Hi, I have a 2 year old Chihuahua we got him from 8 months and he was a wreck, never been socialised or trained in anything and very nervous. I've done lots of work with him and he's now confident and good on walks, done lots of reward training so will sit, walk off lead etc, but we have a issue. Today in the park he was off the lead all very good as normal and a Whippet looking dog came over and started chasing him, I asked the owner to call there dog back as I could see my dog was really not happy and then the Whippet growled and my dog turned and snapped back and obviously I shouted to stop a full fight breaking out. Now he loves being off the lead the freedom is good for him but I'm worried other dogs see him as "bait" and next time it won't take much for my dog to get seriously injured. What do I do, I know he is scared that is why he snapped?
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Chihuahua Being Chased By Other Dogs?
- Thread starter kellys27
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I'm afraid to say that with a lot of dogs with a strong prey drive could consider your little dog small enough to be prey, and for that reason I'd only allow your little one off the lead when you know that the dogs that he is around are safe for him.
As much as dogs need to be socialised, it should be done safely, and for a really small dog there's a lot of risks, including larger dogs hurting him during play. I worry when my dog Molly plays with her mate who is a greyhound because if Mocha stopped before Molly did and Molly ran into her then Mocha's long and beautiful legs would be at extreme risk of being damaged with 38kg of lower down GSD running into them.
Have you got anywhere locally where your lad can come off the lead for a run around that has good visibility and a bit of privacy so you can still give him off-lead time without risking him being seen as dinner by any dog that would normally chase squirrels or rabbits? I'm lucky that I know loads of similar spaces near where I live and they're great for practicing training, recall and letting off steam with a game. We can see if other people or dogs are approaching in plenty of time to get her back on a lead so that prevents any problems before they can occur as Molly hates to be surprised by the approach of other dogs.
I'm afraid with a dog so small I'd probably keep him on lead around larger dogs unless I knew them to be gentle and calm enough not to either regard him as dinner or a toy. It's important that you don't pick him up every time he meets a dog as that would interfere with the natural socialising, but I think you could do with being on hand in case he does need to be removed from a risk situation.
As much as dogs need to be socialised, it should be done safely, and for a really small dog there's a lot of risks, including larger dogs hurting him during play. I worry when my dog Molly plays with her mate who is a greyhound because if Mocha stopped before Molly did and Molly ran into her then Mocha's long and beautiful legs would be at extreme risk of being damaged with 38kg of lower down GSD running into them.
Have you got anywhere locally where your lad can come off the lead for a run around that has good visibility and a bit of privacy so you can still give him off-lead time without risking him being seen as dinner by any dog that would normally chase squirrels or rabbits? I'm lucky that I know loads of similar spaces near where I live and they're great for practicing training, recall and letting off steam with a game. We can see if other people or dogs are approaching in plenty of time to get her back on a lead so that prevents any problems before they can occur as Molly hates to be surprised by the approach of other dogs.
I'm afraid with a dog so small I'd probably keep him on lead around larger dogs unless I knew them to be gentle and calm enough not to either regard him as dinner or a toy. It's important that you don't pick him up every time he meets a dog as that would interfere with the natural socialising, but I think you could do with being on hand in case he does need to be removed from a risk situation.
Good advice there from Eingana.......
Being realistic, with a toy dog of that size, it is up to you to ensure you do your best to keep it safe. Personally, I would be very careful about letting it off lead in public places to 'play' or 'socialise' with other, larger dogs.....sh*t happens very quickly and a dog of that size wouldn't stand much of a chance should trouble kick off. If it were my dog, I would keep it on a lead, so that it CAN be lifted to safety if need be......I always carry a walking stick when I walk my dogs and avoid public parks at all costs......
Being realistic, with a toy dog of that size, it is up to you to ensure you do your best to keep it safe. Personally, I would be very careful about letting it off lead in public places to 'play' or 'socialise' with other, larger dogs.....sh*t happens very quickly and a dog of that size wouldn't stand much of a chance should trouble kick off. If it were my dog, I would keep it on a lead, so that it CAN be lifted to safety if need be......I always carry a walking stick when I walk my dogs and avoid public parks at all costs......
Hi, thanks for the advice, your right he doesn't stand a chance if a dog grabbed him intentionally or not. When he's on the lead we don't have this issue at all, and I'm a firm believer that a dog is a dog no matter what size and it's rare I pick him up when were out and about, and certainly does not go in a handbag ever. We have a fair sized garden that he runs around in but it's nice to have some variety, I'll have to do some local investigating for some other areas. In the meantime lead only. Thanks
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Brude is much smaller than the majority of dogs we meet on our walks. I find vigilance and good voice command of my own dog is invaluable
If we spot another dog Brude is instructed to return to me until us owners have established communication. If a dog is allowed to do as it pleases, I have Brude next to me where he's safest, usually in a 'sit' so he isn't giving off 'go away' signals and provoking a fight, and it leaves my hands free to grab the other dog's collar if it's absolutely necessary (Brude has a spinal injury, so the stupidity of 'he's just playing' dominance behaviour could prove lethal to him), and Brude's free to escape
If we spot another dog Brude is instructed to return to me until us owners have established communication. If a dog is allowed to do as it pleases, I have Brude next to me where he's safest, usually in a 'sit' so he isn't giving off 'go away' signals and provoking a fight, and it leaves my hands free to grab the other dog's collar if it's absolutely necessary (Brude has a spinal injury, so the stupidity of 'he's just playing' dominance behaviour could prove lethal to him), and Brude's free to escape
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I'm sure you understand Strix that when anybody says something along the lines of 'they're only playing and nobody will get hurt' Brude comes to mind. Yes, play and socialising are good, but no, you can never guarantee that none of the dogs will get hurt (either intentionally or accidentally) so absolutely everything is a calculated risk. A long limbed sighthound running at full speed and putting their paw down an unnoticed rabbit warren may be all it take for catastrophic injuries, or a stick that falls wrong and ends up impaling the dog through their chest, or a million and one unintended outcomes- and that's before you've taken into account that some dogs may actually get too rough or deliberately attack another.
Molly has always been really gentle with smaller dogs in play, but we all know that if she was to miss her footing and fall then that takes away from all of her intention to be gentle, and that's all it would take for a much smaller dog to get hurt.
Molly has always been really gentle with smaller dogs in play, but we all know that if she was to miss her footing and fall then that takes away from all of her intention to be gentle, and that's all it would take for a much smaller dog to get hurt.
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