I've had a little female Chihuahua for three months now. She's settled in well with us but at times she won't let herself be caught – and of course, it's usually when we're trying to pick her up to keep her out of harm's way... as a result, we can't really let her off the lead, which is a shame.
She seems a bit fearful even though nobody has ever hurt her... mind you, she's a right little monkey because she certainly knows how to ask to be picked up when we're on the sofa!
Any ideas on how to get her to stop this behaviour?
Thanks
Translated from French
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I’m having the same problem as you with my 3-month-old Chihuahua – I can’t seem to catch him, even indoors. Did you manage to sort it out with your dog? If so, how?
Actually, I’ve been working on her recall with treats... as long as there’s no danger, it’s all going fine, she’s coming back quite well! We live in the countryside and there aren’t many cars, so I’d like to let her off the lead a bit more, but when one does come along, it’s dangerous... other dogs can be a danger too... I know, I should let them meet, but she’s so tiny that one snap and she’d be gone... and yes, I’m a bit of a worrier (I can’t help it!)... however, I am making an effort to stop picking her up when we pass another dog on a lead.
Actually, I’m working on her recall with treats... as long as there’s no danger, it goes quite well, she’s actually not too bad at coming back! We live in the countryside and there aren’t many cars, so I’d like to let her off the lead a bit more, but it’s dangerous when one does come along... other dogs can be a worry too... I know I should let them meet, but she’s so tiny that one snap and she’d be gone... and yes, I’m the anxious type (I can't help it!)... mind you, I’m making a real effort to stop picking her up when we pass another dog on a lead.
I’m going to work harder on her recall!
Whenever I see a Chihuahua trained like a proper dog, it's so rare that it leaves me gobsmacked! :-)
The guy at my local pet food shop has one like that – super calm and confident even around my dogs, who are 50 times his size...
Last time, he challenged my girl to a game of tug-of-war with his tiny 4-inch rope, LOL!
My dog was just holding the end, pretending to pull.
It’s amazing how dogs know how to adjust their strength when they’re used to socialising with dogs of all sizes. If she’d pulled like she does with Buck, the little Chi would have gone flying, but she was just doing tiny little tugs while the little guy was giving it his absolute all! :-)
We often tend to grab and carry small dogs around like parcels or soft toys, but they’re real dogs and it’s actually quite healthy that they don’t like it.
You need to treat your dog as if she weighed 5 and a half stone (77lbs). Teach her how to handle things rather than just scooping her up to get her out of the way whenever you sense a bit of danger.
The big problem with picking up a dog every time there’s a perceived "danger" is that they’ll start to interpret everything as a threat. My dog is bigger than a Chihuahua, but when I first got him, he only weighed about 5 or 6 lbs. Back then, one bite from a bigger dog could have finished him off, but I still made sure he met large dogs weighing over 5 and a half stone. This really helped with his socialisation; he knows exactly how to handle encounters now, and even dogs known for being aggressive or unpredictable don't bother him at all. That wouldn't necessarily be the case if I hadn't put the effort into socialising him. He’d probably be like many small dogs, barking or growling every time they pass another dog.
You can't avoid every encounter forever. One day, an off-lead dog will come charging at yours, or your dog might run up to another, and in that moment, it’s vital they’re properly socialised and confident. If they start barking or growling, that’s when things get risky and they could actually get attacked. Small dogs know how to make themselves understood, and even a boisterous 8-stone dog will get the message when they're put in their place. It's rare to come across dogs that attack on sight; usually, there's a bit of a ritual, and the dogs decide whether or not to have a scrap. If your dog is properly socialised, you avoid 99% of fights. But if your dog starts growling or barking at others because you didn't do the groundwork early on, they're bound to get attacked one day.
You should only pick up a puppy when they're tired, not to "protect" them from potential danger. Mine never liked being carried for very long anyway, and from about four months old, he could handle much longer walks, so I hardly ever picked him up after that.
Hi there, the lockdowns certainly haven't helped matters ...
As the others have already rightly pointed out, it’s really important to work on your recall.
Even a Chihuahua can outrun you, and honestly, the biggest risk is when you try to "catch" them.
It’s also a good idea to work on a "stop" at a distance and a "stay".
It’s quite effective if you want your dog to just "freeze" until you can get to them. My dog is much better at the "stop/stay" than a simple recall when there are distractions around (otherwise his recall is spot on, of course).
And of course: a dog isn’t a bird, so stop picking her up for no reason. Let her live her life as a dog with all four paws on the ground. :-)
Regarding socialisation, Docline explained it perfectly: make passing dogs seem like no big deal, stay calm, keep her on the ground, and ask her to be calm (sit, lie down) when other dogs walk by. If she barks, it’s a firm "NO", and she goes back to her spot. Same if she growls.
Could you perhaps find a spot to sit quietly where dogs on leads pass by (while asking owners from a distance not to let their dogs approach on the lead, of course ...)?
I understand your fear of other dogs, but I know from experience that your dog can sense it; you absolutely have to work on yourself. Do you know anyone with a calm, well-socialised dog that you could go for a walk with?
Dogs are very much creatures of habit. The more you can make a situation feel like a non-event, the better they’ll behave. For example, you could ask another owner to walk back and forth several times with their dog on a lead, while you prevent your own dog from taking an interest. Stay right by her side and keep her head turned towards you if she starts fixating on the other dog, until you feel her give in and she stops paying him any mind; that’s when you praise her for a successful exercise.
It’s true that her being small affects how we act, but I try to avoid picking her up when we’re out on walks... actually, with lockdown, she hardly went more than half a mile from the house and mostly only knows the other dogs we have at home. This week camping has been a new experience for her and despite this issue, she’s behaved well on the whole... @kikaahil, how do you stop a dog from becoming aggressive? She’s started barking and growling a bit when a dog passes in front of the mobile home...
