Chihuahua not to friendly with other dogs..

[lucifox]

I rescued a chi hes 10 but very young and fit for his age and a wonderfull dog.. his problem is he does not like other dogs, all my kids have a dog in the home, i walk in to there houses and there dogs greet him he snarles at them he will sniff them and walk on but if they come near him he will go for them, he is the same wen out for walks i dont stop him from sniffin other dogs but i m very wary and get ready to pull him back, he is very crafty he seems meek & mild but wen near them takes a lunge, no matter how big the other dog is, a rotti, a doberman, he will have a go. People laugh because he is so tiny he is the size of some of the dogs heads.. does any 1 have any thawts of wat to do to stop him from doin this, i have watched Cesar Milan and turned him round so that other dogs can sniff him, i lay him down to try to get him to submit but he wont.. Any thing else i can try to do.. His name is Dylan but my kids call him Damion, they all like him though and my grand kids love him... HELP..

[tamborine]

You are the problem as you're his territory. If he's with someone else (not his regular feeder) he will submit. He's just being loyal to you and safe-guarding 'the hand that feeds him'!

[craft1948]

good luck lucifox.........I (briefly) had a chi.....it was the nastiest dog I've ever owned and in the space of 4 days bit 3 people.....

[lucifox]

So if i got 1 of my kids to lay him down on his side when i was out of the room after he went for there, dog he would submit, there not frightened of him as he does not hurt you when he bites..

[icemaiden]

Small dog, big ego! He doesn't care if he is a fifth of the size of the Rottie or Doberman he will still go for them.

I have two terriers and one of them was just like yours. He would lunge at any dog, teeth showing snarling, growling, terrible noise. I also noticed that he was worse on the lead when he couldn't get to them. However, the more we walked him in social situations like the park or the woods, the better he became, we met with lots of different dogs. I also took him to a friend of ours who has a Greyhound, very laid back but will not tolerate small yappy dogs. He put my little terrier in his place I can tell you. After that he was much better. We would walk with the greyhound as well which got him used to other dogs being around him. He is a different dog now. Off the lead as well, no trouble. Says hello then walks away.

I know that Chihuahua are notorious for this behaviour but I think with patience and "calm assertiveness" from you, I think he will overcome his behaviour.

[icemaiden]

Just to add to the above, try not to be so wary, he may be feel you getting tense and this could be adding to the problem. You need to walk with a mission and when you see a dog approaching just carry on walking and ignore his behaviour. Good luck

[lucifox]

Thanx icemaiden, tamborine, craft1948.. i will have a go, i mite find out about geting him done, he is 10 it might be to late for this tho. My daughter has a x spaniel retriever she is as large as a retriever, Dylan has a go at her when she comes near him, my daughter gets worried that she will hurt him, but i tell her to let Sadie put him in his place she is a very gentle dog, it\'s her house and she shud be the alpha dog there.. does any 1 think this is ok to do...

[icemaiden]

Yes let Sadie tell off your dog. This is how he will learn that his behaviour is unacceptable. This is how dogs naturally learn, from other dogs telling them they have had enough.

Having him neutered may help, better late than never. Get yourself a walking companion, maybe your daughters dog can walk out with him?