chi pup and yorkie adult

Question
QUESTION: Hi I have had a chi pup for the last three weeks or so .She is about 11 weeks old now and adorable. My yorkie is two years old. He is very good with her but they do wrestle etc and fight for dominance. He was doing well with her at first but now I see that she is able to reach his back and bite it. He is starting to hide himself away.

She will be about 7 pounds full grown and he is about that weight as well but her parents are taller than my yorkie.I am worried my chi will hurt my yorkie as she gets bigger.  I want my yorkie to live a happy life as well and am starting to hear some negative things about chi's and how they treat other dogs.She is a very feisty little girl but oh so cute and funny.
Thanks for any help you may give me

ANSWER: Hi Elinor...

Congratulations on your new Chihuahua puppy.

When an 11 week old puppy wrestles with another pup or an adult dog, that is puppy play and not a fight for dominance.  It isn't unusual at all for an older dog who was in the home first to be a bit overwhelmed with feisty puppy play.  This is one reason why I try to suggest that people don't bring home a new puppy until they're at least 12 weeks old - this gives the pup much needed time to learn boundaries while playing with the mother and litter mates.

What kind of negative things are you hearing about Chis and how they treat other dogs?  I have lots and lots of contact with Chihuahua owners that also own Yorkies and other small breed dogs and I sure haven't heard of any problems with the Chihuahuas being overly aggressive and hurting other small dogs in the household. I simply don't see a problem with your two dogs being able to happily co-exist. You've just had this pup for three weeks and she's going to go through lots of different phases in her growth and playing is one phase that is normal and healthy.  When the play becomes too much for your Yorkie, you may want to put him in his bed or crate and give him a break from the pup.  Encourage the two of them to play with soft dog toys and engage each other in a tug 'o war and things like that.  It's only been three weeks and your Yorkie is going through an adjustment with a new dog in the home and that's to be expected.

It's my opinion that it doesn't matter if your Chi will be taller than your Yorkie or that she may exceed 7 lbs.  I have a Chihuahua that is quite large at 13 lbs. and one that is 9 lbs. and one that is 4 lbs. and everyone is a different height and they all adjusted to one another and no one has ever been injured when they've played, etc.  I've had different small breed dogs here as foster dogs or visitors and have had no problems whatsoever.

I think you'll find that with time the dogs will adjust just fine.  Anytime you have more than one dog, you're apt to have one that's the "alpha" dog and who wants to be a tad more in charge.  It usually works out just fine and I think it will in your case as it sounds like your Yorkie tends to be on the submissive side.  You do want to make sure that you get your Chi spayed and I'm hoping that your Yorkie is already neutered.

Do you confine your Chi puppy when you can't watch her?  Are you using an x-pen or blocking her off in a certain area?  By doing so, you will be better able to potty train her and you'll also be giving your Yorkie a break from play while he's able to adjust to her being there, but at a distance some of the time.  I'm not talking about confining her all the time - just when she can't be supervised.

I hope this information helps and if you get a chance, share with me the "negative things" that you've been hearing about Chis and how they treat other dogs.

Jo Ann

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

QUESTION: Hi Jo Ann

Thanks for your help and advice. Yes my male yorkie is neutered . I am not into this backyard breeding thing at all and I intend to spay my chi.

I heard negative things about chi's from different people. One told me that they had one that was so mean it would bite and draw blood and chase their nephew out of the house. They had four other dogs and they would all lay with their feet curled under them as she would run around and bite their toes.They just put her down after 14 years of living with her.Needless to say their grown son now hates chihuahuas :-)

I heard from some that they are snappy and bossy. I heard from a friend that another friend of hers had one that would sit on her lap and snarl and snap at anyone who even sat near them.

I of course heard these things after I got my chi.

Mindy (my chi) is so sweet and lovable I cant  see her that way. I just got a little nervous I guess when I saw that she was trying to jump on Jackson and bite his back and he was kind of moving away from her and stopping his play. He does play with her a lot and they play tug of war with a toy as you suggested. I do have a doggie play pen for her and I do put her in that when I cant watch her.

I notice now she is starting to lay across his back a lot and he doesnt seem to care about that at all. She will also try and lay with her back end on his head or face . I have no idea what that is about LOL

I had forgot to mention that she will sometimes growl a bit at me if I pick her up and she doesnt want to be or does that with my hubby and 23 year old son.We tell her no in a stern voice and she seems to stop and her ears go back.Hope this is the right thing to do.

Well thanks for your help
Elinor

Answer
Hi Elinor...

Thanks so much for writing back and answering some questions.  I don't blame you at all for being nervous after hearing all the things that you have been hearing and I'd like to elaborate on what you've shared with me.  Yes, Chihuahuas do tend to be very protective and incredibly devoted to their "person".  They are the MOST devoted breed of dog that I have ever come upon and I think that extreme unconditional love and devotion is what stole my heart.  I think they're a BIG dog in a small package.  They'll bark and warn a stranger to not get near their "person" or they may just observe and be cautious for awhile.  More Chihuahuas are killed in shelters because shelter personnel think that they're vicious when, in fact, they are devastated to be away from their "people" (even bad pet owners) and scared out of their minds and react out of fear.  I had a little Chi that I rescued years back who would not allow anyone to walk too near me.  She had been terribly abused and I think that once she found happiness, someone that loved her and appropriate care, she made it her life's work to "pay it forward" and protect and serve me.   

It is my opinion (and that of so many other people - minus greedy breeders that want to sell a puppy to anyone possible) that Chihuahuas do not make good pets for children.  I run a Chihuahua group on Yahoo groups and have for years and I can't tell you how many people have joined after purchasing a Chi for their small children and argued with everyone about the "soundness" of their decision.  They want to insist that the Chi will do fine and, inevitably, a child gets hurt and the dog is OUT!  One of my Chis here went through three or four homes prior to my getting him and he had been beaten profusely for biting kids in EACH home.  If people would read about the breed, they would get a better idea of how certain breeds are more suitable for families with children and some are not.  Elinor, we take our Chis with us to lots of events in the area and you would roll your eyes at ALL the stores we hear about Chihuahuas - "My Aunt had a Chihuahua that looked like that and...see this scar on my lip!"  "My Grandma had three Chihuahuas and they would attack us at the door".  The stories go on and on...  I'd say those stories confirm that children and Chihuahuas don't mix.  Have I heard a single story about someone acquiring a Chi that hurt their other dogs?  No...  If anything, we've had Chis on our Yahoo group that were attacked by other breeds of dogs.  I do think that Chis are often under the mistaken impression that they're bigger than they are and can provoke large, strange dogs.  My two males certainly do that, but I can assure you that they would RUN as fast as they could in the opposite direction if they thought the opposing dog was going to confront them.

In any family that has more than one dog, you're going to have a dog that wants to be dominant.  I have a Chi that thinks all the toys or all the treats should be his.  We avoid any problems by offering him toys and treats separate from the other two dogs.

Good for you for using a playpen!  It sounds to me like you're doing everything right.

The sitting on the head of your other dog does sound like dominant behavior, but I find it interesting that a pup this young would do that.  I've certainly never seen a Chi that young do that. It could be a coincidence....

I have to admit that I'm a bit taken back by a pup that young that is growling when one of you picks her up when she chooses not to be picked up. You're sure that this isn't a "play growl", right?  Yes, you're doing the right thing by firmly telling her "NO".  I think that if she continues this behavior in the next couple of weeks that you should begin telling her "NO" and then setting her in her playpen for at least five minutes while ignoring her completely.  For those times that you pick her up and she does NOT growl, I would like to see you literally smother her with positive attention/reinforcement (kisses/affirmations in a high pitched voice/hugs/treats).  If you ever get the chance, get her on video doing that and send it to me.  Hopefully, she'll stop doing it though :)

Let me know if you have any other questions....

Jo Ann