Chihuahua, born 9-10-07. Aggresive when trying to dress her.?

Question

My little Chi is aggresive when I try to dress her for warmth, in WI. She growls real bad, and bites and snips. I keep trying to be very gentle, and distract her with things. I want her to not mind getting dressed. So I try alittle each day. I know she is young, 11 weeks old. But I heard to start young, so they get used to it. I was going to try and give her small pieces of a healthy treat to try and get it to be a good experience, which I want it to be. Do you think that is good to try? And if anyone else who was in this boat, what were your good working tactics? I really would like to find a good way.

Answer 1

I would dress her in a matter of fact way and not baby her. If she nips or growls at you, you need to reprimand her. She needs to know you are the alpha dog and are NOT going to take any crud from her. If you don't establish this soon, she is going to be a royal terror in your house.

Sometimes as a dog owner, we have to do things the dog doesn't like.... vet visits, taking something out of their mouth that might be harmful...etc.... The dog needs to know who is boss. Don't act afraid when she goes to nip at you, she will sense it.

EDIT: And yes, unless your dog is litter box trained, it does need to have clothes on to go outside where you live. Chihuahua's are typically warm weather dogs and if they don't wear clothing in winter they can get sick real fast. Ignore those who say not to dress her, they don't understand the breed.

Answer 2

I have a one year old girl Pomeranian, which is very similar to a chihuahua.. and she doens't like clothes eaither!.. she also tries to bite me and growl. I live in NY where it gets cold as well, so I try to put some clothes on her for warmth too. Unfortunetly, my only advice to is have someone else hold the her, while you put the clothes on her. Once they're on she should be fine. Or if your dog gets very upset, and does bite.. try wearing rubber gloves, that way if she does bite she doesn't hurt you. Or, I also tell her if she lets me put the sweater on her, she gets a treat.. also give her lots of praise. I find that this helps. Good luck!

Also, IGNORE people that say they don't need to wear the clothes.. A Chihuahua has hardly any hair at all, when my dog had hardly any hair she would shiver uncontrolably and not even want to go outdoors. People don't understand that small breed dogs with short hair should wear some sort of protection against the cold. If you don't have a small breed dog, why are you even reading, and responding to this question? How would you know? Its eaither put the clothes on her and keep her warm, or let her out in the cold where she can get sick.

Answer 3

from a training point of view you are treating her for being bad.
Good treats are given only when they deserve a reward.....
Work in 1 min. increments...
I would hold her gentley by the scruff of the neck, don't pick her up by it, but use the skin as a handle to have her realize that you are the dominant member of the family. When she stops struggling, trying to bite and growl, release the skin and give her a tiny piece of chicken.
Work on that behavior 3 times a day until she becomes submissive and stops all negative behavior....then take one small step toward dressing her, like laying the coat on her back without legs in...sometimes it's 3 steps forward 10 back....start over from the beginning....she doesn't realize she isn't human as the way you have treated her in a baby way....she's a dog, no matter what size....if you don't correct this behavior now she will become aggressive to the point of no respect for anything.

Answer 4

Granted Wisconsin is a cold state in the winter time. Other than a sweater I wouldn't put any clothes on any dog. I think they look stupid when dressed in "clothes."

There are a couple of things to remember, chi's are big dogs in tiny packages. That means you still need to exercise gentle (emphasis on gentle) dominance over her.

Take her by the scruff of her neck and hold her up so her toes are just barely touching the ground - and hold her there for a moment - say count to 10. She should grow limp and quiet. Then let her down gently and praise her for being a good girl.

Also roll her on her back and make her stay quiet for a moment - again, count to 10 - then let her up and praise her for being a good girl.

During her dominance training, rub her gently with her sweater - and make sure she's praised for being quiet.

This takes time and effort. But with gentle gentle dominance, she will eventually understand that you're boss and you expect her to wear her sweater (or behave properly).

I would strongly urge obedience training - the best thing you can do with - and for - your dog!

Answer 5

Treats are a good way to try to get her to accept being dressed - but please understand that some dogs just hate being dressed up and you may have one of them.

I have 5 dogs, 3 don't mind clothes (one loves it, she gets lots of extra attention from people) 2 are absolutely miserable, so I only put fancy collars on those two.

Don't force the dog if she hates it - or use cute collars and clothes that just velcro together under her tummy - no sleeves or things that slip over her head - that will help. Some dogs just don't want to be confined in clothes, for that the no sleeve, under tummy velcro is easier.

Answer 6

Okay so you said you're dressing her for warmth, which is common for Chi's in cold climates such as WI. If you were dressing her for fun, I'd tell you to knock it off because she doesn't like it.. but, youre doing it for her own good. So, when she growls and nips, tap on her nose and tell her "NO" firmly. Once she has her sweater on, give her a treat so she knows that she gets a treat after she's done with the sweater.

Answer 7

I know a chihuahua who lives on a farm. He's out and about on the farm in all weathers rolling in the mud with labradors and going with the sheep dogs to herd sheep in the rain. He is very happy as he is and loves to go for long walks with the others. He is proof that just because he is small, doesn't mean that he isn't hardy!

He is long haired though, so if your's is short haired she might need it in the winter. If she does need to wear a coat, i think that you're going the right way about it. She is probably being aggresive because she is scared or the clothes are uncomfortable to wear, so try and choose clothes for fit and comfort for your dog rather than fashion and appearance. This way she'll be more likely to wear them without making a fuss.

Answer 8

Its a good Idea that youre trying if its not too late sign her up for doggie behavior classes at a recommed facility. She needs to know that shes not in charge. Many petsmarts and petco's have these classes just go on their website or walk in and ask. There is a fee which covers the classes. Godd Luck!

Answer 9

You need to get her comfortable with handling first, so she understands you are allowed to do what you want with her. Not just for dressing her to go out in the cold, but for when she needs her nails trimmed or be given a bath or pills. Start by getting her used to holding her feet, feeling along her legs and such. Then you can move on to clothing with lots of patients and praise.

Answer 10

Believe it or not Chihuahuas are the most aggressive dog breed, but the often get away with it because they are so small. You need to stop her from doing anything aggressive now before it gets any worse and she starts snipping at other people all the time. Do not use treats to reward her when she acts this way or caudle her or give her any attention all. She should only be rewarded and given attention when she is acting properly.