Chihuahua behavioral problems?!
My chihuahua is a year and a half, and for the most part, a little angel. He does great with kids and my cats, and is generally just a very happy dog. He is not protective of me (although you can def tell I'm HIS mom, he follows me everywhere and always snuggles with me...)... But lately I just don't know what has gotten into him.
He used to be so good with ALL dogs, however now he growls and is a little brat towards male dogs, even if they're smaller than him. He doesn't fight or snap at them, but his hairs on his back and neck stand up, and he growls and he's just mean. My guess is this is because he is not fixed...is there any way I can get him to be nicer? I usually bop him on the nose and tell him to knock it off and he does, but it's just annoying when he's always picking fights with all the male dogs he comes into contact with...
Also, he has been chewing like CRAZY. He's always chewed, occasionally snatching my socks or just whatever he can find. It hasn't been a big deal. The other day though, he chewed his entire harness off of him and then chewed through a collar. I went and got him another one, and then he chewed through that one too, in less than a day. I finally got fed up and got him a little chain collar that I know he won't be able to chew through. No problems so far, obviously. He also got into all my Halloween candy (which I hid) and he ate a bunch of chocolate! Thankfully he was okay!
The other day, one of the days he chewed his collar off, he was outside and TOOK OFF and was gone for about 3 hrs. Thankfully someone picked him up and I got him back. But him taking off has been an ongoing issue. He gets so wound up and just bolts down the road, and I have to chase after him, which is usually followed by a little "game" to him. He'll stop and just watch me, and when I get close enough to grab him, he bolts. It's so frustrating. He just does not listen to me. But he'll listen to my boyfriend; if he starts to run, and my boyfriend yells at him to come back, he goes straight home without any hesitation. How can I make him listen to ME? I've even tried to avoid his "game" and tried ignoring him, to see if he would come home, but he still doesn't.
And finally, he's been having accidents on the floor a lot. He was so good at going outside. He has never been taught to go on pads inside, he's been going outside his whole life. He used to whine at me when he needed to go out, and he still does, but now he's peeing and pooping on my floors. Just every now and then. He hasn't had accidents in MONTHS! and now suddenly this is all becoming a problem.
I don't know what to do. I don't know if he's just going through a weird phase and being rebellious, or if he's seeking attention, even if it's negative attention? Which doesn't make sense, cuz I play with him and walk him and always love on him. He's been such a good dog so far and I adore him, but I'm getting fed up! I just don't know what's going on. Could anyone give me their input?
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