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Ask Alecia: My Chihuahua Snaps at Me!

November 26, 2011 by  
Filed under Ask the Dog Trainer, Tips, Training

2 Comments

Dear Alecia,

Hello, I have a 3-1/2- year-old female Chihuahua. For the most part she’s very sweet and well adjusted. Every so often though, she shows a little bit of that “Chihuahua attitude”. Usually it’s just a growl, but occasionally she’ll snap at me and she’s even bitten me a couple of times. It wasn’t enough to break the skin, but she definitely meant business. She’s done this since she was about a year old, and only when I do something to obviously annoy her, like take something from her she shouldn’t have, or pet or pick her up if she’s really tired. So I don’t think it could be a symptom of some kind of medical issue. It only happens a couple of times a month, but it’s still a couple of times too many. I’ve always practiced positive reinforcement with every other aspect of her training, but I’m at a loss on how to go about it with this issue. I usually just say “no” in a stern voice, but that hasn’t helped. Is this just something that goes with the territory of owning a Chihuahua, or can it hopefully be corrected? I also have a four-month old Chihuahua and so far she’s sweet as can be. Do you have an tips for making sure she stays that way? :) Thank you so much for your time. I’ve had her since she was 11 weeks old, so I don’t think it’s a result of past abuse or neglect. There are no children in the house and Juju and Elly are the only two pets. –Veronica

Dear Veronica,

Ay Chihuahua! Little dog with a big attitude. When a little dog exhibits aggressive behavior it is generally from one of three things: fear, dominance or insecurity. Biting is never acceptable unless being attacked and the dog needs to defend itself. While I am a Positive Reinforcement trainer sometimes we have to up the volume because our dogs are just not getting it.

This is a little tricky because I will ask you to do something only if you feel comfortable doing it that is a skilled trainer move but I sense you have the quickness and finness to handle it. When she gets aggressive, you are going to immediately get her by her neck scruff in one fell swoop keeping her front feet off the ground. Remember you are not choking her with her collar you are getting her by her scruff just like her mom would. She may try to turn and bite and she probably will scream a little and make a fuss so make sure you have a good hold and are prepared to not let her go until she moves herself through it without letting her slip out.

Protect yourself but allow her to move through her emotional drama until she gets it out and gives a big sigh. Once she gives you the sigh, put her down and walk away.

When she comes up to you pat her and walk away and let her come to you again at which time you can give her a treat. If she does it again, repeat the above process. You may need to do this 3-4 times until she knows you will no longer accept that behavior but you will see a huge shift in her level of respect for you.

Only do this if you feel confident you can keep you safe, you can do so with clarity and confidence and be firm but not angry. Also consider using the Walk In Sync(tm) System to walk her it will give her more confidence while lessening her need to dominate.

Paws Up!

Alecia

Do you have a training question for Alecia? Send it in on our online form!

Alecia Evans is the inventor of The Walk In Sync™ Humane Dog Walking and Training System with her exclusive 5 Minute Manners Makeovers using the Walk In Sync™ Harness and Accu-Grip Leash, along with her Walk In Sync™ 3 Easy Steps to teach any human/dog duos to Walk In Sync in just minutes.

The former host of the award-winning GrassRoots Aspen TV Series, The Whole Animal-An Alternative Approach to Animal Care, Alecia takes a natural approach to dog training and health care. Her work has been featured on Fox and Friends, The Sandra Glosser Show, NY 1, and in Aspen Magazine, DogTipper.com, The New York Daily News and Woof Report.

About Paris Permenter and John Bigley

DogTipper publishers Paris Permenter and John Bigley are a husband-wife team of full-time writers. The couple has authored over two dozen books and 2,500+ magazine articles.

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  • Karin

    The advice about the biting Chihuahua was so WRONG!! Is this 1982?? It sounds like advice from Ceasar Milan!! So teach your dog that when your hand comes near its head ..,. Bite and Bite again because sething awful is going to happen!!
    I don’t believe this will help your relationship with your dog!

    The relationship with the owner is wrong, so how about some real positive reinforcement !!
    No pain- no negative reactions! Don’t acknowledge your dog if it’s demanding petting or anything else! Ignore or walk away! Reward good behavior!! Remember that attention is one of a dog’s favorite things! Take it away and they will figure out how they lost it!!

  • Angela

    How is holding a dog by the nape of it’s neck negative reinforcement? When a mother dog does it to her pups, she isn’t doing it to punish them.

    Mind you, Veronica didn’t say her dog was demanding petting or anything else. Also, walking away or ignoring the problem is a passive aggressive way of dealing with it, and I’m pretty positive that dogs don’t understand passive aggressiveness.

    I believe dogs need love, but similar to children and adults, they also need structure and boundaries. If you don’t teach them right from wrong, how in the world are they supposed to learn? Dogs don’t rationalize situations. They mostly just react.

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