My dog doesn't like other dogs..

[Laurensadler96]

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I need urgent help. Around 5-6 weeks ago I got a 5 year old male chihuahua. I didn't get him from a rescue home, his previous owner had to move and there was not enough space for him. When I first took him out on my own and we approached another dog he began barking and refused to stop no matter how many times I called his name. So I tried distracting him with treats but that didn't work and then started to pick him up when we approached dogs but I went to the vet last week and she advised me to stop doing that so I have. The strange thing is that he gets on really well with my dads dogs which are a toy poodle and teacup chihuahua. At first I thought this was a chihuahua thing as my dad's does the same but he sounds aggressive when he barks, which is also strange as he is a lovely dog with people. I just need some advice on more ways to try and reverse this, but I know it will be hard considering he is 5 years old. If someone could help that would be great.

 

[Kaitlin]

Hi,

I had the same problem with my rescue Schnauzer, who was also around five years old. Instead of being aggressive, she was very nervous around other dogs and didn't know how to respond to them at all. Here are a few ways I got her used to other dogs that you may find useful:

- Introduce another dog to him. Your Dad's dogs seem like the perfect candidates for this solution. Let your dog spend a lot of time with the two other dogs until you feel he is very comfortable around them; he will learn off of their behaviour.

- Take him for walks with dogs he is familiar with. This ties in to the previous solution; when another dog approaches, he will observe how your Dad's dogs react to the stranger (just taking him out with the toy poodle may be more effective if the Chihuahua is prone to barking). He will soon learn off of them.

- Train him with treats (or other rewards he enjoys). Put him into an environment where there are other dogs with a pocket full of treats and, whenever he behaves acceptably, smother him with praise and food. He will begin to associate staying quiet with rewards. Positive reinforcement is always better than shouting at him.

- Accept him. You may try all these tips and not make any progress at all, which can be frustrating but it's just who he is. Barking isn't a huge problem, and it may be related to something that happened to him with his previous owner. Psychological situations like this are very difficult to remedy.

- Be patient. If he is willing to change for you, it will take many months to fully control it. Don't expect too much of him too soon.

I really hope my tips were useful to you, and good luck with your dog!