Chihuahua barks at everyone

Question
QUESTION: Hi Jo Ann,

My 19 week old male chihuahua Cooper barks at everyone who approaches and runs away and barks if someone tries to pat him. He is loving and adoring of me however. I recently got a female chi(Dali),the same age, as a playmate for Cooper, hoping he might be less fixated with me and be friendlier. So far this is not the case at all. He doesn't like anyone to come near us and has today started marking his territory! What am I doing wrong?

Thanks,

Cindy Rieger

ANSWER: Hi Cindy...

Thank you for your patience while I have been going through an unexpected root canal/tooth extraction situation.

First I want to say that I can't see where you're doing anything wrong (from what I've read) and that the behavior you're describing is typical Chihuahua behavior.  Chihuahuas are VERY devoted to their owners and can be very leery of strangers and be strongly motivated to protect you.  Cooper is starting in pretty young though!  Who did you get Cooper from?  A breeder?  Tell me more about that.

Cooper is a tad young to be marking his territory.  Can you tell me exactly what he's doing that you consider to be "marking"?  Has he been to the vet recently for an examination?  I'm thinking that if Cooper really is marking, then it's time to get him neutered.  The longer you let a dog go without being neutered, the more you instill the "marking" behavior.  While most Chis are neutered/spayed at 6 mos., maybe Cooper is an early bloomer?  You also need to be careful since you now have a female Chi of the same age.

I can't blame you for getting another little Chi to be a pal for Cooper, but this may have possibly caused him to be even more possessive of you and your family.  Chis can really compete with each other over attention and some Chis are more sensitive than others and can develop bad behavior patterns to cope with other dogs in the house vying for attention.

Cindy, if you wouldn't mind writing back and answering some of the questions that I've asked above, I'll be more able to help you.  Along with those questions, I'd like to know how many family members reside in the house with Cooper and Dali, how you have trained him when he needs to relieve himself and if you crate him at all.  I'd like to also know where he sleeps.  The more details you can give me, the better.

I'll look forward to hearing back from you!

Jo Ann

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------


Cooper   QUESTION: Hi Jo Ann,

Thanks for  your reply! Cooper was born on 11/05/11 and Dali on 11/10/11. I purchased Cooper from a show breeder and Dali from a hobby breeder. Each chi has its own crate that they sleep in at night in a room separate from mine.
Cooper has been all my dog from day 1. He barks at my husband and will not allow my husband near him. If I hand Cooper to my husband he will flee back to me as soon as my husband releases him. Dali does the same thing now!
Both dogs have been to the vet, and Cooper is being neutered this week. He just started marking since Dali has arrived but has been very affectionate and playful with her. He has tried to mount her so I have to watch them all the time! - I really just want Cooper and Dali to be friendly to people and not so afraid when someone talks to them. I take them everywhere, walk them  2-3x per day and try to give people treats to give them, but Cooper esprecially will only trust me! Just my husband and I in the house now, but we have 3 kids who visit! Thanks so much JoAnn!

Answer
Hi again Cindy...

I was just looking at Cooper's picture and he's sure got a darling little face!!

I'm not surprised to hear that you purchased Cooper from a show breeder.  Often times we find that pups purchased from show breeders are not socialized as much as we would like them to be. I'm wondering if you were invited to see this breeder's breeding facility and if you met Cooper's parents?  I was advised by the Chihuahua Club of America that you should always see the breeding establishment and meet the pup's parents.  If Cooper comes from show lines, his parents may not be "personal" dogs as much as show dogs and they may not be as socialized as what you or I would like...hence, the same for Cooper.

This thing of barking at your husband and not wanting your husband to hold him sounds to me like he is afraid of men due to being handled roughly before.  I'm assuming that your husband is gentle and kind with Cooper, so I would wonder what Cooper encountered at the breeder's establishment?  My husband and I had the same experience with a female rescue Chi.  She didn't even want my husband to be near me...  It took time - lots of time.  It took patience.  She eventually came around insofar as my husband was concerned, but she never warmed up to other people. Not warming up to other people isn't unusual though.  The Chihuahuas I have now all have different backgrounds and only one is fairly good with other people, but still hugely devoted to me. Again, Chihuahuas are extremely devoted little dogs that usually bond to one or two people.  This is why I think that people who are looking for a Chi that will be extraordinarily social need to choose an ethical breeder where you can find out the full background and see the breeding facility and see how the dogs are kept and socialized. A puppy is going to pretty much behave as it did before you got it and if it wasn't around people or properly socialized, then problems will occur.

I thought I would just point out that Cooper may continue to mount Dali even long after he's neutered.  Mounting is often a sign of dominance.  I have male Chis here that mount each other in a struggle for dominance and they have been neutered for many, many years. Also, Dali is copying Cooper's behavior because dog's are pack animals and Chihuahuas tend to act in packs.

I'm wondering about the three kids who visit.  What are the rules for interacting with the dogs.  Chihuahuas have long been known for not being child friendly.  The only time I see proclamations of how friendly Chis are with kids is when someone has a bunch of Chi pups that they want to sell.  I have a Yahoo group for Chihuahua owners that is frequently visited by people that obtained a Chi (pup or adult) and now don't know what to do because the dogs don't get along with the kids - they're either stressed out by the kids and bite or they resort to undesirable behavior (indiscriminate urination, etc.) due to being subjected to young kids.  That's something to think about.  You can walk Cooper day in and day out, but you shouldn't want to change a Chihuahua into Shih Tzu (which is a breed of dog that does much better with kids).  Trying to do that is usually not successful and everyone ends up unhappy.

My advice right now would be to get him neutered and see how that helps.  Also, if possible, have your husband be the one that feeds him.  You shouldn't force Cooper to just automatically accept your husband - let him get use to him over time as your husband takes care of Cooper's needs.  When Cooper does respond in a positive manner to your husband, POUR out the postive reinforcement!  Lots of praise in a high pitched voice from you and your husband and a special treat like a tiny piece of chicken or hard boiled egg white.  Some men like to rough house with dogs and I think that rough play is out of the question for Cooper.  When the kids visit, have rules posted where everyone can see them. The rules should be about respecting Cooper's space and not petting him or playing with him without permission and being monitored.  You might even ask the kids to help you make up the rules after explaining to them that Chihuahuas are a breed that can be defensive around children and ask them what they think they could do that would help the dogs relax and adjust.

Cindy, it's very apparent that you're smart and motivated when it comes to your dogs.  You've been doing a lot of things right - walking them, socializing them, having other people give them treats.  However, I'm wondering if it's all too much right now?  How about working in baby steps and using a great deal of positive reinforcement?  Start with just your husband and the two dogs.  Don't inundate them with kids in the house and strangers giving them treats while out on walks.  Start small and work up....  Again, they are Chihuahuas and they're acting like Chihuahuas.  You, Cindy, who Cooper adores, is going to show him (and by showing him, you show Dali) that you are VERY happy when Cooper accepts your husband. You do that by praising the smallest of his achievements and being patient.  His whole reason for living right now is you - he wants to PLEASE you, so show him how to do it with praise!

You may have been hoping for an easier solution and a quick remedy, but I've been perfectly honest and I'd be glad to talk to you more about this if you have more questions.  Don't hesitate to write back if you need me to clarify anything, etc.

Jo Ann