hello my new chihuahua which i drove three hours to los angeles to get keeps attacking my husband,last night my husband tried to give him a kiss on the head and he growled and bit my husbands nose hard causing him to bleed bad,this is not the first timehes bit my husband,we do not spank him or yell cause we know that is wrong but we don't know why he is being this way,we give him lots of love,we know he is sick with kennel cough and has a app with the vet on thursday.i am not sure if he was abused before he came to us or what?he is 3yrs old so thats 21 years in dog yrs,we love the little guy,we are trying to let him adjust but its alot for him being sick with kennel cough,just have been neutured and a new family,any suggestions???
2007-01-16 19:00:36 · 11 answers · asked by swirl 2 in Pets ➔ Dogs
Give him time to adjust, and have your husband keep his distance for a while. Maybe this dog fears men? And being sick is no time to judge or know what the dog is really like. Your husband should not put his face near the dog until he knows when/if the dog likes him. It will be hard even at 3 yrs of age to adjust to a new home, but be patient, and just show him lots of love, from you for now. If you have children, I wouldn't let them near him yet either. But don't give up hope, most dogs will soon come around, altho Chihuahuas are noted for being tempermental dogs. Just give it time, there is no such thing as a bad dog in my opinion...there may be rare cases, but not too many. It's usually all in how they were brought up, and how much love they are shown. Hang in there & good luck.
2007-01-16 19:07:42 · answer #1 · answered by Blue J 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I have a fox terrier/chihuahua mix is 3 also, but she's never had any negative behaviors or possessiveness at all. Sounds as if your dog is not accepting your husband as a "pack leader", and that he is bonded with you. He's attempting to let your husband know that you are HIS "woman" (so to speak). The "Dog Whisperer" recently had an episode on about a very similar problem and the solution was for the woman not to allow the dog on her lap and to break its attention away from the negative behaviour when he did it--it was actually a little more complicated than that, but the gist of the program was that the woman was inadvertantly rewarding the dog for his negative behaviours when it did them. Since you live in the LA area, you might try calling the Dog Whisperer or contacting him online.
When I got my dog from the Humane Society in July, she acted as if she had been abused too. The vet told me that most of the time when people think that their dog has been abused it hasn't, it has been poorly socialized. That sounds correct in your case. Your dog has not been appropriately socialized to recognize appropriate limits and boundaries. One idea that I have is that your husband should take over walking and caring for the dog for a while in order to establish his role as the "alpha male" in your family. It would help your dog to understand the roles in the family more clearly.
Good luck with it, and I hope you won't give up on the dog. My terrier/chihuahua mix is now a wonderful dog. I've always considered myself a "cat person", but this dog has changed my whole outlook on dogs, particularly small dogs. Your dog can be a wonderful friend if you can clearly establish the boundaries in your family with him and let your husband become one of the "pack leaders" with you.
2007-01-17 03:21:30 · answer #2 · answered by Megumi D 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
That is a personality trait that is not unheard of for chi's. You have to search really hard to find really kind ones with no tempers.
Do not allow him to bite. If he does, do yell at him with a firm NO!
This is not abuse, this is letting the dog know he did something really wrong and unacceptable.
If he did this, he would get a big No and then be put in his crate for a time out.
Since the dog seems to not like men then it would be beneficial for the three of you attend training classes together. A professional trainer can help you read the dog's body language and help you gain control of the situation. Since you went to so much trouble to get the dog then you shouldn't feel bad about taking him to class. It will be well worth it.
Good luck.
2007-01-17 03:11:00 · answer #3 · answered by dog's best friend 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Showing your dog who is in control is not that hard, it´s mostly about food!!!
If your dog hasn`t accepted your husband he should be the only one to feed the dog and your dog should work for his food! It`s important that the top dogs (people!) eat first , than if he is beeing "good" he can have food too. Small amounts for coming, sitting down,doing tricks etc., never give adog food when he is begging, you are the one to decide when is the right time and the right time is when the dog is behaving good.
Also give him plenty of exercise - slow and steady as long as the keennel cough isn`t healed.
Training is best when the dog is relaxed after a nice walk with his dog friends.
2007-01-17 03:19:48 · answer #4 · answered by feligreen 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Try having your husband do things that the dog will associate as positive, I.e. he is the one who should feed him, take him on walks, give treats. Do not just let this behavior slide, he should be firmly scolded for any sign of aggression to anyone, and then placed on doggy "time out". He needs to know from the start that your husband outranks him, and any behavior otherwise will not be tolerated. Also make sure you are showing him that you think your husband comes first, when you come home greet your husband first and ignore the dog for a few minutes until he is waiting calmly for you to say hello.
2007-01-17 03:08:06 · answer #5 · answered by cs 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
It really sounds like your dog is extremely protective and jealous of your husband. Has your dog bit your husband when you weren't there? If the dog has no problem with your husband when you aren't around, then it's definitely jealousy.
I'd recommend talking to a dog trainer to see how best to go about changing your dog's behavior. Obedience training that both you and your husband take him to might be enough to chill the little dog out.
2007-01-17 03:10:19 · answer #6 · answered by bugdog 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
SHOOT HIM! lolololololol NO NO NO, Im totally kidding.. sorry:(, no I would maybe leave them alone for long periods of time together, and sorta force them to bond, without anyone else for him to feel protective over, also, it sounds wierd, but make your husband where your cloths to bed or while sitting around on the couch, and have to dog be around him, that can sometimes help. some dogs just have there people they dont like, and unfortunately never get over that. also alot of smaller house dogs get protective over one or a few certain people and thats all they really like. its all about personality i think. im not a trainer or anything, but i speak for experience i guess. good luck.
2007-01-17 03:12:38 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Train him or get a new dog. A pre-trained one.
Offer him rewards for good things he does and no reward for bad things...this is the best way to train dogs.
2007-01-17 03:04:28 · answer #8 · answered by Mafia 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
wow thas wierd but i happened with my grandad and his cat. well i guess he could dress up as you and see what ur dog does. but it might not work cuz u might smell diffrent then ur husband.
u cant teach an old dog(stubborn terrier) new tricks(to like other ppl)
2007-01-17 03:04:29 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
I'd send it back. It sounds decidedly unpleasant. One has to ask why it was given away in the first place. I believe you know.
2007-01-17 03:06:14 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋