Aggressive Chihuahua

[LookSaMoon]

I have one year and 8 month old chihuahua. She is became an aggressive dog again.

She once was like this but after I took her for jogging as what Cesar the dog whisperer say in his show,

she seemed to be ok. But now jogging cant help!

She will aggressive when anyone try to carry her while she is laying or sleeping in her bed.

She used to be ok for that but not now.

What should I do to bring my little sweet chihuahua back?

Anyone can advise?

Thanks in advance kha.

[Thaddeus]

What should I do to bring my little sweet chihuahua back?

Anyone can advise?

Yes... spank her.

Every time she shows any sings of aggression you have to let her know that it is wrong and there is only really one way of communication between man and dog that works.... reward good behaviour and punish bad behaviour.

Works on humans too

[LookSaMoon]

Thanks for your advice kha khun Thaddeus, but I dont think spanking will make her any better.

I used to spank her when she did someth wrong but it turned out she hated my hands

and whenever I tried to catch her she bit my hand with anger. Since then I stoped spanking her.

[mitmig]

Forget the 'advice' of Thaddeus ... doesn't know what he is talking about! Spanking doesn't help, shel will

only get more agressive and afraid of you. When I'm sleeping in my bed and you drag me out, I'll get

agressive too! Her 'spot' should be a save place, when she is in that space you should leave her alone.

Award good behaviour, ignore bad behaviour. I've got two small minpins, but I never carry them around,

because they have four good legs. Only because they are small, doesn't mean you can carry them

around as you please. Spanking is never the answer ... not with animals and not with humans,

its only a sign of not being in control.

[Mossfinn]

She is became an aggressive dog again.

Can I ask what you are calling aggression LookSaMoon?

Chi's are generally agressive and have the small dog syndrome and will go mad at anything invading their space that they do not know well.

Ours are never aggressive to us, except when waking the boy up to take him to his bed.

As for what has kicked him off again after calming down, I have no idea, but my aunty is over from Ireland tomorrow and she has been breeding them for some time, I will ask her if she has a remedy.

I don't normally disagree with the Thad, but on this note I do, violence on any pet is not the way to go and will cause you more problems than you will solve, if you solve any.

I presume the human part was a joke right?

Moss

[LookSaMoon]

Forget the 'advice' of Thaddeus ... doesn't know what he is talking about! Spanking doesn't help, shel will

only get more agressive and afraid of you. When I'm sleeping in my bed and you drag me out, I'll get

agressive too! Her 'spot' should be a save place, when she is in that space you should leave her alone.

Award good behaviour, ignore bad behaviour. I've got two small minpins, but I never carry them around,

because they have four good legs. Only because they are small, doesn't mean you can carry them

around as you please. Spanking is never the answer ... not with animals and not with humans,

its only a sign of not being in control.

Thanks for your advice kha khun Mitmig

Maybe you were right. We might mess with her too much when she is in her bed.

But she is really cute while sleeping!

[LookSaMoon]

She is became an aggressive dog again.

Can I ask what you are calling aggression LookSaMoon?

Chi's are generally agressive and have the small dog syndrome and will go mad at anything invading their space that they do not know well.

Ours are never aggressive to us, except when waking the boy up to take him to his bed.

As for what has kicked him off again after calming down, I have no idea, but my aunty is over from Ireland tomorrow and she has been breeding them for some time, I will ask her if she has a remedy.

I don't normally disagree with the Thad, but on this note I do, violence on any pet is not the way to go and will cause you more problems than you will solve, if you solve any.

I presume the human part was a joke right?

Moss

To Khun Moss,

Yes, she will be aggressive when we wake her up to bed at night.

But normally she's not aggressive dog even when we tease her while she is sleeping .

Or we tease her too much and should stop now?

[elfe]

never tease your dog, it will destroy its trust and confidence in you, the answer is aggression or it will try to avoid you.

[ratchabuild]

She is became an aggressive dog again.

Can I ask what you are calling aggression LookSaMoon?

Chi's are generally agressive and have the small dog syndrome and will go mad at anything invading their space that they do not know well.

Ours are never aggressive to us, except when waking the boy up to take him to his bed.

As for what has kicked him off again after calming down, I have no idea, but my aunty is over from Ireland tomorrow and she has been breeding them for some time, I will ask her if she has a remedy.

I don't normally disagree with the Thad, but on this note I do, violence on any pet is not the way to go and will cause you more problems than you will solve, if you solve any.

I presume the human part was a joke right?

Moss

To Khun Moss,

Yes, she will be aggressive when we wake her up to bed at night.

But normally she's not aggressive dog even when we tease her while she is sleeping .

Or we tease her too much and should stop now?

Try everything and let us know what works

[Mai Krap]

Sounds like a pecking order issue. Dogs are a pack animal, not unlike wolves, there is always a number one and your dog thinks its number one. Getting ruff with a dog is not a problem, they get ruff with each other to sort out pecking issues. The problem lies in knowing how ruff is to ruff because crossing that line can severely damage a animal mentally and or physically. There is no need to abuse any animal but just as a larger dog and even a mother will bite to force their will and show power a human can do this with a dog by using a loosely rolled up news paper or something.

There could also be a problem with the breeding. This happens often in Thailand, dogs get bred to close and the offspring are Scitzo. You should find someone to help you evaluate the dogs general mental condition to see if the behavior can be corrected.

[Nienke]

I think Mossfin makes a very valid point by asking what the OP calls aggression. It's very important to understand what kind of aggression it is, when it happens and how the behavior of the Chi is the rest of the time. From the OP's post this is very unclear.

When a dog reacts only when disturbed when sleeping, it can very well be that it reacts because it gets startled. The very normal natural behavior that follows is defensive behavior, which can involve aggression (the dog bites first before it brings itself in safety, whether that's by running away or attack). In both cases the underlying feeling of the dog is fear. When the owner then reacts back with (dominance) aggression (spanking, harshly telling the dog of, grabbing it by the neck, forcing it in the alpha roll, etc.) the dog will not understand resulting in more and faster occurring fear aggression.

If this is the case with the Chi solving the problem is very easy: leave the dog in peace when it sleeps (as Mitmig also mentioned already) and when, for any reason you do need to wake the dog up, call its name and be sure it is awake before you touch it. And REWARD for calm behavior!

If the cause of the aggression is the teasing of the owner when the dog is asleep, then the abovementioned solution applies as well.

If the dog shows disobedient behavior, ignores its owner when it pleases, struggles or shows agression when handled (such as lifted up, bathed, groomed, while checking/cleaning ear eyes paws etc), or is in any other way unruly during other times of the day, the agression might be a pecking order problem. Telling off a dog that shows dominance aggression can result in more, and more dangerous aggression. For solving this problem behavior modification treatment is more focussed on the owner than on the dog, as the behavior of the dog only can be changed AFTER the behavior of the owner has changed.

And there is no such thing as a quick fix. Changing the behavior of a dog (and its owner) takes time and effort, and also money when it involves a dog behaviorist and/or obedience training.

Another thing that Mitmig mentioned is that many small dogs are carried around a lot. If this is necessary sometimes, it shouldn't be a problem, but too much they really don't like. They prefer, just like bigger dogs, to have all fours on the ground.

Nienke

Edited August 9, 2007 by Nienke

[jackmuu]

Aggressive chihuahua

As a previous poster said, dogs need to be shown who is boss, when it gets funny just put your foot on it's head or neck (don't stomp, just let it know you are the Boss.

[LookSaMoon]

never tease your dog, it will destroy its trust and confidence in you, the answer is aggression or it will try to avoid you.

To khun Elfe,

Thanks for your comment kha. My teasing to her is just to kiss and touch while she is lying or sleeping

in her bed. I see it as small tease but it might not for dog?

[LookSaMoon]

Try everything and let us know what works

I keep you guy inform

[LookSaMoon]

Sounds like a pecking order issue. Dogs are a pack animal, not unlike wolves, there is always a number one and your dog thinks its number one. Getting ruff with a dog is not a problem, they get ruff with each other to sort out pecking issues. The problem lies in knowing how ruff is to ruff because crossing that line can severely damage a animal mentally and or physically. There is no need to abuse any animal but just as a larger dog and even a mother will bite to force their will and show power a human can do this with a dog by using a loosely rolled up news paper or something.

There could also be a problem with the breeding. This happens often in Thailand, dogs get bred to close and the offspring are Scitzo. You should find someone to help you evaluate the dogs general mental condition to see if the behavior can be corrected.

Thanks for your comment kha khun Mai Krap. I am not sure if my dog get bred to close as she does not

have pedigree or any document to show who are her parents.

I will stop messing her while she's sleeping and will try to see what I can do to make us happy together again.

[LookSaMoon]

I think Mossfin makes a very valid point by asking what the OP calls aggression. It's very important to understand what kind of aggression it is, when it happens and how the behavior of the Chi is the rest of the time. From the OP's post this is very unclear.

When a dog reacts only when disturbed when sleeping, it can very well be that it reacts because it gets startled. The very normal natural behavior that follows is defensive behavior, which can involve aggression (the dog bites first before it brings itself in safety, whether that's by running away or attack). In both cases the underlying feeling of the dog is fear. When the owner then reacts back with (dominance) aggression (spanking, harshly telling the dog of, grabbing it by the neck, forcing it in the alpha roll, etc.) the dog will not understand resulting in more and faster occurring fear aggression.

If this is the case with the Chi solving the problem is very easy: leave the dog in peace when it sleeps (as Mitmig also mentioned already) and when, for any reason you do need to wake the dog up, call its name and be sure it is awake before you touch it. And REWARD for calm behavior!

If the cause of the aggression is the teasing of the owner when the dog is asleep, then the abovementioned solution applies as well.

If the dog shows disobedient behavior, ignores its owner when it pleases, struggles or shows agression when handled (such as lifted up, bathed, groomed, while checking/cleaning ear eyes paws etc), or is in any other way unruly during other times of the day, the agression might be a pecking order problem. Telling off a dog that shows dominance aggression can result in more, and more dangerous aggression. For solving this problem behavior modification treatment is more focussed on the owner than on the dog, as the behavior of the dog only can be changed AFTER the behavior of the owner has changed.

And there is no such thing as a quick fix. Changing the behavior of a dog (and its owner) takes time and effort, and also money when it involves a dog behaviorist and/or obedience training.

Another thing that Mitmig mentioned is that many small dogs are carried around a lot. If this is necessary sometimes, it shouldn't be a problem, but too much they really don't like. They prefer, just like bigger dogs, to have all fours on the ground.

Nienke

I will wake her up gently before take her to bed as your advice.

For carry around, I and my family normally dont carry her around much.

We do that only for greeting when we arrive home or when take her

up and down the stair. The rest of the day we let her on her four legs.

[elfe]

hi LookSaMoon, i did not mean that you tease it maybe on purpose.

just let the little one be and wait until she comes by herself to you for action and petting, then reward a lot. she will seek this then more and more. if you have to touch her while she is sleeping, be careful like nienke said, maybe make a loud noise that she wakes up first and then touch her slowly or pick her up. don't have any problems here touching a sleeping dog or any dog going at me, even the deaf ones. only one dog which needs grooming and shearing did not let me cut its hair for one year without growling and screaming and trying to bite. this thanks to its former owners ... it took more than a year to make him comfortable with me cutting around (carefully) with scissors on his body. now no problem, not even snarling so patience will be rewarded. always try to read your dog and try to act according to that not to scare it or confuse it. very small dogs are more scared usually but show it in braveness and aggression/attack. never spank or hit a small breed (or any other actually) they feel life threatened and the effect will not be as wished...

have fun with your tiny cutie

[LookSaMoon]

hi LookSaMoon, i did not mean that you tease it maybe on purpose.

just let the little one be and wait until she comes by herself to you for action and petting, then reward a lot. she will seek this then more and more. if you have to touch her while she is sleeping, be careful like nienke said, maybe make a loud noise that she wakes up first and then touch her slowly or pick her up. don't have any problems here touching a sleeping dog or any dog going at me, even the deaf ones. only one dog which needs grooming and shearing did not let me cut its hair for one year without growling and screaming and trying to bite. this thanks to its former owners ... it took more than a year to make him comfortable with me cutting around (carefully) with scissors on his body. now no problem, not even snarling so patience will be rewarded. always try to read your dog and try to act according to that not to scare it or confuse it. very small dogs are more scared usually but show it in braveness and aggression/attack. never spank or hit a small breed (or any other actually) they feel life threatened and the effect will not be as wished...

have fun with your tiny cutie

Thanks kha khun Elfe

I will be more patience with my boss.. oppss my dog. She is leader and I am follower.

Tried to train her but never get any cooperate from my family so she is the queen of my house.

[bina]

minor point:

as my boxer bitch has gotten elderly, she is more likely to snap or glare at us if we handle her while sleeping; apart from her just getting older and shorter tempered slightly (suffers 'rambunctious people/ puppy behavior' less well now), her hips /back bother her sometimes and she is stiffer when she awakens, so perhaps medical check might be in order;

bina

[LookSaMoon]

minor point:

as my boxer bitch has gotten elderly, she is more likely to snap or glare at us if we handle her while sleeping; apart from her just getting older and shorter tempered slightly (suffers 'rambunctious people/ puppy behavior' less well now), her hips /back bother her sometimes and she is stiffer when she awakens, so perhaps medical check might be in order;

bina

I've checked if she might hurt anywhere but it's not.

She's healthy, can eat and play as usual, but will get

aggressive when anyone mess her when she's in her bed.

She normally not be like this. So we dont know what's wrong.

Or she's been kepting her anger and just explode it now ?

[Nienke]

When a dog reacts only when disturbed when sleeping, it can very well be that it reacts because it gets startled. The very normal natural behavior that follows is defensive behavior, which can involve aggression (the dog bites first before it brings itself in safety, whether that's by running away or attack). In both cases the underlying feeling of the dog is fear. When the owner then reacts back with (dominance) aggression (spanking, harshly telling the dog of, grabbing it by the neck, forcing it in the alpha roll, etc.) the dog will not understand resulting in more and faster occurring fear aggression.

If this is the case with the Chi solving the problem is very easy: leave the dog in peace when it sleeps (as Mitmig also mentioned already) and when, for any reason you do need to wake the dog up, call its name and be sure it is awake before you touch it. And REWARD for calm behavior!

If the cause of the aggression is the teasing of the owner when the dog is asleep, then the abovementioned solution applies as well.

Oops, I was rereading my own reaction and abovementioned can be misunderstood as if I assume the OP punishes the dog when it shows agression. With (see in bold) "If this is the case with the Chi", I was referring to ( see in bold again) "When a dog reacts only when disturbed when sleeping, it can very well be that it reacts because it gets startled". In case my words were misunderstood, I apologize to the OP.

Nienke

[Pink Mist]

I think a voice of reason is coming soon.

Bambina is our resident Vet and her advice is allways spot on

[LookSaMoon]

When a dog reacts only when disturbed when sleeping, it can very well be that it reacts because it gets startled. The very normal natural behavior that follows is defensive behavior, which can involve aggression (the dog bites first before it brings itself in safety, whether that's by running away or attack). In both cases the underlying feeling of the dog is fear. When the owner then reacts back with (dominance) aggression (spanking, harshly telling the dog of, grabbing it by the neck, forcing it in the alpha roll, etc.) the dog will not understand resulting in more and faster occurring fear aggression.

If this is the case with the Chi solving the problem is very easy: leave the dog in peace when it sleeps (as Mitmig also mentioned already) and when, for any reason you do need to wake the dog up, call its name and be sure it is awake before you touch it. And REWARD for calm behavior!

If the cause of the aggression is the teasing of the owner when the dog is asleep, then the abovementioned solution applies as well.

Oops, I was rereading my own reaction and abovementioned can be misunderstood as if I assume the OP punishes the dog when it shows agression. With (see in bold) "If this is the case with the Chi", I was referring to ( see in bold again) "When a dog reacts only when disturbed when sleeping, it can very well be that it reacts because it gets startled". In case my words were misunderstood, I apologize to the OP.

Nienke

Mai pen rai kha khun Nienke

[LookSaMoon]

I think a voice of reason is coming soon.

Bambina is our resident Vet and her advice is allways spot on

I'll look forward for khun Bambina's advice

[Mossfinn]

I think a voice of reason is coming soon.

Bambina is our resident Vet and her advice is allways spot on

OI! Broncs. Are you suggesting my advice regarding Chi's are a little remiss?

Good Luck

Moss

[Sheryl]

Seems she's only aggressive when you disturb her sleep.

Sounds like she is simply trying to set some boundaries and you should respect them. As long as the aggression is confined to situations like that, it is just the dog doing the only thing she can do to get you to stop annoying her.

I'm liable to snap at people who disturb my sleep, too.......

[LookSaMoon]

Seems she's only aggressive when you disturb her sleep.

Sounds like she is simply trying to set some boundaries and you should respect them. As long as the aggression is confined to situations like that, it is just the dog doing the only thing she can do to get you to stop annoying her.

I'm liable to snap at people who disturb my sleep, too.......

She seems to be aggressive when lies down.

I was trying to carry her when she was awake and in lie down position,

she treatened me and got aggressive.

But after i read Cecar the dog whisperer's book and grab my dog's neck as

what he reccommended. She seemed to obey me more than before.

Anyway we have to see if this trick work and I will keep you guys update.