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Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 103
Jellyfish
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OP
Jellyfish
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 103 |
I have a female Chihuahua/Jack Russell (I think) mix, about 7 yrs. old. I adopted her 2 yrs. ago, she was a stray. She is wonderful in every way except she seems to hate other dogs! Whenever we are out on the leash she goes nuts and tries to attack other dogs, esp. large ones. Can't take her to the dog park either. All I can do is pull her back or cross the street when I see a dog coming. Any suggestions out there for what I can do to work on this problem? Since I don't know her past it's hard to tell if something happened to her once or if she was just never properly socialized. Thanks everyone, and this is my first time on this forum 
"The fittest will survive, yet the unfit may live"
~Devo
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Joined: Mar 2006
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Zebra
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Zebra
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 3,313 |
Hello - UK version of the Dog Whisperer here! ("How can I help you guys?") Great impersonation, huh? And the accent is so good! you can scarcely hear the difference!!  Is there any behaviour within the home that concerns you, irritates you, makes you wonder what she's doing, or simply you just can't get a grip on? I'm betting the answer is "yes"... because this external aggression is a manifestation of an indoor habit, and an extension of a form of wry behaviour.... if you want to PM me, feel free.... This could take a bit of to-ing and fro-ing, and I'll need a bit more info....
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Joined: Mar 2006
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Parakeet
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Parakeet
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 862 |
She's 7 years old. I think all this means is that she was never socialized with other dogs. The breeds that compose her mix are also not always dog-friendly. Or she could have had a bad experience with another dog at some point. You may just have to accept that she will never be able to play nice with other dogs. But she sounds like she's a wonderful pet for you, and you love everything else about her, so that's good, right? You'll just have to make sure she never gets close enough to another dog to get into an altercation, because she might think she's bigger than she is and get into something she can't handle, and be seriously injured.
Cindy
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Joined: Apr 2002
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BellaOnline Editor Zebra
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BellaOnline Editor Zebra
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 3,718 |
Some dogs are like that and have never had bad experiences! When I was a child we had a long haired Dachshund and he tended to try to attack anything that wasn't a [censored] - for the bitches the tail would start to wag and that delighted look came on his face. So funny.
It wasn't funny when he tried to go for a pointer about ten times his size, the woman with the pointer let go of the lead and Bennie nearly got killed before Mum managed to stop the attack by hitting the pointer on its side with her walking stick so that it yelped and let go of him so he could get away.. Didn't teach him much though!
But he was a delightful pet and much loved by the whole family, never bit anyone and endless patience with us children.
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Zebra
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Zebra
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 3,313 |
Well, I do apologise, I'm sorry, and I hate to disappoint you ladies, but dogs are not 'like that' - !
Every form of manifested behaviour has a reason - and it's usually not isolated. And the one main reason dogs behave in this way is because they assume the role of pack leader. And the reason assume the role of pack leader is because we either unconsciously give it to them, or let them take it.
I have dealt with I don't know how many apparently aggressive dogs whom have been labelled as 'like that' by experts, vets, dog trainers, dog owners and passers-by in general! There isn't one dog that I have dealt with, that hasn't responded favourably within an hour. The three biggest problems I am always being asked to tackle are aggression towards other dogs, pulling hard when on the leash, or running off when let off the leash.
All three are easily remedied.
Truly, I promise you, all the traits dogs display are generally down to misunderstanding the language of the dog.
And get this:
The dog very rarely needs to have to make the changes. 12 times out of 10, it's the owner who has to change what they do.
Not the dog.
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Joined: Jul 2004
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Chipmunk
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Chipmunk
Joined: Jul 2004
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As pointed out by Cindy there may be something in your chichijack that causes it to dislike dogs, but aggression like that, tho time consuming, is easy to manage and fix.
My sailor and I, like Alexandra, are a Cesar Milan fanatics. We have trained and fostered many dogs and maintain 4 of our own.
How does your dog act on walks with out other dogs present, does she walk ahead of you, pull on the leash, or act as if she is 'hunting'? Try reining her in, get a regular standard lead if you happen to be using one of those retractable things. Keep her at your side during walks and establish yourself as the leader during walk time.
Alexandra may agree with me when I say that a dog allowed to lead the walk assumes it is leading the pack and therefore must protect the pack and the packs space.
When walking and she gets all riled up by another dog, just turn around and walk the other way OR keep right on walking by. And walk your dog on the other side of the dog, in other words, keep a person between the two dogs at the bare minimum.
Hopefully this helps some.
Wendy
per aspera ad astra: Through rough ways to the stars...
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Highest Posting Power Known to Humanity
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Highest Posting Power Known to Humanity
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 17,644 |
I would suggest you contact the "Dog Whisperer" and see what he suggests. He might have a book out. He is excellent in training dogs with all types of behavior problems. Sometimes you can catch a show of his on TV and you might find him on the internet.
Last edited by Phyllis NatAmEd; 04/09/08 11:29 AM.
Walk in Peace and Harmony.
Phyllis Doyle Burns
Avatar: Fair Helena by Rackham, Public Domain
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Joined: Apr 2007
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Jellyfish
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OP
Jellyfish
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 103 |
As pointed out by Cindy there may be something in your chichijack that causes it to dislike dogs, but aggression like that, tho time consuming, is easy to manage and fix.
My sailor and I, like Alexandra, are a Cesar Milan fanatics. We have trained and fostered many dogs and maintain 4 of our own.
How does your dog act on walks with out other dogs present, does she walk ahead of you, pull on the leash, or act as if she is 'hunting'? Try reining her in, get a regular standard lead if you happen to be using one of those retractable things. Keep her at your side during walks and establish yourself as the leader during walk time.
Alexandra may agree with me when I say that a dog allowed to lead the walk assumes it is leading the pack and therefore must protect the pack and the packs space.
When walking and she gets all riled up by another dog, just turn around and walk the other way OR keep right on walking by. And walk your dog on the other side of the dog, in other words, keep a person between the two dogs at the bare minimum.
Hopefully this helps some.
Wendy Thanks for the replies. I walk her on both types of leashes and she is always ahead of me or more often stopping to sniff. I have never seen a dog sniff as much as she does Walks can take a while! I have chronic fatigue so I move kinda slow so I don't mind her being out in front. I do rein her in to my side and keep myself btwn her and the other dog. She has no other problems at home, she has never chewed, doesn't bark much, and is as calm as an old Golden Retriever when there aren't any dogs around.
"The fittest will survive, yet the unfit may live"
~Devo
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Parakeet
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Parakeet
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 862 |
A word of caution...check out other trainers besides Cezar/Dog Whisperer. I've seen a few of his shows, and to me it looks like his training consists mainly of putting a pinch/prong collar on a dog and yanking corrections on the dog's neck. Not something you'd want to do on a 10 lb. Chihuahua. I don't tend to agree with the pack leader thing, myself. A trainer on TV I like better is the gal from "It's Me or the Dog". She tends to use a lot more positive reinforcement than Cezar does. I do agree a lot can have to do with the owner, and how they handle the dog. You don't have to be tough with your dog, just consistent. If it is important to you that your dog behave better around other dogs, you can do it with positive reinforcement, it will just take time and lots of treats and praising for good behavior. I have a leash aggressive Australian Cattle Dog, and once I taught him the "watch" command (take a treat in your hand, and bring it up to your face to get the dog to watch your eyes), he started ignoring other dogs and watching me. It's a handy trick to teach your dog. Start teaching this far away from other dogs, then slowly decrease the distance. If she gets really good at it, she may start associating seeing another dog with you giving her a treat.
Again, since you got your dog as a rescue, it really sounds like a lack of socialization when she was a pup. She may never be completely at ease with other dogs, but you can probably help her tolerate them more acceptably.
Cindy
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Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 103
Jellyfish
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OP
Jellyfish
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 103 |
A word of caution...check out other trainers besides Cezar/Dog Whisperer. I've seen a few of his shows, and to me it looks like his training consists mainly of putting a pinch/prong collar on a dog and yanking corrections on the dog's neck. Not something you'd want to do on a 10 lb. Chihuahua. I don't tend to agree with the pack leader thing, myself. A trainer on TV I like better is the gal from "It's Me or the Dog". She tends to use a lot more positive reinforcement than Cezar does. I do agree a lot can have to do with the owner, and how they handle the dog. You don't have to be tough with your dog, just consistent. If it is important to you that your dog behave better around other dogs, you can do it with positive reinforcement, it will just take time and lots of treats and praising for good behavior. I have a leash aggressive Australian Cattle Dog, and once I taught him the "watch" command (take a treat in your hand, and bring it up to your face to get the dog to watch your eyes), he started ignoring other dogs and watching me. It's a handy trick to teach your dog. Start teaching this far away from other dogs, then slowly decrease the distance. If she gets really good at it, she may start associating seeing another dog with you giving her a treat.
Again, since you got your dog as a rescue, it really sounds like a lack of socialization when she was a pup. She may never be completely at ease with other dogs, but you can probably help her tolerate them more acceptably.
Cindy Thanks Cindy, I'm not into the pack leader thing either, and I think I'll try your idea. I do tell her "good dog!" when we pass by others and I keep her at bay ( works sometimes, large dogs make her worse.) I'm just thankful that this is the only problem I have with her! 
"The fittest will survive, yet the unfit may live"
~Devo
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