to be more acceptable? I've lived with dogs since I was two years old, and have raised quite a few, but this guy has me at a loss. Please help me. ~~ Jim Expert Reply Hi Jim, I feel your frustration. Let me offer a few suggestions. Regarding following commands, I think you should take the decision whether or not to obey out of your dog's control. Give him the command then immediately position him to match. You will be establishing your rightful dominance, but in a positive way. If you are very consistent, he should become conditioned to respond immediately. You might want to consider enrolling him in basic . Whether it's the first time or a refresher course, it will be good reinforcement. Some also offer to have one of their professionals train your dog for you. It's something to consider. Regarding house training, I would start again from square one as though he were a puppy and take him out very often so he has less opportunity to go inside. You will also need to thoroughly clean areas where he's already soiled or he will be drawn back to these spots to repeat his offense. I also recommend having him neutered immediately. It won't completely solve the house training problem, but he will have less desire to mark territory in your home. Now, about tearing up the house. You mentioned that you do your dog when you leave, but that he tears up the house if he's left to run free. There is no harm in crating your pet when you are gone. In fact, you may be keeping him from injuring himself if he were to chew on a live electrical cord, or an item that could poison or choke him. I say crate him, but remember to give him some quality attention when you return home. Hang in there. I think you should see some progress if you give these suggestions a fair try. ~~ Kelly

Puppy Nips Owner During Walks

 Hi, I have a four month old / mix. When I take her for walks she walks behind me until we head back, then she starts barking and trying to nip my calf. She also tries to nip my five-year-old Pekingese. I tried the , but it didn't work, and now after reading your article I know why. Can you please tell me how to handle this situation? Thank you~~ Marianne Expert Reply Hi Marianne, Some dogs get overly excited on the trip home and lose control of themselves. Your puppy is very young, but you need to establish loving dominance over her now so that she will not even consider nipping you a possibility. First, take her for her walk without bringing your other dog along. As you begin to head home, walk with a purpose and do not give her attention for the barking. Do keep control of her by the leash. If she attempts to nip you, then stop walking, give her a firm but short upward tug on the leash and yell "NO". Your tug should only be hard enough to startle her and disrupt the behavior. It shouldn't be hard enough to lift her off the ground at all. Practice this with her for several days until she gets the message that you are in charge. Then add your other dog back into the walks. Repeat the same corrections if she attempts to nip your Pekingese. I hope you find this advice helpful, and thanks for your question. ~~ Kelly

My Female Bullies My Male

 I have an eight-year-old male and an eleven-month-old female Maltese. Both dogs are . The male is twice the size of the female, yet he runs from her and will hide in the bedroom. Most of the time he tries to stay out of her way. Whenever we try to pet or play with him, she will try to chase him away. I feel so bad. He is like a real little boy to us, and it hurts to see him afraid of her. I don't know what to do. ~~ Lynn Expert Reply Hi Lynn, More than anything, you need to enroll your female in . She is definitely an Alpha bitch, which means she has taken charge of the pack. Your male dog is obviously not an Alpha, and he is overwhelmed by her behavior. Training her will give you the upper hand. Then you can give her the command to sit or lay down when she is being obnoxious. I promise you'll love her even more once her training is complete. It's also not a bad idea to enroll your male in training as well if you have another household member who can work with him. I believe the extra socialization will give him more confidence, and with both dogs trained you should be able to achieve peace in the pack. Thanks for your question~~ Kelly

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Dog Behavior Problems

From LoveToKnow Dogs

Are dog behavior problems wreaking havoc between you and your furry friend? Share these visitors' concerns.

Having trouble with your pet?

Visitor Questions about Dog Behavior Problems

Untrainable?

Hello, I am writing this because I have a few issues.

I'm having problems with my Rotweiller/German Shepherd male dog. He's one year old, not yet neutered, and excessively stubborn. Although we've been trying to house train him from the time we brought him home, he still insists on going in the house. He also has a tendency to completely tear up the house if we don't put him in his crate when we leave. It looks like explosives went off in the house, even if we only leave him for an hour.

We can't leave him outside, because he barks from the time he is put outside until he's brought back inside. He is also very stubborn, and does not like to obey commands, although he does know them. If I tell him to sit, and he doesn't feel like it, he'll look at you until you make him sit. If he feels like listening, he'll sit. It is the same with all of his commands.

What can we do to get his behavior to be more acceptable? I've lived with dogs since I was two years old, and have raised quite a few, but this guy has me at a loss. Please help me. ~~ Jim

Expert Reply

Hi Jim,

I feel your frustration. Let me offer a few suggestions.

Regarding following commands, I think you should take the decision whether or not to obey out of your dog's control. Give him the command then immediately position him to match. You will be establishing your rightful dominance, but in a positive way. If you are very consistent, he should become conditioned to respond immediately.

You might want to consider enrolling him in basic obedience classes. Whether it's the first time or a refresher course, it will be good reinforcement. Some dog obedience schools also offer to have one of their professionals train your dog for you. It's something to consider.

Regarding house training, I would start again from square one as though he were a puppy and take him out very often so he has less opportunity to go inside. You will also need to thoroughly clean areas where he's already soiled or he will be drawn back to these spots to repeat his offense.

I also recommend having him neutered immediately. It won't completely solve the house training problem, but he will have less desire to mark territory in your home.

Now, about tearing up the house. You mentioned that you do crate your dog when you leave, but that he tears up the house if he's left to run free. There is no harm in crating your pet when you are gone. In fact, you may be keeping him from injuring himself if he were to chew on a live electrical cord, or an item that could poison or choke him. I say crate him, but remember to give him some quality attention when you return home.

Hang in there. I think you should see some progress if you give these suggestions a fair try.

~~ Kelly


Puppy Nips Owner During Walks

Hi, I have a four month old Shih Tzu/Maltese mix. When I take her for walks she walks behind me until we head back, then she starts barking and trying to nip my calf. She also tries to nip my five-year-old Pekingese.

I tried the alpha roll, but it didn't work, and now after reading your article I know why. Can you please tell me how to handle this situation?

Thank you~~ Marianne

Expert Reply

Hi Marianne,

Some dogs get overly excited on the trip home and lose control of themselves. Your puppy is very young, but you need to establish loving dominance over her now so that she will not even consider nipping you a possibility.

First, take her for her walk without bringing your other dog along. As you begin to head home, walk with a purpose and do not give her attention for the barking. Do keep control of her by the leash. If she attempts to nip you, then stop walking, give her a firm but short upward tug on the leash and yell "NO". Your tug should only be hard enough to startle her and disrupt the behavior. It shouldn't be hard enough to lift her off the ground at all.

Practice this with her for several days until she gets the message that you are in charge. Then add your other dog back into the walks. Repeat the same corrections if she attempts to nip your Pekingese.

I hope you find this advice helpful, and thanks for your question.

~~ Kelly

My Female Bullies My Male

I have an eight-year-old male Maltese and an eleven-month-old female Maltese. Both dogs are neuter/spayed.

The male is twice the size of the female, yet he runs from her and will hide in the bedroom. Most of the time he tries to stay out of her way. Whenever we try to pet or play with him, she will try to chase him away.

I feel so bad. He is like a real little boy to us, and it hurts to see him afraid of her. I don't know what to do.

~~ Lynn

Expert Reply

Hi Lynn,

More than anything, you need to enroll your female in obedience. She is definitely an Alpha bitch, which means she has taken charge of the pack. Your male dog is obviously not an Alpha, and he is overwhelmed by her behavior.

Training her will give you the upper hand. Then you can give her the command to sit or lay down when she is being obnoxious. I promise you'll love her even more once her training is complete. It's also not a bad idea to enroll your male in training as well if you have another household member who can work with him. I believe the extra socialization will give him more confidence, and with both dogs trained you should be able to achieve peace in the pack.

Thanks for your question~~ Kelly


 


Comments

Hi Gae,

I used to raise Chihuahuas, and they do have a tendency to become one person dogs. It's helpful to begin socializing them at an early age so they learn to accept new people and situations with a minimum of stress. At four years old, you have your work cut out for you trying to reverse the situation, but I'm sure it can be improved if not totally rectified. My recommendation is to call your local dog training facility to see what kind of socialization classes they offer. Most facilities offer classes for puppies, but I'm not sure what they have for adult dogs.

At home, you can enlist the aid of friends and family to help. Make sure they are aware of the kind of aggression to expect, and have them offer your dog one of her favorite treats when they approach her. Have them talk to her in a calm but cheerful voice as they do so. The idea is to show your dog that it's good to meet and interact with new people. It's also helpful to have your friends/family go for a long walk with you and your dog. This establishes a pack mentality, and after the first 10-15 minutes your dog should be more relaxed. At this point you can hand the lead to the person next to you and keep walking alongside that person and your dog. Again, this will show your dog her proper place in the pack hierarchy, and it should lessen her aggressive impulse while also showing her that neither you nor she are in any danger. You can repeat these walks as needed to help affirm the lesson.

Another thing that I've noticed about Chihuahuas is that they can be very defensive of their favorite person, so your dog may actually perceive these people as a threat to you even if their behavior is not menacing. Sometimes it's helpful for you to step out of the picture and let the dog interact without you. Your pet may sense your tension as your anticipate her aggression, and this can accidentally encourage the unwanted behavior. If you are present when your dog becomes aggressive toward others, it's your job as her pack leader to tell her no in a firm voice. If she looks to you as a leader, this will surely let her know that you don't approve of her behavior, and it may help calm her down.

Thanks for your question, and I hope that some combination of these suggestions proves helpful for your situation. :)

-- Contributed by: Kelly

Hi!

I have a spoiled 4-year old female chihuahua.She is very temperemental and unfriendly to all who approaches her except for me who she considers her "MASTER".How can I change her attitude? -- Contributed by: gae

Hi Dawn,

It sounds like your dog is venting his anxiety over the move. Right now, he's trying to mark out territory to make the place feel more like home. Of course, it's frustrating having to deal with this, but hopefully it's just temporary. For the time being, I recommend limiting your dog's territory in the house to a single room and doing a potty training refresher course. Eventually you'll be able to let him roam more of the house once he's back with the program. You'll also want to soak the soiled areas with an enzymatic cleaner to break down the urine crystals so the scent doesn't entice your dog to continue marking. You can find this product at most pet supply stores.

I won't kid you, it's going to take some work to help your dog through the adjustment. You should also schedule daily walks to help your dog work off some of the anxiety and pent up energy. This should help him relax, and it may also help curb some of the marking.

Thanks for your question, and best wishes during this try time.

-- Contributed by: Kelly
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