How to help them get Along........
 

Hi everyone! It's been 2 months since we lost our beloved Buster. My daughter was missing him so much. I had the opportunity to adopt a 1 year old chihuahua and the moment my daughter saw him she fell in love. So of course here I am with him! He is from a family who had no time for him, he was in his cage for 12 plus hours per day.

Here is my dilema.....Our other dog Wags (4 yr old mutt, medium sized) is soooooo friendly with the new chihuahua, but this little guy (chi-chi is his name) is really snappy at poor Wags! I know that chihuahau's tend to get along with other chihuahuas only, but he really needed a home and my daughter is so good for him. What can I do to nip this behaviour?? Any advice is welcome!

Thanks,

Yes, Chi's be a tad ferocious, but only when they haven't been taught proper manners and respect for others.

You need to establish your relationship with this fellow as leader and he is follower. I would highly recommend finding a good trainer in your area and working 'one on one' with them. This little guy was deprived of learning the social nuances of being a dog in a dogs world - so now you have to help him make up for lost time.

In addition to lots of good obedience work he needs to learn 'leave it' which means he needs to back off of what ever he is looking at - namely your other dog. You are creating a boundary of respect around your other dog and claiming him as your pack member to be respected by the Chi. From there you are going to teach the Chi to have 'gentle' energy with other dog and from there to share your affection between the two as Chi's have a tough time sharing with others.

Your timing is also vital. You need to catch him early before he acts out. So be proactive and warn him in advance to 'leave it' before he even looks cross-eyed at the other dog. Having him on the leash to ensure success is huge as you can stop him from being assertive and regain control and then let him learn to choose his behavior out of respect for you. No matter what any dog is faster than we are so the leash is always a great tool to ensure success until we see the dog starting to hesitate, think and choose good manners - not just react by lunging, snarking or barking.

Thanks so much! The leash is on, and we have started the process!! He is a fiesty one, poor Wags just wants to play with him!! Thanks for the advice, I will keep you posted!!

I'd set up some social times with some really steady, trusted older dogs with really good manners (not Wags, as he sounds a tad bouncy:D). Try letting them do a meet and greet off-leash...many dogs act up when they're on leash or when they're being held or on the lap of their owners, but will pick up on polite doggy language when left to their own devices.