in the kitchen for poochy means you have time to go and close off the rest of the house so she can't hide under the bed anymore.

Thanks for the tip! She would still stay under the bed on early mornings but once we go out of the room, she always goes along now

[mih]

I'm sorry for your little dog...I hope you'll find a good solution for your problem

[jigsaw10]

Originally Posted by mih

I'm sorry for your little dog...I hope you'll find a good solution for your problem

Thank you. She's doing well on, some lapses here and there, but overall, she's getting back to her norm

[jigsaw10]

Originally Posted by CorkyMax

Hey! You are welcome and so glad to hear Poopie is doing better--the little dickens!

I may be wrong here--If I am, hopefully another member will correct me but I am thinking that Poopie is trying to be the dominant dog of 'the pack'--over mama but it sounds like mama may be putting Poopie in her place. Not sure but this may be something the 2 of them will have to figure out--who is the alpha dog---Just so the fights don't get violent or too out of hand--It is best to leave them alone and hopefully between the 2 of them--They will decide their position 'in the pack!' Dogs need to know their position so they can settle down and be comfortable with one another.

Thank you for the link! I must admit that I'm guilty of every single mistake that was enumerated. Now I know why little Poopie is feeling so dominant! We can now correct everything now that we've identified the mistakes that we're doing. Thank you!

Mochi (mama dog) and Poopie used to play a lot when Poopie was younger. They would wrestle and run after each other the whole day! I guess Poopie's growing up now that's why they're not into playing anymore. Actually, they never really fight when they're alone. After growling at each other, either one of them will just walk away. A fight will just develop if I intervene between their growling.