Potty training a chihuahua

Question
Three weeks ago I got a Chihuahua/Rat terrier form the Humane Society.  She is 11 months old and her name is Pheobe.  She only weighs 4 pounds and doesn't tolerate cold.  I would like to litter train her.  I put puppy training pads in the bathroom and she uses them most of the time, however I have not been successful in getting her to go BM on the pads.  She is VERY timid about being diciplined so I have been ignoring her negative behaviors and rewarding her positives with praise and treats.  
How can I get her to BM on the pads?
Also, she barks growls and bites at strangers, even after they have been in our home for several hours and have held her.  When they stand up she attacks them even if they have given her treats and are speaking softly.  Help!
Thank You
Syndi

Answer
Dear Sydni,
Thanks for the questions.

Place your dog's meals on a strict schedule. Log all feeding and elimination so that you are better able to predict when she needs to have a bm. If you have fussed at her for accidents in the past, she will not go in front of you. Fussing only teaches dogs that it is unsafe to go in our presence. It usually does not teach dogs about choices of location.

Teaching a dog to bm in a particular area requires that we never ever give the dog the opportunity to use any area that is not our chosen spot. Please visit my web site and download the FREE house training guide. Follow the instructions and you will succeed! Web addy is http://www.howsbentley.com

Her behavior towards strangers is fear-based. Volumes have been written about the subject and it is too complex to address on this forum. Obviously giving her treats is not going to change her perception of the strangers. Here is an excerpt from my web site.

"Most dogs that exhibit fearful or aggressive responses perceive threats when there are none. In order to help a dog with this problem, the dog's inaccurate perception of danger associated with actions of other dogs, strangers, children, et cetera must be modified so that the dog no longer perceives the approach, actions or presence of theses triggers as threats. This is accomplished by a very effective process of systematic desensitization and counter-conditioning or behavior modification."

The treatment exercises are as follows- "The dog is carefully exposed to low levels of the triggers (stimuli) for the unwanted responses during many short cycles and the dog's non-reactive behaviors are reinforced. As the exercise progresses, each cycle is adjusted so that the dog is exposed to a slightly higher level of the stimuli than the previous cycle. The end result is a dog that is no longer aggressive or fearful in the presence of the stimuli, but is calm and relaxed in the presence of the stimuli."

It takes a high level of commitment to help fearful dogs. If you are willing to change your behavior to help her, start off by buying the book, The Cautious Canine by Patricia McConnell and follow her instructions.

Happy Training!
AT