I hope someone can help me please. I got a new puppy but my 2 year old other chihuahua wants to kill it. I stay scared to death all the time that if I let him get close to the puppy he will bite her because He grawls at her constantly and almost did attack the puppy. What do I do and how can I make my old dog love the new puppy. I'm having my brother babysit while I'm at work but I can't keep this up. If they don't get along soon I will never have peace and harmony and I surely will never give one of them up. So what can I do? Why does my 2 year old chihuahua hate the new puppy chihuahua? I thought these dogs got along with their on kind. I have a dachsund too that is 7 years old and he doesn't have a problem with the puppy. I never expected this to happen and keeping them separated for fear of the puppy getting badly hurt is killing me. This is been going on for almost 3 weeks now. Can somebody please help me. Thank you. 2 pictures of puppy below and 1 of the older chi. (I need advice badly)
Is the new puppy and the older Chi the same sex? If so, that could be why the older one hates the baby. When we got harley we had a 8 month old hound mix and it was so awful for the first month or so. I was constantly freaking out bc the hound would try to like lay on the baby. I had to keep them seperated for so long. It was really really hard. And they weren't the same sex so I thought it'd be fine, but i was wrong. Now that Harley is bigger and can defend himself, i never worry. They LOVE eachother now. The 7 yr old dog probably knows the new pup is a baby and doesn't feel threatened by it. Hope this helps!
You need to establish a pecking order, Deb is really knowledgeable in this area and hopefully she will see this and post, anyhow, I suspect that the issue is one of ranking in the pack. You are the leader or alpha dog, and then who was the dominate dog before puppy came along? Was it the dachsund or the 2 yr chi? I think once you establish a pecking order and then let them know who is boss, I would hope that you would see a decline in the aggression. Deb... pipe in here... I know you got the goods on multi dog/chi homes!!!
Ooooh, sounds like a bit of a sticky situation! I guess your older Chi considers the new pup a threat over your attention. I'd guess that he is jealous, but that's just a guess. I think if it were my dogs I'd be calling a dog psychologist/behaviourist to ask for advice.
Deb has 8 Chis, a Pug, a Yorkie, and a Retriever (I think) mix so she'd be the one to ask. Her user name is ChiDeb, maybe you could PM her?
Best of luck, and do let us know how you got on, wont you?
I have been very fortunate with adding new chi babies to my pack. I recently added Kona who is number 8 to the group. When I bring in a new baby, I begin by putting the pup in my playpen to start with so all the others can see and smell him, but not make contact. They are naturally curious about him and kinda hang around the playpen getting to know the new addition.They are given lots of attention and I talk to them while petting the baby in the playpen to let them know that he is now one of us. The second day, I sit in the floor and put the baby down with me and let everyone come up and smell him and nudge him around a little. I have treats with me and give all the guys a treat when they come up to the baby and sniff around him. I also pick up and love on my guys individually while the baby is playing in the floor.. I let the baby play around for about 20 minutes at a time and then put him back in his pen several times a day... Usually after about a week, I can pretty much leave the little one out with the pack as long as I am in the room with them... I can go about my business and if anyone gets a little " too rough" around the baby, they get called down. Sometimes they just play too rough and don't realize they can send the little guy rolling by accident. In those cases I don't show displeasure with them, but pick up the baby and comfort him while talking to the "one" that got a little too frisky with him. Then I put the baby back down with the pack and go about my business again. My guys have been very accepting of new additions.. and since they have been thru this many times, it gets easier after the first time. This has worked for all ages with my chis since I have 2 ten year old chis, 1 six year old chi, 1 three year old chi, 1 two year old chi, 2 chis less than a year old, and the new 6 week old baby. I hope some of this helps with your pups. Deb
-- Edited by chiDeb at 09:03, 2007-04-02
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Thanks to all of you for your advice. I really appreciate it. All I can do is keep trying I suppose and hopefully something will change. By the way, I also have a playpen I put the puppy in and all my older dogs want to do is attack the pen she's in. It's just awful. Hopefully something will change if I keep trying. Thanks again for your responses. That feedback was really needed. I'll keep ya'll posted. Chow for now.
I am so sorry you are having these problems when you should be enjoying your new baby... Did you have any dominance issues with your 2 year old chi before the new pup came to the house? Did he basically accept you as the "alpha" pack leader, or did he challenge you for that role? If he was already accepting you as the leader, then he should "come around" when he sees that you are not pleased with his behavior toward the baby. What type of discipline are you using when he behaves aggressively toward the puppy or the playpen the pup is in? Make sure you are consistent with the discipline every time.. be it being crated for 15 minutes, or placed behind a baby gate away from the family, or whatever measure you use to show him you are not happy with his behavior. Please let us know how things are going. Deb
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siggy by Chicoluver The wind of anger blows out the lamp of intelligence.
Wow chiDeb. No wonder everyone suggested I get your advice. You do seem to know what's up. YES, my 2 yr. old Chi has always had a dominence problem. He thinks he is alpha. It's been a battle for a long time. I must have spoiled him way too much or something. So I do believe that is part of it. But I must say, he might be starting to come around little bit. I just want us to be one big happy family that's all. I really thought he would love her and play with her like I see other dogs doing. My 2yr old is a handful alright and I think the discipline you recommended should help because he's definitely not use to that. I'm just going to keep trying and hope it gets better. One good thing is that I can see some improvement so that gives me hope. Thanks again for your comments. I appreciate it soooooo much. I'll be back in touch. Tammy
Tammy, looks like we have "hit" on the problem.. You just need to establish yourself as the pack leader. It will be a little harder now than when your guy was a puppy.. but it can certainly be done.. lol After all, you're bigger than he is and can physically "put" him in isolation when he misbehaves....lol All my guys were spoiled rotten as babies, and are still spoiled and love my attention.. but they also have respect for me as well. They want to please me because they know I will look out for them, love them, feed them, and they can depend on me to lead them. They are actually happier dogs because I am their "alpha." It is a big responsibility to a dog, and it sounds like your little guy felt he had to assume that responsibility because no one else did so..When he sees you as the leader, then he will allow you to establish the new baby's place and stop trying to do it himself. Please let me know how things go.. I hope I have helped you to create a "happy, well-adjusted" chi family at your house... It's a real "riot" around here with 8 chis, but everyone gets along well.. In fact, my new 6 week old Kona has a full time babysitter in my 10 month old Bandy.. They are inseparable...Deb
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siggy by Chicoluver The wind of anger blows out the lamp of intelligence.
Dogs are unconditional LOVE!
