Last february i went to a shelter and looked around for a dog and i found this little chihuahua. I named her daisy and she was scared at first which i knew was normal but ever since then she doesnt want to be held by or touched by anyone but me. The shelter said that she was 4 or 5 years old and that they found her walking on the streets and that she might have been mistreated. I live with my parents and both of them thought that if they spent time with her then maybe she would be better but she always hides and barks at them. I'm leaving for college in the fall and my mom said that i'm probably gonna have to get rid of her since she doesn't like anyone. I would feel really bad if i had to give her away after all she has been through. Please let me know if there is anything i can do to change this behavior
2006-10-02 06:54:15 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Dogs
Have your parents start feeding her.
2006-10-02 06:59:42 · answer #1 · answered by Harvie Ruth 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
She was probably never socialized - a lot of people keep small dogs in the house mostly & then carry them or pick them up when outside if a person or another dog approaches. This only makes them antisocial & behave like you are describing. Her age is going to make change harder, but: start walking her in a local park where there are a lot of other people & dogs on leashes. Let other friendly dogs & people approach her & do NOT tense up on the leash or pick her up! You may want to advise people to talk to but not pet her (for a few days at first) - explain you are working on modifying her behavior. Walk there every day or as often as possible. It may take a few weeks, but she will eventually warm up to others & accept different situations easier. If this does not help, talk with your vet about Prozac or other drug therapy. Good luck!
2006-10-02 14:33:34 · answer #2 · answered by mustanglynnie 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Why do you adopt a dog if you knew you were leaving for college? It is very cruel to the dog and pitiful if it has to be returned to the shelter. Let her stay with your parents for about a month. Don't force her to come out from her hiding place if she hides. If she does comes out, give her a treat. Be slow and steady. Don't startle her as she is very scared. After that, get your parents to bring her out wherever they go to start socializing her. Get strangers to give her a treat if she would take it. If she doesn't want to let her be but keep on practising and be consistent. Start now before its too late.4-5 years old is still trainable with patience.If you really have no time and have to leave her with your parents, assure your parents that she will eventually ocme out of her shell and teach your parents how to train her.If not, find someone that has the time and KNOWS how to train her and WANTS to keep her.It is at least, better to go back to the shelter.
2006-10-02 14:09:39 · answer #3 · answered by pots 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It MAY already be to late, but ALL pet dogs need to be taught social skills, whether with other dogs, or people. It's a gradual process of introductions and exposure to strangers, but it almost always works.
As I said, it may already be too late. It is definetly too late to start thinking about this, now, just befor you leave for school. I guess props should go out to you for giving the dog seven months of a good home, but SOMEONE should have been thinking about the dog's future.
Lets hope some of the other solutions work, at least to get the dog used to your parents. Do you see the similarities between this situation and that of a young woman giving up an unwanted child for the grandparents to raise?
2006-10-02 14:07:40 · answer #4 · answered by Vince M 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
treats,lots of treats.tell your parents that when they go to the dog to get down low because she's a small dog talk sweet to her and give her treats.alot of dogs who who have been mistreated will have a hard time gettin used to people and some dogs just don't like certuin people.but where the dog has taken to you tell your parents and before you leave ask your parents to take the dog for a night if the dog runs from them let her run do not chase after her that will scare her.give her a warm place to sleep while she's at your parents house and like i said before lots of treats tell your parents to give her things(that are good for her)that you normaluly would not.it will take a bit of time but this will work.just keep in mind she had a rough life so far but let her know your her friend.
2006-10-02 14:08:18 · answer #5 · answered by veronica o 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Chihuahuas can definitely bond with just one person. Since it sounds like Miss Daisy has been abused in the past, it is very hard for her to get close to people. Please do not get rid of her. She loves you very much and you may be the one person in the world that she can trust. You really haven't had her that long. It takes time for an abused animal to learn to trust people. Have your friends come by. Let them bring her treats, and toys. Try to get her used to playing with them. Good luck to you and Miss Daisy.
2006-10-02 14:04:03 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Why would you take on a dog when you knew you were leaving? That's incredibly selfish. The best thing you can do at this point is to take her to places with a lot of people and have them give her some treats (her favorite kind) and praise her when she doesn't shy away. Do not soothe her when she acts afraid.
2006-10-02 14:01:25 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have a chi too and mine was the same way as a puppy what i did was everytime i raan into someone I would ask them to give him a treat and pet him and praise him that way the dog likes the person and knows they mean no harn keep him socially active take him places with lots of people and have them give him treats too! Now my pup loves everyone ! GoodLuck
2006-10-02 19:06:24 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's not unusual for Chihuahua's to bond closely with a "rescuer".
To help your folks get into the dog's good graces, have them spend time alone with her -- for several days if possible -- and let HER seek them out (rather than having them try to force their affection on her). Let your folks be her primary source of food and attention for those days, so she comes to associate them with "good" things and can trust them.
If your in Northern California, we do small dog rescue, and have had excellent success in re-homing "problem" Chihuahuas. See our site at www.fetch11.org for more information.
2006-10-02 14:00:10 · answer #9 · answered by Fetch 11 Humane Society 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
shes obviously picked you out of trust and seeing she was in a shelter ... she might have been abused in the past and im afraid that ppl dont realize that adopting from a shelter can be very bad in some ways... and this is one of the results.
2006-10-02 14:05:58 · answer #10 · answered by maureen a 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
she probobly feels that the other people are a threat to you or her, you may want to watch a similar case on the show "Dog Wisperer" on discovery.
2006-10-02 14:06:11 · answer #11 · answered by John M 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋